Duck & Berry Night

Duck Breast with Berry Sauce

Ingredients

 ·        6 large boneless duck breast fillets, skin on -

·        Salt and freshly ground black pepper -

·        2 tablespoons oil -

·        1/4 cup balsamic vinegar -

·        1 cup red wine -

·        1 cup chicken or duck stock

·        1/3 cup brown sugar -

·        3 sprigs fresh rosemary -

·        2 cups berries: raspberries or blackberries -

 ·        2 tablespoons butter -

Directions
 
Season the duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Brown the duck breast, skin side first, then flip over, reduce heat and cook other side, about 10 to 15 minutes. Remove the duck breasts to a platter, reserving the juices in the pan. Work in batches, if necessary.


To make the sauce, add the balsamic vinegar and red wine to the pan and cook until reduced by half. Add the stock and reduce by half again, then add brown sugar, rosemary and berries and cook for 3 minutes. Strain into a bowl and whisk in the butter to finish. Place the duck breast on each plate and drizzle the sauce around.

Blueberry Brie Galette

FOR THE CRUST

6 Tablespoons Frozen Butter -

2 Tablespoons Ice Cold Water -

1 whole Egg, Divided -

1 Tablespoon Raw Sugar

½ teaspoons Crushed, Dried Lavender

1 cup Whole Wheat Pastry Flour (or All-purpose), Plus More If Necessary -

½ teaspoons Salt -

FOR THE FILLING:

6 ounces, weight Brie Cheese -

2 cups Fresh Blueberries

1 whole Lemon, Juiced -

¼ cups Raw Sugar, Divided

Preparation Instructions

To make the crust:
Grate the frozen butter onto a small plate with a coarse cheese grater. (Don’t use a microplane.) Place grated butter in the freezer until ready to use.

Measure 2 Tablespoons of water from a glass of ice water and place in a small dish.

In a separate small bowl, beat the egg with a fork. Place half of the beaten egg (about 2 Tablespoons) into the ice water, setting the remaining egg aside for later. Beat well. Place the cold egg mixture in the fridge until ready to use.

Place the raw sugar and dried lavender in a small food processor or mortar and pestle. Grind until combined, then place in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Whisk in the flour and salt. Add the frozen grated butter and, using your hands or a pair of forks, thoroughly blend, breaking up any clumps of butter. Add the cold egg-water mixture and work the dough into a ball, adding more flour or cold water to achieve the right consistency. (Not sticky or too crumbly, but holds together well.) Cover the dough with plastic wrap and refrigerate if you don’t plan on using it right away.

To assemble:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Slice the rind off of the brie and cut remaining cheese into 1/2-inch strips.

Place blueberries in a bowl with the juice from one lemon and 2 Tablespoons of raw sugar. Toss to combine.

Place your dough on a piece of parchment paper or a silicone liner, sprinkled liberally with flour, on your counter. Roll out the dough until it’s about 1/8th of an inch thick (like you would for a pie crust). Carefully transfer the parchment/liner to a baking sheet.

Arrange brie slices in the center of the dough, leaving a 2-3 inch border. Spoon 2/3 of the blueberries over the brie, then fold up the edges of the dough around the filling with the center fruit still exposed. (Use a dough scraper or a spatula if it sticks.) Place the remaining blueberries in the center opening.

Brush the remaining egg over the crust and sprinkle the remaining 2 Tablespoons of raw sugar over the galette.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20-25 minutes or until the filling is bubbly and the crust is golden brown.

Allow galette to sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serves 6

Sliced Strawberries with Grand Marnier Zabaglione

Zabaglione is a light custard. In this elegant dessert, the warm Grand Marnier-spiked custard is spooned over fresh strawberries just before serving. Yield: Makes 2 servings Ingredients (I've doubled the ingredients here so we can have 4 servings. Instructions below are for 2 servings) 2 pounds strawberries, hulled, thinly sliced (about 2 1/2 cups sliced) 6 large egg yolks - 6 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur - 4 tablespoons water - 3 tablespoons sugar - 2 tablespoon crème fraîche or sour cream 4 fresh mint sprigs (for garnish)  Preparation Divide strawberries between 2 bowls or large wineglasses. Whisk egg yolks, Grand Marnier, 2 tablespoons water, and sugar in medium metal bowl. Set bowl over large saucepan of gently simmg water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water). Whisk until mixture becomes thick and fo, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat; whisk 1 minute longer. Whisk in crème fraîche. Spoon warm zabaglione over strawberries. Garnish with mint sprigs. Serve immediately

Scones & Onions

Apple and Cheddar Scones (from Smittin Kitchen)

2 firm tart apples -  
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour -
1/4 cup sugar plus 1 1/2 tablespoons for sprinkling -
1/2 tablespoon baking powder -
1/2 teaspoon salt plus additional for egg wash -
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes plus additional for baking sheet if not lining it with parchment -
1/2 cup sharp cheddar, shredded (white is recommended, I assume for aesthetics) -
1/4 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs -

Makes 6 generous scones

Position a rack at the center of oven and preheat oven to 375 °F. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

Peel and core apples, then cut them into one-sixteenths. (I assumed this meant chunks, not slivers.) Placed them in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake them until they take on a little color and feel dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. They will be about half-baked. Let them cool completely. (You can speed this up in the fridge, as I did.) Leave oven on.

Sift or whisk flour, sugar, baking powder and salt together. Set aside. Place butter in the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, along with cooled apple chunks, cheese, cream and one egg. Sprinkle flour mixture over the top and mix on low speed until the dough just comes together. Do not overmix.

Generously flour your counter top and place the scone dough on top of it. Sprinkle with flour. Use a rolling pin to gently roll (or use your hands to pat) the dough into a 1 1/4-inch thick, 6-inch circle. Cut circle into 6 wedges. Transfer them to a baking sheet that has either been buttered or lined with a fresh sheet of parchment paper. Leave at least 2 inches between each scone.

Beat remaining egg in a small bowl with a pinch of salt. Brush the scones with egg wash and sprinkle them with remaining tablespoon of sugar. Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. With a spatula, lift them to a wire rack to cool for 10 minutes. Before you eat one, make sure you realize how addictive they might be. Once you’ve got that down, go for it anyway.

Roasted Stuffed Onions -- note that I halved the amounts on stuffing ingredients per the notes at the start of the recipe

10 medium red and yellow onions

1/2 lb sliced bacon, cut crosswise into 1-inch-wide pieces -

1.5 celery ribs, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
1/2 teaspoon salt -
1/2 teaspoon black pepper -
2 garlic cloves, minced
7.5 oz baby spinach, trimmed and coarsely chopped (7 cups) -
1/2 of (9-inch) round loaf country-style bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (5 cups), lightly toasted -

1 cup salted roasted cashews (5 oz), coarsely chopped -

1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter, melted -
1/2 & 1/8 cups turkey giblet stock - 

A whole bunch of notes: If you only want to make the quantity for stuffed onions, even half of this is slightly more than enough, leaving you with the option of using an extra onion or two, or just baking it in a pan.

If you wish to make this vegetarian, simply omit the bacon, and cook the filling in olive oil instead. Vegetable stock can be swapped for turkey.

If you’re freaked out about hollowing out an onion, believe me, I was too. I dreaded and dreaded it, and then–voila! I used a melon baller. Working carefully, you’ll be surprised how easily it works.

If you’re stressing because you have a lot of guests coming over, you can definitely do the onion-hollowing step a day or two in advance. The stuffing can be made in advanced as well, then brought to room temperature before filling and baking.

Make onion shells: Cut a 1/2-inch-thick slice from tops of onions, discarding tops, and trim just enough from bottoms for onions to stand upright. Scoop out all but outer 2 or 3 layers from each using a small ice cream scoop or spoon (don’t worry if you make a hole in the bottom), reserving scooped-out onion and onion shells separately.

Make stuffing: Coarsely chop enough scooped-out onion to measure 3 cups.

Cook bacon in 2 batches in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring, until crisp, about 10 minutes, then transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain, reserving about 1/3 cup fat in skillet.

Add chopped onion, celery, salt, and pepper to skillet and sauté over moderately high heat, stirring, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and sauté, stirring, 1 minute. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and stir in spinach, bread, cashews, butter, 1 cup stock, and bacon, then cool completely.

Roast onions: Preheat oven to 425°F. Arrange onion shells, open sides up, in a 13- by 9- by 2-inch baking pan, then add 1/2cup water and cover pan tightly with foil. Roast onions in middle of oven until tender but not falling apart, 25 to 30 minutes.

Stuff and bake onions: Reduce oven temperature to 350°F. Transfer shells to a work surface and pour off water in pan. Fill shells with stuffing, mounding it, and return to pan. Reserve 5 to 7 cups stuffing for turkey cavity, then put remaining stuffing in a buttered shallow 3 1/2-quart baking dish and drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup stock.

Bake stuffed onions and stuffing in dish in middle of oven, uncovered, until heated through, about 25 minutes.