Weekly Dish

Grandmothers are delicious treats. My dad’s mother has always been a huge part of my life–in grade school, whenever I had to write an essay about who I most admired, she took top honors. A few weeks ago, I was at her house to celebrate birthdays for two of my aunts, and the dessert you see above is what Aunt Prissy served in Grandmother’s beautiful crystal, which she has collected over a lifetime.

Although I am a little late in joining, I recently read about a food blogging event called “In the Pink.” Emily at La Dolce Vita invited food bloggers to create pink food and write about it, in honor of breast cancer awareness. When I read Emily’s story and the inspiration for the event, I knew I wanted to join. Knowing my paternal grandmother so well all these years has always had a tiny edge of bitterness to it: I didn’t get to know my mom’s mother, because she lost her life to breast cancer when I was only two years old.

I am grateful for the chance to have such a sweet grandmother in my life, and saddened at the same time to have lost another so early. My hope is that the spread of breast cancer awareness can prevent other women from losing their mothers, grandmothers, sisters, and daughters to such an ugly disease.

Here’s a pink dessert with delicate lace cookies, dedicated to both of my grandmothers, whose lives I cherish. Thanks to Aunt Prissy for making such a lovely dessert, which I think accurately represents the delicate sweetness of grandmothers everywhere.

Amaretto Pink Sherbet with Lace Cookies

Raspberry Sherbet, 1 generous scoop per serving

Amaretto, about 1 tablespoon per scoop (more or less to taste)

Lace cookies, 1 per scoop

Aunt Em’s Lace Cookies

Aunt Prissy used Paula Deen’s recipe for the cookies in the picture but says she likes Aunt Em’s recipe better, so I’m giving it to you instead. Aunt Prissy also recommends parchment paper instead of foil.

1 cup quick oats

1 cup sugar

3 T. flour

1/4 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

1 stick butter, melted

1 t. vanilla

1 egg, beaten

Mix the oats, sugar, flour, and baking powder in a large bowl. Add the melted butter, and mix well. Then add egg and vanilla; stir to combine. Refrigerate the dough for a few hours. Drop spoonfuls 3 inches apart onto a foil- or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Bake at 325 degrees for 7-9 minutes. Watch carefully until they are light brown on edges. Cool slightly and peel off of foil. Makes about 2 1/2 dozen.

To assemble the dessert: scoop sherbet into long-stemmed glasses. Drizzle the amaretto on top. Break cookies in half, and stick one half into each side of the glass. Pretty and easy to do for a lot of people.

AUTUMN REVERIE

Monday, October 10, 2005

 

Paper Chef #11: Pecan-Crusted Cinnamon Duck with Gingered Pear-Cherry Compote and Maple Sweet Potato Grits

 

For this month’s Paper Chef competition (the brainchild of Owen at Tomatilla!), an internet version of television’s Iron Chef, Stephen at Stephen Cooks asked entrants to compose a dish based around 4 ingredients, centered thematically around fall, my favorite season of the year.

 

Fall in the South tends to come suddenly, dropping gusts of cool air at the last moment, just when we’ve given up hope that the daytime temperature will ever drop below 85. Summer lasts so long here that by the time fall finally arrives, even if it dips in and out until Christmas, I am so grateful that I spend every possible moment outdoors. One of the delights of the season in this corner of the world is that the green of summer remains long after the crisp nip in the air drains the hot, heavy humidity of summer. The vegetation in these parts still glistens with life under the more temperate autumn sun, and the combination of the charged zip in the air with the still-warm kiss of the sun puts a sparkling spring in my step and in my hopes for the days to come every single year.

Stephen’s call for autumn-inspired cuisine, had it come just a week earlier, would have found me dripping with sweat and wondering if southern Louisiana would ever cool off. Luckily, though, the seasonal drop in temperature came just in the nick of time. It was a lovely 70 degrees when David and I headed out Saturday morning for the Red Stick Market, armed with the ingredient list and our imaginations.

 

The required ingredients for this month’s competition are: DUCK, PEARS, GINGER, AND NUT BUTTER. I grew up in a family of hunters, so wild game appeared frequently in our meals this time of year. My dad usually cooks duck on the grill with cinnamon, and its simplicity is hard to beat. For my creation, I borrowed the cinnamon from him (which I think he might have borrowed from my Aunt Emily), and picked up a pound of pecans from Buddy Miller of Plantation Pecans, both to use for the requisite nut butter component and to add a southern flair to my preparation. Pecan-Crusted Cinnamon Duck Breasts were soon ready to be hatched.

 

I marinated the breasts overnight in red wine and balsamic vinegar spiced with ginger, cloves, and cinnamon sticks. I made a pecan butter from slow-roasted pecans, cinnamon,  butter, and a little maple syrup, which I lathered onto the duck. Next, I rolled the breasts in chopped pecans and dredged them in flour. To achieve a crispy brown layer on the outside while preserving the tenderness of the meaty inside, I seared the breasts in a skillet for a couple of minutes per side and then finished by roasting them in the oven.

For the sauce and presentation, I wanted to find a way to incorporate the rich autumn hues of red and orange, while using the good fat from the duck to flavor the dish. I decided on a ruby-colored sauce, which I made by simmering the pears in some of the red wine marinade, along with dried red cherries, shallots, and lots of spice. I used that mixture to deglaze the pan after the ducks were finished cooking, which resulted in a sort of rich, saucy compote. To remain true to my southern roots, I served the duck on a bed of grits, colored orange and flavored by whipping them with roasted sweet potatoes and long strands of orange zest. I finished the dish with crispy red onion strings, which served as a nice contrast, both in flavor and texture, to the sweet, soft potato grits.

 

So how was it? Well, it was fabulous. The combination of flavors and textures–the spiciness of the ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and allspice; the rich buttery subtlety of the roasted pecan butter; the crispy texture of the onions and the duck’s crust; the sweetness of the pears and cherries; the savory duck itself with just a hint of wildness–left us reveling in the complexity of every bite. I have to confess–the Sweet Potato Grits were a surprise. I was fully prepared to junk the idea if it turned out to be too strange, but the mixture of the sweet potatoes and grits makes for a light and fluffy compliment to the fuller, stronger flavors in the duck and sauce. The crispy onions were just the right topping.

 

This is really not my method of cooking–as you who read often know, I usually try to make our meals in an hour or less; I rarely have time to spend coddling and cajoling ingredients to come together over the span of two days. I have to say, though, I loved every minute of it. It was relaxing, almost, to take my time with the food I was making (who knew?!).

 

David and I set a card table in our backyard, just before the sun went down, and enjoyed the last of our first autumn Sunday by savoring every bite of the delicious flavors of the season.

 

 

Here is the step-by-step recipe:

Maple Sweet Potato Grits

2 large or 3 medium sweet potatoes

1 cup quick grits

1 t. salt

1/2 t. cinnamon

2 tablespoons pecan butter

1/4 cup maple syrup

Zest of one orange

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Roast the sweet potatoes until very soft, about 1 hour. (Prepare the duck and sauce meanwhile). Cool the potatoes, peel, and place in the bowl of a mixer. Prepare the grits according to the package directions. Pour the cooked grits and remaining ingredients into the mixer, and mix until light and fluffy.

Pecan-Crusted Cinnamon Duck

4 duck breasts, skin on

Marinade:

2/3 cup red wine (I used Pinot Noir)

2 T. balsamic vinegar

2 T. maple syrup

1 cinnamon stick

8 whole cloves

1 shallot, thinly sliced

1 t. fresh rosemary, chopped

1 t. minced ginger

1 t. Kosher salt

Sprinkle of cracked black pepper

Pecan Butter:

1 stick butter, softened

1/2 cups pecans, roasted

1/2 t. ground cinnamon

2 T. maple syrup

Coating:

1 cup raw pecans, chopped finely

Flour as needed

Cinnamon

Ground black pepper

Kosher salt

Olive oil

1/4 cup red onion, sliced paper-thin

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a shallow baking dish. Trim any hanging fat from the duck breasts and score the skin by cutting a diamond pattern into it (be careful not to cut all the way to the meat). Add the breasts to the marinade, turning to coat. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Grind the roasted pecans in a food processor until very, very fine. Add cinnamon, syrup, and butter, and process until smooth. Set aside 2 tablespoons of the butter for the Sweet Potato Grits. Season the flour with cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Make an assembly line with the plate of flour, a shallow dish with the pecan butter, and a plate of the pecans. Dip each breast in flour, then butter, then in the chopped pecans, and then in flour again. Place the coated breasts on a plate and cover tightly. Refrigerate while you prepare the sweet potatoes, grits, and sauce.

 Heat a large, oven-proof skillet over medium-high heat with a teaspoon or so of olive oil. When the skillet is hot but not smoking, fry the onions in the oil until brown and crispy. Remove; set aside. Add the breasts, and sear for about 2 minutes per side. The coating should be brown. Place the skillet in the oven, and roast the breasts for about 10-12 minutes at 400 degrees, until it slices easily but it still pink in the middle. Turn the breasts halfway through roasting.

Remove the breasts from the pan and cover with foil to keep warm.

Gingered Pear-Cherry Red Wine Compote

Leftover marinade

1 pear, diced

1/2 cup dried cherries

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 cup red wine

1/4 t. ground allspice

Zest of 1 orange

Pan juices from roasting the duck

2 shallots, minced

1 tsp. ginger, minced

Strain the solids from the marinade and discard. Bring the liquid to a boil over medium heat. Reduce the heat and add pear, cherries, sugar, wine, allspice, and orange zest. Simmer over medium heat for about 30 minutes, until the fruit is very soft. Reduce heat to low and keep warm and covered until duck is ready. Reheat the pan juices over medium; add the shallots and ginger and cook until both are tender, a few minutes. Add the fruit-wine mixture, scraping any brown bits from the bottom, and cooking and stirring until the mixture thickens. Taste for seasoning.

To serve: Place a scoop of the sweet potato-grits on each plate. Slice the breast diagonally, and arrange against the mound of grits. Pile a nest of fried onion strings on top of the grits. Top with sauce, and sprinkle with ground nuts and chopped rosemary to garnish.

MY FIRST BLOGGING EVENT: IMBB #19

Thursday, September 29, 2005

What is a blogging event and what does IMBB stand for? Well, dear readers, I’ll tell you. See, out there in the big world of the wide web, there’s this whole community of people who write blogs about food and cooking. They hold events every so often where everyone writes about the same thing during the same time period. IMBB stands for Is My Blog Burning? You can read about the event’s origins here. I have only read about these events until now, and for some reason, I decided it was a good time to join in (you know, because school really isn’t keeping me busy enough).

For this IMBB, the 19th in the series, Sam of Becks & Posh instructed all of the participants to make a vegan meal and serve it to some unsuspecting guest. (See my unsuspecting guests above–my fellow PhD student Casey and her sister Christy). I was all excited about sharing my very first blogging event with my new friends. Casey’s birthday was a few weeks ago, so I did some research and figured out how to make her a vegan birthday cake. Before I tell you about the meal I prepared, though, I might as well go ahead and confess. I tried really hard to stick to this whole vegan thing, but on inspecting my recipes later, I discovered that I was foiled. Vegans avoid animal products of any kind, and, well, apparently that’s more difficult than I thought.

I had planned to make Eggplant Parmesan for Casey and Christy before I found out about IMBB. So, I thought, I’ll just omit the cheese; what’s so hard about that? And, I had made marinara sauce earlier in the week that was vegan–perfect for the eggplant–and some fresh pesto without the parmesan cheese to flavor the coating. I even found a way to get the coating to stick to the eggplant without using eggs. What I did not think about was whether my bread crumbs had dairy products in them, and, as it turns out, they did. And the pasta I served the eggplant and marinara on was made with egg whites.

BUT, just in case you are wondering why I posted this in the first place since I seem to have failed the challenge so miserably, I am happy to report that the cake I made was vegan, and Casey, Christy, and my husband, David, all gave it good reviews. So here’s the recipe for it, along with my recipe for the eggplant, even though it’s not quite vegan. Thanks for reading my very first event post!! Come again soon.

Chocolate Mocha Cake with a Kick

1 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. cayenne pepper

1/4 t. salt

3/4 cup strong coffee

1/2 cup margarine (100% vegetable oil)

1 T. balsamic vinegar

1 T. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Mix the dry ingredients together in the bowl of a mixer. Add the coffee with the mixer running on low, then add the vinegar and vanilla. Add the margarine last, turning the mixer up to high speed and beating until smooth. Pour into a greased 9×9 cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

For the glaze:

1 cup powdered sugar

1/2 cup cocoa

1/4 cup strong coffee

Whisk together until smooth and shiny. Pour over warm cake, spreading to coat the top and sides. Sprinkle with cinnamon to serve.

Eggplant Not Parmesan

1 small to medium eggplant

Kosher salt

1/2 cup flour

1 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon pesto (for vegan, I made it without the cheese, and substituted 1 t. Kosher salt)

1 cup bread crumbs

Canola oil

Slice the eggplant into thin slices, and lay in one layer inside a colander. Sprinkle with Kosher salt. If your slices won’t all fit in the colander (as mine didn’t), cover the first layer with paper towels and lay another layer on top. Allow to drain for about an hour.

Dry the slices and wipe off any excess salt; then dip in flour to coat on both sides. Lay on a baking sheet. Mix olive oil and pesto together in a shallow baking dish; pour the bread crumbs into another. Dip each slice in oil, then in breadcrumbs. If you have time to let the slices refrigerate for a half-hour or so, the coating will do a better job of sticking when you fry them.

Heat a half-inch of canola oil in a large skillet. Fry the slices until brown and crispy on both sides, about 6 minutes per side. Decrease the heat if they bread crumbs brown too quickly. Drain on paper towels.

Serve with angel hair pasta and marinara sauce. Make sure your pasta is egg-free if you want it to be vegan. If you don’t care about making this meal vegan, you can add some fresh mozzarella slices to the top of the eggplant, and melt under the broiler before serving (this is usually how I make it).

Tagged with: IMBB19 + Vegan