Category Archives: Nourishing, Fast, Fresh Recipes

Endive Spears with Roquefort Mousse and Walnuts

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These little endive spears are crowd pleasers; packed with flavor despite their diminutive appearance. The cheese mixture keeps for up to five days, so you can prep everything ahead of time and then pipe the mousse into the endive leaves just before people come to the door.

endive-roquefort-spears-recipe6 ounces Roquefort cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese, softened
2 tablespoons snipped chives
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
4 heads endive, 96 leaves
24 walnuts, toasted and broken into pieces

Combine the first 6 ingredients in a blender, blend until smooth. Chill for 20 minutes. Transfer Roquefort mixture to a pastry bag and pipe a teaspoon mound onto the end of each endive spear. Top each with a toasted walnut piece.

Serves 24 (4 spears each)

Linguine with Red Clam Sauce

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By Jacqueline Church

In keeping with the Southern Italian tradition, I added chopped tomatoes and a little wine to Rick Moonen’s recipe from his excellent Fish Without a Doubt. San Marzano are traditional; Muir Glen Organics are terrific, too.

linguine-clam-recipe1 cup water
1/2 cup white wine or vermouth
24 topneck or 48 littleneck clams, scrubbed
1/3 cup chopped garlic
1/3 cup olive oil
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1 15 ounce can crushed tomatoes
Sea salt
3/4 pound dried linguine
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a large pot. Add scrubbed clams and wine. Cover and steam till clams open.

Line a strainer with cheesecloth and place over a large bowl. When the clams are cool enough to handle, pour the clams into the strainer, catching the broth in the bowl below. Remove the clams from their shells (work over the strainer so the juice is captured) and transfer to a cutting board.

Bring a large pot of salted water to boil for pasta.

Chop the clams and set aside. In a medium sauce pan, heat olive oil and garlic over low heat for 10 minutes, until garlic is soft but has not yet browned.

Add crushed red pepper, oregano and reserved clam juice. Increase heat and reduce by half. Add crushed tomatoes. Remove from heat and keep warm.

After the pasta water comes to a boil, add linguine, return water to boil and cook for 2 minutes less than the package instructs. Drain and return to pot over medium heat. Toss chopped clams and sauce with pasta and heat for 2 minutes. Toss with parsley and serve.

Serves 4 as a main course, 8 as a part of a larger meal

Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus

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By Kurt Michael Friese

Nothing is more impressive on a holiday table than a roast prime rib of beef. Ask your butcher to prepare a 12-pound prime rib roast, with the fat cap left on and bones left in.

prime-rib-recipe12-pound bone-in prime rib roast
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons chopped garlic
coarse salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrot
3 sprigs fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
2 cups beef stock

Preheat your oven to 325.

Rub the ends of the roast with the olive oil, then firmly massage the garlic, salt and pepper into the top (the fat cap) of the roast. Nestle it in a large roasting pan, at least 2 inches deep, and place in the center of the oven. Roast for 2-3 hours, basting with the accumulated fat every half hour. At one hour in, add the chopped vegetables to the pan with the thyme and stir to combine with the drippings.

At about 2 hours, check the internal temperature by sticking an instant read thermometer into the center of the thickest part of the roast (Once a roast reaches 100 the temperature will wise at an accelerated rate, so check every 10 minutes or so. Try to use the same hole each time, as poking it in many places allows more juices to escape).

When the internal temperature has reached 120, remove from the oven. Move the roast to a carving block and cover with foil or an inverted pot and allow to rest for about 30 minutes. This allows the meat to relax, the juices to redistribute, and makes for an even medium rare as the residual heat raises the internal temperature to 125-130.

Strain off and reserve about 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan (for the Yorkshire Pudding) and increase oven temperature to 425. Meanwhile, place the roasting pan with the vegetables over medium heat on the stove and add the beef stock. Bring to a simmer for 10 minutes the strain, reserving the jus. Taste for salt, adjust and serve.

Yorkshire Pudding

2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups flour
1 cup milk
2 tablespoons roast beef fat or lard
3 tablespoons cold water

An hour in advance: Whisk eggs with the salt until frothy. Mix in the flour, whisking constantly. Add the milk in a thin stream and beat until the mixture is smooth. Chill for an hour.

Preheat the oven to 425.

In a 12×9 casserole, heat the beef fat or lard on the stovetop until it sizzles. Beat the batter once more, adding the cold water. Pour into the sizzling fat and bake on the top shelf of the oven for 15 minutes. Rotate the dish, lower the heat to 400, and cook an additional 15 minutes. It should be well risen, crisp, and brown. Serve very hot with Prime Rib of Beef Au Jus.

Serves 12-16

Revelationary Duck Confit

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This duck confit recipe, originally inspired by the Revisionist Confit of Duck Leg in Sally Schneider’s A New Way to Cook, is one that has been repeated over and over again in our house. Because the duck legs are cooked in their own fat and juices–rather than being simmered in a layer of duck fat–it is loads lighter than traditional versions, yet still fall-off-the-bone succulent. I normally kick off winter by cooking up a dozen and freezing them. Whole, they’re delicious crisped up in a frying pan or the oven. Or shred their meat into salads, soups, pasta–even dumplings or tacos.

duck-confit-recipe3 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 tablespoon juniper berries
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 tablespoon pink peppercorns
5 garlic cloves, minced
3 bay leaves
5 tablespoons salt
12 duck legs

In a spice grinder or mortar and pestle, pound or grind fennel seeds, juniper berries, peppercorns, garlic and bay leaves until a rough paste forms. Mix in the salt so the mixture is the consistency of coarse, wet sand.

Lay the duck legs out in a single layer in two roasting pans and rub on both sides with the spice mixture. Cover with plastic wrap or foil and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Remove covering from roasting pans and dab spice mixture off duck with a paper towel. Wipe out any liquid in the pan as well. Place a sheet of heavy-duty foil over each roasting pan and press down slightly to it rests closely to the duck. Seal well all around the edges. Transfer to the oven and cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven and let cool slightly before uncovering.

If using immediately, either shred meat or crisp in a frying pan or on a cookie sheet in a 450 degree F oven. If freezing, lay out in a single layer on a cookie sheet and place flat in freezer until frozen solid. Then wrap loosely in parchment paper and seal in a freezer-safe zip-top bag.

Serves 12

Honey-Drizzled Banana Fritters

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By Cheryl Sternman Rule

This recipe gets its sweetness from turbinado sugar, honey, and bananas, which become delightfully soft and almost custardy.  Because it’s traditional to eat foods fried in oil during Hanukkah, look no further if you celebrate this festive holiday.

banana-fritters-recipe1-1/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons turbinado or (light or dark) brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup lowfat milk
1 whole egg plus 1 egg yolk, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
6 bananas, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
Canola oil for frying
Honey for drizzling

Sift together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt on a piece of waxed paper.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, whole egg, egg yolk, and almond extract. Sprinkle the dry ingredients over the wet and stir gently with a rubber spatula to combine.  Add banana chunks and stir to coat.

Affix a candy thermometer to a deep saucepan, and add one inch of oil. Bring oil slowly up to 375 degrees. (Adjust heat as necessary to maintain this temperature throughout frying.)  Working in batches, carefully spoon battered banana chunks into hot oil, four to six at a time, without crowding the pan. Fry until golden brown, 1-2 minutes per side, turning them carefully as they bob. Using a slotted spoon, remove to paper towels to drain. Drizzle hot fritters with honey and serve immediately.

Makes 35-40 fritters

Persimmon & Pomegranate Salad with Pecan-Coated Goat Cheese

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This colorful fall salad pairs two fall treasures: the persimmon and the pomegranate. If you have wee ones, put them to work seeding the pomegranate. Fill a deep bowl with water, cut the pomegranate in half, and show them how to keep their hands below water while they work. The seeds will drop to the bottom and the peel will float to the top, and you’ll have a neat and happy helper come mealtime.

Persimmon and Pomegranate Salad with Pecan Crusted Goat Cheese

1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/4 cup Champagne vinegar
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses or honey
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
12 pecan halves, toasted
4 ounces soft, young goat cheese
6 cups salad greens
1 fuyu persimmon, sliced in half and then into thin wedges
1 pomegranate, seeds removed and reserved

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees F.

Shake together shallot, vinegar, olive oil, molasses,  salt and pepper in a tight-sealing jar. Set aside.

Place the pecans in a zip-top plastic bag and gently crush with a rolling pin until they’re the texture of coarse sand. Cut the goat cheese into 8 pieces and shape each into a fat disc. Press into the pecans to coat on both sides and place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake for 8 minutes.

Toss together greens and persimmons in a salad bowl. Give the dressing one more shake and pour it over the top. Toss to mix and portion out onto 4 salad plates. Top each serving with 2 slices goat cheese rounds and sprinkle evenly with pomegranate seeds.

Serves 4

Carnitas de Lia

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These carnitas are based on a recipe by Michele Anna Jordan that I’ve been using for years. Because the pork is braised in its own juice, these carnitas are much lighter than the traditional version, which is cooked in ample fat. Serve this Mexican-style pulled pork with guacamole, lime wedges, salsa and a basket of hot tortillas.

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Ruby-Studded Meringue Buttons

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These little meringue buttons studded with cranberry and cherry “rubies” and slivered almonds are light as air. They make gorgeous gifts, and are great as little nibbles amid the rich fare of the holidays.

ruby-studded-meringue-recipe

8 large egg whites, at room temperature
Sea salt
2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
3/4 cup dried cherries and cranberries, finely chopped
1/2 cup blanched and slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Preheat oven to 175 degrees F and arrange racks in top and bottom thirds of the oven. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or silicone mats.

In a clean metal bowl, beat egg whites and a pinch of salt in a stand mixer with a whisk attachment on high speed (or use a handheld mixer fitted with whisk attachments) to just beyond when they hold soft peaks (about a minute). Add sugar gradually, continuing to beat until all the sugar is incorporated and the mixture makes stiff peaks. Add the almond extract and continue beating a bit longer until peaks turn shiny. Total beating time will be about 2-1/2 minutes.

Scoop mixture into a pastry bag (you may have to do this in two batches, depending on the size of your pastry bag) fitted with a mid-sized fluted tip and pipe 1-inch mounds, leaving a finger-width of space in between each. Continue piping until mixture is used up and both sheets are filled.

Carefully sprinkle the fruit and almonds onto the meringues. Bake for 2 hours, swapping the cookie sheets half way through. Turn off the oven and let the meringues cool in the oven for 30 minutes.

Makes 100

Chocolate Chip-Candied Bacon Cookies

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Bacon cookies? Yep! Chopped Candied Bacon adds little nuggets of smoky-savory sweetness to a classic chocolate chip cookie. I use a combo of all-purpose and whole wheat pastry flour (you can find it in most supermarkets) for a little nutritional virtue. But, truth is, these bacon cookies are all about indulgence.  I like the richness of dark chocolate chips, but semisweet or milk chocolate would be just as delicious. For a really down-home treat, use a mix of chocolate and peanut butter chips. This is a recipe that invites your innovation.

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Candied Bacon

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I first encountered candied bacon while working in pastry kitchen, and the combination of salty, smoky and sweet was alluring. Center-cut bacon is a bit leaner than other types of bacon, but any kind of smoked bacon will work in this recipe. Blanching the bacon in simple syrup enhances its texture, while threading the bacon onto wood skewers creates a sort of Candied Bacon “lollipop”. Depending on the size of your broiler pan, you may need to bake the bacon in two batches. You can also jerry-rig a good setup by placing a cooling rack in a rimmed baking sheet. This bacon is great in our Chocolate Chip Cookies with Candied Bacon, and leftover bacon will keep up to two weeks in an airtight container. This bacon candy also is tasty crumbled over vanilla bean, butter pecan or maple ice cream, and makes a great savory-sweet nibble with cocktails (especially bourbon-based sippers).

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