Confit of Duck with Risotto

When you have confit of duck in the refrigerator it is so easy to make a quick and lovely meal.  I paired it with a simple risotto and garnished with pomegranate seeds.  The pomegranate seeds were not only a garnish but added a wonderful fresh flavour to the dish.

Sear the duck skin side down to render out the fat.  And then gently heat until warmed through.  Place atop risotto.

You can find my recipe for confit of duck here.

Christmas Eve Tourtière

Today I am making a big batch of tourtière.  This is a traditional Quebeçois meat pie that is usually served Christmas eve and throughout the Christmas season.

I rarely make pies, sweet or savoury.  It is a meditation to roll the pastry, fit it in the dish, fill the pie, roll the pastry and crimp the edges.  I am making 4 at a time.

I forget little things like not trimming the bottom crust until after the filling is added.  This way it won't shrink down too low.  I also leave the top crust to rest for awhile before trimming.

Eight are in the freezer and it looks like I have enough filling for 3 or 4 more.  Find my recipe by clicking here.

Hot Apple Cider

I had a request at the Market yesterday for a spice mixture for Hot Apple Cider.  Why did I not think of this?  It would have been a hit at the Market!  Next year.

I came up with these little bouquet garni.  Simmer with 8 - 10 cups of apple cider or unrefined apple juice.  Add 1/4 cup of brown sugar or maple syrup and serve.

Hot Apple Cider Bouquet Garni

Cut a double thickness of fine cheesecloth into 3 - 4 inch squares.  Use pinking shears if you have them for a nice finish.  Fill each with the following mixture -

1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 teaspoon dried orange zest

I broke the cinnamon stick in half and tied one half outside the bag for decoration.  I broke the other half into little pieces and put them inside the bag.  A trick to dry orange zest is to use the microwave oven.  I used finely grated orange zest and microwaved for about 50 seconds.  Do check it often because it can burn easily.

Cream of Mushroom Soup

I had made a mushroom cap appetizer for a cocktail party and was too frugal to throw away the mushroom stems.  I just had to make some mushroom soup.  This recipe was perfect.  The mushroom mixture was pureed so no worry about just using the stems.  This is so earthy and satisfying for a cold winter night. 

Cream of Mushroom Soup

Bon Appétit  | May 2001

    2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter

    3 leeks, halved, thinly sliced (white and pale green parts only)

    2 pounds button mushrooms, sliced

    2 garlic cloves, minced

    1/4 cup long-grain white rice

    31/4 cups (or more) canned low-salt chicken broth

    31/4 cups canned beef broth

    1/2 cup whipping cream

    1/4 cup chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add leeks and sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high. Add mushrooms and sauté until mushrooms are soft and dry, about 10 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Stir in rice. Add 31/4 cups chicken broth and beef broth to pot. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until rice is very tender, about 30 minutes. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree soup in blender until smooth. Return soup to pot. Stir in cream. Thin with more chicken broth, if desired. (Soup can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly, cover and refrigerate. Bring to simmer before serving.)

Ladle soup into 8 bowls. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Quick Puff Pastry

In my last post I mentioned pissaladière.  A most important part is the puff pastry.  And we are all so afraid to make this delicate pastry.  This recipe is so easy and so reliable.  Just give it a try!

Quick Puff Pastry
adapted from Menus from an Orchard Table by Heidi Noble

3 cups bread flour
1 cup pastry flour
2 cups unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 cups whipping cream
1/2 tsp salt

See all the lovely layers of dough.  This will make it fluffy upon baking.

Sift the flours and salt into a bowl.  Add the butter and toss to coat.  Pour in the cream and toss to soak up all the liquid.  On a lightly floured surface roll the dough away from you into a rectangle.  Fold the dough into thirds.  Turn the dough 90 degrees and roll it out again to a rectangle.  Wrap and refrigerate.

Remove from the refrigerator and repeat the 2 turns and folds.  refrigerate again for one hour.  Remove from the refrigerator for a second time and repeat the 2 turns and folds.  Refrigerate again for one hour.  Roll to the desired thickness and refrigerator or freeze for 1 hour.  Bake at 400F until evenly golden, but the darker the better.

The French Mediterranean

 I have been so so busy with cooking classes and the Farmer's Market that blogging has not even been on my radar.  I took a few pictures of my cooking class 'Exploring the Foods of the French Mediterranean'.  We had a wonderful evening.  I had ten guests with an open mind and adventurous palate.

They arrived to a glass of Blanc de Blanc from France.  The champagne locally available is so expensive and I thought this chardonnay prepared in the champagne style might work.  I really enjoyed it.  And at half the price, it would be my pick for a bubbly this New Year's Eve.

Our first taste was pissaladière.  This is a puff pastry crust with carmelized onion, anchovy, caper and black olive topping.  Serve this warm and it is a nice little bite with the bubbly.

The meal went like this.... Pear and Roguefort Salad alongside the Cassoulet.  I had made confit of duck, cooked flageolet beans and added lamb and mild Italian sausage to this classic country dish.  Two days later it was even better.  Confit of duck is an absolute must to make a wonderful cassoulet.

Dessert was a Walnut Tarte and a Buche de Noel.  I had so much fun.