Duck Rillettes on Goat Cheese Croquettes with Black Pepper Balsamic Cranberry Relish…Marx Foods Iron Foodie

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I was stunned when it was announced by Foodie Blogroll and Marx Foods, that I was chosen as one of the twenty five challengers for Iron Foodie. I didn’t even see the email. As I said before, I have stopped with contests for a lot reasons. But this was real challenge that I believe is more about skill , than say…popularity.

Iron Foodie 2010 | Here's Why that will be me:
MarxFoods.com -- Fine Bulk Foods The Foodie BlogRoll

A mystery box was sent to all of us, with instructions to make a dish with at least three of the eight ingredients  in the box. The box contained Aji Panca Chilies, Dried  Wild Porcini’s, Smoked Sea Salt,Maple Sugar, Fennel Pollen, Bourbon Vanilla Beans, Dulse( dried sea weed), and Tellicherry Peppercorns.

I chose to use four ingredients in my Amuse Bouche. Smoked Sea Salt, Fennel Pollen, Maple Sugar, andTellicherry Peppercorns. There are three components to this recipe that will go a long way.

Rillettes are slow cooked meat such as duck, pork, rabbit that are cured with salt and spices , then simmered in fat for hours, and then beat into a paste to eaten as a spread. Wonderful for the holidays and long lasting if preserved and sealed in fat.

Black Pepper Balsamic Cranberry Relish is a new take on a holiday staple. Rather than cooked stove top, I roasted the cranberries with less sugars and balsamic vinegar. The true flavors shine and are not masked by heavy sugars like traditional cranberry sauces. The tartness offsets the rich fattiness of the Rillettes.

Goat Cheese Croquettes are inspired by of one my favorite salads of crusted fried goat cheese with apples. I decided to make small patties to top off with the other two components. I rolled them in fennel pollen ,orange zest and panko before frying.

Be sure to have the rillettes at room temperature when assembling. Many of the components can be made ahead, leaving the goat cheese for last.

I was expecting this to be really rich. It is rich but not unbearably so. It’s like the entire holiday meal in one luscious mouthful.

Check out my other challengers.

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Duck Rillettes on Goat Cheese Croquettes with Black Pepper Balsamic Cranberry Relish

Duck Rillettes

24-48 hours prep. Several hours cooking time.

  • 1 whole ducking quartered
  • 1 tsp  Marx Foods smoked sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • Bay leaves
  • 4 allspice cloves
  • 4-5 cloves garlic
  • Marx Foods Ground Tellicherry black pepper
  • 2 tsp Marx Foods Fennel Pollen
  • 1-2 cups vegetable stock
  • 1/3 cup Cognac

*you may want to purchase additional duck fat for sealing.

  1. In a dish season raw duck with salt, bay leaves, allspice, garlic, pepper, etc.
  2. Cover and place in the fridge for at least 24 hrs, but up to 48 hours.
  3. Place seasoned duck in Dutch oven.
  4. Add vegetable stock and fennel pollen.
  5. Place and cover in oven at 250.
  6. Cook for 4-5 hours until liquid is mostly gone, meat is tender, and fat is rendered.
  7. Remove carcass bones and skin, allspice, bay leaves.
  8. Add the soft garlic cloves to meat pile.
  9. Strain liquid and fat and add to shredded meat with cognac, and continue to cook for a two more hours in oven.
  10. Reserve some fat.
  11. Beat meat with fat but not to make a paste.
  12. Place in jars or one dish.
  13. Cover with reserved fat to seal.
  14. Stores for several months in the refrigerator as long as sealed well in fat.

Black Pepper  Balsamic Cranberry Relish

Can be made days ahead

  • 1 bag /1lb cranberries
  • 3 tablespoons Marx Foods Maple Sugar
  • ½ cup packed dark brown sugar
  • 2-3tabslespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon water
  • Ground Marx Foods Tellicherry Pepper
  1. Wash cranberries.
  2. Place in metal baking pan.
  3. Add maple sugar, brown sugar, balsamic vinegar, pepper, and 1 tablespoon of water.
  4. Toss all ingredients.
  5. Roast at 350 for 45 minutes to 1 hour.
  6. Stir halfway through roasting.
  7. Remove from heat and cool.

Goat Cheese Croquettes

  • Log of goat cheese (4oz log makes 7 croquettes)
  • 1 tsp Marx Foods Fennel Pollen
  • Orange zest( 1 orange)
  • Panko bread crumbs
  • Vegetable oil to coat pan
  1. Zest orange peel and add to fennel pollen.
  2. Make round patties with goat cheese by hand.
  3. Dust with fennel pollen mixed with orange zest.
  4. Roll in Panko.
  5. Heat oil. Fry croquettes on each side for a few minutes until panko crust is browned. Be careful and only turn minimally (once on each side)

Assembly

Take a croquette. Top with rillettes. Top with cranberry relish. Garnish with dusting of fennel pollen and orange zest.

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Roasted Honeyed Sweets

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Here is a quick and  easy recipe to add to your holiday or just regular table as a side. A little back story…growing up I hated sweet potatoes. Candied or in  pie, I just couldn’t fall in love with them.I dreaded when holidays arrived and I  had to eat my obligatory spoonful. No matter who made them, I just didn’t like that orange sweet mush.Now, I love them. I love them most in their simplest form, roasted. So rather than dump a ton of brown sugar, butter, and marshmallows (shudder) on your sweets, next time try this. Honey is a natural healing sweetener that pairs perfectly with this root vegetable chock full of anti oxidants.

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Roasted Honeyed Sweets

* I used  a raw honey which is  pure, healthier, and is more solid in form. I melted it slightly before use on the stove. Use either clarified runny or raw honey. The choice is yours.

Quantities can be adjusted for amount of servings.

  • Sweet Potatoes with skin , washed
  • Olive Oil to coat
  • Kosher Salt to taste
  • 1 tablespoon honey for every sweet potato used
  1. Preheat oven to 375 F
  2. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
  3. Cut sweet potatoes in wedges , with skin.
  4. Toss in olive oil generously to coat.
  5. Place on baking sheet.
  6. Sprinkle with Kosher Salt to taste.
  7. Roast  for 15 minutes until tender.
  8. Take honey( which has been pre melted if raw) and toss over sweet potatoes on baking sheet.
  9. Continue to roast for another 5 minutes or so.
  10. Serve hot.

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Holiday Entertaining Tips and Links

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Just a quick list of links for you when planning your Holiday entertaining .Some of these are from years back on Coco Cooks.

Enjoy and have a  Happy Thanksgiving to all my fellow Americans.

Cocktail Nibbles and Small Bites

Homemade Pork Rinds

Mini Grilled Camembert and Garlic in Toasted in Duck Fat

For Your Vegan Guests Onion and Broccoli Bajji

Spicy Cauliflower Pate

A Classic French Treat… Rillettes de Paris

Tea Smoked Wings

Wasabi Deviled Eggs

Figs and Brie En Croute

Chorizo Rolls

Cheesey Craisin Puffs

Sweets and gift ideas

A European Classic Confection…Marzipan Fruits

Lolli Pies for the Dessert  Table

A Luscious Sauce…Cajeta

Fruit Leathers for the Kids Gift Baskets

Rum Raisin Egg Nog Ice Cream

Coconut Cream Pie with White Chocolate Shavings

Coco’s Asian Apple Pie

Drinks

Hot Buttered Rum

Time to Start Brewing…Cream Limoncello

Homemade Plum Brandy

Cheesy Craisin Puffs…Holiday Leftover Idea

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I came up with this recipe   a few years ago for a Ocean Spray Competition. Nothing came of it, but I feel they are quite good and an excellent way to use leftovers if you have lingering holiday guests, open houses, or what have you. You can make  these for any event using cooked turkey breast or leftovers. I like that the prep can be done in advance.  The puffs are essentially Gougeres, that can be baked ahead and stored in airtight containers for 1 day or frozen until use.The Chicken or Turkey Salad can also be made ahead until assembly.

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Cheesy Craisins Chicken or Turkey  Puffs

makes 40 appetizers

Puff Ingredients
1 cup milk
8 tbsp butter ( 1 stick)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1 cup all purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/2 cup Craisins chopped fine or dried cranberries
1/2 cup Swiss or Gruyere Cheese grated
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
Pinch of Cayenne Pepper
* a large Piping bag or Ziploc bag
Craisins Chicken Salad
3 1/2 cups cooked chopped chicken breast or turkey breast
1/2 cup Craisins chopped fine
1/4 cup finely chopped  peeled apple
1/2 cup Mayonnaise
1 tsp Dijon mustard or extra strong mustard
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp turmeric
salt to taste
Puff Preparation:
In a heavy bottomed saucepan, add milk,butter, sugar, and salt, and bring to a boil over medium heat.Stir while  the mixture is coming to a boil.Turn down heat or remove . Add the flour and mix until combined with a wooden spoon. Turn up heat to medium and mix the dough until it forms a ball and none is sticking to the sides of the pan. This will take a few minutes.
In a large bowl with a electric mixer or a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add the dough. Carefully add the eggs, one at a time until all is incorporated . Add the cheese , Craisins, and spices. Mix well.
Fill either a large Piping Bag or a Ziploc bag with the dough mixture. Cut the tip opening to no more than 1/2 inch in diameter( this will allow the dough to be piped, without the Craisins bits blocking the opening).
Preheat oven to 350 F.
On a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet , pipe small bite size rounds of dough. Smooth any pointed tips with an oiled/buttered spoon.
Bake for 30 minutes or until golden brown.
Remove from oven and let cool on rack. When cool enough to handle, take a small serrated knife and slit the puffs to prevent sogginess. Store in an airtight container, freeze, or set aside until ready to fill.
Craisins Chicken Salad Preparation:
In a large bowl  combine  chicken, Craisins, apple, mayonnaise, mustard, and spices. Mix well. Allow to set for at least 1 hour in the refrigerator.
Assembly
Take a slit puff and fill with a generous mound of Craisins Chicken Salad.Assemble on a platter and serve at room temperature.

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Salt and Pepper Shrimp with the Heads and A Story

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The past week I have been taking a online writing workshop called Romancing The Palate. Some of you know I am working on a foodie based romance . The whole genre is new to me and I’m learning a lot from a great group of writers. The teacher of the workshop is “Becca” , who I really got to know this fall as we entered a Mills and Boon competition. She’s a  wealth of info with some great blogs.

I decided to post one of my assignments , a piece about eating one of my favorite dishes ,Salt and Pepper Shrimp and the process of eating it. Debate is rampant on the best way eat this dish. I’m old school and like it the traditional Chinese way with the head on. Because any good chef knows the flavor is  in the shells, bones, and other nasty bits. Look at this beautiful oil after I fried the shrimp. That’s all that inner roe and shell in the head infusing the oil with flavor. If you want to be a wimp , take off the head, but keep that shell ON! First the story and then the recipe.

Amuse Bouche

It’s Better With The Head On

“Come on” Alexandre pulled Sidra up from the bed. It was Sunday and they were lazing around after a particularly brutal Saturday evening service at Le Boite. Normally either Alexandre or Sidra would make some breakfast and French pressed coffee, to be in bed. Classic traditional continental breakfast with the best pastry and breads from the best restaurant in London.

“We need to do some research in Soho, Chinatown for a new concept I’m working on.” Alexandre said playfully with a hint a promise.

“New concept?” Sidra pulled the sheets up over head, reluctant to leave the confines of the billowy goose down bedding. She could still smell the sandalwood scent of him on the sheets as she squinted against the sun beaming onto the room. They had been serious about each other for some months now, and she loved their normal laid back ritualistic Sundays. As their romance was not yet public, Sidra had reservations about being seen with the hottest playboy chef in London, traipsing around So Ho. Anyone could spot them as Alexandre was a household name. She could just envision the Daily Mail.

Alexander and Sidra quickly got dressed. Their style was a pared down elegance that the French mastered for eons. Sidra, a quick study, followed suit. She needed no makeup as she glowed. She was in love and just where she wanted to be. Work, love, all conjoining into the perfect flow. It showed on Alexandre too. He felt alive, inspired, and for the first time, really in touch what and who he wanted. No room for games or ego here. Could it be Sidra tamed the fiery chef?

They entered a small nondescript restaurant called Madame Changs. The sounds of various dialects of Chinese filled the air, and the menus written on the wall were not in English. The clanks, whooshes of steam, and sizzling hisses from the kitchen, could be heard at their table. An elderly lady, who was perhaps Madame Chang herself, greeted Alexandre warmly. They seemed to be old friends.

“You let me choose what you will eat today Alexandre?”, said Madame Chang.

“My taste buds are in your hands”, said Alexandre with relish.

The first dish was presented with flourish. To start, large fried shrimps with heads on were seductively arranged on bed of chilies and peppers. Each shrimp is fried and coated in a crispy batter, with the shells and head left intact, with a sprinkle of some spicy Schezwan salt and cracked black pepper.

“I have had salt and pepper squid, but the shrimp always wins as my favorite.” Alexandre said excitedly as he waved his hand in a flourish to take in the garlicky aroma of the sizzling shrimp that just left the wok.

Sidra’s mouth started to water. She could just taste the tiny bits of fried garlic and hot chilies of the red and green varieties are tossed with shrimp and finished with a boost of briny soy sauce. With her bare fingers, she took a shrimp straight from the dish, ignoring the white rice just being served. Alexandre looked at her as she licked the entire shell and suck off the crispy fried batter and pieces of the peppers sticking to it.

“I see you are no stranger to Salt and Pepper Shrimp? “, he grinned at her sexy yet youthful appreciation of the food. “Finally a woman who is not afraid to eat and enjoy”, he said as he dug in.

Sidra took the head off gingerly with her fingers and sucked at it. The taste of salty garlic with a tinge of spice overwhelms her mouth.  She then ripped a solid lump of mild sweet white flesh of the shrimp from the shell. Each piece of fried morsel is a gem to her mouth. Before she could repeat the process, she licks her fingers clean, not wanting to waste a bit of it all. Oil, salt and spice cling to them. Forget the chopsticks.

All Alexandre could do was beam with pride. Someone not afraid to tackle salt and pepper shrimp with the heads on.

Madame Chang came over to check on her favored guests. She looked down at the discarded heads of shrimp with respect.

“I like her Alexandre. The flavor is in the head”, she purred.

“She eats it like a true Chinese person.” she said with a wink as she brought the rest of the Dim Sum .

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Salt and Pepper Shrimp

Serves 2 as main course or 4 as a starter

  • 1 lb fresh shrimp with the head on. ( If you choose to leave the head off, leave the shell intact but cut down back to de-vein)
  • 1 1/2 cups rice flour
  • Peanut or vegetable oil for frying
  • 2 jalapenos peppers or chili peppers sliced and chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped sweet red peppers sliced and chopped
  • 3 cloves of garlic chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped onion
  • Kosher salt and Black Pepper or  Sichuan peppercorns
  1. Prep your space with all the ingredients ready to go and chopped.
  2. Toast peppercorns in a dry skillet to release flavor. Crush  with fingers or use a food grinder to blend with your Kosher salt.
  3. Cut the long ‘whiskers’ off the shrimp. Wash shrimp.
  4. In a Ziploc bag  add the rice flour and shrimp. Shake to coat.
  5. Heat your oil until high in your wok.
  6. At the frying point add the shrimp and few at a time. Fry until pink and remove with slotted spoon to a platter.
  7. The oil will start to turn pink as the inner shrimp and shell infuses the oil with flavor and color.
  8. Once all shrimp are fried, remove all but a few tablespoons of the oil.
  9. In the hot wok with the reserved bit of oil , toss in the chopped garlic, onions, peppers/chilies. Stir Fry for a bit.
  10. Add some peppercorn and salt mixture to taste.
  11. Add shrimp back  into skillet and adjust with more peppercorn and salt. Toss until the shrimps are coated with the garlic, onions, peppers/chilies, salt, etc
  12. Serve with rice or on a bed of shredded lettuce.

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