Category: Misc.

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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Chili Infused Honey Othererwise Known as Kiss Me Spank Me Honey

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This is a cheater post for me. It’s so simple and I can’t take the credit for it, but want to share it with you! Some back story… I have a friend, who we are going to call The Alchemist. She has invited me to make Mead with her. It’s long process, that we initiated on October 31. Stay tuned for the post ,when  the Mead is complete. So far its going very well. We racked it last week.

Mead is a honey based wine made from fermenting honey with yeast. It’s history can be traced back to many cultures ( Europe, Asia, and Africa) and is considered the first  traceable fermented drink. I have heard it refereed to as the drink of the Gods.

Anyway, as The Alchemist acquired quite a bit of honey from her mentors apiary, she decided to to make a tiny stash  of a Chili infused honey. The tip was  was the brain child of beeboy on this wonderful site devoted to Mead. Bee Boy was making Mead with heat spiced honey. I bet that was incredible! The Alchemist infused her honey for only two days and the heat was intense and blended perfectly with the sweetness. A tip The Alchemist gave me was to turn the jar upside down so when you take a  spoonful, it’s without the hot pepper slices floating. I wanted to figure out a clever play on words with  this concoction.Honey Chile came to mind, but The Alchemist calls it Kiss Me Spank Me Honey. The title alone is going to bring a lot of weird traffic to my site as I already Googled the term (Laughing out Loud).

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Kiss Me Spank Me Honey (Chili Infused Honey)

Needed:

  • 1 clean mason jar with lid
  • Runny Honey
  • A few of our choice variety of hot chili peppers (Piri Piri, Serrano, etc>). I suggest 2 peppers per pound of honey.

Process:

  1. Slice peppers with seeds.
  2. Add to honey in jar.
  3. Seal.
  4. Let sit and infuse for at least two days.

Applications:

  • Makes cool gifts for the Holidays in your own special bottles.
  • As a glaze for beef , pork, or chicken.
  • On fried chicken.
  • In salad dressings for some sweet heat
  • In your hot cold remedy with lemon.
  • Someone suggested Biscuits

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Marx Foods Iron Foodie 2010… And A Local Event for Chicago Sears Chef Challenge

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

Those that know me well, know I’m totally am not into whole popularity contests I see going on the food blog world.So many contests lately are based on who can rustle up the most votes rather than actual merit. There I said it and but it’s really a pet peeve of mine. However there are some challenges and contests that genuinely appeal to me , and that I would want to do just for the pure joy and creative outlet it provides. When I saw this email announcement from the Foodie Blogroll for an Iron Foodie Contest with Marx Foods, I said I so want to do this! So here is Step One, which is to answer these questions:

  • Why do you want to compete in this challenge?

I believe I answered this above. But an Iron Foodie Challenge from Marx Foods is right up my alley. I have entered several Marx contests before and love their offerings of premium meats, poultry, and pasta. It’s been a while since I did anything with them but this challenge is calling my name. Iron Chef with Marx Ingredients. Oh yes! I have the creativity for this one. Bring it on.

  • Limitations of time/space notwithstanding, whose kitchen would you like to spend the day in & why? Julia Child, Thomas Keller, Ferran Adria, James Beard, Marie-Antoine Careme, or The Swedish Chef?

Marie-Antoine Careme, bien sur! I love history and even more so food history. That’s what sets me apart from the average blogger, in that I know who he is. Check out my peach souffle I made for his Birthday. I can see my myself time travelling to work with the first Celebrity Chef who cooked for kings and heads of state. To toil in the kitchens with him and construct elaborate piece montees, souffles and the vol au vents which he invented by the way. Of course as a time traveller I would know he would meet an early end from all that carbon monoxide he inhaled in those non ventilated  ancient kitchens. But of the palaces we would see and and the education I would get. Yes that’s who I would want to work with for one imaginary day. I would probably have to disguise myself as a man, but a girls got to do what she’s got to do.

  • What morsel are you most likely to swipe from family & friends’ plates when they aren’t looking?

The olives. They should never go to waste. And bits of crispy skin.

  • Sum your childhood up in one meal.

A seafood feast of lobsters and Dungenesee crabs. I was very spoiled and my mother encouraged and indulged my tastes.

  • The one mainstream food you can’t stand? 

Peanut Butter repulses me. I get sick just smelling it.

So step one is completed. I do hope I get chosen among the lucky 25 bloggers to compete.

In other food news….

If you are in Chicago this week,you should check out the Sears Chef Challenge  Grand Championship  on November 4th. Along with the competition,  a canned food drive benefiting the Chicago Anti-Hunger Federation will also take place during the Sears Chef Challenge Grand Championship. They are also encouraging attendees donate products when they arrived at the Kenmore Live Studio. Here are the details:

Chicago’s own Le Cordon Bleu Chef Mark Maassen will be competing to win an additional $10,000 to donate to a local Chicago food pantry charity for an overall donation of $20,000, as well as a full kitchen renovation from Sears. Maassen will face New York-based Chef Alex Dino on Nov. 4 for the Championship round of the Sears Chef Challenge after defeating 22 other chefs in previous rounds of the Sears Chef Challenge competition.

The competition is free to the public and attendees will be able to view the cook-off as well as experience and taste the food. In addition, those who will not be able to attend the event will still be able to view it by streaming the competition online at www.SearsChefChallenge.com. 

 Kenmore Live Studio
678 North Wells (Huron & Wells)
Chicago, IL 60654
312.265.0871

 

And last but not least,your chance to  enter Black Atlas’ contest to meet Marcus Samuelsson and attend the Red Rooster opening is ending soon.

Win a Trip with BlackAtlas.com to Dine with Chef Marcus Samuelsson at Red Rooster Harlem

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I have to break away from the Great Hallow Tweet to tell my readers about this great event from Black Atlas at American Airlines! Or better yet, I will let the Top  Chef Master, Marcus Samuelsson , tell you himself. How opportune that this event falls on my birthday weekend! Wish me luck as I wish you luck in entering.

I don’t know about you, but visiting historic Harlem would be awesome. Let Marcus take you on a brief tour and show you his world.

Here is the information!

Register in the Black Atlas Community to enter now!

AMERICAN AIRLINES, THROUGH BLACKATLAS.COM, TO HOST EXCLUSIVE
MUSIC, FOOD AND WINE TASTING EVENT AT MARCUS SAMUELSSON’S
NEW RESTAURANT, RED ROOSTER HARLEM

Registered Users of American’s BlackAtlas.com Website Can Win Tickets to Meet Celebrity Chef and Sample Food and Wine at Pre-Opening Party on Nov. 15

Grand Prize Includes Trip for Two to New York City with Airfare,
Hotel, $200 Gift Card and Tickets to Event

NEW YORK – American Airlines, through BlackAtlas.com, the first online travel community for people interested in Black culture, will host a private music, food and wine tasting for some of its lucky members next month. Registered users of BlackAtlas.com will have the opportunity to join Travel Expert-at-Large Nelson George and celebrity chef Marcus Samuelsson on Nov. 15 for a preview of his eagerly-anticipated restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem.

Award-winning chef and cookbook author Samuelsson is the youngest chef ever to receive two three-star reviews from The New York Times, the first in 1995 after just three months as Executive Chef and co-owner of Aquavit, and the second in 2001, also for Aquavit. He has received consecutive four-star ratings in Forbes’ annual All-Star Eateries feature, was named one of the “40 Under 40” by Crain’s, and has been hailed as one of The Great Chefs of America by the Culinary Institute of America. Recently, Chef Samuelsson won out over 21 fellow chefs on the second season of the television competition “Top Chef Masters” on Bravo, and received $115,000 for the UNICEF Tap Project. A video of Chef Samuelsson exploring Harlem, the location of his new restaurant Red Rooster Harlem, can be found on BlackAtlas.com.

American Airlines and Chef Samuelsson will host a pre-opening dinner party at Red Rooster Harlem. The restaurant will celebrate the roots of American cuisine in one of New York City’s liveliest and most culturally-rich neighborhoods. The event will consist of a four-course meal, prepared specially by Chef Samuelsson. Each course will be paired with a South African wine, provided by Heritage Link Brands, the preeminent importer and distributor of wine produced by people of African descent throughout the world. A musical performance by American R&B and soul singer-songwriter Chrisette Michele will conclude the evening’s activities.

“These unique BlackAtlas.com events in New York allow those of us at American Airlines to share and support our customers’ interests and build a closer relationship with them,” said Art Torno, American’s Vice President for New York. “It also allows us to show our support for such beloved New Yorkers as Chef Marcus Samuelsson, a ‘global citizen’ whose new restaurant, Red Rooster Harlem, will represent the diverse tastes of American cuisine.”

Currently registered members of BlackAtlas.com, and those who register between Oct. 27 and Nov. 4, will be entered to win a grand prize of one pair of tickets to the exclusive event, which will include round-trip Economy Class airfare for two to New York City on American from anywhere in the 48 contiguous united States, two-night hotel accommodations for two and a $200 gift card. The grand prize winner will be announced on or around Nov. 5. In addition, 15 users of BlackAtlas.com who live in New York and New Jersey, who are currently registered or who register between Oct. 27 and Nov. 9, will also be entered for a chance to win a pair of tickets to the event. Local winners will be announced on or around Nov. 10. See www.blackatlas.com for full terms and conditions.

“BlackAtlas.com, has taken social networking to new heights for Black travelers,” said Monte Ford, American’s Senior Vice President and Chief Information Officer. “The online community has become the resource for those looking to explore their passions and interests in Black history and culture worldwide. BlackAtlas.com has given Black travelers everywhere the opportunity to better plan their next trip and share their stories when they return.”

BlackAtlas.com is the first-of-its-kind social networking site combining the best features of a travel site with the power of an online social network for travelers to share experiences unique to the Black community. Through video, commentary, photos, and blogs, BlackAtlas.com users can share content across social networks, create profiles, rate content, save content to Favorites, create downloadable travel guides and link to promotional fares on AA.com. Content is categorized into destination/city-specific information and category-specific information, such as travel tips, restaurants, nightlife, culture, arts and museums, historic sites, beauty and barber shops, and places of worship. The Red Rooster Harlem Music, Food and Wine Pairing event is part of a series of events that American Airlines has been presenting exclusively for members of BlackAtlas.com in New York.

For more information on Black culture, the Red Rooster Harlem Music, Food and Wine Pairing and the BlackAtlas social network, please visit BlackAtlas.com.

About American Airlines

American Airlines, American Eagle and AmericanConnection® serve 250 cities in 40 countries with, on average, more than 3,400 daily flights. The combined network fleet numbers more than 900 aircraft. American’s award-winning website, AA.com®, provides users with easy access to check and book fares, plus personalized news, information and travel offers. American Airlines is a founding member of the oneworld® Alliance, which brings together some of the best and biggest names in the airline business, enabling them to offer their customers more services and benefits than any airline can provide on its own. Together, its members serve nearly 700 destinations in more than 130 countries and territories. American Airlines, Inc. and American Eagle Airlines, Inc. are subsidiaries of AMR Corporation. AmericanAirlines, American Eagle, AmericanConnection, AA.com, We know why you fly and AAdvantage are trademarks of American Airlines, Inc. (NYSE: AMR)

AmericanAirlines® We know why you fly®

Current AMR Corp. releases can be accessed on the Internet.

The address is http://www.aa.com