Bear Cuisine

Christmas Dinner 2009

Our Christmas Dinner actually took place on December 26, St Stephen's Day.  That didn't affect how good it tasted or how much we enjoyed it. There are, after all, twelve days of Christmas. Kay's choice this year was duck and ,unlike last year's pheasant, more than worth whatever trouble it took to cook it.

So, here's our menu for this year's dinner.

BUTTERNUT SHRIMP BISQUE(click here for recipe)

ROAST DUCK WITH CAPER SAUCE, DUCK FAT OVEN-ROASTED POTATOES AND BRAISED ENDIVE (for duck and sauce recipe click here) (for braised endive recipe click here)

ARUGULA , APPLE, AND FENNEL SALAD (for salad recipe click here)

Everything tasted absolutely wonderful. If I were to do this dinner again, the only change I would make would be choosing a brighter vegetable. The endive tasted good with the duck and the potatoes, but there wasn't enough color and texture contrast. 

A Southern Supper

This past weekend it was our turn to host our monthly (give or take a few weeks) Dining Club. We re  six very different folk united by our love of good food and a fascination with all aspects of growing and preparing it. We chose the theme of Southern Food; in part because it tastes so darned good and because it reflects both Kay's and my culinary roots. She hails from Texas (from Tyler and Houston) and I, from  Maryland's Eastern Shore.

Our menu for the evening was as follows.

Appetizers and Libations

Cheese Crackers

Shrimp Remoulade

Ramos Gin Fizz

Soup

      Carrot-Saffron Bisque with Spring Pesto

Entree

      Grits Cakes with Shrimp and Red Pepper Sauce

         Wedge with Buttermilk Blue Cheese Dressing

Dessert

          Blackberry Cobbler

Cheese Crackers and Shrimp Remoulade

CHEESE STRAWS

• 1 cup all-purpose soft-wheat flour*
• 1 cup grated New York sharp Cheddar cheese
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 egg, beaten

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together the flour, cheese, salt, and cayenne. Cut in the butter with a pastry blender or two forks until the mixture looks like corn meal. Add the beaten egg and stir. Knead until you can form a ball. if the dough seems dry, add a few drops of water. Place on a floured board and roll thin. Cut in finger-size strips and place on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until lightly browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

* I used King Arthur regular all-purpose flour and the crackers turned out just fine. Instead of cutting the dough into strips, I used small cookie cutters to cut the dough into various shapes. Thus, crackers instead of straws.

(recipe from Nathalie Dupree's New Southern Cooking)

SHRIMP REMOULADE

3 cups or two pound shrimp (boiled and picked)

1 cup olive oil

1/2 cup tarragon vinegar

1 1/4 cups chopped celery

2 1/2 teaspoons chopped green pepper

2 tablespoons chopped onion

5 tablespoons chopped parsley

3/4 cup creole mustard or mustard and horseradish

2 1/2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon black pepper

1/4 cup paprika*

Mix all ingredients and let marinate in refrigerator for twenty-four hours, stirring often. Use as salad, or on toast or crackers.

*I use picante smoked Spanish paprika. It adds depth and heat to the flavor.

(recipe from Charleston Receipts)

RAMOS GIN FIZZ

• 1/4 ounce lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons superfine granulated sugar
• 1 egg white (2 TBS.)
• 1 dash vanilla
• 2 dashes orange flower water
• 2 ounces breakfast cream or milk
• 1 1/2 ounces gin

Shake together thoroughly and strain into an 8 ounce highball glass

(recipe from Brennan's New Orleans Cookbook)

Saffron Carrot Bisque with Spring Pesto

SAFFRON CARROT BISQUE WITH SPRING PESTO

(Serves 6)

• 4 tablespoons butter
• 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into thin circles*
• 1 small red onion, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 3 cups chicken stock
• Pinch saffron
• 1 cup orange juice
• 2 tablespoons honey
• Salt and white pepper to taste
• Sourdough Croutons
• Spring Pesto

Melt butter in a large sauce pan.  Add the carrots, onion, and garlic and cook for 5 minutes. Add the stock and saffron and bring to a boil. Turn to simmer and cook until the carrots are completely softened, approximately 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In batches, place all of the ingredients of the sauce pan into a blender and mix throughly, adding orange juice to thin.

Stir in the honey, and season to taste with salt and white pepper.

Serve warm with Sourdough Croutons and Spring Pesto

*I used 10 carrots to get the consistency of the soup that I desired.

SPRING PESTO

(makes about 2 quarts)

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley, stemmed
• 1 bunch cilantro, stemmed
• 1 bunch mint, stemmed
• 1 1/2 cups feta cheese
• 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese
• 5 cloves garlic, minced and roughly chopped
• 3 tablespoons capers
• Juice and zest of three lemons
• 2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
• 2 cups olive oil

Place all the fresh herbs in a mixing bowl and toss.

Place half of the mixed herbs in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade. Add half of the remaining ingredients and process to a rough textured paste. Place prepared pesto into a storage container, re-attach bowl and blade and repeat. Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week. Mix thoroughly before serving.

This is great on pasta and in twice-baked potatoes. And it was marvelous in the bisque; the combination of flavors and textures was absolutely brilliant.

SOURDOUGH CROUTONS

(serves 6 to 8)

• 4 slices sourdough bread, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Pinch each of: salt, black pepper, garlic powder (I used chile powder to good effect.)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a mixing bowl, toss the bread cubes with the remaining ingredients. Spread out on an ungreased baking sheet and bake for fifteen minutes, tossing once, until toasted through.

Let cook then store in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

(recipes from Martha Phelps Stamps' Martha's at the Plantation. Seasonal Recipes from Belle Meade.)

Grits Cakes and Shrimp with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

GRITS CAKES WITH SHRIMP AND ROASTED RED PEPPER SAUCE

(serves 8 as a starter, 4 as a main course)

Both the grits cakes and the sauce may be made ahead and reheated

• 4 cups cooked grits, cooked with 1 tablespoon of chopped garlic
• 1/2 cup extra-sharp cheddar cheese
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• Hot pepper sauce to taste
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 3 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
• 3 to 4 tablespoons red wine vinegar, sherry wine viegar, or balsami vinegar
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 log goat cheese, sliced into 8 pieces
• 1 pound medium peeled and cooked shrimp
• 16 chives

Butter a 9x 5x 2 1/2-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper or aluminum foil. Stir the hot grits, cheese, chives and 2 tablespoons butter together. Season to taste with hot sauce. Pour the grits into the pan and refrigerate until chilled and firm.

Simmer the chicken stock and chopped peppers in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat for 10 minutes. Strain, reserving the liquid. Puree the peppers until smooth. Return them to the saucepan and add the vinegar, sugar, and served stock. Boil, stirring frequently, until thick and glossy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

When ready to serve, unmold the grits and slice them into 8 grits cakes. (I use a biscuit cutter and cut them into round cakes.) heat the remaining butter in a heavy-bottomed non-stick frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook the grits cakes for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden and heated through. Put 1 grits cake on each plate, spoon the pepper sauce over each, and tope with a slice of goat cheese and several cooked shrimp. Garnish each with chives and serve.

(recipe from Natalie Dupree's Shrimp and Grits Cookbook)

Crispy Iceberg Wedge

CRISPY ICEBERG WEDGE

(serves 4)

• 1 head iceberg lettuce
• 4 pieces cooked bacon, crumbled
• 4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 cups Sourdough Croutons
• 1 cup Dania's Honduran Pickled Vegetables
• 8 ounces Blue Cheese Buttermilk Dressing

Trim lettuce of any wilty leaves, and cut into 4 wedges. Place each wedge on a separate plate and garnish with an equal amount of the remaining ingredients. Serve immediately.

DANIA'S HONDURAN PICKLED VEGETABLES

(makes 3 quarts)

• 1  cup trimmed green beans 
• 1 poblano pepper, cored and seeded, cut in strips 
• 9 stalks celery, cut in 2-inch strips
• 2 red onion, cut in strips
• 5 carrots, cut in 1/4 inch circles
• 3 medium beets, peeled and cut in 1/4- inch thick circles
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 tablespoon black peppercorns
• 1 tablespoon red pepper flakes
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 pint water
• 5 bay leaves
• 1 pint water
• 1/2 cup tarragon vinegar
• 4 green onions, trimmed and cut in thirds, lengthwise

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Turn off the heat and add the green beans, poblano pepper, celery, red onion and carrots. Let stand for 5 minutes. Drain and place the vegetables in a large mixing bowl.

In a smaller pot, place the beets with the sugar, salt, peppers, bay leaves and pint of water. Bring the mixture to boil and cook for 5 minutes. Pour the mixture over the reserved vegetables.

Add the vinegar, green onions and additional water as needed to cover the vegetables. let cook, cover and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.

These pickles are wonderful. I love them for snacking. Ms. Stamps recommends their use in martini's. I think they would  also make great gifts at Christmas or any other gift-giving time.

BLUE CHEESE BUTTERMILK DRESSING

(serves 8 to 12)

Thicken this dressing up a bit and it's a fabulous dip for veggies--particularly blanched asparagus.

• 1 cup crumbled blue cheese
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

Place all the ingredients in a blender and mix well.

Store covered and refrigerated for up to 1 week.

(recipes from Martha's at the Plantation)

The remains of Blackberry Cobbler

BLACKBERRY COBBLER A LA MAUD

(serves 10)

• 2 cups soft-wheat flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 2 cups sugar
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2 to 2/4 cup buttermilk
• 4 cups small, tart blackberries
• 2 cups large, plump blackberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the dough, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together, then mix in 1 cup of sugar until thoroughly blended. Cut the butter into small pieces. Spread them into the flour mixture so they aren't all in one clump. use your fingers to incorporate them until mostly blended. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of butter milk over the mixture, and use a large spatula to incorporate  into the dough, until it sticks together in a ball. Add more buttermilk in small amounts if needed.

Liberally butter a shallow 2-quart baking dish. Mix the small berries with 1 cup sugar and pour them into the baking dish. Spread the plumb berries over them.

Pinch off golf-ball-sized pieces of the dough, and place them on top of the berries, close together but not quite touching.The dough should cover the top, with little openings between the pieces. Bake 45 to 50 minutes, until the crust is puffy and a deep golden color on top. (the bottom of the crust will not be completely firm, giving a little bit of a pudding texture where the fruit meets the crust.) Allow to cool.

This dessert is best served just a little warm, but not hot. Because of the richness of the crust, ice cream or whipping cream is superfluous, and may actually detract from the flavor.

(recipe from Ronni Lundy's Butter Beans to Blackberries. Recipes from the Southern Garden.)

I received an e-mail this morning from one of our members who said "your meal was exquisite."

This message was music to my ears and cooking this dinner was nourishment for my soul.