Cranberry Sauce with Port and Dried Figs

I just had to squeeze this recipe in under the wire, on the off chance that you haven't settled on a cranberry sauce recipe for tomorrow yet. This is so scrumptious. It's sweet and tart of course, like all cranberry sauces, but oh so much more. It's rich from the port and balsamic vinegar and slightly peppery. And then there's the subtle rosemary undertones. Definitely the most complex cranberry sauce I've ever made (and yet still so simple, you've got to love that). But if you are going to make it for tomorrow, DO IT NOW! Run out and get the ingredients immediately so it has time to sit overnight in the fridge and let the flavors meld. And you should probably double it...you won't be sorry (unless of course you're reading this the day after Thanksgiving).

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH PORT AND DRIED FIGS

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

1 2/3 cups ruby Port

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

8 dried black Mission figs, stemmed, chopped

1 6-inch-long sprig fresh rosemary

1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

12 ounces fresh cranberries

3/4 cup sugar

1.      Combine the Port, vinegar, brown sugar, figs, rosemary and black pepper in a medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat to low and simmer 10 minutes. Discard rosemary.

2.      Mix in cranberries and 3/4 cup sugar. Cook over medium heat until liquid is slightly reduced and berries burst, stirring occasionally, about 6 minutes. Cool.

3.      Transfer sauce to bowl; chill until cold. Can be prepared 1 week ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.

Bon Appétit, November 2001

fresh cranberries

dried mission figs

dried mission figs, stemmed and chopped

port wine

port, balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, figs, rosemary and black pepper

adding cranberries and sugar

almost done

I let mine go a little longer than intended, but that only breaks down
the cranberries a little more, it doesn't compromise the flavor at all.

Serving Suggestion: If you're planning on serving cheese and crackers as hors d'oeuvres, add a small bowl of this to your cheese plate and garnish the tray with some halved figs and rosemary sprigs. Mmmm.

.

Pears Poached in Red Wine

I made these poached pears mainly because I wanted to use up the leftover marsala wine from the chicken marsala I made recently (that, and I love poached pears). You'll notice my pears didn't turn that gorgeous, deep red color they often do when poached in red wine (my marsala was on the light side). So you might want to pick a different wine if you're going for that look.

I served these with the poaching liquid, crème fraîche and pizzelles. You should consider crumbling the pizzelle over the top (I made the mistake of putting mine on top of the poaching liquid and the pizzelle soaked up most of it). It was still delicious, just a little soggy.

PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE

Makes 4 servings

1 (750 ml.) bottle dry red wine

2 cups water

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup orange juice

2 teaspoons grated orange zest

1 teaspoon ground cardamom

1 cinnamon stick

4 firm but ripe pears, peeled, stems left intact

serving suggestions:

crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream

pizzelles or almond-anise biscotti

1.      Combine wine, water, sugar, orange juice, orange zest, cardamom and cinnamon in a heavy large saucepan. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture comes to simmer.

2.      Add pears and return mixture to simmer. Reduce heat and simmer slowly until pears are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes. Transfer pears to plate. Boil liquid in saucepan until reduced to 3 cups, about 20 minutes.

(Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill pears in poaching liquid. Before serving, rewarm over medium-low heat until pears are heated through.)

3.      Serve each pear with crème fraîche or vanilla ice cream.  Drizzle with poaching liquid.  Garnish with pizzelle or biscotti crumbs (or serve whole on the side).

adapted from Bon Appétit, March 1997

peeled and raw

everybody in the pool

poached

poached on a plate

with just poaching liquid and pizzelles on the side

Chicken Marsala

over egg noodles

I recently posted a recipe for chicken masala and I got the impression that some of you out there may have thought I was posting one your favorites, chicken marsala. Obviously, I can see where there might be confusion. So having never made chicken marsala (and not wanting to disappoint), I saw this as an opportunity to give the people what they want and try a new dish at the same time.

Well thanks people, because I loved it! It was scrumptious. Of course now that I have a recipe for both chicken masala and chicken marsala, I find myself exaggerating the 'r' and saying it like a pirate...chicken marrrrsala, matey.

 

CHICKEN MARSALA

Yield: 4 servings

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon Essence of Emeril Original Seasoning* (available at many supermarkets)

2 (6 to 8-ounce) boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in halves and pounded thin

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 cups sliced mushrooms (cremini, oyster, shiitake)

3/4 cup Marsala wine

1 cup chicken stock

salt and freshly ground black pepper

chopped chives, for garnish

1.      In a shallow bowl or plate combine the flour and Essence and stir to combine thoroughly. Quickly dredge the chicken breast halves in the seasoned flour mixture, shaking to remove any excess flour.

2.      Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until very hot but not smoking. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter and cook the chicken breasts until golden brown on both sides, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and set aside.

3.      Add 1 tablespoon of the remaining butter to the pan and add the mushrooms. Cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are golden brown around the edges and have given off their liquid.

4.      Add the Marsala wine and bring to a boil, scraping to remove any browned bits from the bottom of the pan. When the wine has reduced by half, add the chicken stock and cook for 3 minutes, or until the sauce has thickened slightly.

5.      Lower the heat to medium and return the chicken breasts to the pan and continue to cook until they are cooked through and the sauce has thickened, about 5 to 6 minutes.

6.      Swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter; add salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chopped chives and serve immediately.

*Essence of Emeril Seasoning

(Yield: about 2/3 cup)

2 1/2 tablespoons paprika

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

recipe from Emeril Lagasse

the bottle
(just to really drive the point home)

I was lucky to find a package of already sliced mushrooms
in the exact combo the recipe calls for (creminis are also
known as baby bellas). I guess it was just meant to be.

I had never made one of Emeril's recipes (or bought
his spice mix) before.  I'm glad I gave it a shot.

note where it says "easy open" in the upper right hand corner
(don't believe it, I was wrestling with that thing for 5 minutes
before I gave up and hacked my way in with a knife)

dredging the flattened chicken

chicken cooking

I learned a valuable lesson while flattening my chicken (which was a first for this former vegetarian). Don't use the bumpy end of the meat tenderizer for this job (I'm guessing it's for heartier meat like beef). It mangled my first attempt (go ahead and take a wild guess which one it is in the photo above). The smooth side worked way better.

chicken browned

mushrooms cooking with wine

chicken marrrsala

Fig Jam

In October, before I started this blog, I made a Fig and Walnut Tapenade with Goat Cheese for a party. I liked it so much I was sure I'd make it again soon, so I impulsively bought two more bags of dried figs, which have been staring me in the face ever since. And because I have no immediate party plans, I decided their time had come (and now they're jam).

FIG JAM

Yield: approx. 2 cups

2 cups dry red wine

1 3/4 cups water

6 oz. dried figs, stemmed and chopped

1/2 cup fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

2 teaspoons fresh ginger juice*, plus more to taste

1/2 cup honey

*peel and finely grate about 3"- 4" fresh ginger, then squeeze out the juice.

1.     Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until honey dissolves.

2.     Boil until thickened and reduced to about 2 cups, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes to 1 hour.

3.     Blend jam in a blender until smooth (or use an immersion blender right in the pot).  Add more lemon juice and ginger juice to taste.

4.     Transfer to a bowl and cool completely. Cover and refrigerate.

chopped figs