I made Brandied Apricot Butter to spread on slices of the walnut bread I recently baked (recipe HERE). It was good, but the butter was competing with the strong walnut flavor. The way to eat this Brandied Apricot Butter -- on slices of toasted sourdough bread. Delicious! recipe by Naomi Hebberoy • 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped • 1/4 cup Cognac • 2 tablespoons brown sugar • 2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened • Salt 1. In a small saucepan, soak the apricots in the Cognac for 10 minutes. Bring to a boil; using a match, ignite the apricots. When flames subside, add the brown sugar and cook until the sugar is dissolved. Transfer to a food processor. Once the apricots have cooled, add the butter and process until fairly smooth. Season with salt. TAKE a LOOK:
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This Rhubarb Chutney, full of ginger and golden raisins, has been a big favorite this spring. It's great spooned over grilled meats, but I've also been eating it along with Parmesan and Manchego cheeses. Rhubarb Chutney • Martha Stewart Living | May 2010 • • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil • 1 small onion, finely diced • 2 garlic cloves, minced • 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger • Kosher Salt • 1/3 cup dry white wine (Sauvignon Blanc) • 1/3 cup golden raisins, coarsely chopped • 1/2 cup sugar • 12 ounces rhubarb, trimmed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces 1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, ginger, and salt, and cook until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Take off the heat and add the wine and raisins. Return to the heat and bring to a boil; cook for 1 minute. Add sugar and stir until it is fully dissolved. Stir in half of the rhubarb; bring to a boil. 2. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until rhubarb is just tender. Add the remaining rhubarb and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and cook until the newly-added rhubarb begins to soften. Remove from the heat and let cool completely. Refrigerate if not using the chutney immediately. TAKE a LOOK: I don't think I've ever classified anything made in my kitchen as "dangerous", but I will give this Olive Butter that distinction. Early in the day I mixed up yeast dough for my favorite baguettes. While in the oven, I combined the ingredients for Brooke Williamson's (chef at Zax in Brentwood, California) Olive Butter. Once the baguettes were out of the oven and had cooled slightly, I started slicing and spreading. I finally just had to say, "no more!" Yes... this Olive Butter is dangerous and delicious. It was hard for me to push it aside. We have been enjoying unusually mild weather for mid-April in Minnesota. After biking in the afternoon through St. Paul and Minneapolis along the Mississippi River, we sat outdoors on the patio with the freshly-baked baguettes and olive butter, wine, and bowls of ricotta-filled ravioli floating in homemade tomato sauce. Could it get any better? I don't think so. • Olive Butter • recipe found in SAVEUR magazine | January/February 2002 • 16 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature • 1/2 cup chopped pitted kalamata olives • 2 sprigs parsley, chopped • 1 garlic clove, peeled and minced Put the butter in a medium bowl and beat with a wooden spoon until smooth. Add the olives, parsley and minced garlic and mix well. Season to taste with coarse salt. Serve at room temperature with toasted baguette slices. Makes 1 1/2 cups. YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE: Hard to believe... but there is occasionally someone in this house who does not like to eat what I'm serving for dinner. Yes, it happens, and it happens all too often. I could give you a little list of the likes and dislikes for each and everyone of them... nuts, olives, asparagus, peanut butter, eggplant, fish, zucchini, spinach, lamb, stuffed peppers, shrimp... yada, yada, yada. And what do I do about this? For the most part, I do nothing. A little selfish? Probably... but I believe, if they would only try it, they would like it... or better yet, they should just learn to like it ! No complaints with this meal. I've made these Breaded Fish Sticks before and I can always count on them being snapped up. My favorite part is the lemony tartar sauce. If you can make it early in the day or better yet, the day ahead, do so. It seems to take on even more of a lemony taste if it can set for several hours in the refrigerator and infuse that zesty flavor. This meal is perfect kid food. The recipe suggests using Orange Roughy fillets; substitute other white fish if you are unable to find Orange Roughy. I used Tilapia this time and it was totally acceptable. The Tilapia, however, was thicker than Orange Roughy and I needed to increase my baking time by several minutes. Fish Sticks with Lemon Tartar Sauce For the Fish: • 1/4 cup cornmeal • 1/4 cup fine, dry breadcrumbs • 1/2 teaspoon salt • 1/2 teaspoon paprika • 1/4 teaspoon dillweed • 1/8 teaspoon pepper • 1 pound orange roughy fillets, cut into 1-inch strips • 1/3 cup milk • 3 tablespoons butter, melted 1. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a dish. Dip the fish in milk and dredge in cornmeal mixture. Place in a lightly greased pan and drizzle with butter. 2. Bake at 450˚F for 10 minutes. For the Lemon Tartar Sauce: • 1/2 cup mayonnaise • 2 tablespoons finely chopped green onions • 2 tablespoons dill pickle relish • 1 teaspoon grated lemon rind (or a little more if you're a lemon-lover) • 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1. Combine all of the ingredients and keep chilled in the refrigerator until needed. In my on-going search to find new and interesting ways to use the rhubarb from my garden, I found this recipe in Sheila Lukin's All Around the World Cookbook. The recipe is of Scandinavian origin and is recommended to be eaten with roasted pheasant, duck, or goose. I'm going to serve it tonight alongside Iowa pork chops. |
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