Making a silk purse out of a sow's ear

My timing on this post is a bit funny as this topic is suddenly all over my favorite food blogs, but you will have to trust me when I say that I have been making poached pears regularly over the past couple of months. Usually I do this when I am seduced into buying an undrinkable wine by a serious markdown. (When will I learn?) Rather than pouring it down the drain I use it as the base of poaching liquid for semi-ripe pears. These pears are delicious with yogurt, oatmeal, granola, whipped cream or creame fraiche, or, as I often do, eaten on their own over the kitchen sink. I tried to class it up a bit this time by making a cardamom panna cotta to serve alongside. I usually think of panna cotta as summery because it is cool and deceptively light, but the addition of cardamom brings in a warm fall/winter flavor. The tiny bit of crunch in the pears is a nice foil for the silky texture of the panna cotta. So, thanks for the inspiration, icky wine! I know what I am making next time I need a simple and pretty dessert. Now, if only I had dinner guests tonight...

Blushing Poached Pears

1 750 ml bottle red wine

1/2 c. sugar

juice and zest of one orange

2 star anise

4 cinnamon sticks, broken

1 t. whole cloves

1 T. whole allspice

4 pears (I prefer Bosc pears for this)

Peel, stem, and halve the pears. Using a spoon or a melon baller, remove seeds and soft core from halves. Set aside. Combine all ingredients but pears in a large pot. Heat to dissolve sugar. Add pears to pot and add water to cover. Bring pot to a boil, then reduce heat to a low simmer and cover most of the way with lid. Cook pears over low heat until fork tender, about 40 minutes. Remove to a container with enough poaching liquid to cover and chill.

Vanilla Cardamom Panna Cotta

Adapted from Dessert Fourplay by Johnny Iuzzini

2 c. heavy cream

1/4 c. sugar

1 T. cardamom seeds

1 t. powdered gelatin (usually 1 envelope)

3 T. cold water

1 T. vanilla

Heat cream and cardamom seeds in a saucepan until almost boiling. Remove from heat and allow to steep for 30 minutes. While cream in steeping, place gelatin and water in a medium bowl and allow to soften. Strain cream to remove solids and return to saucepan with sugar. Bring cream mixture back to almost boiling, then pour over gelatin, whisking to dissolve. Whisk in vanilla. Pour mixture into lightly oiled muffin cups. (This is the only time I like my silicone muffin cups! Makes unmolding a cinch.) You can also pour directly into serving glasses or bowls if you do not want a molded panna cotta. Chill overnight or until ready to serve.

*To unmold, run a hot knife around the edges of the panna cotta and invert. If they are stuck, apply a towel wrung with hot water to bottom of pan for a moment or two to loosen.

Monday Funday

And I thought I loved my KitchenAid. Via Chefsblade.

Dollars to doughnuts (or biscotti)

I think you can tell a lot about a person if you watch the things they buy. I was going to say something about priorities, but that is a bit of a strong word to attach to a thing of relatively minor importance. Priorities apply to family, friends, life choices, etc., not so much non-essential spending. But I do think you can learn where someones passions lie if you see how they shop. Do they never eat out but attend every concert that passes through? Forgo a vacation to detail a beloved car? I myself will fret over buying a sweater until it disappears from the sale rack but barely think twice about splashing out on an ingredient for a recipe. I suppose that is why I cannot bring myself to buy the cute hat I have been eyeing but I now have a giant jar of tahini in my fridge!

In this case, however, I am glad of my purchase, as I will absolutely be making these biscotti again. I was barely able to snag one out of the batch to photograph before they were gone. I have been testing some recipes for a dessert wine pairing and am fixated on the idea of using oranges and olive oil. The combination of flavors and ingredients in this recipe may look a bit strange, but they come together in a delicate and scented cookie. They are a nice reminder to relax and maybe even embrace my eclectic shopping lists- because really, a good recipe is better than a new hat any day of the week.

Olive Oil Biscotti

4 eggs

1 c. sugar

2 T. honey

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil (try to find one that is nice and fruity)

2 T. sesame tahini

zest of 3 oranges

1 t. orange flower water (optional, but it adds a lot)

3 3/4 c. AP flour

4 t. baking powder

1/2 t. salt

2 t. ground cardamom

1 1/2 c. slivered almonds, lightly toasted

Place eggs, sugar, and honey in mixer bowl and whisk at high speed until thick and pale yellow, about 4 minutes. With mixer running, slowly add olive oil in a thin stream. You want the oil and eggs to emulsify into a smooth mixture, so take care not to add oil too fast. Add orange zest, tahini, and orange flower water. Whisk together dry ingredients. Switch mixer to a paddle attachment or use a spoon to blend dry ingredients into egg mixture. Mix just until dough comes together, then add almonds and mix to distribute them through the dough.

Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment. Working with greased hands, shape dough into four pieces. Shape dough into logs about 10 inches long and place 2 logs on each cookie sheet, flattening slightly if necessary. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Remove pans from oven and place on racks to cool. Turn oven down to 275 degrees. When dough logs are lukewarm, place each one on a cutting board and slice into biscotti about 1-1 1/4 inch thick. Place the biscotti, cut side down, back on baking sheets and toast in oven 20-3o minutes. Check biscotti every ten minutes or so and turn them once during this second bake. The biscotti should be dry and lightly tanned. Cool on racks and keep in an airtight container, if they stay around that long!

Quince + Cheese= love

I had to bring this one out of the house so I did not eat it all on my own. I adore membrillo but I do not adore the cost of buying it in cheese shops. Another lovely aspect of the Northwest is the availability of produce that I couldn’t always get my hands on in New England. (Forgive me my disloyalty, Haymarket!) I saw these gorgeous quinces and got fired up to make some membrillo of my own. This process isn’t complicated, but it is a bit taxing. Do mind your hands and arms when stirring during the second stovetop time. There is a chance that you may be peppered with minor burns when the mixture bubbles. Have no fear though, it is so worth it! The wonderful part is that the quinces themselves help you to know when the cooking time is up. The mixture turns from a sort of pale pinkish/beige to striking rouge when it is getting close to the right temperature. It is one of those recipes in which simplicity leads to a bit of magic. A sort of odd, strangely textured fruit becomes the variable that takes cheese to another level altogether. Membrillo is fantastic with Manchego cheese, Marcona almonds, and a nice Rioja or Amontillado sherry.

Membrillo
4-6 medium quinces
¼ c. water
sugar
Peel, core, and chop quinces. Cook with water, covered, over medium heat until very tender. Puree fruit in until smooth and press through a fine mesh sieve. Measure puree and add equal amount of sugar, ¼ c. water, and the juice of one lemon or lime. Cook over medium/high heat, stirring constantly with a rubber spatula, about 25-30 minutes. Do not stop stirring! Mixture will bubble and begin to turn color. Continue cooking until paste is bubbling and beginning to move as an entity when stirred. (I know this is a strange instruction, but you will know when this happens. The paste begins to assert itself against the spatula a bit.) Cook about 2 minutes more, remove from heat, and pour into oiled loaf pans. Allow to set overnight. Slice and serve, or wrap well and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks.