Wine-braised pears

Because Thanksgiving dinner is full of stodgy main courses, sides, and desserts (ahem, see below), I wanted to make something that would contrast with the usual--in a good way. Whether these pears are a side dish or a dessert is up to you.

Ingredients
6 Bosc firm bosc pears
5-inch stick of cinnamon, cut into about five pieces
1 t whole cloves
1 T vanilla
Almost an entire bottle of dry red wine (I used Merlot)
1 c white sugar
3-4 T lemon juice

Preparation
1. Pour wine, lemon juice, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and vanilla into a large stockpot (preferably one that is tall but not too large in diameter).
2. While you are bringing the mixture to a boil (making sure the sugar is dissolved and doesn't burn), peel the pears. I didn't peel mine completely, but the more skin you get off, the prettier the jewel-tone will be at the end.
3. As soon as the liquid is boiling, turn the heat down.

Now, at this point you have a choice. I cut the bottoms off of the pears--just enough so that they would stand up straight--and placed them in the pot. Unfortunately, the liquid didn't reach all the way up to the stem and after half an hour of braising, only about 3/4 of each pear had that nice, purple tone. I ended up having to flip them over for the last fifteen minutes just to get the color even, negating the whole point of the bottom-removal and straight-uppedness.

I recommend instead that you:

4. Cut the pears in half, lengthwise, and de-seed them with a melon-baller or a spoon.
5. Place them in the liquid in whatever orientation allows as many of them as possible to be covered with the spiced wine.

Then:
6. Cover the pot and bring everything to a very gentle boil.
7. Allow the pears to cook, covered, for about an hour.

What you're watching for is tenderness and that deep, royal color, but you don't want to cook anything so long that you end up with pearsauce.

8. Remove the pears and put them on a serving dish.
9. Take excess liquid and reduce it to approximately 1 cup of liquid, until a syrup forms.
10. Pour the syrup over your pears.

I added some of the extra toasted hazelnuts from the Gratin to the top of my pears, but there's no real need for that. In fact, if I could sprinkle anything on top it would probably be a gentle dusting of toasted pecans and a very, very small amount of gorgonzola or sharp cheddar cheese. The point of this recipe though, is to be as cheeseless and fruity as possible, so... well, if I ever add the cheese, I will do it in secret.

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Gratin

I'm not going to pretend to have invented this recipe myself; I took it almost verbatim from epicurious. However, I changed a few of the proportions and the cooking temperature, so I feel like there are enough differences to warrant a retyping (though I'm leaving the link in just in case the original sounds better to you).

Ben and I had this last Thanksgiving when we were able to cook together, and this year both of us cooked it separately for our friends/families. So far, it's been popular wherever it went, and I'm definitely making it again (just as soon as I can find leeks and butternut squash at the grocery store--for some reason both places I went today were frustratingly squashless).

You'll need:

1 large butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4- to 1-inch cubes
Olive oil
Coarse salt
2 T (1/2 stick) butter, divided
2 t white or black pepper
3 cups leeks, cut finely
3 t chopped fresh sage, rubbed
1 5.5-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped


Preparation:
1. Preheat the oven to 475˚
2. Place the squash in a large baking dish, pour olive oil, salt, and white pepper on top. Mix.
3. Cook for about half an hour, until the squash is tenderly fork-pokable.
4. While squash is cooking, saute leeks and sage in butter until the mix has cooked down but is not yet brown.
5. When the squash has been removed from the oven, mix the leek mixture in.
6. Lower the oven temperature to 375˚.
7. Layer the squash and leeks, alternating with goat cheese. I started with the squash, then crumbled (well, chevre doesn't really "crumble"... but it doesn't glop or pour, either. I'm at a loss for words) the cheese, and was able to make two more layers of each, with cheese on top.
8. Pour in the cream, making sure that it spreads throughout the dish as evenly as possible.
9. Sprinkle the chopped toasted hazelnuts on top.
10. Bake for about half an hour.

Let the cheesey warmness enfold you in its holiday-licious arms...

Martha Stewart Braidsticks!

This isn't my recipe (it's Martha's from the November magazine), but the picture was so enticing I couldn't eat lunch this afternoon until I'd made some of her braided breadsticks. Even though they were a little fussy (rolling 16 two-foot-long, quarter-inch-wide strips of dough is only fun for .2% of the actual time required), the dough itself is really simple and, without the braiding, easy to make!

Ingredients
2 cups flour
2 t salt
2 t sugar
2 T butter
3/4 cup whole milk

1 egg yolk
1 T whole milk

large-grained salt

What to do:
Preheat oven to 350˚.

1. Mix flour, salt, and sugar until combined.
2. Add butter and milk, stirring and then kneading on a floured surface. Don't knead more than enough times to just get the dough into a ball.
3. Divide the dough until 16 equal-sized balls.
4. Roll each ball into a strand about 2 feet long (it should be around 1/4 inch thick, maybe a little thicker... it doesn't REALLY need to be this length... I think mine were about 75% that).
5. Braid in a four-strand braid, folding over and under at the end as shown.
6. Let dough rest for about half an hour (I didn't do this step, as it took me so long to braid the darn things that a half hour had passed by the time I finished them all).
7. Brush top of completed wreath with egg yolk/milk mixture, covering liberally.
8. Sprinkle salt on top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden brown on top. If wreaths don't brown, turn up the heat a bit and keep and eye on them until they do!

I had my braided wreath breadstick with a bowl of orzo-chicken-hamburger-mushroom-spinach-thyme-oregano-bay leaf soup (which is much more delicious and harmonious than the confused description would have you believe).

This is just a basic recipe, obviously. I think it would taste delicious with some fresh rosemary crushed into the dough or even with the salt level halved and a bit of cinnamon with some honey on top. But that's just me, and I won't vouch for anything I haven't tried (yet)!

Summer Vegetable Pasta

Ok, ladies and gentlemen. I know what asparagus does to some of you, and I have the same problem. But I love it, and wouldn't give it up for the world.

This pasta is simple, so I won't adorn this post with a lot of photos, either.

Ingredients
3 cloves of garlic
1 red onion
Bunch of asparagus, bases cut off and cut into thirds.
1 bell pepper
3 or 4 tomatoes
Basil
Olive Oil
Sweet/Bell Pepper
Salt
Hard, Salty Italian Cheese (I usually use Parmesan, but for some reason the only Parm at the store today was $7.00 for a tiny piece. FroGro had some Pepato that was just as delicious and half the price of their Parmesan).
Pasta (I used orechiette)

Method
1. Mince garlic and chop onion, sautee until cooked but not brown.
2. Precook the asparagus for about 1:30 minute in the microwave, then add to the pan with the onion and garlic.
3. Start boiling water for pasta, and cut the bell pepper into bite-sized pieces.
4. Add the pepper to the pan, chop the tomatoes and basil.
5. Add olive oil if necessary.
6. When water is boiling, add pasta and cook. Orechietti take about 10 minutes.
7. After pasta has cooked, drain and add a bit of olive oil to keep pasta from sticking.
8. Turn down temperature in the frying pan and add tomatoes and basil, salt and pepper. Cook just slightly, for about three minutes.
9. Plate the pasta, then the sauce, and grate the cheese on top of it.

Marinated Caprese

For lunch today I made a variation on a Caprese Salad that normally consists of Mozzarella, Basil, Tomato, and Olive Oil arranged artfully on a plate in a sort of card-flipping-trick fashion.

This one, however, is a more eclectic version that Ben showed me how to make last summer; he in turn learned it from an old Italian grandma he lived with for a few months one summer. I love it, and not just because it has balsamic vinegar and onions which intensify the flavor, but because it keeps well for a number of days (in the fridge), and if you're very careful, the olive oil and vinegar and salt leech out liquid from the tomatoes and gain fragrance from the basil and onion, making a wonderful salad dressing that you can use after the cheese and tomatoes themselves are gone! For a packrat like me, the idea that part of a meal I make on Saturday could live until next Saturday makes me squeal with glee.

You'll need:

Plenty of fresh basil
Two small balls of mozzarella
Four or Five tomatoes, depending on size
One red onion
Balsamic Vinegar
Olive Oil
Salt and Pepper

The directions are simple. Cut everything up into similar-sized pieces (mixed food, like macaroni salads and stir-fries, are supposed to be more aesthetically pleasing when the ingredients have some sort of internal coherence or something. I don't know if this is really true, but it makes it a lot easier to eat, and that's what I like about it), drizzle on a good glog of olive oil and a helping of balsamic.

I know, I know. The "tender flavor" of mozzarella is supposed to be coddled and cared for rather than covered with loads of pepper and vinegar. "Bah!" I say! In this recipe, the delicateness doesn't so much disappear as it does put on a beautiful ball gown and go out dancing. In loads and loads of delicious Juice. Mmmm...

Kiwiburger

After going into overdraft on my Lloyds' account due to a Gourmet Burger Kitchen version of this very burger--and consequently owing the bank upwards of £400--and after a move into my new apartment that left me a) tired, b) longing for red meat, and c) eager to try out my new kitchen, I decided to try this complex-tasting yet simple-to-assemble burger.

A warning, though: at almost six inches tall, it's almost impossible to eat without a knife and fork. Still, if you can wrap your mouth around this sweet and tart mound of protein and veggies, you'll never go back to a normal cheeseburger ever again...

For one burger, you need:
1 hamburger patty
2-3 slices of pickled beets, sliced about 1/4 inch thick
1 slice of pineapple, about 1/2 and inch thick
Cheddar cheese (enough to cover one bun)
1 egg
1 slice of tomato
1 hamburger bun (I used a challah roll because I had it on hand, but a crusty sourdough roll is ideal for this hulking sandwich)
Salt and Pepper and Mayo and Ketchup to taste

1. Begin cooking the hamburger patty in a frying pan on medium heat. Salt and pepper both sides of the burger and squeeze out some of the juices as it's cooking.

2. Cut the pineapple, beets, and tomato into the appropriate sizes if you haven't done so already. I only had a whole pineapple in my kitchen and was afraid I wouldn't be able to hack it (literally!), but my large Dehillerin knife was up to the task!

3. Place cheese on bottom of half of bun and microwave for about 30 seconds, until melted.

4. Depress the pineapple slices into the cheese--this will keep them from slipping quite as much.

5. Just before the burger is done, fry an egg in the same pan, salting and peppering to taste. Flip it, and cook until the yolk is runny, then tip it over onto the hamburger and put the burger on the pineapple. The stack is getting taller...

6. Carefully place the beets and tomato on top of the egg, and the bun on top of them. If the yolk breaks, even better! This isn't a delicate sandwich, so you might as well get used to it early on!

7. Ketchup up and eat away!

Authentic Spanish Paella

Inspired by a recent viewing of 'Posh Nosh' and the purchase of an unseasoned paella pan from E. Dehillerin, we recently turned our attention to making an authentic Spanish paella. This traditional dish from Valencia begins with rice, saffron and olive oil; the garnishes are cooked along with the rice in a pan called a paellera--hence the name. Although original ingredients included chicken and snails or frogs and eels, the dish took on different flavours as it became popular throughout Spain. At first we were guided by two recipes from the large Phaidon cookbook, 1080 Recipes, by Simone and Inés Ortega. At CAq we know that budgets are tight and seafood is expensive, so here's our attempt at an economical version of this traditional dish completed with shrimp, mussels, chorizo, and vegetables.

Plan a-head
Like it or not, a good paella calls for (at least in part) a seafood stock. If you have the time to shell your own shrimp or can find a merchant that will sell these to you and create a stock this way, go right ahead. We went down to the local fish monger (who had cleaned out all of his shrimp detritus) and he suggested boiling a fish head in salted water for 1.5-2hrs. Since fish heads make a stronger stock than simple shrimp, this was more than enough time for 2L of seafood stock. Although the smell was pungent, the flavour of the stock was suitable for a paella. After the allotted time, remove the head and strain the stock through a cheesecloth to remove and fish parts and scales. Combine with a chicken stock either freshly prepared or from boullion. Keep warm. [If you aren't wedded to the idea of authenticity, chicken stock will work just fine.]

Green Bean Vinaigrette Salad

300 ml Red Wine Vinegar
50 ml Olive Oil
1 Large Red Onion
1 Bunch Shallots
1 lb Green Beans
Salt
Pepper

1. With skin still on the onion, wrap it in tin foil and bake at 450˚ for one hour.
2. While onion is baking, reduce vinegar to 150 ml.
3. Bring a pot of water to boil, and blanch cleaned and de-stemmed green beans for five to six minutes.
4. Add olive oil to reduced vinegar.
5. Chop shallots into small rings and add them to the vinegar-oil mixture.
6. Remove onion from oven. While still warm, peel and cut into large chunks. Place onion in vinegar and oil.
7. Let sit in fridge to cool for a while. When cool, add green beans.
8. Salt and pepper to taste. Chill overnight for the best flavor!

Roman Style Pizza

Ingredients:

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 (.25 ounce) package active dry yeast
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon white sugar
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2 tsp Italian seasoning

Directions:

1. Combine flour, salt, and Italian seasoning in a large bowl. Activate the yeast in the warm water combined with sugar. Mix in oil and warm water with the yeast and sugar. Spread out on a large pizza pan. Top as desired.
2. Bake at 375 degrees C (190 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

Toppings (favourites from Frano and Cristina's in Rome):

neopolitan

• tomato sauce (we used a leftover ratatouille with peppers and spices)
• buffalo mozzarella
• fresh tomatoes, sliced
• mushrooms, sliced
• Italian seasoning
• basil (add this toward the end of the baking process or it will get too crispy)
• salt

potato-rosemary

• boiled potatoes, sliced
• fresh rosemary
• pepper
• salt

sausage-sage cassoulet

for the stew:
2 tbs olive oil
1 lb sausage (we used sage turkey sausage)
3 leeks, chopped in small pieces
4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 granny smith apple, chopped
1/2 cup dry white wine
3 tbs rosemary
4 tbs sage

1 can lima beans, drained
1 can great northern beans, drained
1 can butter beans, drained
(save one cup of liquid from the beans for chicken bouillon)
1 can diced tomatoes
3 tbs tomato paste
dash of ground cloves

for the crust:
2 demi-baguettes of day-old french bread
1/8 cup olive oil
8 roma tomatoes, halved and seeded, then chopped
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Use an oven/stovetop pan. We used Ben's new 2-quart oval Le Creusset dutch oven, and there was just enough room for the dish (barely!) when all the ingredients were added.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.
1. Cook sausages in 2 tbs olive oil until cooked almost through.
2. Put sausages on a plate and cut into bite-sized rounds.
3. Use liquid from cooking sausages to sautee leeks and garlic until soft.
4. Add chopped apple, rosemary, sage, and wine, and cook until reduced, about 5 minutes.
5. Add beans, tomatoes and tomato paste, chicken stock, cloves, and mix in the sausage.
6. Stir well, cover, and bake for 30-40 minutes.

While the stew is cooking,

1. Cut french bread into pieces about the size of strawberries.
2. Heat 1/8 cup olive oil in a frying pan and sautee bread for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
3. When the bread is cool(ish), mix into the parsley and tomato mixture, season with salt and pepper, and save for the topping.

Take the cassoulet out of the oven.

1. Add toast topping, spreading evenly over the surface.
2. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, for about 10-20 minutes.


Serve with a Corsendonk or a Gouden Carolus (as cold as possible).

vegetarian lasagna

2 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 red onion, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup feta cheese
2 portobello mushrooms, sliced
3 cups fresh baby spinach
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tbs chopped fresh oregano
4 cloves garlic, chopped
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Ground cayenne pepper or red pepper.
12-14 lasagna noodles, or 8 lasagna noodles and a 1/2 cup of rigatoni
9 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

1. Preheat oven to 350°F
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil. While it is heating:
3. Mix zucchini, mushrooms, spinach, garlic, onion, 1/2 of the mozzarella, and the feta cheese.
4. Add olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
5. Add basil, oregano, sugar, salt and pepper(s).
6. Boil lasagna noodles for 3-4 minutes, then put four on the bottom layer of a 8x10 glass baking pan.
7. Layer tomatoes on top of the noodles, and spinach/vegetable mixture on top of that.
8. Sprinkle mozzarella cheese on top, and then place noodles on top of the cheese.
9. Create another layer of tomatoes, vegetable mixture, and noodles.
10. Add the remainder of the veggies and cover with mozzarella cheese.
11. Bake for about 45 minutes, or a little longer if the noodles/vegetables don't seem done.

Serve with olive tapenade and spelt toast :), and best when enjoyed with an episode of Battlestar Galactica.

toffee bars

for the toffee part:
1 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 cup butter
2 cups flour
1 egg
1/4 tsp salt
1-2 tsp vanilla
1-2 tsp almond

Preheat oven to 350° degrees.
1. Cream butter and sugar.
2. Add egg, vanilla, and almond; continue beating.
3. Add flour and salt, and mix thoroughly.
4. Pour/press the mixture into an 11x9 or 15x11 pan (depending on how thick you want the bars).
5. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until it looks like it's set.

for the top:
1/2-1 cup chocolate chips or chocolate bits
1/4-1 cup of either pecans or almonds--both work great with this recipe (and I imagine pistachios and walnuts would, too)

1. While toffee bars are still warm, sprinkle chocolate on top, and let the chocolate melt.
2. Spread chocolate with a spatula or spoon until even over the surface of the bars.
3. Add nuts on top, let the chocolate set, and then cut into squares!

faux crab sushi

Ingredients:
2 sheets of nori
100g faux crab
1 cucumber
1 avocado
100g sushi rice
2 tbsp rice vinegar
hot chili powder
soy sauce
pickled ginger

moroccan stew

Ingredients:
2 tbsp olive oil
450g beef
2 small onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 carrot, cut into pieces
2 celery sticks, diced
1 heaping tbsp harissa paste
2 tsp plain flour
2 tsp cumin
1.2 L vegetable stock
400g can chopped tomatoes
75g dried apricots
900g butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into cubes

For the jewelled couscous:
175g couscous
300 ml vegetable stock, hot
2 tomatoes, deseeded and diced
2 tbsp chopped fresh mint

1. Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based pan over a medium-high heat. Add the beef and cook for 5 minutes or until browned all over. Remove with a slotted spoon and place it in the pot with the vegetable broth almost at a boil.
2. Add the onions and garlic to the pan, reduce the heat slightly and cook for 5 minutes, until softened. Add the carrot and celery, cover and cook for 5 minutes, until the vegetables have softened slightly. Stir in the harissa paste and flour and cook for 2 minutes. Gradually whisk in the hot vegetable stock.
3. Stir in the tomatoes and apricots, then bring to the boil. Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes. Season well with salt and pepper. Add cumin.
4. Add the butternut squash and return the beef to the soup (use a slotted spoon to remove it from the stock). Cover and cook for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until both the squash and beef are tender.
5. Meanwhile, make the jewelled couscous. Put the couscous into a large bowl. Pour over the hot stock, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes to absorb the liquid. Fluff up the grains with a fork, then stir in the tomatoes and mint. Season.
6. To serve, ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Pile a spoonful of couscous in the centre and serve with extra harissa on the side.

vegetable thai curry

While this dish would taste absolutely wonderful made with chicken or shrimp, I had bought some tofu at the store earlier in the day and wanted to try cooking with it. I've never attempted tofu and thought a curry, with its complex spices and sauce, would be the perfect flavoring for the blank canvas that is tofu.

I also realize that the picture looks a sort of sickly-green, but the dish actually is a kind of sickly green color... partly due to the fact that I accidentally overcooked the broccoli. How sad!

for the green chili sauce:
2 Tbs coriander seed
1 medium or large onion
2-3 cloves of garlic
2-3 jalapeno or other hot peppers
1 cup cilantro, washed and de-stemmed
3 lime leaves
2 Tbs fish sauce
1 thumb-size piece of ginger

1. Grind the coriander seed with a mortar and pestle or in a coffee grinder.
2. Add the coriander seed, onion, garlic, peppers, cilantro, lime leaves, ginger, and fish sauce to a food processor and process until the consistency of a chili sauce. (of course!)

for the rest of the ingredients:
I added vegetables I had on hand (and needed to use before they went bad). I think this recipe can handle most vegetables, but some should be pre-cooked and tossed in only a bit before serving. Sure, they might not soak up as much of the flavoring, but nothing is worse than limp broccoli!

1 can of coconut milk
2 tbs sesame or other seed/nut oil
1 package of extra-firm tofu
1 medium head of broccoli, chopped
3 bell peppers, chopped
1 can of bamboo shoots
1 package of mushrooms

1. Cut the tofu into bite-sized squares and sautee in oil briefly, until semi-firm on the outside. This will help the pieces hold their shape in the curry.
2. Mix green chili sauce and the can of coconut milk in a wok or large stir-fry pan; let it simmer (you might want to cover the pan or the mix will spit everywhere).
3. Add the tofu and bamboo shoots to the curry mixture.
4. Start cooking the mushrooms in a separate pan; let some of their water boil off, and place in the curry.
5. Add broccoli to the curry and let cook for about ten minutes.
6. Add the green peppers and cook for another ten minutes.

Serve with jasmine rice and add fish or soy sauce at the table if necessary.

seed cake

This recipe is a slightly modified version of a recipe I found online while looking for a "medieval" dish to bake. The original recipe called for sugar (which I think is highly unmedieval) and did not specify the type of seed to use; I love the combination of coriander, fennel, and caraway--it gives the bread a complex, licorice-y, and slightly savory flavor that intensifies as the bread ages, and the honey helps the bread stay moist even after a number of days on the counter (wrapped, of course).


1/8 cup warm water with honey or 1/8 cup warm ale
1 package yeast
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups regular bleached or unbleached flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup honey
1 stick butter
2 eggs
1/2 tablespoon caraway seed
1/2 tablespoon fennel seed
1/4 tablespoon coriander seed
dash of cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves
1/2 cup milk


Preheat oven to 350 °F.
1. Dissolve the yeast in the warm water (or ale).
2. Mix flour and salt along with seeds and spices.
3. Cream butter and honey together, then add eggs and beat until combined.
4. Add wet ingredients to the dry, and mix completely.
5. Pour in the yeast and mix.
6. Add the milk and stir. Batter should be a "normal" cake batter consistency. If it is still too dry, add more milk until the appropriate consistency is achieved.
7. Spread batter into a greased 9" baking dish.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let the cake cool for a bit and then turn it over onto a cooling rack.
If you want more sweetness, add this to the top of the cake:

1. 1/4 cup honey
2. 1 tbs lemon juice

Heat until runny, and poke holes in the top of the cake. Then pour the glaze on top of the cake and hopefully the glaze will run down into the holes, making the cake a little moister and sweeter! Sprinkle shaved or slivered almonds on top.

roasted gressingham duck with garlic, onion, and sage stuffing

Stuffing
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 small onions, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, diced
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1 14-ounce bag cubed herbed stuffing mix
1 1/2 tablespoons rubbed or ground dried sage
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme, crumbled
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
2 eggs, beaten to blend
1 cup chicken stock or canned broth

Goose
1 Gressingham duck, 7–8lbs.
1 lemon, halved
3 bacon slices

For stuffing:
Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions, celery and garlic and sauté until soft, about 8 minutes. Combine stuffing mixture, sage, salt, oregano, thyme, pepper and Italian Seasoning in large bowl. Stir in onion mixture and eggs. Add stock and mix well. Set aside.

For the duck:
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Rinse duck inside and out; pat dry, using paper towel. Rub duck inside and out with halved lemon. Season goose inside and out with salt and pepper. Fill main cavity and neck cavity loosely with stuffing. Place any remaining stuffing in small buttered baking dish and cover with foil. Run fingers between breast meat and skin to loosen skin.

Place bacon slices under breast skin. Wrap goose in cheesecloth.

Place duck on rack set into large roasting pan.
Roast duck 30 minutes. Reduce heat to 350°F. Continue roasting until meat thermometer inserted into thickest part to thigh registers 180°F., basting every 20 minutes with pan juices, about 1 hour 20 minutes. (Place stuffing in covered baking dish in oven during last 40 minutes.) Remove cheesecloth. Transfer duck to platter. Pass stuffing separately.

poire au rochefort

Ingredients:

4 pears, peeled and cored
200g Rochefort
4 Tbsp chives, chopped
4 Tbsp ground walnuts
2 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp flour
1/8 c. raisins
½ c. double cream


Preparation:

1. Place pears in a baking dish with 0.5 cm of water. Cover with aluminium foil. Bake at 250ºF for 15–25 minutes until soft.
2. Stuff pears with Rochefort and refrigerate.
3. In a small saucepan, heat up butter, cream, half of the raisins, flour, and remaining Rochefort until hot. Whisk constantly until hot and thickened.
4. Set each pear in the middle of a dish. Cover the pears with the creamy Rochefort sauce. Sprinkle with chives, walnuts, and the remaining raisins.
5. Picture yourself in a Parisian bistro with someone you love. Enjoy.