Dessert Risotto With Dried Fruit And Nuts

Dessert Risotto With Dried Fruit And Nuts

By Le Creuset  Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
½ cup sliced natural almonds
4 to 5 cups apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
½-inch slice fresh gingerroot
1 small orange, peel and juice
½ tsp salt
2 tablespoon butter
1 cup Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
¾ cup finely diced dried fruits such as apricots, plums, cranberries, cherries and raisins
½ cup plain nonfat Greek yogurt

Directions:

Place almonds in Saucier Pan. Cook, tossing occasionally over medium-low heat until lightly toasted 6 to 8 minutes. Pour almonds onto a plate to cool; set aside.

Peel three thin strips from outside of orange. Juice orange; set aside.

Add cider, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, orange peel and salt to Saucier. Cover and heat to boil over medium-high heat, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat and pour into large heat-safe measuring cup.

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in Saucier over medium heat. Add rice to butter; cook and stir about 1 minute until rice is opaque.

 Add wine and orange juice; reduce until almost dry, stirring occasionally, about 3 minutes. 

Add spiced cider in ½-cup additions (leaving cinnamon, cloves, ginger root and orange peel in cup), stirring constantly until rice is tender and sauce is creamy; approximately 20 minutes. 

Remove from heat and stir in dried fruit and yogurt. Spoon into individual serving bowls/ramekins. Top with toasted almonds; enjoy immediately.

Cashew Chicken Curry

Cashew Chicken Curry

Toasted cashews provide the amazing texture and flavour for this simple, creamy curry sauce. Substitute large peeled shrimp for the chicken—it’s delicious too.
Ingredients:
¾ cup (175 mL) roasted, salted cashews
⅓ cup (80 mL) plain yogurt
¼ cup (60 mL) roughly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh peeled ginger root
1 tbsp (15 mL) mild or hot curry paste
1 tbsp (15 mL) light brown sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) each salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
2 lbs (1 kg) chicken thighs (8 pieces)
½ cup (125 mL) chicken broth
Basmati rice

Directions:
In a food processor, blend cashews until finely chopped. Add yogurt, cilantro, ginger root, curry paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs until very browned, about 4 minutes per side. Scrape all of the sauce over the chicken with chicken broth. Stir until blended, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cover.

Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let sit, covered for 10 minutes. Serve over steamed basmati rice and garnish with chopped roasted cashews and cilantro. Makes 4 servings

Serve with a Riesling wine.

Cashew Chicken Curry

Cashew Chicken Curry

Toasted cashews provide the amazing texture and flavor for this simple, creamy curry sauce. Substitute large peeled shrimp for the chicken —it’s delicious too.
Ingredients:
¾ cup (175 mL) roasted, salted cashews
⅓ cup (80 mL) plain yogurt
¼ cup (60 mL) roughly chopped cilantro
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh peeled ginger root
1 tbsp (15 mL) mild or hot curry paste
1 tbsp (15 mL) light brown sugar
½ tsp (2 mL) each salt and fresh cracked pepper
1 tbsp (15 mL) canola oil
2 lbs (1 kg) chicken thighs (8 pieces)
½ cup (125 mL) chicken broth

Directions:
In a food processor, blend cashews until finely chopped. Add yogurt, cilantro, ginger root, curry paste, brown sugar, salt and pepper and process until smooth.

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Brown chicken thighs until very browned, about 4 minutes per side. Scrape all of the sauce over the chicken with chicken broth. Stir until blended, reduce heat to maintain a simmer and cover. Cook until chicken is cooked through, about 15 minutes. Let sit, covered for 10 minutes. 

Serve over steamed basmati rice and garnish with chopped roasted cashews and cilantro.

Makes 4 servings

Salmon Burgers

Salmon Burgers

Yield 4 servings
Ingredients:

1½ lb. boneless, skinless center-cut salmon, patted dry, cut into 2" pieces
5 scallions
1 (1") piece ginger, peeled, finely grated, Rice Flour, Water
1 garlic clove, finely grated
2 tablespoons plus ⅔ cup mayonnaise
1 tsp. kosher salt, plus more
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
4 tsp. unseasoned rice vinegar, divided
3 medium Persian cucumbers, shaved lengthwise
½ serrano chile, very thinly sliced
1 tsp. sugar
¼ cup (or more) vegetable oil
½ cup rice flour
2 cups tender herbs (such as mint and/or cilantro)
¾ cup trimmed watercress
2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds (optional)
4 brioche buns, lightly toasted

Directions:
Process one third of salmon (about 8 oz.) in a food processor, scraping down sides as needed, until very smooth and paste-like. 

Add remaining salmon and pulse until pieces are no bigger than ¼," 4–5 times (be careful not to make it too smooth). Transfer to a large bowl.

Remove dark green tops from scallions and finely chop. Thinly slice white and pale green parts and set aside. Add chopped scallion greens, ginger, garlic, 2 Tbsp. mayonnaise, and 1 tsp. salt to salmon and gently mix to combine. Form mixture into 4 patties about ¾" thick. Transfer to a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet and cover with plastic wrap. 

Chill at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.

Meanwhile, mix sesame oil, 1 tsp. vinegar, remaining ⅔ cup mayonnaise, and a pinch of salt in a small bowl; set aside.

Toss cucumbers with a pinch of salt in another small bowl. Massage with your hands for a few minutes to soften and expel liquid; discard liquid. Add chile, sugar, and 2 tsp. vinegar and toss to coat. Cover and chill pickles until ready to assemble burgers.

Heat vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high. Remove salmon patties from refrigerator and sprinkle with flour just to coat the outside (you won’t need all of it). The patties will be a little loose but you can always pat them back together with your hands before they hit the pan. 

Working in batches and adding more oil in between batches if needed, cook patties until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side (watch carefully; you don’t want to overcook).

Toss herbs, watercress, sesame seeds (if using), reserved white and pale green parts of scallions, remaining 1 tsp. vinegar, and a pinch of salt in a medium bowl. Build burgers with buns, patties, herb mixture, pickles, and reserved sauce.

Reader Review: This is an excellent recipe, but could afford a few changes. The flavors are subtle, but maybe a bit too subtle. I added a half tsp ground pepper which was definitely needed, but still a few more changes would help. So the next time I make this I will increase the ginger by double (I couldn't taste it in this recipe), and I think I will add a little bit of cayenne. It comes together easily and quickly - good for a week night dinner. Except for needing to increase the flavors just a bit, this is excellent. the salmon remains the star as it should.

Spiced Apple Cider

Spiced Apple Cider

Ginger, cinnamon and cloves have many health-boosting properties, especially during cold and flu season. Fresh ginger root adds a more vibrant flavor than dried ground ginger. For another variation, substitute orange slices for the lemon slices.

*

Ingredients:

1 1/2 quarts unsweetened apple cider

8 slices ginger root, 
6 about 1” x 1⁄8” thin slices lemon
7 cinnamon sticks (1 for flavoring the cider, 6 for 
  garnish) 
6 whole cloves
grated nutmeg to garnish

*

Directions:
Heat the cider with the ginger root, lemon slices, 1 cinnamon stick and cloves together over medium heat in a small saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 15 to 20 minutes. Serve in cups garnished with a cinnamon stick and a fresh grate of nutmeg.      Makes 6 servings. 

Best Crystallized Ginger or Candied Ginger

Best Crystallized Ginger 

or Candied Ginger

I previously attempted a different recipe for crystallized ginger and did not feel the end result was satisfactory. Today I looked this recipe over and felt that it too lacked some specifics to determine the length of time the ginger should be cooked in the syrup. My first attempt was a little more brittle than I like as the syrup reached too high of a temperature. My suggestion is to cook the ginger in the syrup until a thermometer tested in the syrup reaches 220 degrees.  Also, after a third batch recently, I have added a few tips experience has taught me.

***

Peel and thinly slice (1/8" slices) 1 pound (500 grams) fresh ginger root.  Place sliced ginger in a heavy saucepan and cover with 5 cups water.  Cook gently until tender.  Time varies due to size of slice and size of rhizome.  Drain off water when tender.

Weigh drained sliced ginger.  Weigh sugar to equal weight of ginger.  Place sugar and ginger slices in heavy saucepan.    Stir to mix well.  Cook over a med-low heat until the syrup reaches 220 F.

Drain the ginger.  Place about 1/2 cup sugar in a deep bowl with lid.  I use a 2 cup refrigerator container.  With a swirling action of the bowl, drop a few single pieces of ginger in the bowl and swirl to coat.  Place coated pieces on a cooling rack.  When I have several pieces coated and the sugar has slightly dried, I move them to a strainer or colander with a large mesh or holes, shaking the ginger again to remove excess sugar.  Place the coated ginger on a cooling rack over a baking sheet to dry.  When thoroughly dry place in an air tight container.  Keeps fresh for up to 3 months.  Make certain the ginger is dry to prevent mold.

*This is a little time consuming recipe but very worth the effort.  My suggestion is not to double the recipe but make two two batches.