Cranberry sauce with red wine and figs

Tags

christmas, cranberries, cranberry sauce, figs, red wine, sauce, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Cranberry sauce is a very American accompaniment to Thanksgiving turkey. In fact, I had never eaten it until we moved to the US and then my first experience was at a dinner where the host served the jellied kind that comes straight out of a can, I hated it and could not imagine how an entire nation loved this vile tasting “sauce”. My ex-husband asked to have cranberry sauce with the turkey the following year and so I started searching out a recipe. Low and behold, I discovered that you can actually make your own, from fresh or frozen berries and you did not have to resort to eating jellied cylindrical shaped sauce – and to top it all, it is actually very easy and tastes far superior to any store bought variation. It is a great accompaniment to turkey and and I discovered with my leftovers this year, superb with foie gras. So make some for Christmas lunch and have the rest with your foie gras for New Year!

Ingredients:

1 cup (250ml) fruity red wine

1 cup (170g) diced dried figs, hard stems removed

12 ounces (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries

Zest of 2 oranges

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, heat the red wine and diced figs together 

Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes
Drain the figs (keep the wine)
Return the wine to the saucepan
Add the cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and cinnamon and cook, covered, over medium heat until the cranberries have burst and are softened, about 10 minutes
Remove from heat
Add the figs and the vinegar to the cranberries

The sauce can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated
Allow to return to room temperature before serving
Enjoy!

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Croque Monsieur or Madame

Tags

bistro meal, Cheese, classic french, croque, croque madame, croque monsieur, grilled cheese, lunch, sandwich, toasted cheese

At its best a croque monsieur is a strong contender for the world’s finest cheese and ham sandwich.  It basically is a french gourmet version of the grilled cheese.

There are very few ingredients but to make the classic bistro favourite, each ingredient must be of the best quality and of course the right choice.

So as this is a sandwich, it makes sense to start with the right bread. A good croque monsieur is both crisp and tender. You need a soft yet firm white sandwich bread, (pain de mie), reasonably thick slices. Some people like brioche for their croque because it’s both soft and buttery, but any high-quality white sandwich bread is good here.

Next the cheese. The traditional is a delicious gruyère. Gruyère is a firm, slightly elastic mountain cheese with a slightly sweet, nutty flavour. Most importantly for our purposes, it melts magnificently, but a good comté or cantal is just as good. Freshly grated is very important. You do not want to use pre grated and packaged.

Next is the ham. Again here, not any old packaged ham. Nice medium sliced french ham is best.

Of course, there is one thing that sets the croque apart from other great cheese and ham toasted sandwiches, namely that it arrives at the table drowned in golden and bubbling bechamel sauce.

The croque monsieur often comes accessorised with dijon mustard, the acidic heat tempering its outrageous cheesiness.

And of course if you wish to make a croque madame, it is exactly the same thing but with a fried egg added on top.

Makes 4

Ingredients:

• 8 thick slices white bread
• 8 slices ham, preferably Paris ham (jambon blanc)
• 150g / 5oz. Gruyère, grated
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

béchamel

• 30g / 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 30g / ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 250ml / 1 cup whole milk
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• Pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 200C / 400F
Béchamel: Melt the butter on low heat
Add the flour and whisk for a few minutes Add the cold milk, bit by bit, while whisking continuously
Add the nutmeg and season to taste
Allow to thicken slightly
Pour into a bowl, cover with cling film or plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 20 minutes
Spread some of the cold béchamel on each slice of bread
Add a bit more than half of the grated cheese onto 4 slices of bread
Place a slice of ham on top of the cheese
Close the slices of bread by placing the slices with béchamel on top of the slices with the cheese and ham, béchamel side inside
Press firmly to close
Spread the remaining béchamel on the sandwiches and top with the rest of the grated cheese
Place the sandwiches on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper
Bake for about 12 to 15 minutes, until they are golden brown
Serve immediately
Bon Appétit!

 

 

 

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Steaks with bacon mushroom sauce

Tags

bacon, BBQ, braai, faux filet, mushrooms, rump, sauce, steak, white sauce

 

The picture unfortunately does not do the meal justice, But, believe me it was delicious. And there is a good reason for the quickly executed photo – it was 35 degrees in the shade at 19h and I did not want to wait around as everything, including me, was melting. Not, that steak can melt, of course, but I am sure you get the picture.

I used faux filet, about 2 1/2cm thick (1 inch) from my butcher but any good steak would work.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

marinade
2 tablespoons (30ml) mustard powder
2 tablespoons (30ml) braai / barbecue spice
1/4 cup (60ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
meat
4 faux filet or rump steaks, 2 1/2cm (1″) thick
sauce
3 tablespoons (45g) butter
1 medium onion, finely chopped
125g (4oz) bacon, cut into small pieces
125g (4oz) button mushrooms, quartered
1 cup (250ml) cream or milk
2 tablespoons (30ml) flour
1/4 cup (60ml) chutney

Preparation:

Mix all the marinade ingredients together
Pour the marinade over the meat and marinade for 3 to 4 hours or up to 2 days (I use a zip lock bag)
Melt the butter in a pan over medium high heat
Add the onion, bacon and mushrooms and sauté until lightly golden
Add the remaining ingredients
Stir over medium heat for about 6 minutes until sauce thickens
Heat the BBQ, remove the meat from the marinade and cook according to your preference (about 5 minutes for medium rare)
Serve the steaks with the sauce, french fries and a green salad
Enjoy!