Cream of Fennel and Apple Soup

Cream of Fennel and Apple Soup

Okay....I don't really like Fennel, just a little.  So I used 1 and half Granny Smith in this soup.

It turned out really good.



Cranberry Conserve Crumb Bars

Well since we forgot to bring out the Cranberry Conserve to go with the Turkey.  I worked pretty hard making that Conserve so, I made these bars with it.  I didn't want to waste it.

Here's the recipe for this one.


Cranberry Crumb Bars my way


This is a couple step process, you’ll need to make the cranberry conserve and let it cool down.

Step 1:

For the filling:

2 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of sugar

½ cup water

zest if 1 whole orange and the juice of the lemon

¼ cup of dried cherries

Over medium heat in a non reactive pot, cook cranberries, water and sugar until well combined. If using fresh cranberries cook 5-8 minutes until the skins burst, add the zest juice and dried cherries, cook until it becomes thick like jelly then put into dish and let cool down.

Step 2:

1/3 cup golden brown sugar

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, warm

1 3/4 cups cake flour

Mix both sugars and salt in medium bowl and whisk to blend. Add warm melted butter and stir to blend. Add flour combine into a cohesive dough into a ball (topping mixture will look slightly dry/wet). Set aside for it to cool.



For the dough:

2 cups of flour

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine grain sea salt

1 cube of cold unsalted butter cut into cubes

1 large egg room temp

1/4 cup of ice water (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

For the dough combine the flour, baking powder, sugar, salt in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse a few times to combine. Put in the cold cubed butter and carefully coat with the flour using your finger (watch out for the sharp blades). Pulse the mixture 12 to 15 times until the butter is evenly crumbly. Add the egg (and the optional 1/4 cup of ice water) with the motor running and mix until just combined.

Press dough into the bottom of an oven proof rectangular baking dish that measured and lined with parchment paper 9 x 13 inches. Top with the cooled down cranberry conserve and spread evenly and crumble the crumb dough evenly over the top.

Bake in the preheated oven for 30-40 minutes or so until the top is golden. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely on wire wrack before cutting into bars.

Let them cool completely before putting in a covered container so that crumb will stay crumbly.


If you are going to use lilikoi you’ll 2 cups of pulp follow the sugar step above, you’ll need to add cornstarch solution thicken slightly you’ll know the texture and follow the rest.

Some of Thanksgiving

I hope everyone stopping by had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.

Our family got together at mom's house.  We certainly miss all our parents, their presence is so missed.

So I fixed the Lamb Racks.  You know I love the smell as it cooks, I just can't handle the taste.  Hubby loves them.

Of course I made the lechon pork bellies.

Made the tomato soup, I think it tasted different this time, not too sure what I did different. But I was working on a few things. 

Expiremented with Pumpkin and Day Old Krispy Kremes.  I usually make a Bread Pudding with those left overs so this was a Pumpkin Krispy Bread Pudding

 My sister in law's Sweet Potatoes.

My daughter's Short Ribs

Shun was sure busy

My Cranberry Conserve which we forgot to bring out to go with the Turkey.  

Hmmmm I notices the guys are all here eating.. Hehehe.

I made the Garlic Mashed Potatoes, thank goodness for the ricer.

To snack on earlier in the day,  Chinese Roast Duck Congee that I made as well.

Happy Thanksgiving Week

Hello everyone, I know it's been a while since I've posted any meals.  I'm so busy at the office

and my 72 mile commute each way it's wearing on me. So by the time I get home it's something fast and have been either dining out on the weekends or that is when I actually cook.

So last night it was Au Gratin Potatoes, Kobe and Lobster.



Tonight, well.....I labored of love and made Lobster Risotto.  Last nights shells I boiled for a while, pulverised those shells and saved that broth for the Risotto and voila, here it is. 

Lobster Risotto Ingredients

2 8-ounce uncooked lobster tails ( If you can get the whole lobster’s that will be better).  The more the merrier.

3 ½ cups seafood stock (I buy the seafood stock at Podesto’s in the soup section it’s in a box, and I use Lobster Stock concentrated it’s in a jar “Better than Boullion”).Reserve the stock from cooking the lobsters. This becomes part of the above stock.

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons white or black truffle oil to finish. ( I found truffled butter in Sac., but Podesto’s has concentracted black truffle in a tube it's great)

1/4 cup chopped shallots and leeks.  I love leeks, just the white part and clean well.

1 cup arborio rice

1/4 cup brandy or white wine

1/3 cup whole milk or cream for the end.

1/3 cup chopped fresh chives

1 1/2 T butter to use sparingly throughout
Directions

Preheat oven 425.
Cook lobster in large pot of simmering salted water until cooked through, about 7-10 minutes depending on size.  I also put thyme and aromatics in the water to season. Transfer to bowl of cold water to cool. Drain lobster. Remove meat from shells; reserve shells. Cut meat into 1/2-inch pieces.

Break shells into large pieces. Place on baking sheet and bake 15 minutes. Blend shells with 1 cup chicken broth in blender until finely chopped. Strain through fine sieve. Reserve lobster broth; discard shells. I bypass this and just blend and add to stock then put it all through sieve.  So if you don't feel like putting them in the oven it's fine, put through the sieve twice.


Bring 2 1/2 cups seafood/lobster broth to simmer; keep hot. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add cippolini onions, leeks sliced and shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add rice; stir 2 minutes. Add brandy or wine ; reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer until brandy is absorbed, stirring constantly, about 2 minutes. Add lobster broth. Simmer until rice is just tender and mixture is creamy, adding remaining broth by 1/4 cupfuls as needed and stirring often, about 20 minutes. Add lobster and cream; stir until heated through. Remove from heat. Stir in 2 tablespoons truffle oil and chives. Season with salt and pepper.

Finish with truffle oil, now if you have Truffled Butter add some of that and Bon appetit!
Serves 4.