r
Wild Rice Pancakes with Seared Duck Breast and Sour Cherry Sauce
From Andrew Evans, The BBQ Joint, Easton
r
4 duck easts trimmed (I like Long Island White Pekin Ducks found in specialty grocery stores)
1 cup of red wine
½ cup of dried sour cherries
4 ounces of prepared demi glace
½ cup of dried wild rice
3 eggs
1 ½ cups of cold water
3 tablespoons of melted butter, plus 2 tablespoons for cooking crepes
¼ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cups of all-purpose flour
Salt and freshly ground pepper
¼ cup of vegetable oil for frying
Cook the wild rice in plenty of simmering water until tender which can take upwards of an hour. The water should be at least 2 inches above the rice in the pot.
r
Meanwhile make the pancakes by beating the eggs, water and melted butter in a medium-sized bowl. Gradually whisk in flour, baking powder into egg mixture until smooth. Season batter with salt and pepper. Cover and rest mixture in refrigerator for one hour.
r
Season the duck easts with salt and pepper and sear skin side down in heavy sauté pan over medium heat with the vegetable oil. Render the duck skin until crisp about 10 to 15 minutes. Then flip east over and cook an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Keep easts in a warm place until ready to serve.
r
In a small saucepan, add red wine and reduce to 2 ounces. Add demi glace and melt demi glace over low heat and add sour cherries. Heat sauce until a simmer, and then store in a warm place. It helps to cover the sauce pot with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming.
r
Add cooked wild rice to crepe batter and stir to combine. Heat a non stick sauté pan over medium heat and ush pan with melted butter. Ladle in crepe batter and swirl pan to evenly coat bottom of pan. Flip crepe when golden own on one side, then quickly place crepe on a plate in between layers of baker's paper. Repeat four times making sure to stir the batter to redistribute the wild rice.
r
To assemble, warm duck easts in 400-degree oven for four minutes, remove from oven, slice meat against the grain and fan out on top of a rolled crepe. Ladle the sour cherry sauce onto the plate and serve. /p>
r
Holiday Prime Rib
From Chef James Eriksen, Pusser's Caribbean Grille, Annapolis
r
Roast
8- to 10-pound standing rib roast
r
Seasoning
1 cup course sea salt
¼ cup dry mustard
¼ cup granulated garlic
¼ cup granulated onion
¼ cup ground black pepper
¼ cup rosemary
¼ cup thyme
r
It works best if you put it in your electric mixer on low speed with the paddle, and just let it go for five minutes, smashing everything together.
r
Start by rubbing the dry seasoning mix over the whole rib roast. The salt in the seasoning mix will actually start to cure the out side of the roast and make it a little tough, so season it up just before roasting.
r
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Use a roasting rack for the beef, so it is not sitting on the tray; this will allow even cooking all round the roast. Place the roast in the oven and immediately turn the temperature down to 250 degrees. The hotter temperature at the start will sear the roast helping to preserve the juices. The slower cook time will give more even cooking so it's not well-done on the outside and raw in the middle.
r
The roast you buy at the grocery store that have the bone still attached (standing rib roast) generally weigh around 8 to 10 pounds. Cook times vary between ovens but 20 minutes per pound is a good start. It is important to have a good meat thermometer to get that perfect medium rare. Let's say you an 8-pound roast, let it cook for about 2 hours and 15 minutes and then check the internal temperature. Place the thermometer into the roast so that the last inch of the thermometer is in the middle. We want about 130 degrees for the final temperature. This is very rare. If the temperature is not yet 130 degrees, roast for another 15 minutes and check again, and so on until ready. Remove from oven and the rack and immediately wrap in foil. The roast will continue to cook for quite a while and “rest” at the same time. “Resting” keeps the juices from running out when carve your roast. Place in a warm spot and let sit for an hour (I put it on the back of the stove). The final temperature for medium rare is between 140 and 145° F.
r
This hour also gives you time to prepare your accompaniments. The drippings in the roasting pan will be your “Au Jus.” Strain them into a tall see-through container, and let the sit for a couple of minutes. The fat will rise to the top, and you can scoop it off. The au jus will probably be a little salty, so taste it and add a little water.
r
Turkey Brine
From David Hayes, Harbour Lights, St. Michaels
r
1 gallon water
1 medium onion. sliced
2 oranges, sliced
4 lemons, sliced
1 bunch fresh sage
1 cup local honey
2 cup maple syrup
2 cups kosher salt
1 bunch of thyme
1 bunch parsley
6 bay leaves
1 small cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons whole peppercorns
10 cloves of peeled garlic
r
Bring everything to a boil. Allow to cool completely. Add turkey and ine for 24 hours. Drain. Roast your turkey as you normally would.
r
Rack of Lamb with Dijon Rosemary Crust
From Joseph Misero, Rod N Reel, Chesapeake Beach
Serves eight entrees or 32 hors d'ouvrés
r
2 full racks of lamb, 32 bones total
Salt and black pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
¼ cup fresh rosemary chopped
¼ cup Dijon mustard
2 cups Panko ead crumbs
r
Season the lamb racks liberally with salt and pepper, and then sear in a sauté pan with the olive oil and butter until owned on all sides. Set aside to let cool. Spread a thin coating of Dijon mustard across the lamb, keeping the “frenched” bones uncoated. Dip the lamb into the ead crumbs mixed with the chopped rosemary and coat liberally. This may be refrigerated for up to 24 hours before roasting.
r
To finish the dish, place lamb racks on a roasting pan and cook in the oven at 400 degrees for approximately 15-20 minutes depending on your preferred meat doneness. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
r
For the sauce
2 cups Demi-glace
¼ cup mint jelly
r
Combine the ingredients and simmer until jelly is dissolved. For a sweeter sauce, add more mint jelly.
r
Creme Brulee Pumpkin Cheesecake
From Lisa Bolter, Red Red Wine Bar, Annapolis
r
Crust
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
3 tablespoons light own sugar
1 stick melted salted butter
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Topping
1/2 cup sugar in the raw
Torch
Caramel sauce
Filling
3 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (15-ounce) can pureed pumpkin
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
2 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
r
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
r
Combine crumbs, sugar and cinnamon then add melted butter. Press down flat into a 9-inch spring form pan.
r
Beat cream cheese until smooth. Add pumpkin puree, eggs & yolk, sour cream, sugar and spices. Add flour and vanilla. Beat together.
r
Pour into crust. Spread out evenly and place in oven for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and let sit for 15 minutes. Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
r
Once you're ready to serve, cut slices and top with sugar in the raw, torch each piece individually and drizzle with caramel sauce. Sprinkle the plate with a little dusting of cinnamon.
r
r
The Best Macaroons
From Michael Rork, River House, Easton
r
2/3 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 egg white
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3 1/2 cups sweetened flaked coconut
Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
r
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the condensed milk, egg white, vanilla, and salt. Gradually fold in the coconut, cup by cup, until fully incorporated.
r
Line a baking sheet with either parchment paper or a baking mat. Scoop out roughly 3 tablespoons of coconut mixture and drop onto your baking mat, rounding into tight circles. Punch your finger into the middle of each macaroon, making a small indentation. Bake the macaroons for 17-20 minutes, depending on how golden you want your nest to be.
r
Pull the macaroons out of the oven and lift them onto a wire rack to cool. This is much easier if you've used a baking mat or parchment paper, fully cool before attempting to pull them of your baking mat.
r
r
r