Volume 9, Issue 129 - December 29, 2005

Hello ,

Today we have a few holiday entrées for you. The first one is from Webmaster Fred. I do believe this is his first recipe to be published in these pages in all these years. The second recipe comes from Chef Ruth AKA Rouxfy in our forums. While just a bit of a gal, this woman can crank out some big time breads. When we had the culinary grant fund raiser in Virginia, she brought her own Hobart mixer! Now that is dedication to excellence.

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Deep in the heart of Switzerland lie the valleys and mountains of Entlebuch. It is in close vicinity to the Emmenthal area famed by its cheese. History in Entlebuch dates back as far as the Roman Empire.

A favorite past time is to drink hot coffee from a tall glass laced with a wicked apple brandy and a liberal dose of sugar. Rumor has it that the mountains around Entlebuch rose to its towering heights from the deposits of coffee suds.

Here is an authentic recipe with origins dating back before the Entlebuch had mountains. "Förster Schnitten" (Forrester slices) usually served to patrons in need of some solids.

Förster Schnitten

Ingredients:

5 slices toasted Schwarzbrot (dark whole grained bread)
5 ounces sliced raw smoked ham (such as Parma ham)
14 ounces mushrooms (chanterelles, champignons or pleurotes)
1 shallot, chopped
1 1/2 ounces butter
3/4 ounces flour
salt, freshly ground black pepper, chopped parsley
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup brown stock
1/2 cup cream
marjoram
9 ounces sliced Emmenthal cheese
5 unpeeled pears poached in syrup

Preparation:

Cover the slices of toasted bread with the ham, reserving 5 ham slices.

Sweat the mushrooms in the butter with the shallot. Mix in the flour, seasoning, (except marjoram), white wine and brown stock and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the cream and marjoram to the sauce, quickly bring it all to the boil and remove from the heat. Adjust the seasoning.

Place 3/4 of the mushrooms on top of the ham and bread slices. Cover each with another slice of ham and a slice of cheese.

Brown under the grill.

Garnish with the remaining mushrooms and chopped parsley. Serve on a plate with thin slices of hot pear. (Use a type of pear suitable for cooking).

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Webmaster Fred Roosli

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Caciucco

Our traditional Christmas eve dinner is a Tuscan dish, introduced to me by my sister-in-law. I practically had to wrestle her for the recipe.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, chopped fine
1 rib celery, chopped fine
1/2 cup parsley leaves, chopped
1 red chile pepper, minced
1 small lobster, in the shell
1 pound shrimp, in the shell
1 medium squid, cleaned and sliced into rings
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup hot water
10 ounces plum tomatoes, puréed
1 pound fresh mussels
1 pound fresh clams
2 small red snapper, filleted and cut into pieces
1 pound firm white fish, cut into pieces
8 thin slices firm bread
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Preparation:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, sauté the onion, carrot, celery, parsley and chile and cook about 5 minutes. Add the lobster, shrimp and squid and mix well. Cook gently for about 10 minutes. Add the wine and water.

Remove the lobster and shrimp, add the tomatoes and simmer for 10 minutes. Taste and correct the seasonings. Reserve the mixture.

Steam the mussels and clams until just open. Strain the liquid and add to the soup, along with the reserved crustaceans and the fish. Toast the bread and rub with the garlic. Place in the bottom of a large tureen. Pour the mixture over and serve very hot, with lots more crusty Italian bread.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef Ruth Lantz

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Honey Roasted Duck with Port Wine Orange Sauce

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

1 duck, about 6 pounds
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons honey
4 tablespoons duck stock

For the sauce:

2 tablespoons duck fat from roasting pan
1 ounce all-purpose flour
1/4 cup port wine
1 orange, zested and juiced
1 tablespoon red currant jelly
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup duck or poultry stock

Preparation:

Pre-heat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Wipe the duck inside and out and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Prick the duck skin with a fork liberally. Put the duck on a rack in a roasting pan and roast for 1 1/2 hours.

Mix the honey and the 4 tablespoons of duck stock together and brush the honey mixture over the duck. Return the duck to the oven and cook for a further 30 minutes, or until the duck is cooked through to 155 degrees. Remove the duck from then oven and allow to rest while you prepare the sauce.

For the sauce:

Take the 2 tablespoons of duck fat from the fat in a pan, blend in the flour, and cook for one minute in a small skillet. Add the rest of the sauce ingredients and bring to the boil, stirring continuously. Reduce heat and simmer gently until the sauce is of a smooth consistency. Strain if necessary.

Serve the sauce hot with the roasted carved duck.

Source: Chef2Chef Forum Member, Chef David Nelson