Quinoa Soup
Dice the following vegetables: 1 large onion, 5-6 carrots, 3 stalks celery, sauté in olive oil until starts to brown. Add 3 qt water or veg stock to vegetables. Cut ½ green cabbage into pot, 1 small
rutabaga, half of a butternut squash and 2 cloves garlic. Add 1 ½ T salt, pepper, and 1 c rinsed quinoa. Add 2 small diced potatoes and more water if necessary. Check seasoning and doneness of vegetables. Finish with chopped fresh cilantro.
Braised Duck with Red Wine & Cranberry Sauce Serves 6
6 Duck legs
1 carrot, diced
1 celery, diced
1 onion, diced
1 head garlic, cut in half
1 qt veal stock or demi glaze
1 t tomato paste
1 bottle red wine
1 c port
1/2 c cranberry
Salt, pepper
4 juniper berries, ground
1 clove, ground
10 black peppercorns, ground
1 branch rosemary
1 branch thyme
1 branch sage
-marinate duck legs with vegetables, spices, herbs and red wine overnight. The next day, separate the meat from the vegetables and also the vegetables from the wine.
Season duck legs with salt and pepper. Heat oil in large, shallow pan and sear over high heat to brown on all sides. Don’t put too many pieces in at once or they will steam instead of brown. Meanwhile, boil the marinade wine in a saucepan on the side, when blood coagulates, strain and set aside. Remove legs, put 2 T plain oil and sweat the vegetables until browned. Add tomato paste and sauté one minute, add back the duck,
deglaze with port, add demi glaze and the marinade wine. Bring to boil, cover, and cook slowly between 1 ½ – 2 hrs. When cooked, separate the duck legs from the jus and strain the liquid.
Return to saucepan and reduce, skimming off the fat. Taste for
seasoning, and then add duck and heat together.
Spaetzle
500 g flour
100 ml seltzer
pinch nutmeg
3 T chopped parsley
8 eggs
Whisk together all ingredients smooth. Work it in the bowl with a wooden spoon to make a very stiff batter. Simmer a pan of salted boiling water, one which fits the bottom of a colander or strainer. Push the batter with a spatula through the holes of the colander, into the boiling water to make strands. (You’ll probably have to do a few batches). Once the strands/spaetzle rise to the top of the simmering water they’re cooked. Remove from the water to a strainer and let dry thoroughly. To serve, heat a heavy-bottomed saute’ pan with butter and toss in the spaetzle and get nice and crispy. Taste for seasoning.
Chocolate Mousse
1 3/4 c heavy cream, whipped to soft peaks
2 eggs
4 yolks
10 oz/300 g dark chocolate
1/2 c sugar
3 T water
Place eggs, yolks and sugar in mixing bowl with a wire whip and beat fluffy. place sugar and water in very clean sauce pan and add a pinch of salt, cook over high heat to 248F and drizzle onto whipping eggs. Let beat cold. Meanwhile, melt chocolate in a large mixing bowl over simmering water. When egg mixture is cool and fluffy, stop mixer. Add cream to chocolate, working quickly to mix in evenly. Add sabayon/egg mixture and gently fold in to keep maximum of air. If desired, add a splash of liqueur.
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