~Brothy and Buttery Steamed Mussels with Fresh Herbs
~Pancetta Wrapped Duck Breast with Lingonberries served with Roasted Vegetable Hash and an Egg fried in Olive Oil
~Swiss Apple Pie with Cinnamon Mascarpone Whipped Cream
*When the apple pie has been put together and is ready to go into the oven it takes just less than an hour to bake and is great when served a bit warm. So, keep that in mind for your timing if you plan to serve the full menu. Kinda like when you're asked to order dessert in advance of dinner at a restaurant. The duck breast takes longer than the mussels so be aware of that too...
The Mussels:
This was the signature appetizer at a little French Restaurant I worked at when I was a kid. The make it or break moment of this recipe is when you toss in the raw pieces of butter at the end being careful not to let the butter separate from the broth. What makes this dish all so sexy is the clean flavor and mouth feel of the mussels and the creamy broth that you scoop up with one half of a mussel shell you broke off and soak the grilled bread in at the bottom of the bowl...
Slice of crusty bread, good olive oil and one freshly peeled garlic clove-
About 1/lb. of Mussels scrubbed-
1 T. finely chopped shallots-
1/2 cup dry white wine-
1/2 cup heavy cream-
2 T. sweet butter cut into a couple pieces cold-
2 T. chopped fresh herb combo-
(parsley,dill,chive and chervil)
2 T. chopped fresh herb combo-
(parsley,dill,chive and chervil)
The Steps:
Brush the bread with olive oil then lightly grill or broil on both sides - rub the hell out of the top side of the bread with the garlic clove - then cut the bread in half and put aside - put the mussels in a sauce pan large enough so you can toss them around and they have room to open - add the shallots and wine to the pan cover and cook over medium high heat until the mussels begin to open about 5 minutes or more - add the cream to the pan - recover and cook for a few minutes more until everything is boiling again - uncover the pan and throw in the butter - toss the mussels around until the butter has melted into the broth - add half of the fresh herbs to the pan and toss again to distribute - return to a simmer one more time for another minute or so - using a large slotted spoon scoop out and arrange the mussels into a warm shallow bowl - taste the broth left in the pan for salt and pepper - adjust if necessary then add the remaining herb combo to the broth - give the pan a swirl - then pour the creamy / herby broth over the mussels and stick the grilled bread into one side of the bowl...
Serve steaming hot!
The Duck Breast & Hash:
I wrap lots of things with pancetta and I think you will too after trying this duck breast. Not over-cooking the duck and then allowing it to rest long enough before serving is a must if you're gonna nail this recipe. What's sexy here? ... What ain't? Rich duck, Italian bacon, sweet/tangy lingonberries and ooey- gooey eggy roasted vegetables! Is it getting warm in here? Hell Yeah! So take something off and fill your wine glass...
Serves 2 - shared / About an hour start to finish
The Roasted Vegetables:
About a cup each of -
Chopped yellow onions plus 2 peeled crushed garlic cloves / olive oil / sweet butter
Shitake mushrooms caps only brushed clean, then thick sliced-
Butternut squash cubed-
Fennel bulb cored & cut into similar sized cubes as the rest of the vegetables-
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1egg + olive oil for frying-
Chopped flat parsley leaves if you like-
The Duck Breast:
1 half duck breast (remember sexy is never over-served)
Kosher salt-
Fresh ground black pepper-
6 very thin slices of pancetta-
1 lemon slice 1/2 inch thick-
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot-
1cup chicken broth-
2 tablespoon prepared lingonberries-
1 small piece cold butter-
Fresh thyme / rosemary for garnish
The Steps:
I use a medium size non-stick skillet w/ an oven proof handle for roasting vegetables. Preheat oven to 400 degrees - warm the skillet on top of the stove over medium high heat - pour in 1/tablespoon olive oil and give it a swirl - add 1/tablespoon sweet butter - throw in the onion and garlic cloves and saute moving around a little for a minute or two - add the mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes or so - add the squash and yep, let cook for little bit more - now the fennel and herbs go in - saute and toss around one more minute season with salt and pepper - turn burner off and put the skillet in the hot oven - think about the roast vegetables in the oven for about 20 minutes or so - I prefer them a bit over-cooked than under...
Prep the duck breast while the vegetables are roasting in the oven. Pat the duck beast dry w/ a paper towel - season with salt & pepper heat a skillet over medium high heat - lay the duck breast in skin side down - saute for 3 or 4 minutes moving around a little or until the skin is dark and begins to crisp and a lot of the fat has rendered out - flip the duck over and saute just for one more minute - take the skillet off the heat and put the duck, skin side up onto on a clean work surface and let cool for a couple of minutes - cut the duck into 6 pieces crosswise (the duck should be very rare) - lay the six slices of pancetta out onto a clean surface and wrap the six pieces of duck w/ the pancetta so the seam is on the bottom then press on the pieces so the pancetta adheres to the duck - pour the duck fat (maybe you'll want to save for another use) out of the skillet and put back over medium high heat - add the lemon slice to the hot pan and cook on both sides until it browns up a bit put the lemon aside to use for garnish at the end - add the wrapped duck pieces to the hot skillet seam side down until pancetta begins to crisp not more than a few minutes rolling the pieces around gently - its important not to overcook the duck - put the duck pieces on a clean oven proof pan - by now the vegetables should be cooked? - if so, shut the oven off leaving the vegetables in the oven to keep warm - meanwhile make the lingonberry sauce - wipe the duck skillet out w/ a paper towel - add the shallot to the skillet if its too clean and dry to cook the shallots in add a little piece of butter - cook the shallot over medium heat just until they start to sizzle - add the chicken broth - this is when the timing gets a little dramatic... - put the duck into the now warm oven w/the vegetables - cook the chicken broth until reduced by about half and it begins to thicken up a bit - add the lingonberry to the sauce and just warm - add the butter piece to the sauce and swirl the pan until the butter melts - drop the heat under the sauce to as low as it can go - take the duck and the veg. out of the oven and arrange them on a serving platter or two plates - put the platter/plates back into the warm oven - wipe out the non-stick skillet that the vegetables were in or start w/ a clean one - add the olive oil to the skillet and adjust to medium high heat again - fry the egg the way you like it (runny for me) - take the serving plate out of the warm oven - slide the fried egg onto the arranged vegetables and spoon the lingonberry sauce over the duck - garnish with the chopped parsley, lemon and herbs...
The Pie: Serves - ? / Prep Time about 2 hours total - Cook Time about 45 Min.
Although this Swiss Apple Pie kinda leans comfort (hard to avoid this time of year). The single crust tart style of the pie and the Mascarpone whipped cream help to push it into the sexy zone. And hey! What part of a bunch of leftover whipped cream at the end of a Sexy meal and lots of wine isn't fun? The pie is great for a hungover breakfast too!
The Steps:
I can't remember where I got the recipe for this pie crust that calls for a 1/4 cup of cold vodka, but its the best I've ever had. You can make the pie dough up to 2 days in advance and its enough for 2 pies.
The Pie Crust:
2+1/2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour-
1 Teaspoon table salt-
2 Tablespoon sugar-
12 Tablespoon (1+1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter,cut into 1/4 inch cubes-
1/2 Cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces-
1/4 Cup vodka, cold-
1/4 Cup cold water-
The Apples:
About 5 firm baking style apples like Granny Smiths or Honey crisps-
Juice of half a lemon-
1/4 stick unsalted butter chilled-
Cinnamon Sugar-
Granulated Sugar-
Cinnamon-
Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
For every cup of fresh whipped cream that has been sweetened to your taste I add 1 tablespoon of Mascarpone Cheese and a couple of drops of vanilla extract whipped in at the end.
1. Process 1+1/2 cups of the flour - salt and sugar in food processor until combined about two 1 second pulses - add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to form into uneven clumps about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour) scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade-
2. Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and mass of dough has been broken up - 4 to 6 quick pulses - empty mixture into medium bowl -
3. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture then w/ a rubber spatula use folding motion to mix - pressing down on the dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together - divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into a 4 inch disk - wrap each disc tightly with clear wrap and refrigerate 1 piece that you'll be using for the pie that needs to rest for at least 1 hour - put the other disc in the freeze for another use -
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees - take the pie dough out of the fridge - let it warm up for about 15 min.- meanwhile peel the apples and put them in a medium bowl of cold water w/ the lemon juice - roll the dough out to about an 1/8 of an inch thickness and fit into a 11 or 12 inch tart pan running up the rim of the pan - crimp the edge of the dough around the the tart pan with your fingers - put the tart pan into the freezer while you prepare the apples - core and cut the apples into about 1/2 inch thick slices - arrange the apples into a tight fan pattern by layering the apple slices in a circle - start on the outer rim of the tart pan and then fill in the inner circles - cut the butter into small pieces and dot it onto the apples - generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the apples - bake in the middle of the oven until apples are soft and the crust is nicely browned - about 45 min. - when the pie comes out of the oven set on a rack and sprinkle with a generous amount of granulated sugar - let the pie cool or serve a bit warm w/ the Mascarpone whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon...
The Duck Breast & Hash:
I wrap lots of things with pancetta and I think you will too after trying this duck breast. Not over-cooking the duck and then allowing it to rest long enough before serving is a must if you're gonna nail this recipe. What's sexy here? ... What ain't? Rich duck, Italian bacon, sweet/tangy lingonberries and ooey- gooey eggy roasted vegetables! Is it getting warm in here? Hell Yeah! So take something off and fill your wine glass...
Serves 2 - shared / About an hour start to finish
The Roasted Vegetables:
About a cup each of -
Chopped yellow onions plus 2 peeled crushed garlic cloves / olive oil / sweet butter
Shitake mushrooms caps only brushed clean, then thick sliced-
Butternut squash cubed-
Fennel bulb cored & cut into similar sized cubes as the rest of the vegetables-
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1/2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1egg + olive oil for frying-
Chopped flat parsley leaves if you like-
The Duck Breast:
1 half duck breast (remember sexy is never over-served)
Kosher salt-
Fresh ground black pepper-
6 very thin slices of pancetta-
1 lemon slice 1/2 inch thick-
1 teaspoon finely chopped shallot-
1cup chicken broth-
2 tablespoon prepared lingonberries-
1 small piece cold butter-
Fresh thyme / rosemary for garnish
The Steps:
I use a medium size non-stick skillet w/ an oven proof handle for roasting vegetables. Preheat oven to 400 degrees - warm the skillet on top of the stove over medium high heat - pour in 1/tablespoon olive oil and give it a swirl - add 1/tablespoon sweet butter - throw in the onion and garlic cloves and saute moving around a little for a minute or two - add the mushrooms and cook for another couple minutes or so - add the squash and yep, let cook for little bit more - now the fennel and herbs go in - saute and toss around one more minute season with salt and pepper - turn burner off and put the skillet in the hot oven - think about the roast vegetables in the oven for about 20 minutes or so - I prefer them a bit over-cooked than under...
Prep the duck breast while the vegetables are roasting in the oven. Pat the duck beast dry w/ a paper towel - season with salt & pepper heat a skillet over medium high heat - lay the duck breast in skin side down - saute for 3 or 4 minutes moving around a little or until the skin is dark and begins to crisp and a lot of the fat has rendered out - flip the duck over and saute just for one more minute - take the skillet off the heat and put the duck, skin side up onto on a clean work surface and let cool for a couple of minutes - cut the duck into 6 pieces crosswise (the duck should be very rare) - lay the six slices of pancetta out onto a clean surface and wrap the six pieces of duck w/ the pancetta so the seam is on the bottom then press on the pieces so the pancetta adheres to the duck - pour the duck fat (maybe you'll want to save for another use) out of the skillet and put back over medium high heat - add the lemon slice to the hot pan and cook on both sides until it browns up a bit put the lemon aside to use for garnish at the end - add the wrapped duck pieces to the hot skillet seam side down until pancetta begins to crisp not more than a few minutes rolling the pieces around gently - its important not to overcook the duck - put the duck pieces on a clean oven proof pan - by now the vegetables should be cooked? - if so, shut the oven off leaving the vegetables in the oven to keep warm - meanwhile make the lingonberry sauce - wipe the duck skillet out w/ a paper towel - add the shallot to the skillet if its too clean and dry to cook the shallots in add a little piece of butter - cook the shallot over medium heat just until they start to sizzle - add the chicken broth - this is when the timing gets a little dramatic... - put the duck into the now warm oven w/the vegetables - cook the chicken broth until reduced by about half and it begins to thicken up a bit - add the lingonberry to the sauce and just warm - add the butter piece to the sauce and swirl the pan until the butter melts - drop the heat under the sauce to as low as it can go - take the duck and the veg. out of the oven and arrange them on a serving platter or two plates - put the platter/plates back into the warm oven - wipe out the non-stick skillet that the vegetables were in or start w/ a clean one - add the olive oil to the skillet and adjust to medium high heat again - fry the egg the way you like it (runny for me) - take the serving plate out of the warm oven - slide the fried egg onto the arranged vegetables and spoon the lingonberry sauce over the duck - garnish with the chopped parsley, lemon and herbs...
The Pie: Serves - ? / Prep Time about 2 hours total - Cook Time about 45 Min.
Although this Swiss Apple Pie kinda leans comfort (hard to avoid this time of year). The single crust tart style of the pie and the Mascarpone whipped cream help to push it into the sexy zone. And hey! What part of a bunch of leftover whipped cream at the end of a Sexy meal and lots of wine isn't fun? The pie is great for a hungover breakfast too!
The Steps:
I can't remember where I got the recipe for this pie crust that calls for a 1/4 cup of cold vodka, but its the best I've ever had. You can make the pie dough up to 2 days in advance and its enough for 2 pies.
The Pie Crust:
2+1/2 Cups unbleached all purpose flour-
1 Teaspoon table salt-
2 Tablespoon sugar-
12 Tablespoon (1+1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter,cut into 1/4 inch cubes-
1/2 Cup chilled solid vegetable shortening, cut into 4 pieces-
1/4 Cup vodka, cold-
1/4 Cup cold water-
The Apples:
About 5 firm baking style apples like Granny Smiths or Honey crisps-
Juice of half a lemon-
1/4 stick unsalted butter chilled-
Cinnamon Sugar-
Granulated Sugar-
Cinnamon-
Mascarpone Whipped Cream:
For every cup of fresh whipped cream that has been sweetened to your taste I add 1 tablespoon of Mascarpone Cheese and a couple of drops of vanilla extract whipped in at the end.
1. Process 1+1/2 cups of the flour - salt and sugar in food processor until combined about two 1 second pulses - add butter and shortening and process until homogeneous dough just starts to form into uneven clumps about 15 seconds (dough will resemble cottage cheese curds and there should be no uncoated flour) scrape bowl with rubber spatula and redistribute dough evenly around processor blade-
2. Add remaining cup of flour and pulse until mixture is evenly distributed around the bowl and mass of dough has been broken up - 4 to 6 quick pulses - empty mixture into medium bowl -
3. Sprinkle vodka and water over mixture then w/ a rubber spatula use folding motion to mix - pressing down on the dough until dough is slightly tacky and sticks together - divide dough into 2 even balls and flatten each into a 4 inch disk - wrap each disc tightly with clear wrap and refrigerate 1 piece that you'll be using for the pie that needs to rest for at least 1 hour - put the other disc in the freeze for another use -
Assembly:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees - take the pie dough out of the fridge - let it warm up for about 15 min.- meanwhile peel the apples and put them in a medium bowl of cold water w/ the lemon juice - roll the dough out to about an 1/8 of an inch thickness and fit into a 11 or 12 inch tart pan running up the rim of the pan - crimp the edge of the dough around the the tart pan with your fingers - put the tart pan into the freezer while you prepare the apples - core and cut the apples into about 1/2 inch thick slices - arrange the apples into a tight fan pattern by layering the apple slices in a circle - start on the outer rim of the tart pan and then fill in the inner circles - cut the butter into small pieces and dot it onto the apples - generously sprinkle the cinnamon sugar all over the apples - bake in the middle of the oven until apples are soft and the crust is nicely browned - about 45 min. - when the pie comes out of the oven set on a rack and sprinkle with a generous amount of granulated sugar - let the pie cool or serve a bit warm w/ the Mascarpone whipped cream and a dusting of cinnamon...