Not everyone has an extra $50 bucks sitting around during holidays.  So if you can’t afford to pick up Thomas Keller’s latest release just yet (see previous post), here is a sneak peek recipe for you to test out.  It is called fennel mustard, and it looks dee-licious.  Try it as a condiment to pork loin or festive rib roasts.

F E N N E L   M U S T A R D

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
3 cups chopped fennel
1/2 cup white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon water
1 teaspoon dry mustard powder
2 teaspoons whole grain mustard
Salt, to taste

Instructions:
In a skillet, heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil. Add 3 cups chopped fennel, cover, and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally until softened (approximately 25 minutes). Add 1/2 cup white wine vinegar and cook, uncovered, until the fennel is tender (approximately 15 minutes). Transfer the contents of the skillet into a blender. Add 1 tablespoon water and 1 teaspoon dry mustard powder, and puree. Scrape the puree into a bowl and let cool. Stir in 2 teaspoons whole grain mustard and season with salt. Transfer into jars, cover, and refrigerate.

Makes 1 cup

*Recipe courtesy of Ad Hoc at Home ($50.00 in stores, but as low as $24.00 online)
*Image courtesy of burcu avsar

Spiced milk is a great alternative to rich drinks like hot chocolate and eggnog. It gives you everything you need on a brisk autumn day – all the warmth, frothiness, and aromatic gusto without tons of unwanted calories (plenty of time for those in the coming months!).

There are a few things you can do to make this drink even more figure friendly. I use non-fat milk when making it for myself… much of the frothiness gets lost, but it is a small price to pay. I’ve also used buttermilk, which is extremely healthful and lends an added dimension of flavor. Sugar substitutes like Splenda can be used in place of condensed milk (honey would be a nice option for kids and kids at heart).

For those who are feeling extra festive, try adding your favorite liquor.

S P I C E D   M I L K

Ingredients:
10 oz. 2 percent milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground cinnamon
Dash fresh ground nutmeg
1/2 tablespoon sweetened condensed milk
1/2 shot good bourbon (optional)

Instructions:
Add milk, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and sweetened condensed milk into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer, stirring regularly to keep milk from forming a solid layer on the bottom of the pot. Once the milk is steaming and frothy at the top, pour it into a WARMED mug.

Savor and enjoy!

This is a recipe for classic mojitos.  I like them because they are very easy and inexpensive to make.  Needing only one (very common) liquor adds to the simplicity.  Plus, mojitos are so fresh and always manage to hit the spot!

Note: Use fresh cane juice if you can; It makes such a difference.  If you don’t have access to your own fresh cane juice, there are some specialty shops that extract and sell it.  Just ask around, or give us a holler!

C L A S S I C   M O J I T O

Ingredients:
1 cup white rum
2 cups club soda
Juice of 4 limes
1/2 cup fresh mint
1/2 cup simple syrup (or 3/4 cup pure sugar cane juice)
Crushed ice

Instructions:
Muddle lime juice, fresh mint, and simple syrup or cane juice.  Add white rum and stir.

Add crushed ice to 4 glasses (typically highballs), and portion drink evenly into each.  Top off with club soda.  Serve with extra lime wedges to taste.

This is my own recipe, perfect for hot summer days.  It is super easy and affordable, especially since I find that a cheap sparkling wine (like Ballatore Gran Spumante) can work amazingly well.

P E L L E G R I N O   S U N R I S E

Ingredients:
Half parts San Pellegrino Aranciata, chilled
Half parts sparkling wine, chilled
Citrus slices (optional)

Instructions:
Combine San Pellegrino Aranciata and sparkling wine.  Stir.

Serve immediately, with citrus slices if desired.

I came across this recipe for Savory Duck Fat Donuts in the current issue of Gourmet (well, technically the last issue because today is September 1).  Anyway, I knew I had to post it!  How perfect would these fried pillows be to kick off your first autumn get-together?  Gives me fuzzy thoughts already.

The recipe is also posted online.  Click here to get it, PLUS some very helpful tips.

S A V O R Y   D U C K   F A T   D O U G H N U T S

Ingredients:
1 teaspoon active dry yeast
Scant 1/2 cup warm whole milk (105-115°F)
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, divided, plus additional for dusting
1 large egg
About 4 cups rendered duck fat, divided
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 confit duck leg
2 tablespoons sour cherry or red currant preserves plus additional for serving

Instructions:
Stir together yeast and warm milk in mixer bowl and let stand until foamy, about 5 minutes. (If mixture doesn’t foam, start over with new yeast.) Mix in 3/4 cup flour at low speed until combined. Cover bowl with a kitchen towel and let dough rise in a draft-free place at warm room temperature until doubled and bubbles appear on surface, about 1 hour.

At low speed, mix in egg, 2 Tbsp duck fat, sugar, salt, and remaining 3/4 cup flour until combined, then beat at medium speed until smooth and elastic, 5 to 7 minutes. Scrape dough into center of bowl and dust lightly with additional flour. Cover bowl with kitchen towel and let dough rise at warm room temperature until doubled, about 1 hour.

Discard skin and bones from duck confit, then shred meat. Stir together meat and preserves.

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper and lightly dust with flour. Punch down dough (it will be soft) and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Cut into 16 equal pieces. With lightly floured hands, flatten 1 piece of dough and put a heaping tsp duck confit mixture in center. Gather dough up and around filling and pinch to enclose. Roll into a ball and transfer to baking sheet. Make 15 more balls, arranging 1 inch apart on sheet.

Heat 2 inches duck fat in a 2-qt heavy saucepan over medium heat to 350°F. Fry doughnuts in batches of 4, turning frequently, until puffed and golden, about 2 minutes per batch. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Return oil to 350°F between batches. Serve doughnuts hot, with additional preserves.

Serves 8

*Recipe by Ian Knauer
*Photograph by Stephanie Foley

This recipe was created by Josiah Citrin, Executive Chef of Mélisse Restaurant and one of L.A.’s shining stars.  It is a very pretty mid-summer soup.  Enjoy!

Mandarin Tomato Soup with Brunoise of Summer Squash and Tomato Sorbet

Ingredients:
Soup
4 lbs. Mandarin Cross Tomatoes or any sweet orange tomato, chopped
1 ea. Sweet onion, peeled and sliced
2 ea. Garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c. Basil
1 pt. Chicken or vegetable stock (if needed)
To taste, sea salt and fresh white pepper
2 tbs. Olive Oil
2 tbs. Unsalted butter, optional
Tomato Sorbet
12 oz. Early girl tomatoes, seeds removed
3 oz. Water
2 oz. Sugar
1 oz. Banyuls or Sherry Vinegar
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. white pepper
Garnish
1/2 cup Gold Zucchini gold part only cut into very small dice
1/2 cup Green zucchini green part only cut into very small dice
4 pc. Sun dried tomatoes, rehydrated and cut into small dice
2 tbs Extra Virgin Olive OIl
Fleur de Sel
Cracked Black Pepper

Instructions:
Soup
Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Add oil, onions and garlic and sweat until the onions are soft and translucent. Add tomatoes, season lightly with salt and pepper and cook until tomatoes are completely covered in their own juice. Add the stock and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook for 45 minutes. Remove basil, transfer to a blender and blend until smooth. Season to taste, strain through a fine strainer. Keep warm if serving right away or, if not, chill.
Sorbet
Place seeded tomatoes in a blender. Bring water, sugar vinegar, pepper and salt to a boil. Pour sugar water into blender and blend until smooth, strain through a fine strainer. Transfer to a sorbet-ice cream machine and turn.
Garnish
In a small saute pan combine zucchini with 2 tbs. water and 2 tbs. extra virgin olive oil. Bring to a boil over high heat. Season with salt and pepper and stir. Saute zucchini for 2 minutes or until zucchini is just cooked through. Add sun-dried tomatoes and mix well. Let cool to room temperature.

To serve: Boil soup, add butter and blend in the blender. Transfer to a soup tureen. Place zucchini garnish in a small mound in the center of heated soup bowls. Place a Quenelle of Tomato sorbet on top of the zucchini garnish. Ladle the soup around the sorbet at the table.

Serves 6

This ice cream is inspired by a friend of mine who loves all things Pooh, and also by my granduncle who is visiting me for the summer.  The cashews I use come directly from his farm (what can I say, interest in food runs deep in the family).

I must warn you that this recipe is trickier than it looks.  Don’t be surprised if you throw your hands up and yell “Oh, bother!” once or twice.  Try again, though.  The reward of perfection is especially sweet.

H O N E Y   B R I C K L E   I C E   C R E A M

Ingredients:
6 egg yolks
2 teaspoons vanilla (I use Nielsen-Massey Bourbon Vanilla)
1/3 cup sugar
3 pinches salt
2-1/2 cups heavy cream
1-1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup butterscotch (home-made is best)
1/4 cup clover honey
1/2 cup chopped toasted cashews

Instructions:
Beat egg yolks, vanilla, sugar, and 1 pinch of salt. In a separate saucepan, cook milk and cream over medium heat until scalding. Pour milk/cream into eggs, beating all the while to keep yolks from cooking. Strain mixture.  Transfer into a clean saucepan.

Cook mixture over medium heat, stirring constantly until a loose custard is formed. Strain cooked custard.  Let cool.

As custard is cooling, prepare honey swirl by combining butterscotch, clover honey, and 2 pinches of salt. Set aside.

Pour chilled custard into an automatic ice cream maker. If you are using the Cuisinart ICE-50BC Supreme Ice Cream Maker, set it to 40 minutes.

At 30 minutes, add cashews into the mix. Remove frozen custard from ice cream maker once the cycle is complete (which should be soon after). Pour honey mixture on top of the frozen custard.  To create swirls, loosely incorporate using a spatula or spoon. Transfer the ice cream into an airtight container.  Freeze for at least 4 hours (preferably overnight).