Mustard & Wine Marinated Game Chops

4 game chops (elk, caribou, venison)
¼ tsp pepper
1 tsp salt
3 Tbls stone ground mustard
1 C red wine

Rub chops with mustard. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover with wine and marinate overnight in refrigerator. Broil or grill to medium rare basting with the marinade.

Herbed Yukon Gold Potato Latkes

3½ lbs Yukon Gold potatoes
5 eggs
½ C matzo meal
¾ C chopped fresh chives
½ C chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp chopped fresh thyme
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 Tbls salt
1 tsp pepper
vegetable oil for frying
10-12 oz smoked salmon
sour cream
garnish with: thinly sliced red onion, capers, chives...

When I made these, I had fresh chives and thyme, but I used dried parsley and rosemary. Of course, fresh is best, but let's be realistic folks -- who has all these fresh herbs on hand year round? Do the best you can. :)

Yukon Gold potato skins are so thin that there's no need to peel them; simply remove any brown spots or eyes. Grate potatoes and soak in a bowl of cold water for 15 minutes.

Drain potatoes in a colander; squeeze out excess water: wring out potatoes, by handfuls, in a kitchen towel and return to bowl. Use a fresh towel when needed.

In another bowl, stir together eggs, matzo meal, herbs, salt and pepper. Pour over potatoes and mix well. (If liquid ever begins to pool in the bottom of the bowl, drain it off, or...more matzo meal can be added, 2 Tbls at a time.)

Pour ¾" oil into a 10-12" frying pan over medium-high heat until it reaches 350° on a candy thermometer. Scoop ¼ C of potato mixture from bowl, using a wide knife or spatula to flatten and shape into a patty about ½" thick, and gently slide pancake into hot oil. Don't crowd latkes in the pan. Cook until edges are crispy and well browned and undersides are dark golden brown (about 3 minutes each side).

Transfer latkes to paper towels to drain, keep warm in a 200° oven while cooking remaining latke pancakes. Serve hot with smoked salmon, sour cream, red onion, chives, and/or capers.

This recipe didn't list it, but I've often seen latkes paired and served with applesauce.

Asparagus Mushroom Quiche

1½ C whole-wheat flour
10 Tbls cold butter
3 eggs
1 C mushrooms
1 C slender asparagus
1½ C half-and-half
3/4 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
1 C shredded gruyere cheese
½ C green onion

Cut butter into chunks
cut asparagus into 2" pieces
slice large mushrooms
finely chop green onions

Whirl in food processor (or cut together) flour and butter until mixture resembles cornmeal. Add 1 egg and mix until dough holds together. Press evenly over bottom and up 1¼" of side of 9" spring form pan. Chill.

Preheat oven to 375°.

Blanch asparagus in a saucepan of boiling water until barely tender-crisp, about 1 minute; drain. Transfer to a bowl of cold water to cool. Drain and pat dry.

In a large bowl, whisk remaining 2 eggs to blend; whisk in half-and-half, salt and pepper. Sprinkle gruyere and onion in prepared crust, then arrange asparagus and morels on top. Pour egg mixture over vegetables.

Bake on lower rack until filling no longer jiggles when gently shaken (40-45 minutes). Let cool in pan at least 30 minutes. Loosen quiche from pan rim with a knife, remove rim, and slice. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Roasted Salmon with Dill-Yogurt Sauce

½ English cucumber
½ C sour cream
½ C plain yogurt
2 tsp chopped fresh dill
(extra for garnish)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbls lemon juice
1½ lbs 1 inch thick salmon fillets
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 350°.
Grate cucumber, squeeze out excess water.

Ina small bowl, stir together the cucumber, sour cream, yogurt, dill, 1 minced garlic clove, 1 Tbls lemon juice, and salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

Rinse salmon and pat dry; put skin side down in a baking dish lined with aluminum foil and lightly coated with non-stick cooking spray. Sprinkle with remaining minced garlic clove, lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste. Bake until barely opaque in the center (10-15 minutes).

Serve salmon warm or cold with yogurt sauce. Garnish with extra dill sprigs if desired.

Quick & Easy Lemon Berry Tartlets

Here's the recipe, as is. The only thing not instant or out of a can is the lemon zest. Even the instant version is light and lemony for a quick and easy dessert. And it's not bad. But not anything impressive either. The whipped topping, graham crusts and preserves could, of course, be replaced with fresh whipped cream, crusts made from scratch, and fresh berries instead of preserves... If I make it again I'll dress it up; maybe a layer of real lemon curd under a thinner spread of the whipped tart filling. The fresh berries were a definite improvement over preserves.

1 can (14 oz) sweetened condensed milk
¼ C lemon juice
2 tsp grated lemon peel
1 C frozen whipped topping
6 mini graham pie crusts
½ C berry preserves

Whisk sweetened condensed milk, lemon juice, and lemon peel until blended and mixture begins to thicken. Fold in whipped topping. Divide evenly between the 6 mini pie crusts. Use a spoon to make a 1" deep depression in the center of each tart. Refrigerate until firm (about 2 hrs). Refresh depression if needed; fill each tartlet with preserves (or fresh berries).

Cuban Roast Pork with Lime Sauce

6 lbs pork
12 cloves garlic, crushed
1 lg onion
½ C orange juice
juice of 2 limes
½ tsp salt
1 Tbls oregano
1 Tbls cumin
black pepper to taste

Tips: pork - pork shoulder country style ribs, or pork shoulder blade roast work well, 6 lbs boneless; garlic - I like garlic. The gal I got this recipe from loves garlic. Adjust the number of cloves to suit your own taste. :)

Cut onion into large pieces. Combine all ingredients; marinate pork for at least 4 hours, preferably overnight.

Remove pork from marinade. Place in a foil lined baking dish, fat facing up. Insert chunks of onion around the pork, and cover. Bake at 275° for 1½ - 2 hours until pork is slightly pink and still firm (not yet browned).

Open foil, increase oven heat to 375°; roast until brown (about 45 minutes). Pork should flake easily when done.

Remove pork from foil, reserving juice in a separate container for lime sauce. Wrap pork in new foil and place in slow cooker 2-3 hours.


Lime Sauce
juice of 3 limes
juice of 2 oranges
½ C juice from pork roast, strained
¼ tsp salt
pepper to taste
fresh ginger to taste
1 Tbls garlic paste (crushed garlic)
3 tsp sugar
1 Tbls corn starch

Dissolve cornstarch in 2 Tbls cold water; combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Serve over pork.

Lemon-Ricotta Cookies

2½ C flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
½ C butter, softened
2 C sugar
2 eggs
15 oz ricotta cheese
3 Tbls lemon juice
grated zest from 1 lemon

glaze
1½ C powdered sugar
3 Tbls lemon juice
optional: lemon zest

Preheat oven to 375°.

Using an electric mixer, combine butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time until well blended; add ricotta, lemon juice and zest, beating until combined. Stir in dry ingredients.

Pipe using a pastry bag, or drop by heaping tablespoonfuls onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Bake 15 minutes, until lightly golden at the edges. Remove from oven and let cookies cool on baking sheets 20 minutes.

Mix powdered sugar and lemon juice (and zest) until smooth. Spoon onto each cookie, using the back of the spoon to gently spread glaze.

Caribou Steaks with Whisky Sauce

I love the combination of citrus, shallots and mustard. But the sauce isn't appealing - the look or texture. I'd like to try it again...without the corn starch to thicken it; I'd use it as a marinade and baste with it during cooking (I'd bake or broil rather than sautéing in a fry pan).

4 caribou steaks
2 Tbsp butter; divided
1/4 C finely chopped shallots
5 crushed cranberries
1/4 C Scotch whiskey
3/4 C orange juice
2 Tbls lemon juice
2 Tbls red currant jelly
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbls water

Combine 1 Tbls butter, shallots and berries in a sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until shallots soften. Add Scotch whiskey and heat until just boiling. Stir in orange juice, lemon juice, jelly and mustard. Heat until boiling. Combine cornstarch with water. Stir into sauce; cook until thickened and set aside.

In a frying pan melt the remaining butter and saute the steaks. Do not overcook. Serve immediately with sauce.

Tangerine Crème Brûlée

3 eggs
5 egg yolks
½ C tangerine juice
½ C sugar
2½ C heavy whipping cream
½ C finely shredded tangerine zest
½ tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Mix eggs, yolks, tangerine juice, and ¼ cup sugar in a medium bowl until blended. In a medium saucepan,heat cream and zest over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until just about to boil. Remove from heat and let steep for 30 minutes. Reheat cream until almost boiling again; add hot cream to the egg mixture and little at a time, stirring constantly.

Add salt and vanilla to hot custard mixture; stir to combine. Pour custard through fine meshed strainer. Preheat oven to 350°.

Place 8 6-oz ramekins in a roasting pan and divide custard evenly (about ½ cup each). Add enough boiling water into roasting pan to come 3/4 up the sides of the ramekins. Cover pan with foil.

Bake until just set (about 20 minutes - check earlier as ovens differ). Remove custards from water bath and let cool about 20 minutes. Chill custards 4 hours.

Sprinkle 2 tsp sugar evenly over each custard. Use a kitchen blowtorch to melt and set sugar topping. Serve immediately.

If you have a gas broiler, the custard tops can be broiled, as close to the heating element as possible without touching. Not as good as with a blowtorch, but a suitable alternative.

Beet Gratin

6 medium-sized beets (red, yellow, white...)
3 Tbls butter
2 Tbls minced shallot
2 Tbls flour
2 C milk
4 oz crumbled sweet blue cheese
(Roquefort, Point Reyes, etc.)
salt
pepper

trim beets and place in a deep pot, cover with cold water aand 1 Tbls salt. Bring to boil, lower heat and simmer until they are soft and easily fall when stabbed with a thin life. Strain beets; cool to room temperature. While they cool...

Heat a medium saucepan and add butter; when sizzling, add shallot and saute until soft, but not brown. Add flour and whisk over medium-heat. slowly add milk and whisk until thickened. Remove from heat and add blue cheese. Whisk until incorporated and season with salt and pepper; cover and set aside.

When beets are cool, rub skins off and cut beets into bite-sized pieces. Preheat oven broiler placing rack 3-4 inches below the flame. Lay beets in a single layer in a baking dish (or individual ramekins). Spoon the béchamel (the white sauce with shallots) over beets, taking care not to drown them. Place gratin dish under flame until bubbling and well browned. Remove and serve immediately.

Garnish with any of the following: julienned beet greens, arugula, tossed greens tossed lightly in a simple vinaigrette, crisped prosciutto, crisp fried shallots...

Sesame-Ginger Marinade

1 Tbls sesame seeds, toasted
2 tsp grated ginger root
2 Tbls honey
2 Tbls soy sauce
4 skinned, boned chicken breast halves, or pork chops, beef steaks, etc.

Combine first 4 incredients in a small bowl. Marinate meat 1-4 hours before baking or broiling. Or: Grill meat basting frequently with sesame-ginger sauce.

COOL BEANS: White-Bean and Tomato Bruschetta

4 oz sliced pancetta
3 Tbls olive oil
1 C chopped onion
1 tsp dried rosemary
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 C dry white wine
1 (15 oz) can white beans
2 C lightly packed spinach leaves
1 (15 oz) can diced tomatoes
salt
pepper
1 loaf Italian bread

Chop spinach leaves. Rinse and drain white beans; drain diced tomatoes.

Fry pancetta in 1 Tbls oil in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp; drain on paper towel and break into small pieces. Set aside. (Pancetta is a seasoned, Italian bacon. Not at all hard to find even here in the States, but you could substitute ham or other bacon. Not exactly the same...but a reasonable substitute.)

Add remaining oil, onion and rosemary to skillet; cook over medium heat about 8 minutes. Add garlic and cook another 2 minutes. Add wine and bring to a boil; boil 1 minute. Stir in beans, reduce heat to low, cover, simmer gently for 10 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in spinach, tomato, salt and pepper (to taste). Cover and let stand while toasting bread.

Slice bread on the diagonal and toast: Arrange bread slices ona baking sheet adn place under broiler. Toast on one side until golden (about 2 minutes); turn bread and toast second side.

Stir bean mixture and spread on toasts; sprinkle with reserved pancetta.