Golden Roast Chicken with Apples, Leeks & Kale December 10, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Golden Roast Chicken with Apples, Leeks & Kale 2015-12-10 14:40:34 Serves 4 Print Ingredients 2 t. dried ground sage 2 t. dried marjoram (or basil) 1 1/4 t. salt 1 t. dried thyme 1/2 t. freshly ground black pepper 1 whole broiler/fryer chicken, about 3 1/2 pounds 1 large leek, ends trimmed, split lengthwise, well rinsed 4 to 5 cups roughly chopped lacinato or other tender kale, about 6 ounces total 2 medium-large Honeycrisp apples, cored, cut into 3/4-inch pieces 2 T. extra-virgin olive oil Instructions Heat oven to 450 degrees. Mix the sage, marjoram, salt, thyme and pepper in a small dish. Place chicken on cutting board, breast side down. Use sharp kitchen shears to cut out the backbone. Flip chicken over; split the chicken in half through the breastbone. Rinse the chicken, and pat dry. Rub it all over with half of the seasoning blend. Cut the rinsed leek crosswise into 1/2-inch slices. Mix the leek, kale and apples in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with the remaining seasoning blend; toss to mix well. Add the oil; toss again to coat with oil. Set a wire rack over the vegetable mixture in the pan. Arrange the chicken halves on the rack. Roast, stirring the vegetables once, (be careful moving the chicken while you do this), until chicken juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a fork and vegetables are fork-tender, 35 to 40 minutes. Carefully move the chicken halves to a cutting board, tent with foil and let rest 5 minutes. Meanwhile, spoon the vegetables and all the pan juices into a serving bowl. Cut the chicken halves into 2 pieces. Serve with the roasted vegetables. By JeanMarie Brownson, Chicago Tribune Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Marking Time by Kelly Sears October 8, 2015 by Jill Foucre 1 Comment For some, cranberries are what come jellied in a can. For others, they are tart little orbs that, when combined with enough sugar, make a cranberry sauce that can be slathered on bread for a leftover holiday turkey sandwich. For me, cranberries mark time; the beginning of one season, the end of another. The first weekend in October has my husband & me, yellow lab and little beagle loaded in the truck, packed up for the change of seasons. The trek begins north, well above the mitten, to the land of shuttered mines, pasties, and Yooper’s. If you’re lucky enough, along the drive, Mother Nature will unveil her latest fall line. Trees filled with leaves bursting with the colors of a late September garden; golden pumpkin, deep green acorn, scarlet Swiss chard, auburn Hubbard squash, and yellow field corn. The house, a transfer of ownership from late father to son, off a bumpy old road named after alphabets and county numbers, is tucked in a place with no Starbucks, three television channels and a very weak cell signal. But on these 40 acres of Pure Michigan, where the deer play, the chickens are really range free, the Northern lights dance, and the sky is so clear it seems like every star is visible, nature’s playground trumps electronic entertainment. This stop on the journey brings a chimney sweep, a delivery of wood and a harvest of apples. The old house is warmed by wood. Three face cords get dumped, split and stacked. For those that don’t speak lumber, that’s north woods slang for a really good arm/chest/back workout and two Motrin before bed. The two apple trees in the front yard produce enough for the chipmunks, squirrel, deer, and a couple of buckets for me. Some apple butter, applesauce, and a pie or two are on the agenda later but for now, this house is ready for winter, which up here, ends on a Monday and begins the following Tuesday. The second leg has the truck traveling west to Wisconsin for part two of the winterizing weekend. No highways, just more roads that keep your speed at 60 until slowing you down to 25, through the small towns all with different names but the same three bars, two gas stations, and local super club. Running parallel with Lake Superior, the air stays chilled and the sky clean and clear. A pit stop in Ashland at our favorite coffee shop The Black Cat, and favorite bakery, the Ashland Baking Company, has us refueled for the final 90 miles. This is cranberry fest Saturday. The first Saturday in October every year when the small town of Stone Lake swells from 500 to 10,000, all in celebration of the cranberry. Most rural towns lay patronage to some fruit, vegetable, or commodity that helps the town survive. In college, my roommate from rural Michigan was the potato queen from her spud producing community; Hayward Wisconsin respects the elusive prehistoric fish, the Musky, with a bar, a museum and a festival. And our little town is no different; the cranberry reigns supreme. For 12 hours, Main Street, lined with hay bales and checkered flags is transformed into the race track for homemade derby box cars, crafty vendors hawk their hobbies, an old hippie sells the best cheese curds ever, and the whole town stands in the street to drink cranberry wine, red solo cups of Wisconsin’s finest brew, and eat meat on a stick. But what this weekend is really is the end of the season. Summer is officially over. Piers come out, boats get trailered, life jackets get strung up to finally dry out, inner tubes deflate, flannel replaces the cotton sheets and the mouse traps get set. The leaves are beginning to fall revealing the neighbor’s house that, throughout the summer months, is almost hidden from view. So for now, I’m done making jam, pickling vegetables and preserving summer. The cranberry tart is in the oven. Fall has arrived and winter is nipping at its heels. Cranberry Deep Dish Tart 2015-10-08 08:43:23 Print Ingredients 3 cups fresh cranberries ¾ cup pecans, coarsely chopped ½ cup packed light brown sugar zest of one orange 1 t. cinnamon ½ t. each; nutmeg, allspice, and cloves 2 large eggs 1 stick unsalted butter, melted 1 cup sugar ¼ cup sour cream 1 t. vanilla 1 cup flour Instructions Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a deep 10’ pie plate. Toss cranberries, pecans, brown sugar, orange zest, and spices in prepared pie plate until well mixed and spread evenly throughout the pie plate. In a medium sized bowl, whisk eggs, butter, sugar, sour cream and vanilla until thoroughly blended; gradually stir in flour until smooth and pour evenly over cranberry mixture. Bake 55-60 minutes until browned on top and fruit bubbles. Serve warm with cinnamon or vanilla ice cream or at room temperature. By Kelly Sears Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/
Farro Bowl with Sausage & Roasted Fall Vegetables October 8, 2015 by Jill Foucre Leave a Comment Farro Bowl with Sausage & Roasted Fall Vegetables 2015-10-08 10:34:33 Serves 6 Print Ingredients 2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, cut into ¾” pieces 2 T. olive oil 12 oz. Italian sausage, mild or spicy, casings removed 1 medium onion, halved, thinly sliced 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 cups farro (about 12 oz.) 4 cups chicken stock 11 oz. broccoli rabe (rapini), ends trimmed, roughly chopped (6 cups) 2-4 cups baby arugula pinch of red pepper flakes 1-2 cups shredded cheese (smoked gouda, provolone, sharp cheddar) Instructions Heat oven to 400 degrees. Mix sweet potatoes and oil and spread on large baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Roast, stirring often, until tender and golden, 20 minutes. Crumble sausage into large skillet. Add onion; cook over med. heat, breaking up sausage, until sausage is browned and cooked through, 10 minutes. Stir in garlic, cook 1 minute. Place farro and stock into saucepan. Heat to a simmer, reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until farro is tender. Add broccoli rabe and simmer additional 2 minutes. Strain farro into a colander set over a bowl to catch extra stock. (Recipe can be made up to this point in advance, up to 3 days. Refrigerate all parts separately) Add drained farro to skillet with sausage. Stir in about ½ cup of reserved stock and heat through. Remove from heat; stir in sweet potatoes, arugula and a few crushed red pepper flakes. Season as needed with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. By Teri Hiben Marcel's Culinary Experience https://www.marcelsculinaryexperience.com/