Stirring the Senses

Our Father's Favorite Christmas Pears!

One of the things about a good recipe, is that they change a bit over time and become personal in the hands of the chef! Such is the case with this particular dessert, my own fathers personal favorite! We first became acquainted with it many years ago in Atlantic City at Bruno's Knife and Fork, a basic chop house known for decent  steaks and not much else! Well, it quickly became my mother's  raison d etre' to replicate it and for months she tried without success. Chocolate pear dessert (as it was known then) is made of just three ingredients, semi sweet chocolate chips, whipping cream and pears. Not too tough, but mom just couldn't make it work! No matter what she tried, the chocolate just wouldn't harden! Finally in desperation, she called the restaurant and begged for the secret! I still remember when she got off of the phone shaking her head muttering, "canned pears, can you believe they use canned pears?" 

Well, it turns out that canned pears are absolutely the trick, but not without one other magical ingredient! About half of a cup of the warmed pear syrup from the can is what it takes to make the chocolate harden perfectly , creating a velvety chocolate shell that is a delightful foil to the whipped cream and pears  nestled underneath! Dance forward a few years, and I'm a young married woman having my best friend Bethane and her husband over for dinner. Of course I made these pears for dessert, Bethane is a confirmed chocolate addict (her husband wooed her in high school by putting Hershey bars in her glove box as love gifts!) and I knew that they would be perfect! She loved them of course, and later called my mother for the recipe. Bethane began to make these for her father who begged for them every Christmas, and they became known as Al's Christmas Pears! I must give credit where it is due and tell you that she has made a good recipe even better! I have been begging her for a few years now to tell me what she added and finally I know! Her additions are simple, but they make all of the difference between a good dessert and a really great dessert. And if you're like me, I know that you'll prefer a great dessert!

The picture taken by Dr. Carl Evans is of Bethane (with a chocolate ice cream cone of course!), Laurel, her daughter and her father Al, gone several years now, but still one of the two amazing dad's in my life. I loved that man, and every year since his death we have his Christmas pears on Yule night. There's always more gone then we remember serving , so I know he's still getting his share!

You will need:

2 14 and a half oz cans of pear halves with lite syrup (not juice!)

1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream

1 twelve oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

Bethane's addtions are:

Cinnamon, Nutmeg and a shot of really good scotch!

Drain and chill the pears (reserving the syrup!) and layer them in a pretty bowl (then chill some more!)

Whip the cream until stiff and spread over the chilled pears, then put them into the freezer for a while so that they are really cold , but not frozen solid!

Melt the chocolate alone in a double boiler, and add a dash of cinnamon. Add a little warmed pear juice about 1/2 a cup (must be warm!) to which you've added more cinnamon, good fresh nutmeg and the scotch stirring until pourable.

Pour the chocolate over the pears and refrigerate or freeze until set!

Easy and Perfect!

Our Father's Favorite Christmas Pears!

One of the things about a good recipe, is that they change a bit over time and become personal in the hands of the chef! Such is the case with this particular dessert, my own fathers personal favorite! We first became acquainted with it many years ago in Atlantic City at Bruno's Knife and Fork, a basic chop house known for decent  steaks and not much else! Well, it quickly became my mother's  raison d etre' to replicate it and for months she tried without success. Chocolate pear dessert (as it was known then) is made of just three ingredients, semi sweet chocolate chips, whipping cream and pears. Not too tough, but mom just couldn't make it work! No matter what she tried, the chocolate just wouldn't harden! Finally in desperation, she called the restaurant and begged for the secret! I still remember when she got off of the phone shaking her head muttering, "canned pears, can you believe they use canned pears?" 

Well, it turns out that canned pears are absolutely the trick, but not without one other magical ingredient! About half of a cup of the warmed pear syrup from the can is what it takes to make the chocolate harden perfectly , creating a velvety chocolate shell that is a delightful foil to the whipped cream and pears  nestled underneath! Dance forward a few years, and I'm a young married woman having my best friend Bethane and her husband over for dinner. Of course I made these pears for dessert, Bethane is a confirmed chocolate addict (her husband wooed her in high school by putting Hershey bars in her glove box as love gifts!) and I knew that they would be perfect! She loved them of course, and later called my mother for the recipe. Bethane began to make these for her father who begged for them every Christmas, and they became known as Al's Christmas Pears! I must give credit where it is due and tell you that she has made a good recipe even better! I have been begging her for a few years now to tell me what she added and finally I know! Her additions are simple, but they make all of the difference between a good dessert and a really great dessert. And if you're like me, I know that you'll prefer a great dessert!

The picture taken by Dr. Carl Evans is of Bethane (with a chocolate ice cream cone of course!), Laurel, her daughter and her father Al, gone several years now, but still one of the two amazing dad's in my life. I loved that man, and every year since his death we have his Christmas pears on Yule night. There's always more gone then we remember serving , so I know he's still getting his share!

You will need:

2 14 and a half oz cans of pear halves with lite syrup (not juice!)

1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream

1 twelve oz bag of semi sweet chocolate chips

Bethane's addtions are:

Cinnamon, Nutmeg and a shot of really good scotch!

Drain and chill the pears (reserving the syrup!) and layer them in a pretty bowl (then chill some more!)

Whip the cream until stiff and spread over the chilled pears, then put them into the freezer for a while so that they are really cold , but not frozen solid!

Melt the chocolate alone in a double boiler, and add a dash of cinnamon. Add a little warmed pear juice about 1/2 a cup (must be warm!) to which you've added more cinnamon, good fresh nutmeg and the scotch stirring until pourable.

Pour the chocolate over the pears and refrigerate or freeze until set!

Easy and Perfect!

Smoked Blue Cheese soup with Port

I love soup! In fact, I've never met anyone who doesn't enjoy a steaming bowl of great soup, along with some good bread and a salad on a cold winters night! Last nights inspiration came from a wedge of Rogue Creamery's "Smoky Blue" that was leftover from New Years, and a bottle of Tawny port that I hadn't put away yet! Add a bit a bacon, some potatoes and a generous ladleful of cream and you have a very elegant soup. I've added a description from IGourmet for the Rogue Creamery blue. It's guaranteed to make you want to run out and buy the biggest chunk of it that you can afford! Trust me, it's worth it!  So far I've melted it on hamburgers, crumbled it onto salads, made this soup and served it with pears and great bread. If you are a native Clevelander like me, you can buy this wonderful cheese at Pat O'Briens, THE fine wine and beverage store located in Landerwood Plaza in Pepper Pike.

" Rogue Creamery's "Oregon Blue" is the first blue cheese recipe made on the west coast and they thought it only fitting that this classic recipe become the first blue cheese ever smoked. The result is magic! "Oregon Blue" is a classic Roquefort style blue cheese that is cold smoked 16 hours with Oregon Hazelnut shells. The smoking process releases a sweet creamy Smokey flavor that balances both the sharp blue flavor and sweet creamy flavor of the 100% natural full cream sustainable milk from Bonanza View Dairy."

The recipe is very simple. Just saute a cup of chopped onion,and about a cup and a half of diced bacon with  a half a stick   of butter in a soupot until gently browned. Add 3 cups of diced redskin potatoes and 6 cups of good chicken broth and let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add about 2 and a half cups of crumbled blue cheese, for this I used a combination of the smoked blue and some stilton.  Stir that in (it melts easily)and add a pint of heavy cream. Let the whole thing just simmer nicely for about 10 minutes, and then add about 2 shot glasses of port!  Because this was such a creamy soup I  added some chopped green onion for a pretty garnish.

I served this last night as a main course with a simple salad of fresh pear and red onion dressed with a French apple cider vinegar and a bit of garlic oil and of course, lots of good bread!  I have some of this soup leftover, and tonight I will probably serve it as a first course with a pear and pecan puree  and a tiny bit of shredded pork. Look for pictures later!   

Smoked Blue Cheese soup with Port

I love soup! In fact, I've never met anyone who doesn't enjoy a steaming bowl of great soup, along with some good bread and a salad on a cold winters night! Last nights inspiration came from a wedge of Rogue Creamery's "Smoky Blue" that was leftover from New Years, and a bottle of Tawny port that I hadn't put away yet! Add a bit a bacon, some potatoes and a generous ladleful of cream and you have a very elegant soup. I've added a description from IGourmet for the Rogue Creamery blue. It's guaranteed to make you want to run out and buy the biggest chunk of it that you can afford! Trust me, it's worth it!  So far I've melted it on hamburgers, crumbled it onto salads, made this soup and served it with pears and great bread. If you are a native Clevelander like me, you can buy this wonderful cheese at Pat O'Briens, THE fine wine and beverage store located in Landerwood Plaza in Pepper Pike.

" Rogue Creamery's "Oregon Blue" is the first blue cheese recipe made on the west coast and they thought it only fitting that this classic recipe become the first blue cheese ever smoked. The result is magic! "Oregon Blue" is a classic Roquefort style blue cheese that is cold smoked 16 hours with Oregon Hazelnut shells. The smoking process releases a sweet creamy Smokey flavor that balances both the sharp blue flavor and sweet creamy flavor of the 100% natural full cream sustainable milk from Bonanza View Dairy."

The recipe is very simple. Just saute a cup of chopped onion,and about a cup and a half of diced bacon with  a half a stick   of butter in a soupot until gently browned. Add 3 cups of diced redskin potatoes and 6 cups of good chicken broth and let the whole thing simmer for about 20 minutes. Then add about 2 and a half cups of crumbled blue cheese, for this I used a combination of the smoked blue and some stilton.  Stir that in (it melts easily)and add a pint of heavy cream. Let the whole thing just simmer nicely for about 10 minutes, and then add about 2 shot glasses of port!  Because this was such a creamy soup I  added some chopped green onion for a pretty garnish.

I served this last night as a main course with a simple salad of fresh pear and red onion dressed with a French apple cider vinegar and a bit of garlic oil and of course, lots of good bread!  I have some of this soup leftover, and tonight I will probably serve it as a first course with a pear and pecan puree  and a tiny bit of shredded pork. Look for pictures later!   

Roasted Chicken with artichokes and garlic

I love this dish.....In fact there's almost nothing that I love as much as a roasted chicken , no matter how it's prepared. This is the one that I make when it's really cold outside, because squeezing the fresh lemons over it and adding the garlic and herbs make me feel like it's summer!

You'll need,

1 roasting chicken

I cup of diced onions

2 cans of artichoke hearts

1 lemon

20 cloves of fresh garlic

butter

Garlic infused olive oil

herbs de Provence

sea salt

1 cup of water

To begin, wash the chicken inside and out, and lay it in a roasting dish that you've covered the bottom of with the garlic oil. Rub lots of butter under the skin of the breast and  sprinkle liberally with the herbs and the salt. Add the onions,  artichokes and then squeeze the lemon over the top of all of it! Then pour  some of the garlic oil over the chicken and add the water. I love to roast this in my Le creuset covered doufou pot as it really produces a moist chicken(and I don't need to baste more than once!). I let it roast for about 2 hours in a 350 oven covered and then I take the lid off and finish it by basting continously until the chicken is really golden brown! By then, your house will smell amazing and it won't take much to pretend that you're vacationing in the mediterranean! A perfect dijon mustard is a really great condiment to serve with this chicken, along with some great french bread to sop up the wonderful juices and a simple salad , perhaps pink grapefuit sections and tomatoes on a bed of romaine would complete the feast!

Roasted Chicken with artichokes and garlic

I love this dish.....In fact there's almost nothing that I love as much as a roasted chicken , no matter how it's prepared. This is the one that I make when it's really cold outside, because squeezing the fresh lemons over it and adding the garlic and herbs make me feel like it's summer!

You'll need,

1 roasting chicken

I cup of diced onions

2 cans of artichoke hearts

1 lemon

20 cloves of fresh garlic

butter

Garlic infused olive oil

herbs de Provence

sea salt

1 cup of water

To begin, wash the chicken inside and out, and lay it in a roasting dish that you've covered the bottom of with the garlic oil. Rub lots of butter under the skin of the breast and  sprinkle liberally with the herbs and the salt. Add the onions,  artichokes and then squeeze the lemon over the top of all of it! Then pour  some of the garlic oil over the chicken and add the water. I love to roast this in my Le creuset covered doufou pot as it really produces a moist chicken(and I don't need to baste more than once!). I let it roast for about 2 hours in a 350 oven covered and then I take the lid off and finish it by basting continously until the chicken is really golden brown! By then, your house will smell amazing and it won't take much to pretend that you're vacationing in the mediterranean! A perfect dijon mustard is a really great condiment to serve with this chicken, along with some great french bread to sop up the wonderful juices and a simple salad , perhaps pink grapefuit sections and tomatoes on a bed of romaine would complete the feast!

Cream cheese, Pecan & Potato Dip/Soup/Casserole!

Sometimes, a really good recipe is born out of a total failure! The other day, I was making one of my favorite dips to take to a party and I forgot to rinse the dried beef, rendering the dip way too salty! I had quite alot of it though and rather than throw it out, I found another use for it! I'll give you the dip recipe first, and then tell you what I did to turn it into this potato casserole which my family and friends pronounced "sublime"!

I was reminded of my favorite story about Letitia Baldridge, the executive party planner for the White House who dropped a huge chocolate cake on the floor one evening about ten minutes before dessert was to be served! Being a very creative hostess and needing dessert, she scooped it up and put it into individual footed cut crystal glasses mixed with alot of whipped cream. Add a few chocolate curls and she had a gorgeous dessert with no one (including the President!) any wiser!

For the dip you will need:

1 package of dried beef

1 pint of sour cream

1 pint of scallion and chive cream cheese (not whipped)

1 tablespoon of dried tarragon

1/4 cup of marsala wine

Pecan halves, toasted in a 350 degree oven with butter

RInse the dried beef, and cut into thin slices with a scissors, and place in a bowl. Add the sour cream, cream cheese, tarragon, wine and mix well. Place into a baking dish and cover with the pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until bubbly. This is really good served with a dense brown bread or something wonderfully chewy with lots of seeds!

To turn this into a casserole, all you need to do is add some frozen organic shredded potatoes. Mix the whole thing together and put into a baking dish topped with some asiago cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes and serve. It is absolutely delicious and just the thing to serve with a roast of beef or pork. It could also be a great potato and cheese soup if you added some chicken broth and maybe a few sliced,butter browned leeks and a cup or two of whole milk.

An important thing to note is that the reason that this worked so well is that I used potatoes to neutralize the salt from the dried beef. Whenever you have a soup or stew  that is too salty, a  few potaoes diced and thrown in will take care of that problem!

Cream cheese, Pecan & Potato Dip/Soup/Casserole!

Sometimes, a really good recipe is born out of a total failure! The other day, I was making one of my favorite dips to take to a party and I forgot to rinse the dried beef, rendering the dip way too salty! I had quite alot of it though and rather than throw it out, I found another use for it! I'll give you the dip recipe first, and then tell you what I did to turn it into this potato casserole which my family and friends pronounced "sublime"!

I was reminded of my favorite story about Letitia Baldridge, the executive party planner for the White House who dropped a huge chocolate cake on the floor one evening about ten minutes before dessert was to be served! Being a very creative hostess and needing dessert, she scooped it up and put it into individual footed cut crystal glasses mixed with alot of whipped cream. Add a few chocolate curls and she had a gorgeous dessert with no one (including the President!) any wiser!

For the dip you will need:

1 package of dried beef

1 pint of sour cream

1 pint of scallion and chive cream cheese (not whipped)

1 tablespoon of dried tarragon

1/4 cup of marsala wine

Pecan halves, toasted in a 350 degree oven with butter

RInse the dried beef, and cut into thin slices with a scissors, and place in a bowl. Add the sour cream, cream cheese, tarragon, wine and mix well. Place into a baking dish and cover with the pecan halves. Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes until bubbly. This is really good served with a dense brown bread or something wonderfully chewy with lots of seeds!

To turn this into a casserole, all you need to do is add some frozen organic shredded potatoes. Mix the whole thing together and put into a baking dish topped with some asiago cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 35-40 minutes and serve. It is absolutely delicious and just the thing to serve with a roast of beef or pork. It could also be a great potato and cheese soup if you added some chicken broth and maybe a few sliced,butter browned leeks and a cup or two of whole milk.

An important thing to note is that the reason that this worked so well is that I used potatoes to neutralize the salt from the dried beef. Whenever you have a soup or stew  that is too salty, a  few potaoes diced and thrown in will take care of that problem!

Chicken with Honey and Peaches

Tonight when I went over to my parents house, there was the most incredible aroma wafting from the kitchen. My mother is a fabulous cook, always inventing new and unusual recipes for chicken. I begged her for the recipe so as much as I would like to take the credit  , I simply have to give it where it's due! One bite of this immediately transported me back to my childhood, a place where dinner was always by candlelight and tasted incredibly good after a long school day. Serve this chicken with steamed snap peas dressed with a little butter. Yummmm!

What you'll need:

4  boneless chicken breasts

Orange flower honey

Hellmans Mayonnaise (The only mayonnaise!)

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 can of sliced peaches in juice

A dusting of cardamon for love

Rub the chicken breasts with the mayonnaise and roll them in the bread crumbs until they are well coated. Place them in a cast iron pan (no oil necessary) with a handle and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a burner and add the drained peaches. Finish cooking (about 20 more minutes) and in the last 5 minutes drizzle the chicken with the honey and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with the cardamon and serve, basting with the pan juices.

Chicken with Honey and Peaches

Tonight when I went over to my parents house, there was the most incredible aroma wafting from the kitchen. My mother is a fabulous cook, always inventing new and unusual recipes for chicken. I begged her for the recipe so as much as I would like to take the credit  , I simply have to give it where it's due! One bite of this immediately transported me back to my childhood, a place where dinner was always by candlelight and tasted incredibly good after a long school day. Serve this chicken with steamed snap peas dressed with a little butter. Yummmm!

What you'll need:

4  boneless chicken breasts

Orange flower honey

Hellmans Mayonnaise (The only mayonnaise!)

Italian seasoned bread crumbs

1 can of sliced peaches in juice

A dusting of cardamon for love

Rub the chicken breasts with the mayonnaise and roll them in the bread crumbs until they are well coated. Place them in a cast iron pan (no oil necessary) with a handle and put them in the oven at 350 degrees for 10 minutes on each side. Remove the pan from the oven and place on a burner and add the drained peaches. Finish cooking (about 20 more minutes) and in the last 5 minutes drizzle the chicken with the honey and cook until golden brown. Sprinkle with the cardamon and serve, basting with the pan juices.