An Invitation To Dinner-your Recipes

Your secret recipes please.
Do not make Quenelle and I steal them form you!!!!

[Kimmie]

2 envelopes unflavored gelatin
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups strained fruit juice (grape, cranberry, or raspberry)
3/4 to 1 cup sugar
Pinch of salt
1 pint wine (Madeira, red burgundy, or sherry)
Strained juice of 2 lemons
Fresh fruit rolled in confectioners' sugar (optional garnish)

Place a metal mold in the refrigerator to chill. Dissolve gelatin in 1/2 cup cold water and let stand until softened. In saucepan, bring fruit juice to boil. Remove from heat and add dissolved gelatin, sugar to taste, and salt. Let cool. Stir in wine and lemon juice. Pour into chilled mold. Refrigerate at least 2 hours or until set. Unmold and serve chilled, decorated with fresh fruit, if desired.


This recipe was attributed to Jefferson in the "The First Ladies Cook Book" (Parents Magazine Press, 1966).

[Kimmie]

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
2 teaspoons freshly grated orange zest
2 tablespoons minced fresh mint
Sea salt and freshly ground white pepper, to taste
2 cups water
1 cup quinoa, well washed
¼ teaspoon saffron threads, crumbled
1/3 cup chopped dried cherries
¼ cup chopped toasted cashews

Whisk together olive oil, orange juice, orange zest, 1 tablespoon of the mint, salt and pepper. Set aside.

Bring water to a boil in a medium size saucepan over high heat. Add quinoa and saffron and return to a boil. Cover; lower heat, and simmer 12 minutes, or until water has been absorbed.

Fluff and stir in cherries and cashews. Let stand, covered for 5 minutes. Stir in orange mixture. Place in a serving bowl; garnish with remaining mint. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Serves 4.

[Kimmie]

1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablesoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
2-pound boneless pork loin
1 bottle (fifth) ruby port
2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup dried sour cherries

In a shallow dish combine oil and seasonings. Add pork loin, turning to coat well. Let marinate, covered, overnight in the refrigerator, turning occasionally.

Preheat a grill over moderate heat until hot. In a saucepan combine port and cream and cook over moderately high heat, stirring, until chocolate colored and thick enough to coat the spoon. Stir in cherries and keep warm.

Drain pork loin and grill until done. Cut into 1/4-inch slices and serve with sauce.

[Kimmie]

The sorbet

8 large Granny Smith apples quartered and cored (skin on)
5 fl. oz sugar syrup, chilled (recipe follows)
1 tablespoon lemon juice

Sauternes Jelly

3 ½ envelopes gelatin
25 fl. oz. Sauternes

To make the sorbet place the apple quarters in a food processor and blend until smooth. Strain the apple and juice through a fine-meshed sieve. Measure—you should have 600 ml (1 pint).

Mix together the strained apple juice, sugar syrup and lemon juice. Taste and adjust the sweetness to your palate by adding a little extra syrup if necessary. Pour the liquid into an ice cream machine and churn according to manufacturer's instructions.

To make the Sauternes Jelly soak the gelatin in some cold water to soften. Slowly bring the Sauternes to the boil in a large saucepan to burn off the alcohol. Set aside to cool a little. Squeeze out the excess water from the gelatin and stir into the Sauternes until dissolved.

Pour the mixture through a fine-meshed sieve. Cover and refrigerate 3-4 hours or until set.

To serve break up the jelly and place in the base of a small shot glass. Top with sorbet and serve immediately.

Sugar Syrup

2 pints water
1 lb. superfine sugar
6 ½ oz glucose or corn syrup

Bring the water to a boil in a large saucepan.

Slowly whisk in the sugar and the glucose until completely dissolved. Bring the liquid back to a boil in a large saucepan. Boil for 30 seconds to 1 minute, then remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Pour into an airtight container and refrigerate until completely chilled.

(serves 8 to 10)—this is a palate cleanser

[nancya]

Thomas Jefferson's Chicken Fricassee

Ingredients
2-3 pounds chicken pieces
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 tblsp. all purpose flour
2 cups water
1 cup dry wine
3 tblsp. butter
1 onion, chopped
2 cups fresh small mushrooms
1 tblsp. chopped fresh sage
1 tblsp. chopped fresh parsley
1 cup half and half cream
Hot Cooked Rice

Wash and dry the chicken pieces. Sprinkle with salt, pepper, nutmeg and paprika.

Brown the chicken in hot oil over high heat in a Dutch oven; remove the chicken when well browned. Reduce heat to medium, add flour, and cook the flour until lightly browned, stirring constantly. Whisk in 2 cups of water, 1 cup of wine until smooth.
Return the chicken to the Dutch overn; bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer. Cook 50 minutes.

Remove chicken, keeping warm, reserve broth in large container. Broth may be strained to remove particles.

Melt butter in Dutch oven, over medium high heat, add onion, cook until lightly browned. Add mushrooms, sage and parsley. Add broth, and chicken. Cook over medium heat, stirring until thoroughly heated. Served over rice. Yields 6 servings.

[nancya]

"We abound in the luxury of the peach," Jefferson once said in the height of peach season.

Ingredients

1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup butter
2 tblsp. brown sugar
1 tube almond paste sliced
2/3 cup softened butter
3 large eggs
8 peaches, cut into wedges

Process almonds in a food grinder until finely ground, add flour, 2/3 cup butter and brown sugar.

Press mixture into the bottom and up the sides of a 11 inch tart pan. Chill one hour.

Line crusts with foil, fill with weights or dried beans and bake at 425 degrees for 8 minutes. Remove weights and foil. Bake an additional 5 minutes until lightly browned.

Process almond paste, remaining 2/3 cups butter, and eggs in processor or mixer approximately two minutes until smooth. Pour into crusts. Arrange peach wedges over the top.

Bake at 375 for 25 minutes, shielding edges with foil, if necessary to prevent over browning. Remove from oven and cool.

Brandy Sauce

1 cup sugar
2 tsp. cornstarch
2 cups whipping cream
7 egg yolks
1/4 cup peach brandy

Cook the sugar, cornstarch and cream in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring contantly until sugar dissolves.

Whisk the yolks until frothy, and add some of the warmed cream into the yolks and mix. Pour the yolks into the hot mixture and cook over medium heat stirring constantly 3 to 5 minutes until thickened. Stir in brandy. Yield 3 cups.

Mixing the warm cream into the yolks helps keep the eggs from scrambling.

[nancya]

2. bottles of good cream.
6. yolks of eggs.
1/2 lb. sugar

mix the yolks & sugar

put the cream on a fire in a casserole, first putting in a stick of Vanilla.

when near boiling take it off & pour it gently into the mixture of eggs & sugar.

stir it well.

put it on the fire again stirring it thoroughly with a spoon to prevent it's sticking to the casserole.

when near boiling take it off and strain it thro' a towel.
put it in the Sabottiere* then set it in ice an hour before it is to be served. put into the ice a handful of salt.

put salt on the coverlid of the Sabotiere & cover the whole with ice.

leave it still half a quarter of an hour.

then turn the Sabottiere in the ice 10 minutes

open it to loosen with a spatula the ice from the inner sides of the Sabotiere.

shut it & replace it in the ice

open it from time to time to detach the ice from the sides

when well taken (prise) stir it well with the Spatula.

put it in moulds, justling it well down on the knee.

then put the mould into the same bucket of ice.

leave it there to the moment of serving it.

to withdraw it, immerse the mould in warm water, turning it well till it will come out & turn it into a plate.


The original recipe is found in the Jefferson Papers collection at the Library of Congress.

[Kimmie]

Yield: About 1 quart

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
1 cup heavy cream
3 cups milk
12 large egg yolks
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoons salt

Put 1/4 cup water in a medium, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Add one cup of the sugar and the corn syrup and increase the heat to high. Cook, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture is dark amber brown an caramelize, about 7 minutes.

Add the heavy cream to the caramel--stand back, it may splatter.

Pour in the milk, bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until the caramel dissolves and the mixture is smooth.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and the remaining 1/2 cup of sugar. Remove the caramel mixture from the heat and add a little to the egg yolk mixture to warm it, whisking constantly to keep the yolks from curdling. Pour the egg mixture into the caramel mixture, whisking the caramel mixture constantly as you pour.

Return the custard to the stove and cook it over low heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until it thickens enough to coat the back of the spoon. Remove from the heat and strain it into a bowl. Let it cool completely. Add the vanilla and salt.

Chill the custard until it's thoroughly cold, at least 4 hours.

Freeze in an ice-cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions.

Thank you Claudia Fleming

[Kimmie]

1 cup heavy cream
2 cups shucked peas
Kosher salt
1 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. shallots, chopped
¾ cup Riesling
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
¼ cup chopped tarragon
24 pea shoots (or 12 baby spinach leaves)

Whip 1/3 cup cream to firm peaks then refrigerate.

Blanch the peas in salted boiling water for 2 minutes. Drain and shock in ice water. Drain and set aside. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook until translucent. Add the Riesling, bring to a boil, and reduce to one-third. Add the remaining cream and simmer until it is thick enough to coat the back of a wooden spoon. Add the peas and pistachios and bring to a boil. Very gently fold in the whipped cream. Transfer the mixture to a heat proof serving dish. Gratinee (brown the top) under a preheated broiler (this happens very quickly, so take care not to burn). Garnish with the remaining herbs and greens.

[Kimmie]

2 turkey legs from a 12 lbs. turkey
Kosher salt
Freshly ground white pepper
3 tablespoons corn or other neutral vegetable oil
6 slices bacon
4 carrots, roughly diced
1 ½ cups diced celery root
1 cup diced onion
1 leek, white part only
2 whole heads of garlic
2 bottles Chianti or other medium bodied dry red wine
2 bay leaves
10 white peppercorns
4 cloves
6 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 - 2 tablespoons sugar
½ cup tarragon, roughly chopped (measured then chopped)
4 tbsp. butter

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Score the turkey legs with incisions approximately 1/4 inch deep (this allows even cooking). Season the legs liberally with salt and pepper. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat and sear the turkey on all sides (don't be shy on searing the meat more than just browning it. Get it good and caramelized. Remove the turkey from the pan and toss the bacon. Cook until the fat starts to render, about 30 seconds. Add the carrots, celery, onion, leek and garlic. When the vegetable are well caramelized, remove half of them to a small bowl and set aside. Return the turkey legs to the pan. Add the wine, bay leaves, peppercorns, cloves, thyme, rosemary and 1 tbsp. sugar and bring to a boil. Cover the pan and braise in the oven until the turkey is tender, about 2 ½ hours. Set aside. (Up to this point the the recipe may be done ahead of time).

To finish:
Remove the turkey from the pan and set aside. Deglaze the braising liquid, then heat the vegetables in the liquid over medium-high heat. Allow the liquid to reduce until it is the consistency of thick maple syrup. Lower the heat to medium (so that the thickening liquid is bubbling vigorously but not sticking and burning. Place the turkey back in the pan. Baste the turkey with the sauce (this will give you an impressive glaze). Continue basting until all the sauce is used up in the glaze.

Meanwhile, in a separate skillet, pan roast the reserved vegetables over medium-high heat until tender and warm, about 3 - 4 minutes. Add the tarragon and scatter this topping over the turkey.

[nancya]

Mmmmm, Kimmie.

You are posting some awfully good sounding recipes!

[Kimmie]

Thank you Nancya. My books are in storage and I have to go and sit in bookstores and copy my recipes in order to post them. I guess that's part of the fun too!