Warm Ginger Pudding with Rum Butter Sauce

Servings: 10 to 12
Preparation Time: 30 minutes plus baking

2 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking power
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
¼ cup butter (1/2 stick)
2 eggs
1 cup molasses
½ cup crystallized ginger, finely chopped
Zest of 1/2 medium lemon (about 1 teaspoon)
1 cup buttermilk

1 ½ cup butter (3 sticks)
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup dark rum
Zest of 1 medium orange (about 2 tablespoons)
½ cup heavy cream

Preheat oven to 325 degrees

Combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a bowl. Set aside.

Use an electric mixer to beat the butter until soft.

Add the eggs and molasses and beat until fluffy.

Stir in the crystallized ginger.

Stir in the buttermilk.

Stir in the flour mixture.

Pour the batter into a Bundt pan that has been sprayed with vegetable oil spray. Bake for 1 hour.

Melt the butter and sugar in a sauce pan over medium high heat until the sugar is dissolved.

Stir in the rum and the orange zest.

Stir in the cream.

Serve the warm pudding with the warm sauce.

Baked Oysters Rockefeller

Yield: 12 oysters
Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Rock salt or dried beans for lining baking dish
12 medium oysters, shucked with bottom shells reserved
1 cup creamed spinach
Juice of 1 medium lemon (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons butter
2 large shallots, minced (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 ½ cups milk
1 bay leaf
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Salt and white ground pepper
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 475 degrees

Pour rock salt or dried beans into a shallow baking dish. Place the oyster shells into the salt or beans to hold them in place.

Place a spoonful of creamed spinach into each shell.

Place 1 oyster on top of the spinach.

Drizzle the oysters with lemon juice.

Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat.

Cook the shallots in the butter until just soft. Do not brown.

Sprinkle the flour over top and whisk to form a bubbling paste.

Stir the milk into the paste. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the bay leaf, nutmeg and season with salt and white ground pepper. Stir until the sauce thickens, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Place a tablespoon of the white sauce over the oyster. Sprinkle each one with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake until the oysters are plump and cooked through and the cheese has melted, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Our Grandma’s Stuffed Cabbage Rolls

Servings: 6 to 8 (about 12 to 14 3-inch rolls)
Preparation Time: 90 minutes plus 2 hours to simmer

1 whole cabbage
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, diced into ½-inch squares (about 2 cups)
4 medium garlic cloves, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
2 pounds ground turkey
Salt and freshly ground pepper
2 cups cooked white rice
1 cup raisins
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon dried minced onions
1 teaspoon hot paprika

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 medium white onion, diced (about 2/3 cup)
2 tablespoons hot paprika
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons Balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

Heat a large pot of water to boiling over high heat. Cut the stem and the core from the cabbage. Plunge the cabbage into the water. This will loosen some of the outer leaves. Cook the leaves in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Gently remove the loosened leaves. Plunge them into a bowl of ice water to stop the cooking process. Pat the leaves dry. Continue until all of the large leaves have been blanched.

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Cook the yellow onions until soft and just beginning to turn brown, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the garlic to the pan and cook for 2 minutes more.

Add the ground turkey to the pan. Cook, breaking up the turkey with a spatula, until browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer the turkey mixture to a large bowl. Add the cooked rice, raisins and ketchup. Season with salt, pepper, dried minced onion and 1 teaspoon paprika.

Place 1/3 cup turkey mixture on the bottom stem portion of a cabbage leaf, leaving about a 1-inch border. Wrap the leaf, from the stem border, over the filling. Fold in the sides. Continue wrapping until all of the leaves and filling have been used.

Prepare the sauce by heating the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in a sauce pot over medium high heat. Cook the white onion until soft. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons paprika and tomato paste. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the diced tomatoes, chicken broth, brown sugar, Balsamic vinegar and sage. Simmer for 5 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Place the stuffed cabbage in a single layer into a large, deep pot or Dutch oven. Cover the cabbage with the sauce. Cover the pot and simmer for 1 to 2 hours. Serve the cabbage with the sauce drizzled over the top.

Simply Roasted Duck with Orange Cranberry Glaze

Servings: 6
Preparation Time: 15 minutes plus roasting

1 (4 to 5 pound) duck, parts removed from cavity, rinsed
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 orange cut into 4 wedges

1 (15-ounce) can jellied cranberry sauce or 1 10-ounce bag frozen cranberries
Juice of 3 medium oranges (about 1 cup)
Zest of 1 medium orange (about 2 tablespoons)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees

Season the duck with salt and pepper. Place the orange wedges into the cavity of the duck. Use a sharp knife to score (cut small slits in) the skin of the duck. Place the duck on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Roast for 15 minutes, or until just beginning to turn golden. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees.
Combine the cranberry sauce, orange juice, orange zest and chopped fresh rosemary in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook until the cranberry sauce melts and the sauce is smooth.

Continue roasting until the duck is cooked to medium rare (about 20 minutes per pound). Baste the duck with the sauce during the last 15 minutes of roasting.

Remove the orange wedges. Allow the duck to rest for 15 minutes before carving. Serve the duck with extra sauce drizzled on top.

Walk & Dine in a Winter Wonderland Together…with an Elegant Pack-and-go Picnic

Thanks to that beautiful Christmas song, winter wonderlands conjure images of parsons getting ready to marry you, snowbirds lighting on holly branches and glistening snowy landscapes that have you reaching for the cocoa canister. Isn’t it a splendid excuse to dress in layers, grab your sweetheart and head off with a big wool blanket—savory romantic picnic all ready to go, replete with hot thermoses full of savory soup, hot, fresh coffee and a bottle of Layer Cake Shiraz…ah, my imagination’s like a runaway sled…

Wine to warm the soul…
But I have a very real winter picnic menu to share with you. I’ll start by describing the wine. Because of its complex aromas of plum, mocha, dark chocolate and other super ripe berries, Layer Cake Shiraz suits my menu to a T. I’ve made a career out of pack-and-go treats and these items lend themselves to no sweat prep—just whip it up and you’re on your way…out the door!

To eat…
The main dish is the tastiest and most elegant way I can think of to get rid of Thanksgiving leftovers. The turkey you couldn’t finish and the extra apples you set-aside, but didn’t use, find new purpose in Turkey Wraps with Apples and Curry Mayonnaise. This healthy wrap leaves the chef loads of creative license. You don’t have to use a spinach wrap, but I prefer it—especially since the crunchy apple, red-leaf lettuce and green spinach are such an apropos color combo for your December picnic. Another plus is how the spicy taste of curry warms you, from the belly up, on a cold day. You can prepare these “sandwiches” in the morning and enjoy them for an on-the-run lunch.

To slurp…
To wash that down and keep you nice and toasty, I recommend Easy Broccoli and Cheese Soup. You can make it in less than 30 minutes, pour into a thermos and off you go. It’s also a recipe that’s open to interpretation—it’s still terrific if you decide to substitute with different cheeses, spices and veggies—for what you can’t simply raise to your lips and slurp, remember to pack those silver spoons.

To satisfy your sweet tooth…
Now you don’t need coffee for the dessert I’m serving, but it would be a nice touch if the basket’s big enough for a second thermos. My Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars with Plum Filling are an alternate version of “visions of sugar plums dancing in their heads”. I LOVE dessert in “bar” form—it’s the perfect take along treat, falling somewhere between cookies and cake. Does it get any better than that?

Picnic Primers
If it were me getting ready to “frolic and play in an Eskimo way” as the song says, I’d add a few extras, like gloves, hats—even candles just in case darkness falls quicker than you planned. My research on this topic actually lead me to an online picnic emporium where you can download checklists to satisfy even the most Type A picnicker! The list doesn’t happen to include binoculars, which I’d tote along to bird watch, looking for cardinals among the barren branches. Depends on where you live, though. Many of my readers are from regions where Santa wears Bermuda shorts and drives a team of pink flamingos. That image aside, a great way to get even more in the mood for a spectacular romantic picnic, is to rent Ethan Frome from Netflix—it’s highly snowy and romantic, but poses the caveat that winter sports are best when carefully enjoyed. Stay safe when you ski and hike everyone!

And—

Indoors or out, a merry X-mas to one and all!

Turkey Wraps with Apples and Curry Mayonnaise

Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes
Serves: 4
Serving Size: 1 sandwich

½ cup reduced fat mayonnaise
Juice of 1 medium lime (about 1 tablespoon)
2 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
½ teaspoon curry powder
Salt and freshly ground pepper
4 large spinach tortillas
6 to 8 leaves red-leaf lettuce, washed and dried
2 medium apples, peeled and thinly sliced (about 2 cups)
8 ounces deli style roast turkey breast, thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees

Warm the tortillas in the oven until they are soft and pliable, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, sun-dried tomatoes and curry powder. Season with salt and pepper.

Place one tortilla onto your work surface. Spread with a tablespoon of the curry mayonnaise. Layer with lettuce leaves. Top with apple slices and turkey. Roll up the tortilla. Wrap in parchment paper. Repeat with remaining ingredients.

Before serving, cut the rolls in half diagonally and pull down parchment paper to act as a paper holder for the wraps.

Easy Broccoli and Cheese Soup

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, diced (about 1 cup)
2 medium cloves garlic (about 1 teaspoon)
1 teaspoon curry power
1 teaspoon cumin
1 quart chicken stock
1medium bunch broccoli florets, chopped
¼ cup all purpose flour
2 cups cream
2 cups grated extra sharp cheddar cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Heat the olive oil in a pot over medium high heat.

Add the onions and cook until soft, about 5 minutes

Add the garlic, curry powder and cumin. Cook for two minutes more.

Pour the stock into the pan. Add the broccoli. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until the broccoli is tender, about 10 minutes.

Whisk the flour into the cream until smooth. Pour this mixture into the pot. Cook until the soup begins to thicken, stirring constantly, about 5 minutes.

Add the cheese and stir until melted.

Pour half of the soup into a blender or food processor. Pulse until smooth. Add this mixture back to the soup. Season with salt and pepper.