Pork Terrine with Pistachios, Apricots and Prunes

(1 9"x5" loaf)

Terrines are quite wonderful. They often end up looking very impressive, yet they are easy to make. I had some ham I wanted to use up, and thought this would be the perfect vehicle.

This is a great party food, or just nice for a hot day because once it's done, it's served at room temperature. It keeps for about a week refrigerated, and is great with pickles, bread and salad.

I add a 1/4 pound of chicken livers which impart a wonderful flavour. If people either aren't told or have had enough drinks, they will devour this regardless of the liver, hehe. It's hard to stop eating it once you get started.

1 tbsp olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 tsp fresh thyme, chopped or 1/2 tsp dried
1/4 lb chicken livers, trimmed and roughly cut up (optional)
1 3/4 lb good quality sausage meat, (I used pork bratwurst from the Whole Foods butcher)
1 large egg
1/3 cup Port or Madiera
2-4 bay leaves
8-10 thin slices of bacon
1/3 cup shelled pistachios
1/2 lb ham, (give or take) cut into strips
about 4-5 dried apricots, cut in half lengthwise
about 4-5 dried prunes, cut in half lengthwise

Heat the oil in a skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 1 minute, then add the onion. Saute over low heat until the onion is a light golden brown; about 10-15 minutes.

Add the thyme and cook another minute, then remove from heat OR if you are using the chicken livers, then add those too, but cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat.

When the onion mixture has cooled a bit, place that into a large bowl. Add the sausage meat (remove the casings if there are any), egg and Port or Madiera. Combine everything really well. I find hands seem to do the job best here.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Place 1 or 2 bay leaves on the bottom of a 9" loaf pan and then line the pan with a single layer of bacon (cut them up as needed), with some strips hanging over the sides. Add a layer of sausage meat mixture. Sprinkle a few pistachios over this and then arrange a few strips of ham over that. Fill everything in with a bit more sausage meat,

Arrange the prunes and apricots in a row in the middle. Sprinkle a few more pistachios, then fill everything in again with a bit more sausage meat.

Sprinkle some pistachios, and arrange a few strips of ham. Fill in with the sausage mixture. I imagine everything should be used up at this point, but if it isn't just continue until it is, ending with a layer of sausage meat.

Cover the top with the bacon which was hanging at the sides. Top with another bay leaf or two.
Place the terrine into a larger roasting pan and fill with water about halfway up the sides of the terrine. Cover the top with foil and place into the oven.

Bake for about 2 hours in the water bath or until the juices run clear when you pierce the meat with a skewer.

Remove from the oven. Weigh down the top with a cutting board and cans or place a smaller loaf pan on top with something inside as a weight. Allow to cool, (in it's water bath), then refrigerate.

This can be made ahead a day or two, the flavours seem to improve as it ages. It will keep about 1 week refrigerated.

Chorizo and Scrambled Eggs

(serves 2)

1 tsp olive oil
1/2 red or green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1 green onion, sliced
1/4 lb chorizo
4-5 eggs, slightly beaten
2 tbsp milk
1-2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped

tortillas


Heat the oil in a skillet and fry the bell pepper until it begins to soften. Add the onion and chorizo, breaking the mixture up as it cooks with a wooden spoon until the chorizo is cooked through.

Combine the eggs and milk and pour that into the skillet over the chorizo mixture. Cook, stirring the eggs into the chorizo until the eggs are set, but still moist.

Remove from heat and stir in the cilantro. Serve immediately with tortillas.

Mixed Berry Smoothie

(1 serving)

For years I have neglected breakfast, primarily because I'm usually rushed in the mornings as I like to stay in bed until the last possible moment.

Lately I have been making these smoothies. They are fast and easy to make, and I change up the fruit depending on what I have on hand.

1/2 cup vanilla yogurt
1/2 cup mixed frozen berries
1/2 cup water
1 scoop protein and vitamin powder

Place everything into a blender jar, and process until smooth.

Croque-Madame, Grilled Ham Sandwich with Fried Egg

(1 sandwich)

I still had some leftover ham from last weekend and although I was thinking about making deviled ham all week, I made this instead.

There's still quite a bit of ham left, so who knows. :P

2 slices of bread
2 tsp butter, softened
1-2  slices swiss cheese
2-3 slices of ham
1 large egg
1 tbsp water
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste


Butter one side of each slice of bread with 1 teaspoon of butter, reserving the rest for the egg.

Place one slice of bread, buttered side down, in a non-stick skillet. Top it with the cheese, and ham, then place the remaining slice of bread on top, the buttered side facing up.

Turn on the heat to medium-low and toast until the bottom layer is nicely browned, flip the sandwich over and cook until the other side is nicely browned too.

While the bread is toasting melt the remaining butter in another skillet and crack an egg into that. Add the water and cover the skillet with a lid. Cook for about 3 minutes if you like your yolk soft; a couple of minutes longer if you prefer it firmer.

Place the toasted sandwich on a plate and top with the fried egg. Sprinkle the salt and pepper over the egg and enjoy!

Bread Pudding with Caramelized Peaches

(6- 8 servings)

I had a loaf of bread go stale on me faster than I expected; a combination of not eating it quick enough and perhaps purchasing it later than I usually do. I always check the expiration dates of food and will spend an extra minute or two digging around until I find something slightly "fresher".

There's already a bag of breadcrumbs (from a previous loaf) in the freezer, so I decided to make a bread pudding out of this one. It reheats nicely and I like having some for breakfast (if I decide to eat anything at all) with my double espresso in the mornings.

I tried to get all creative and made this in a 6-cup bundt pan, hoping to cut it into pretty cake slices. Well, that couldn't have been further from the truth. The darn thing stuck, and when I finally banged it loose, there was a mini-mountain of warm stuff heaped on my serving platter.

Bread Mixture
5 cups of cubed stale sourdough bread, about 5-7 slices
2 cups milk
3 eggs, beaten
1/3 cup brown sugar


Fruit Mixture
2 tbsp butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 cups peaches, sliced
1/4 tsp pure almond extract

butter for the cake pan

heavy cream

Place the bread in a large bowl and pour the milk over it. Let stand about half an hour.

Meanwhile make the fruit mixture.

Heat the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Stir in the sugar and cook, stirring until the sugar dissolves and the mixture begins to bubble. Add the peaches and continue to cook for a few minutes until the sauce thickens a bit and the peaches are well coated. Remove from heat and stir in the almond extract.

Preheat the oven to 350° F.

Whisk together the eggs and sugar and add that to the bread and milk mixture.

Spoon half the bread mixture into a well buttered 1.5 quart oven proof souffle dish, spoon the fruit mixture evenly over that and top with the remaining bread mixture.

Bake for about 50 minutes or until the top is browned, and the pudding feels firm.

 Serve with heavy cream. This bread pudding reheats nicely.

Zucchini, Portabella Mushroom and Bacon Fritata

(4-6 servings)

This is an easy brunch recipe. I don't always use bacon, but I had some I wanted to use up. The vegetables can be swapped out for whatever you have on hand as well; asparagus, peppers, cooked potatoes, spinach, cauliflower and broccoli work quite well.

The portabella mushroom was great in this dish. It had a nice meaty texture.

3 slices of lean thick cut bacon, cut into 1/2" pieces
1 large onion, cut into thin slices
1 clove garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, sliced
1 portabella mushroom cap, sliced (about 7 oz)
5 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup swiss cheese, shredded

Place the bacon into a cold non stick skillet and cook over medium heat until crispy. Place the bacon onto paper towels to drain. Clean the skillet reserving a teaspoon of fat.

Add the onions and garlic and saute for about 10 minutes until they are golden brown. Add the mushrooms and zucchini and cook for another 5-8 minutes or until they are soft. Stir in the bacon.

Whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the salt and pepper. Pour over the vegetable and bacon mixture. Sprinkle the top with cheese. Cover the skillet and cook over low heat for about 12-15 minutes or until the eggs are set and the cheese has melted.

Cheese Blintzes with Blueberry Sauce

(2  servings)

I had some ricotta cheese leftover from the gnocchi, and some blueberries in the freezer, so I decided to make these for breakfast.

Crepes
1/2 cup milk
2 large eggs
1/2 cup unbleached flour

Filling
3/4 cup ricotta cheese (whole milk)1 egg yolk
2 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp lemon zest, finely minced

1 tbsp butter

Sauce
1 cup small blueberries
1 tbsp sugar
1 tsp cornstarch

Whisk together the milk and eggs. Add the flour and mix well. Set aside the crepe batter.

Combine all the ingredients for the filling. Set aside

Heat a non-stick skillet on medium, and spray lightly with oil.

Pour about 1/4 cup (you'll be making 4 crepes) of the batter into the pan and swirl to coat the pan evenly. Cook for about 1 minute, or until the bottom is light brown and the top is cooked. You might have to adjust your heat slightly. Flip onto a plate so that the browned side is up. Repeat with the remaining batter.

Place about 2 tablespoons filling in the center on the browned side of each crepe. Fold in sides about 1 inch, then fold in opposite edges to enclose filling and form a rectangular shape.

Melt the butter in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the blintzes and fry for about 2 minutes on each side until they are browned and hot. You might have to adjust the heat slightly so they don't burn.

Place the blintzes on plate and quickly make the blueberry sauce.

Add the blueberries, sugar and cornstarch to the skillet. Turn up the heat and stir the mixture with a wooden spoon until it comes to a boil.

Pour over the blintzes and serve.