Mulled Hard Cider
Warm things up with this delightfully-fragrant warm cider recipe!
Ingredients:
4 cups dry hard apple cider
½ lemon, very thinly sliced
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves
1 2-inch piece of ginger
¼-⅓ cup honey (to taste)
Method:
1. Place all the ingredients in a large sauce pan and bring to a simmer over medium-low heat. (Do not boil or the alcohol will cook out!). Allow cider to steep for 20 minutes.
2. Pour the mulled cider through a fine mesh sieve to remove the lemon slices and any spice bits. Serve each serving with an extra lemon slice and cinnamon stick as garnish.
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Apple Cider Vinaigrette
Utilizing both apple cider and apple cider vinegar, as well as shallots and Dijon, this punchy vinaigrette is packed with flavor.
Ingredients:
1 small shallot, peeled, cored and quartered
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons apple cider
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground pepper
Method:
1. Purée all the ingredients in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender in a bowl until smooth, about 30 seconds. Use immediately or store in a sealed jar in the refrigerator for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature before serving if it becomes solid.
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Cider-Braised Beets
These delightful beets from Rick Rodgers’ The Big Book of Sides are sure to be a new favorite.
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh apple cider
1 bunch beets, green tops removed, peeled and cut into ½-inch-rounds
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons finely-chopped fresh tarragon
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Combine 1½ cups water, the cider and butter in a large, deep, non-reactive skillet. Add the beets and enough water, if needed, to barely cover them. Bring to a boil over high heat.
2. Reduce the heat to medium and cover the skillet with the lid ajar. Cook at a brisk simmer until the beets are just tender when pierced with the tip of a small, sharp knife, about 20 minutes. Season the beets to taste with salt and pepper.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the beets to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the tarragon and serve.
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Apple Cider Syrup
Try it drizzled on apple pie!
Ingredients:
¾ cup apple cider
½ cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter
½ teaspoon lemon juice
Small pinch each of cinnamon and nutmeg
Method:
1. Combine apple cider, brown sugar, butter, lemon juice, cinnamon and nutmeg in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened.
3. Remove from heat. Let cool for at least half an hour before using. Serve warm. (Syrup will thicken as it cools. If you’d like a thicker syrup, simmer it longer.) Refrigerate any unused portion in a sealed jar/container.
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Spring Salad with Deviled Duck Egg Vinaigrette
This salad puts both egg yolks and whites to delicious use.
Ingredients:
2 hard-boiled duck egg whites, sliced
½ pound asparagus, roasted or grilled
6 cups mixed spring lettuce greens, such as sunflower and pea shoots, plus arugula
1 cup cherry tomatoes
Vinaigrette:
2 hard-boiled duck egg yolks
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
¼ teaspoon paprika
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. To make the vinaigrette: In a food processor or blender, purée egg yolks, vinegar, mustard, paprika, salt and pepper until well combined. With the processor running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil until all the oil is incorporated.
2. In a large serving bowl, toss together egg whites, asparagus, spring greens and tomatoes. Toss with the vinaigrette and season to taste with more pepper as desired.
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Hard-Boiled Quail Eggs
Our no-fail method for perfectly hard-boiled quail eggs.
Tools:
Small saucepan
Water
Slotted spoon
Method:
1. Fill a small saucepan two-thirds full with water and bring to a boil. Add the eggs using a spoon. Do not overcrowd the pan.
2. Boil for 2½ to 5 minutes depending on your preference; at 2½ minutes, the yolks will still be runny and by 5 minutes they will be fully hard-boiled.
3. Remove eggs with a slotted spoon and cool down under cold running water or in a bowl filled with ice water. Peel very carefully.
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Shaved Brussels Sprouts with Apple & Bacon
Also tossed with brown sugar and apple cider vinegar, this warm side is sure to wow.
Ingredients:
1 pound Brussels sprouts, trimmed of tough ends
6 slices of bacon
1 tart apple, finely diced
2 large shallots, minced
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
½ cup apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons brown sugar
Method:
1. In a large skillet over medium-high heat, cook the bacon until most of the fat has rendered and the meat is crisp. Remove to a paper towel-lined plate and reserve. Drain all but 3 tablespoons of the drippings from the skillet. Meanwhile, shave the trimmed Brussels sprouts using a box grater or mandoline.
2. Add the diced shallots to the skillet and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the mustard seeds and stir to coat with the oil. Add the shaved Brussels sprouts to the pan and cook, again stirring until sprouts just begin to wilt, about 1-2 minutes. Add the apple cider vinegar and brown sugar and toss thoroughly to combine.
3. Remove from the heat and transfer to a serving platter. (Be sure to scrape up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom of the skillet when doing so!) Crumble the bacon over top and add the apple slices. Serve warm or at room temperature.
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Garden Greens with Chopped Eggs
This fresh salad is a lovely use for beautiful summer greens.
Ingredients:
4 cups mixed summer greens, washed and patted dry
½ pound green beans, trimmed
½ pound sugar snap peas, trimmed
4 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and chopped
4 anchovy fillets, minced
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons sour cream
¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup fresh tarragon leaves
1 cup fresh parsley leaves
Edible flowers, for garnish
Method:
1. Prepare an ice-water bath. Working in batches, blanch green beans in a pot of generously salted boiling water until bright and crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to the ice bath and let cool; remove. Return water in the pot to a boil, and blanch snow peas, in batches, about 1 minute. Transfer to ice bath until cool; remove peas, and cut in half.
2. Whisk together the anchovies, lemon juice and sour cream in a bowl. Slowly add oil in a steady stream, whisking until combined. Season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide the lettuce greens, green beans and peas among four plates, and top each with chopped eggs and herbs. Drizzle with dressing, season with salt and pepper, and serve garnished with edible flowers.
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Asparagus with Sauce Gribiche
Bright green asparagus spears are drizzled with a classic French-style cold egg sauce in this refreshing recipe.
Ingredients:
Asparagus spears
4 hard cooked eggs, peeled
2 hard cooked egg yolks
1-2 teaspoons Dijon or whole grain mustard
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
½ cup finely chopped parsley or chervil
1 cup olive oil
¼ cup capers in vinegar, drained and chopped
¼ – ½ cup cornichons, drained and chopped
Sea salt and fresh ground pepper
Method:
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook asparagus until crisp-tender, 4–5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl of ice water to let cool. Remove from water and pat dry.
2. Put whole hard cooked eggs in bowl with mustard, sea salt and pepper and mash together with a pastry blender or fork. Add vinegar and then add the olive oil, drop by drop as if making mayonnaise. To keep the sauce creamy, add very small amounts of vinegar or warm water at a time. Season with additional salt and pepper to taste and finish the sauce by adding chopped herbs, capers and cornichons.
3. Arrange asparagus on plates; top each with several dollops of sauce gribiche. Garnish with parsley sprigs.
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Blue Cheese-Stuffed Roasted Pears with Arugula
Roasted and topped with cranberries, hazelnuts and blue cheese, these pears from the Barefoot Contessa are incredibly flavorful.
Ingredients:
3 ripe, but firm, pears
3 ounces Westward Blue cheese
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ cup hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
½ cup apple cider vinegar
Freshly-squeezed lemon juice
3 tablespoons port or dessert wine
¼ cup brown sugar
¼ cup olive oil
6 ounces arugula greens
Sea salt
Method:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Slice pears lengthwise into halves. With a small sharp paring knife and a melon baller, remove the core and seeds from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Toss the pears with some lemon juice to prevent them from turning brown. Arrange them, core side up, in a baking dish large enough to hold the pears snugly.
2. Gently toss the crumbled blue cheese, dried cranberries, and walnuts together in a small bowl. Divide the mixture among the pears, mounding it on top of the indentation.
3. In the same small bowl, combine the apple cider, port, and brown sugar, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour the mixture over and around the pears. Bake the pears, basting occasionally with the cider mixture, for 30 minutes, or until tender. Set aside until warm or at room temperature.
4. Just before serving, whisk together the olive oil, ¼ cup of lemon juice, and ¼ cup of the basting liquid in a large bowl. Divide the arugula among 6 plates and top each with a pear half. Drizzle each pear with some of the basting liquid, sprinkle with salt, and serve warm.
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