I Can't Believe It's Not Butter!

In my family, nothing says holidays like pears. We always seem to find a new recipe each year. Last year was pear upside down cake. This year we're having pear butter. Now get out that food mill! Admittedly, this recipe can get a bit pricey, depending on the stock of your spice cabinet. But, you get at least a couple jars of pear butter!

Word to the wise: I tried using a sieve and a potato ricer to remove the skins. Only the food mill worked. Since I didn't have a working one, I had to run out, leaving my cooked pears by their lonesome, and get a food mill. Again, worth the effort methinks.

Of course you can serve this on just about anything from ice cream to toast. I have an extra loaf of brioche left in the freezer, so I plan to serve it on the brioche at my Second Annual Post-Thanksgiving Brunch. I can already taste it!

PS You will want a big (i.e. tall) pot. Not just to hold all the pears, but this recipe splatters quite a bit as it heats up.

Pear Butter
Bon Appetit, December 1992
Makes about 4 cups

4 pounds Bartlett pears (unpeeled), cored, cut into 1-inch chunks
1/2 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 orange slices
1 lemon slice
4 whole cloves
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
Pinch of salt

Combine pears, wine and lemon juice in heavy large saucepan. Cover and simmer until pears are soft, pushing unsubmerged pears into liquid occasionally, about 25 minutes. Force through food mill or coarse sieve to remove pear peel. Transfer to processor and puree.
Return puree to heavy large sauce-pan. Add remaining ingredients. Stir over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat to medium and boil gently until mixture thickens and mounds slightly on spoon stirring often, about 50 minutes.

Discard fruit slices, cloves, vanilla and cinnamon. Spoon butter into hot canning jar, filling only to 1/4 inch form top. Immediately wipe rim, using towel dipped into hot water. Place lid on jar; seal tightly. Repeat with remaining jars.

Arrange jars in large pot. Add boiling water to pot so that at least 1 inch of water covers tops of jars. Cover pot and boil rapidly 15 minutes. Remove jars from pot. Cool to room temperature. Press center of each lid. If lid stays down, jar is sealed. (If lid pops up, store butter in refrigerator.) Store in cool dry place up to 1 year. Refrigerate after opening.

Cheesey Chicken

I see I had a request for "more cheese please!" so here is an old family favorite, discovered by accident. It used to be a Christmas Eve tradition . . . it's unknown where the tradition got to. It still makes an annual appearance in our house though. The recipe is written for a clay pot, but I believe it could be done in a slow cooker.

You would never know this cheesey chicken is actually rather healthy. I always like a tortilla to mop up the extra sauce (can't stand a dirty plate you see) and I like putting the sauce on some Spanish rice as well. You will definitely be joining the Clean Plate Club if you get this on your plate.

Chicken with Cheddar & Green Chilis
Clay Pot Cookbook
Serves 6

3 pounds chicken breasts, skin removed
2 tablespoons flour
2 teaspoons chili powder
½ teaspoon ground cumin
1 rib celery, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1 4-ounce can diced green chili peppers
1 jalapeno or serrano pepper, minced
½ cup defatted low-sodium chicken broth
½ cup reduced fat sour cream
1 cup reduced-fat shredded cheddar cheese

Soak the top and the bottom of 3-quart clay pot in water for 10 minutes; drain.

Coat chicken pieces with mixture of flour, chili powder and cumin. Combine celery, onion, jalepeno, and garlic in presoaked clay pot. Top with chicken and green chilies. Pour in chicken broth.

Place covered clay pot in a cold oven. Set oven at 450 degrees. Bake, stirring once or twice, until chicken is tender and brown, about 1¼ hours. Remove chicken from clay pot. Skim and discard fat from cooking liquid in clay pot. Stir sour cream into cooking liquid until smooth. Return chicken to sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake, uncovered, until cheese melts and browns, about 10 minutes.

Souper Soup

Here's a nice little soup now that colder weather is coming. You can add just about any vegetable you have on hand, or any particular favorites you may have. Don't ignore the cheese on top - it's a must. My family likes to serve this for New Year's dinner; I've also made it for lunch on Thanksgiving day. It can be made vegetarian (just cut out the bacon) and serve as a main course or a starter dish. This is no Campbell's but it is Mmmm mmmm Good!

Now, get out your crusty bread . . . you don't want to miss a drop.

Mediterranean Vegetable Soup

Serves 6-8

½ small green or savoy cabbage slivered

3 or 4 large leaves of red white Swiss chard, slivered

1 tablespoon finely minced bacon or pancetta

1 garlic clove minced

¼ cup chopped flat-leaf parsley

¼ cup finely chopped onion

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2 celery ribs, sliced

2 medium carrots, peeled and diced

1 large potato, peeled, and sliced

1 large or 2 small zucchini, diced

½ pound ripe tomatoes, peeled and chopped, or about 6 canned whole tomatoes, drained and chopped

Other vegetables as desired

½ cup rice

6 cups meat or vegetable stock or water

1 cup cooked, drained white beans, like cannellini or Great Northern

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

6 to 8 tablespoons freshly grated cheese, preferably Parmigiano reggiano.

Rinse the slivered cabbage and chard. Steam for about 15 minutes in the water clinging to the leaves, adding a tablespoons if necessary to keep the vegetables from scorching. When they are tender but not falling apart set aside.

Meanwhile, combine bacon or pancetta, garlic, parsley, onion and sauté gently in the oil in a heavy stockpot or soup kettle large enough to hold all the vegetables and stock until tender but not brown - about 10 to 15 minutes.

Add remaining vegetables to the pot along with the broth. Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook gently for 20 to 30 minutes, just until vegetables are tender. Add cabbage and chard with the beans. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste and add salt and pepper if you wish. Stir in the rice and continue cooking for 15 minutes, or until rice is done. Remove from heat and serve with a spoonful of grated cheese on top.

I'm Just a Bread Machine

A nice little fall/winter treat is some homemade bread. Yes, it takes most of the day, but it's worth it and not all active time. Plus, it has the added bonus of working those arm muscles! Your house will be toasty and warm, not to mention smell so tasty.

I made brioche just a few days ago. This recipe makes 2 loaves so I froze one and used the other for toast (with apricot jam!). I'm just sure it would make a delightful French toast. Stay tuned for a savory bread pudding with brioche . . .

I made mine in 2 loaf pans. You can also use traditional brioche pans and make some hamburger rolls, or muffin tins.

Brioche

Silver Palate Cookbook

2 Loaves

2 cups Milk

½ lb (2 sticks) sweet butter

¼ cup granulated sugar

2 packages active dry yeast

4 teaspons salt

3 eggs, room temperature

8 cups bread flour

2-3 tablespoons vegetable oil

Combine milk, butter and sugar in sauce pan and bring to boil. Remove from heat and pour into large mixing bowl. Cool to lukewarm ( 105-115 degrees F).

Stir in yeast and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the salt. Beat eggs thoroughly in small bowl and add to the milk mixture. Stir in 7 cups of the flour, 1 at a time, until you achieve a sticky dough. Flour a work surface and turn the dough out onto it. Wash and dry bowl.

Sprinkle additional flour over the dough and begin to knead it, adding more flour as necessary until you achieve a smooth, elastic dough, about 10 minutes.

Pour 2-3 tablespoons of vegetable oil into the bowl. Turn the ball of dough in the oil to coat well. Set dough aside, covered with a towel, to rise until tripled in bulk, about 2 hours.

Punch dough down, turn out onto a lightly floured work surface, and knead for about 2 minutes. Return dough to the bowl, cover, and let rise again until doubled.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Dough is now ready to be formed. If you are baking it in loaf pans, use 2 pans 9 x 5 x 3 inches, lightly buttered. For traditional brioche, use muffin tins or imported brioche molds, available in varying sizes from cookware shops. Let formed loaves rise until nearly doubled.

Bake for 30-40 minutes or until golden brown. Loaves will sound hollow when thumped on the bottom. Cool slightly before unmolding; cool completely before wrapping.