Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen

The winner of the Mary-James Lawrence cookbook is Ruth Swanto. Thank you everyone for participating.  I will be in touch Ruth.

Back before 2000, we lived in Greensboro, NC. for many years.  We were fortunate to have a Gourmet cooking school and shop called Roosters.  Mary James Lawrence, the owner and instructor was an inspiration to many Greensboro residents.  I took many cooking classes there, not only from Mary James, but from several other professionals in the food industry.  Ben and Karen Barker, James Beard Award winning chefs, were two of them. Their Durham restaurant, Magnolias, since closed, was one of our favorite destinations and their cookbook, Not Afraid of Flavor, holds a special place on my cookbook shelf.   Shirley Corriher, author of the biochemist’s take on food, Cookwise, was another.  There was a time when everyone in Greensboro was making her Spicy Firecrackers; a seasoned saltine cracker. Mary James brought in many people from the cooking scene.

In 2007 Mary James published a cookbook.  It is now out of print, but I was fortunate to get several of them from Mary James.  I would like to share this wonderful cookbook with one lucky winner.  All you have to do is leave a comment  I will number the comments and draw a winning number.

There are so many wonderful recipes in this cookbook.  Many of them come from the popular deli that Roosters had.  It was called Roosters on the Run and was a great place to grab a ready made meal.  Everything from meatloaf to chicken salad to the famous Roosters chocolate cookies.  But this recipe for Pork Tenders with Onion Marmalade, Mustard Cream Sauce and Raspberries really appealed to me.  I am always looking for attractive and tasty dishes to serve to company and this fills the bill.  The onion marmalade made with raspberry vinegar centers the plate.  The pork tenderloin medallions napped with mustard cream sauce surround it and the fresh raspberries add fresh vibrancy to the presentation.

Mary James now leads groups on tours to Southern France.  You can find her on her blog.  Roosters is now closed, but I and many residents of Greensboro are thankful for all of the memories and cooking advice that we received.  Thank you Mary James Lawrence.

PORK TENDERS WITH ONION MARMALADE, MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE AND RASPBERRIES

2 Pork Tenderloins
1/4  cup Dr. Pete’s Burgundy Marinade or your favorite marinade
2 (3-inch) pieces rosemary

ONION MARMALADE
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large onions (10 cups), slice thin
1/2 cup raspberry vinegar
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon paprika
salt and freshly ground black pepper

MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE
3 tablespoons minced shallot
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup white wine
2 cups cream
2 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dried thyme

Fresh raspberries (garnish)

Trim tenderloins of fat and silver skin.  Place in Ziploc bag.  Add marinade and rosemary branches.  Marinate for 6 to 8 hours in the refrigerator.

Prepare charcoal grill or preheat gas grill.  Add tenderloins and grill to internal temperature of 165 degrees.

ONION MARMALADE
In a large saute pan, heat olive oil.  Add onions and saute until beginning to caramelize.  Add the raspberry vinegar, honey, and paprika.  Reduce until thickened and glazed.  Season to taste.  Ten cups of onions yields about 3 1/2 to 4 cups marmalade.

MUSTARD CREAM SAUCE
In a 2-quart sauce pan or saucier, sate shallots in olive oil until beginning to brown.  Deglaze with white wine.  Whisk in cream and mustard.  Add thyme.  Reduce to coating consistency.  Can do ahead.  Store in refrigerator.

TO SERVE
Slice pork into 1/2 medallions.  Place small mound of Onion Marmalade in center of plate.  Surround with several pork medallions.  Puddle Mustard Cream Sauce on or just in front of meat.  Sprinkle with fresh raspberries.

Printable Recipe

The weather is frightful.  The skies are grey.  But the light still burns in our homes and on our hearths. We have put away the trappings of the holidays and are hunkering down for the long dark days of Winter. Warming soups and bread fresh from the oven are my preferred ways to fight the winter doldrums. And a great soup to brighten your days is this Jamaican inspired recipe.

With the bright additions of curry and allspice, this chicken, black bean and black-eyed pea soup hits all the right notes.  I added Himalayan red rice to the mix because I had it in my pantry.  I found it while cleaning out dated foodstuff.  Sometimes impulse buys get shoved into corners.   Himalayan Red Rice is grown in Nepal and has a red hued bran.  It is colorful for pilafs.

We have a snow storm predicted for the mountains this weekend so I am happy to have a pot of soup and homemade Rosemary Olive Oil Bread stashed away.  Cooking is a good way to survive anything nature throws at you.

JAMAICAN CHICKEN SOUP

1 lb. boneless chicken breast, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1/4 cup red wine
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen black-eyed peas, thawed
1 (28-ounce) can diced tomatoes
2 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups cooked rice (I used Himalayan Red Rice)

Heat oil in a dutch oven.  Add chicken pieces and saute until browned.  Remove chicken and set aside.  Add onion to casserole and cook until transparent.  Add garlic and saute for 30 seconds.  Add all of the spices and cook over low heat for about 1 minute.  Add wine and reduce slightly.  Return chicken to casserole and add the remaining ingredients.  Cover pot.  Bring to a boil and then reduce to low and cook for at least 30 minutes.  Garnish with parsley or cilantro if desired.

Printable Recipe

 

The place to be at Christmastime if you love Gingerbread houses is the Grove Park Inn in Asheville, NC.  It began with a few gingerbread houses built by members of the community in 1992.  No one had any idea that two decades later the Grove Park Inn National Gingerbread House Competition would be one of the nation’s most celebrated and competitive holiday events.  The event has attracted the highest quality of competition and the best judges in the United States.

The Grove Park Inn is the perfect venue for displaying the Gingerbread houses.  With fires burning in its many fireplaces and immense Christmas trees everywhere, the setting is something right out of a Victorian masterpiece.  Christmas magic is in the air.

The winner, from Innisfil, Ontario Canada, created her “Dream House”.  The gingerbread castle features Gothic spires and arches – an inspired sugar-filled creation.  The details were amazing.

Another view of the detailed work.

3rd Place went to a local Asheville resident whose gingerbread sculpture “The Bakers”, featured two gingerbread cookies baking gingerbread.

Of the top ten winners, this was one of my favorites because of its unique colors and whimsical theme.

I also loved the detail on this entry.  There were so many beautiful gingerbread houses.  I have not made a gingerbread house before, but this competition has inspired me.  What I have made is a delicious gingerbread cake.

I have blogged about this before, but it is perfect for Christmas and full of freshly ground spices and fresh ginger.  The recipe comes from Ruth Reichl and was featured in her novel Delicious!  I think that you will agree that this is just what you need for dessert during the holidays.  I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  May the holidays bring you joy and peace.

BILLIE’S GINGERBREAD ( From Delicious! by Ruth Reichl )

CAKE:
Whole black peppercorns
Whole cloves
Whole cardamom
1 cinnamon stick (I used 2)
2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup sour cream
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
2 large pieces fresh ginger root (1/4 cup, tightly packed, when finely grated)
Zest from 2 to 3 oranges (1 1/2 teaspoons finely grated)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 6 cup Bundt pan.

Grind your peppercorns, cloves, and cardamom (individually) and measure out 1/4 teaspoon of each (You can use pre-ground spices, but the cake won’t taste as good.)  Grind your cinnamon stick and measure out 1 teaspoon (Again, you can use ground cinnamon if you must.)

Whisk the flour with the baking powder, baking soda, spices, and salt in a small bowl.

In another small bowl, whisk the eggs and egg yolk into the sour cream.  Set aside.

Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer until the mixture is light, fluffy, and almost white.  This should take about 3 minutes.

Grate the ginger root-this is a lot of ginger-and the orange zest.  Add them to the butter/sugar mixture.

Beat the flour mixture and the egg mixture, alternating between the two, into the butter until each addition is incorporated.  The batter should be as luxurious as mousse.

Spoon batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 40 minutes, until cake is golden and a wooden skewer comes out clean.

Remove to a rack and cool in the pan for 10 minutes.

SOAK:
1/2 cup bourbon
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar

While the cake cools in its pan, simmer the bourbon and the sugar in a small pot for about 4 minutes.  It should reduce to about 1/3 cup.

While the cake is still in the pan, brush half the bourbon mixture onto its exposed surface (the bottom of the cake) with a pastry brush.  Let the syrup soak in for a few minutes, then turn the cake out onto a rack (I used a serving plate).

Gently brush the remaining mixture all over the cake.

GLAZE
3/4 cup powdered sugar, sifted or put through a strainer
5 teaspoons orange juice

Once the cake is cooled, mix the sugar with the orange juice and either drizzle the glaze randomly over the cake or put it in to a squeeze bottle and do a controlled drizzle.

Printable Recipe

My cottage was supposed to be on a local Christmas Tour this year.  Since it has a country French look to it, we decided to carry the theme throughout the house.  David downloaded some lovely Christmas carols sung in French and I made Eiffel Tower sugar cookies and a French Cake from Mimi Thorisson.  Because of the fire on the mountain, the tour was cancelled . . . so, I ended up with a freezer full of cookies and this delicious cake.

The sugar cookies are simple.  Use your favorite sugar cookie recipe.  I used this one from Alton Brown. You can use royal icing or any white icing that you prefer.  Sprinkle with gold sparkles and the Eiffel Towers will glow as if they were lit.  I bought my eiffel tower cookie cutter on line.

I received French Country Cooking by Mimi Thorisson in October.  I had pre-ordered it from Amazon.  This is her second book and it is just as delightful as her first book, A Kitchen in France.  She says about this salted butter chocolate cake “This is the dessert I make when I don’t know what dessert to make.  It sounds like a second choice, but it’s not at all.  It’s the popular choice, the one that I know everybody will always like and that never goes out of fashion.  The salted butter is a subtle touch; you can taste it, but I’m careful never to let it overpower the chocolate, which would be hard anyway, because this cake is just so chocolate-y.  I like to bake this cake so it’s set but still moist, but my kids often ask me to take it out a minute or two earlier so it’s runny and delicious.  The choice is yours.”

All of these treats will remain in the freezer until Christmas.  It feels good to have a stash of goodies ready to go for family and friends.

SALTED BUTTER CHOCOLATE CAKE (Mimi Thorisson)

6 1/2 Tablespoons Salted Butter, plus more for the pan
8 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped
6 large eggs
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon Fleur de Sel
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
A Handful of Red Berries or Currants
Confectioners’ Sugar for Serving

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.  Grease a 9-inch cake pan with butter and line the bottom with a round of parchment paper.

Pour an inch or two of water into a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.  Combine the butter and chocolate in a heatproof bowl and set on top of the pan of simmering water.  Stir until the butter and chocolate are melted.  Remove from the heat and let cool for 10 minutes.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and sugar until light and fluffy.  In another bowl, sift the flour and add the fleur de sel.

Stir the melted chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.  Add the vanilla.  Fold in the flour until just combined.  Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 30 minutes.

Let cool in the pan for at least 1 hour before unmolding.  Serve topped with berries, if desired, and a sprinkling of confectioners’ sugar.

Printable Recipe

It has been rainy days and clouds for the last week.  We are happy for it because it has stopped the raging fires that have endangered our lives for weeks.  We feel for the people affected by the fires in Gatlinburg, as they were impacted much more than our community.  Our community sent much needed resources to the firefighters in their area.  These few weeks have been a time of reflection, thankfulness and love of neighbors.

I haven’t had much time to cook. Photography ops show only grey skies and low light.  So, for at least for the moment, I will rely on previous posts to convey my love of the season.  The food in December is a labor of love.  A beautiful entree is required.  It shows your guests that they and the holidays are special. This first dish, above, is one that David made for Christmas a few years ago.  It is now our Christmas Beef Short Rib Recipe.  It looks like the season with the red tomatoes and green beans and is absolutely delicious.

One of my triumphs in recipe development is this Maple-Glazed Stuffed Pork Tenderloin that I entered in a Food52 recipe contest.  It was a finalist for the top spot.  This is a beautiful entree wrapped in bacon and drizzled with honey.  Your guests will love it.

The final entree is somewhat humble, but one of my favorites because it was what my Mother served to guests when she was entertaining.  It is a Ham Loaf with a thick sweet glaze that will have you licking your fingers.  It is simple but festive with the cross hatching and a glistening cloak.

I hope this brings you inspiration for the holidays.