CHICKEN LIVER MOUSSENwith PEAR and CITRUS GARNISH

 I wouldn't even know where to find chicken livers at my grocery store. OK maybe I'm exaggerating, but honestly I don't ever recall seeing them in the meat freezer, and in all of my 35 years of marriage have I served them.

My sister tells the story of some 45 years ago when her and her husband, as newly weds and still a little naive about life, bought their first home after saving their money to do so. Little did they know after putting this money down as a down payment , that there would still be extra costs involved. She recalls how when faced with this dilemma the only choice they had was to cut back on their already meager grocery bill. One option was to buy chicken livers which at the time was the cheapest source of meat . The good news was that for the next 4 months  , she collected about 100 different ways to serve chicken livers. The bad news , her husband now refuses to even look at a chicken liver, let alone eat one!

That being said , I have my own issues with any type of liver, but that's another story. However, I do have a hubby that likes to whip up special little dishes. and  He made this mousse for our special family dinner ,and this was the perfect little appetizer  much to my surprise and very tasty.Everybody agreed.

 This recipe is not one of my sister's but rather our own Ricardo TV cooking show host.  The process starts with melting butter. adding chopped shallots and browning the chicken livers. Season with salt and pepper and deglaze with wine and cognac. Reduce heat and cook until livers are pink in the center.
Transfer to food processor.
Add sugar,oregano &1/4 cup of cream . Puree until smooth.

 Push through a sieve into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes.
In a bowl, whip the remaining cream until soft peaks form.

 Using a spatula, fold the whipped cream into the liver mousse. Adjust the seasoning.

If serving as a teaser, spoon the mousse into individual shooter glasses. Smooth the top and refrigerate  for another 45 minutes or until ready to serve. Or put the entire mousse into a little terrine dish and serve as an appetizer like you would a pate.

Chicken Liver Mousse
1/2 lb. chicken livers. trimmed
2 shallots chopped
2T. unsalted butter
1/4C white wine
1 T cognac
2 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. oregano
3/4C 35% cream
salt/pepper

GARNISH 1 firm pear diced very small
2 tsp. marmalade
2tsp/lemon juice
a few fresh chives
Mix all ingredients

recipe makes 12 shooters.
The morale: Don't turn your nose up to chicken livers, try this recipe and be pleasantly surprised.

RED and GREEN PEPPER JELLY

You know the saying when life hands you lemons make lemonade? Well last week some very good friends gave my sister bags of peppers and well you guessed correctly,  pepper jelly is what we turned it into, and now we have enough to enjoy ourselves and to share as gifts for the holiday.

Here is a sample of the 12 jars that were made from the batch of mostly green, yellow and red peppers.

I searched high and low for a good  pepper jelly recipe, and in the end chose this one from the Chatelaine archives,on YouTube entitled ,'How to make red pepper jelly". www.youtube.com/watch?v=ynNygsa1dll

This recipe is great at breakfast over your bagel and cream cheese, on a cracker on it's own,my husband even puts it over peanut butter , but as we are coming into holiday season why not have some on hand over your warmed Brie wheel or jazz up your jar and give as a house gift with the recipe because after all food is for sharing. Enjoy!

Just in case this link does not work I will include the recipe here.

STERILIZE 3 JARS

6red peppers

3C. sugar(or Splenda substitute follow their direction)

1/2 C. apple cider vinegar

1-2tsp. Tabasco(Chipolte flavored)

1pouch liquid Certo ( pectin)

1.Clean peppers and quarter

2.Pulse and process in a food processor.

3.Drain the peppers and squeeze the pulp through a sieve until you have 1 cup of pepper juice.

4.Over medium heat bring to a boil the juice, sugar, vinegar and Tabasco. Boil for 3 minutes skim off the foam.

5. Add the liquid pectin and bring back to a boil for another minute. If necessary skim off the foam again.

6. Pour into jars,clean off rims and seal.

STRAWBERRIES AND MELONS WITH LIMONCELLO AND FRESH MINT/ PROSCIUTTO-WRAPPED ASPARAGUS

Where has the time gone? I can hardly believe that it is Easter already. The last 2 weeks were spent in Florida for some much needed warmth, and relaxation, and the weather there did not disappoint us. How wonderful to walk in the sand and have the ocean waves come tickling my feet, or just relaxing on the porch catching some rays while reading a good book. It doesn't take much to make me happy. We ate out most evenings and I got my fill of grouper and crabs. We could have stayed for another week, but alas Ron got called to work , and we are going to have an Easter without him. So as a result, I am making a simple breakfast/brunch for my family and friends that are here.
Our LCBO puts out a seasonal book called,'Food & Drink", and it is always filled with wonderful simple recipes that taste good and are easy to make.

The limencello adds just a touch of sugar and superb refreshing flavour to fruit. The fruit can also be cubed if you don't have a melon scooper. I'm not including a recipe as it is self explanatory, don't forget to add some chopped mint to the fruit.

The Prosciutto Wrapped Asparagus is another quick and easy starter that can actually be prepared the day before.

Snap off the bottoms of your asparagus, wash and dry , drizzle with some Olive oil and sprinkle with some salt . Bake in a 400 degree oven for about 5 minutes if thin asparagus are used , a little longer for bigger asparagus. You can also grill them on med. heat on the B.B.Q. or Panini Grill. When cool wrap them with Prosciutto strips, or you can also use Westphalian ham.

I don't have it pictured but a lovely Lemon Aioli would be a great accompaniment to the asparagus.

Here is an easy one.

LEMON AIOLI

1/4 cup mayonnaise

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

2 tsp. lemon juice

pinch of cayenne

Kentucky Appetizers

Much to my surprise Kentucky does have an enviable culinary history , rich with pioneer, native American, African American and mountain folk influences.

Country hams, fresh fish, regional produce and FINE BOURBONS form the basis for a rich and tasty heritage in the kitchen.

I promised you some Kentucky recipes and here are some that I have tried, with you guessed it ...BOURBON as a common theme/additive in most of the recipes. I've started with some appetizers. Future recipes unless otherwise stated, come from a lovely book that I purchased in Somerset Kentucky called, "Adventures in New Kentucky Cooking" by David Domine. To my new friends at the Dawahare Store in Somerset, this menu is for you. Enjoy






Smocked Salmon Patties and Bourbon Dill Sauce

3c fresh salmon,poached, flaked and cooked.

1 smoked salmon chopped

1c fresh bread crumbs

1/4c mayonnaise

1 large egg beaten

2 medium shallots diced

2T. chopped capers

1 tsp. kosher salt

1tsp. fresh ground pepper

1c flour for dredging

1/4c canola oil for frying

Poach fresh salmon by placing a large fillet in a pan of cool salted water and then heating it over medium heat until bubbles start to form around the edge. Turn off heat and let sit for 30 minutes. Remove from liquid and cool.Use a fork to flake fish apart. (don't worry if it isn't cooked through, since it will be fried anyway.) Add reaming ingredients and gently mix. Chill for about 1 hour. Shape into rounds, dredge in flour and fry until golden brown.

BOURBON DILL SAUCE

1c sour cream or thick yogurt

1/2c mayonnaise

3T. bourbon

2T fresh dill chopped

1/2tsp kosher salt

1tsp white pepper

Combine all the ingredients and mix well. Chill for 1 hour and serve with warm salmon patties.




















In recent years. some local tobacco farmers have turned to aquaculture with fortunate results for Bluegrass gastronomy.


BUTTER BEANS

4C canned butter beans or lima beans


2tsp. salt


1tsp.ground cumin


3T. fresh lemon juice


3T.bourbon


6T extra virgin olive oil


6 large cloves garlic, minced


1/2tsp.white pepper

1/4c chopped fresh parsley

Drain canned beans and transfer to a food processor. (If dried beans are used follow package instructions.) Add the remaining ingredients and puree until smooth.Transfer to a bowl and adjust salt and pepper to taste. Drizzle with extra EVOO (optional) and sprinkle with chopped parsley. Or garnish with fresh radish slices or banana pepper rings. Serve with toast slices of sour mash bread.

Butter beans grace many a dinner table in the south and in the hills of eastern Kentucky they were often cooked to a soft mush and served with corm bread. This updated recipe yields a garlicky Bluegrass versing of the traditional Middle Eastern chick-pea humus. If you used lima beans they have a slightly different flavour than butter beans but nevertheless a good substitution.