Oven Roasted Pear with Gorgonzola, Apricots and Pecans

3 ripe but firm Anjou pears

Freshly squeezed lemon juice

4 oz coarsely crumbles gorgonzola cheese

¼ cup diced dried apricots

1 tbs Panko crumbs

¼ cup soft butter

¼ cup pecans toasted and chopped

½ cup apple juice

¼ cup melted butter

¼ cup sugar

Freshly ground pepper

Peel pears and slice them lengthwise into half’s. With a melon baller remove the core from each pear, leaving a round well for the filling. Trim a small slice of each pear, so the will not wobble. Blend the cheese, apricots, pecans, butter and bread crumbs in a bowl, season with fresh ground black pepper. Dip pear half’s in the melted butter, then in the sugar, place them cut side down on a cookie sheet and pour the apple juice over the pears and bake at 375 degrees for 15 min, remove from oven and fill with the cheese filling, return to oven a bake until done, basting the pears with the pan jus. Let rest before serving for 5 min, drizzle the remaining pan jus over the pars and serve with mixed green salad.

Three Vinegar Vinaigrette!

1½ cup olive oil

½ cup equal parts sherry vin, white balsamic vin and red wine vinegar

1 small garlic clove crushed

½ tea spoon sugar

2-3 dashed Worcestershire sauce

1 finely chopped shallot

½ teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper to taste

Some fresh chopped herbs {chives, parsley and thyme}

Wisk all ingredients except olive oil in a bowl, then slowly wisk the olive oil to the mixture, let sit a room temp for 30 min. Finish to taste before serving.

Chilean Sea Bass

6 6oz Portions of skinless Sea Bass or Salmon Filet

Salt and pepper

Juice of one Lemon

3 dashes of L&P Sauce

1 Ts Herbs de Provence

2 Tbs Olive Oil

2 Tbs Butter

Season Sea Bass with salt and pepper and squeeze lemon juice over the filets with a few dashed of Worcestershire sauce, let marinate for a few minutes.

Heat olive oil and butter in a sauté pan, when it start foaming place the sea bass filet dusted with herbs de Provence in the pan and caramelize until golden brown.

Pre heat oven to 375, bake sea bass for 7 minutes.

Drizzle the Fish with soy caramel sauce, top with thinly sliced pickled ginger and scallions. Enjoy !

Rice Cakes with Shitake Mushrooms

2.5 cups sushi rice

5.5 to 6 cups chicken stock

1 cup Mirin { sweet }

¼ cup soy sauce

¼ cup sesame seed oil

¼ cup chopped ginger

2 tbs chopped garlic

1 tbs chopped shallots

1 bunch scallions thinly sliced

7-10 shitake mushrooms sliced

Salt and pepper

In a heavy bottom sauce pan heat the sesame seed oil until medium hot, add garlic, ginger and shallots, stir for 1 min, add ½ the chopped scallions, sauté for 1 min, add rice and stir to coat well, stir for 1 min, deglaze with Mirin and 1 cup of warm chicken stock.

Cook risotto style over med to low heat until all the stock is used or until rice is cooked well, ad remaining scallions and soy, season to taste.

Grease sheet pan with Pam spray, spread rice evenly with spatula and set in refrigerator.

When rice is totally chilled { over night is great } using a round cutter from rice cakes and fry in small batches in non stick pan until crispy. Enjoy as a side dish.

On Saturday, November 14th, Green Mountain Academy for Lifelong Learning’s executive director, Gloria Palmer treated an audience of ten to an apple pie demonstration.  This class was part of GMALL’s Culinary Series and sponsored by Vermont Kitchen Supply of Manchester Center, Vermont.  Gloria assembled three different variations of the apple pie:  a Maple-Apple Pie with a Lattice Top Crust, an Apple Pie with a Cheddar-Brown Sugar Crumb Topping, and a Rustic Open-Faced Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie.  Each of the pies were made with a butter pastry.

Buttery Pie Pastry

Single crust: Double crust:

1 ¼ cup flour 2 ½ cup flour

½ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon sugar 1 teaspoon sugar

1 stick of butter, chilled 2 sticks of butter, chilled

¼ cup ice water ½ cup ice water

Combine flour, salt and sugar. Cut the butter into small cubes and add to flour mixture. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into flour until the butter is the size of small peas.

Sprinkle the cold water over the flour mixture and work the dough with a fork, adding more water by tablespoons, until it is evenly moistened and begins to clump together. Press the dough together with your hands to make a ball and flatten into discs.

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Maple-Apple Lattice Pie

1 double crust pastry

Filling:

5 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced (I used Golden Delicious)

½ cup light brown sugar

3 Tablespoons butter, melted

6 Tablespoons maple syrup

Egg Glaze:

1 egg

1Tablespoon water

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

With floured rolling pin, roll out one pastry disc into a round 2 inches larger than pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

In medium bowl, mix apples, brown sugar, butter and maple syrup. Place in pastry lined pie plate. Trim overhang close to rim of plate.

Roll out second pastry disc. With pastry wheel, cut strips about ½ inch wide.

Mix egg and water. With a pastry brush, paint glaze on the pastry around the pie rim. Weave the strip into a lattice design and trim around the rim. Take any extra pastry dough and cut out maple leaf shapes with cookie cutters. Brush egg glaze on top of lattice and place leaves around the rim.

Bake for 50 minutes until golden.

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Apple Pie with Cheddar-Brown Sugar Crumb Crust

1 single crust pastry

Filling:

5 medium sized apples, peeled and sliced (I used MacIntosh)

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Juice of 1 lemon

Crumb Topping:

½ cup flour

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

4 Tablespoons butter, chilled, cut into small cubes

½ cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pie pastry to a round about 2 inches larger than the pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

Mix together sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Add sliced apples and lemon juice. Toss to thoroughly coat the apples with sugar mixture. Spoon apples into pastry lined pie plate. Turn the pastry dough edge under and crimp or flute to seal.

For crumb topping, mix together flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter with pastry blender. Add cheddar cheese and toss until thoroughly mixed. Sprinkle on top of apples.

Bake for 50 minutes until golden.

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Open-Faced Rustic Apple-Pear-Cranberry Pie

1 single crust pastry

Filling:

3 medium sized apples (Cortland)

2 medium sized pears (Anjou)

1 cup of fresh cranberries

¾ cup sugar

¼ cup flour

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 Tablespoon orange juice

½ teaspoon orange peel

Heat oven to 400 degrees.

Roll out pie pastry to a round about 2 inches larger than the pie plate. Fold pastry in half and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into the plate.

Mix together filling ingredients. Spoon apples into pastry lined plate. Take the edges of pastry and fold over and crimp loosely.

Bake for 50 minutes until golden.

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ENJOY!