Monique's Recipes

aka. Duck in Orange Sauce

My version of this classic french dish includes rosemarry. Its unusual and utterly fabulous if i do say so myself.

Its best prepared with a whole duch but you can use 'parts' if you prefer.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

1 plump defrosted duck (with set aside)

4 duck legs (ducks don't have much meat on them so if you are planning to serve more than two people you will need to add additional duck meat

1 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice with the pulp

32 fl oz / 1 quart of chicken broth

1/2 lb of traditional rough cut marmalade (that's about half a jar - i know that sounds like a lot)

1.5 tblsp of better than buillon - broth concentrate (chicken is fine but turkey works even better)

3 large onions chopped

1 tbsp of rough ground sea salt

6 x 5" sprigs of rosemary (5 left whole and 1 pulled off the twig)

2 tsps of ground corriander seed

1.5 tsps of fresh ground pepper

1 tsp of olive oil

1lb - 1.5 lbs of baby potatos

1/4 cup of Grand Marnier (orange liqueur)

1 whole orange

Other things you will need:

Medium sauce pan

Large baking pan with lid (or use a baking sheet if you don't have a lid for it)

wooden spoon

platter for serving

gravy boat or small jug for the gravy

Instructions:

In a medium sized sauce pan combine the chicken broth, broth concentrate, marmalade, rosemary (off the twig) and orange juice.

On medium heat, stir to help it melt the ingredients.  This should take about 5 minutes or so. Then add the Grand Marnier

Prepare a large roasting pan by putting 2/3rds of the chopped onions in the bottom with 3 whole sprigs of rosemarry. arrange the potatoes around the edge.

Stuff the duck with 1/3rd of the onions and 1 whole sprig of rosemary

Put the duck and duck legs on top of the bed of veggies

Poor the orange / broth mixture over the top of it, making sure to get some inside the duck cavity.

Cook covered in a preheated oven at 420F for 1 hours

Remove the duck legs and set them aside

Continue cooking the duck for another half an hour uncovered

Add the duck legs back in and cook for 10 - 15 minutes more uncovered.

(total cooking time 1 and 3/4 hours)

To serve:

poor off the liquid into a gravy boat

arange the duck and duck legs on a platter with the potatoes, slices or orange and the last two whole sprigs of rosemarry.

This is a rich dish, so consider serving it with a bitter green vegetale like kale or chard.

Perfect with a dry sparkline wine or champagne.

Its time that the much maligned fruitcake was restored to its former place of favor. This lovely wheat free recipe is my contribution to the cause ;) This recipe is great for wedding cakes in the traditional european style, good old english christmas cake or just for tea. If you are going to give it to someone as a gift, make sure that they like fruitcake first.

Ingredients:

400g dates (pitted)

450g of sultanas (yellow raisins)

450g of raisins

300g of prunes (pitted)

8 oz of flour replacement like 'Bob's Red Mill' gluten free flour, or if you can't find that then use 1/3rd potato flour, 1/3rd garbonzo bean / chick pea flour and 1/3rd tapioca flour.

8oz almond meal (ground almond)

3oz of hazelnut meal (ground hazelnut).

16oz of walnuts or pecans

2oz of macademia nuts

5oz of unsalted butter

3oz of veggie shortening

1 tsp of baking powder

2 tsp of real vanilla essence

5 eggs

5oz candied orange peel (the one made with sugar rather than corn syrup preferably)

8 oz of candied ginger (yes i know that's a lot) - leave it in large pieces or chop small if preferred.

2 cups of spiced rum

1 cup of mead, marsala or other sweet wine liqueur

1 cup of apple sauce

5 tsps of cinnamon (ground)

1 tsp of ground cardamom seed

1 tsp of fresh ground nutmeg

1/2 tsp of salt

You will also need:

grease proof paper

10 or 12" round tin

mixing bowl

liquidizer

wooden spoon

oven

Instructions:

Soak the sultanas and raisins in the rum for at least 24 hours (preferably 48), stirring once or twice to make sure they all get access to the alcohol. The fruit should absorbe all the liquid.

Preheat oven to 250 F

Mix all the ingredients except the eggs and walnuts in a very large bowl

(i suggest that you tick each one off on a printed list to make sure that you don't forget anything)

Liquidize 4 - 6 cups of the mixture with the five eggs

Recombine the liquidized batter with the mixture,

Add the walnuts and mix them in

Prepare the tin (see instructions below)

poor mixure into the tin

carefully cover with the other circle of grease proof paper

Put it in the oven for 4 and a quarter hours - 4 and a half hours.

Take out and allow it to cool for at least 30 minutes before removing it from the tin (it will fall apart if you don't let it cool first.)

Preparing the tin:

Using a 10 - 12" round tin that's about 4" tall (or loaf tins if you prefer)

grease the sidea and bottom

cut two circles of grease proof paper to fit the botom of the tin

put one in the bottom of the tin

cut a 1" whole in the center of the other one and set it aside.

cut a long strip of grease proof paper (4inches wide x 40" should be more than enough)

(you can keep the off cuts for another cake

place around the inside of the sides of the tin

• 1/2 cup melted ghee or butter
• 1/2 cup of half and half
• 1 cup of apple sauce
• 2 medium eggs
• 1/3 cup dark sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup flour substitute
• 1 teaspoon baking soda

Ideally cook this in an iron skillet for an extra crunchy crusty edge. Otherwise muffin tins or a regular 9" cake pan will do.. Smear some button on the inside of the pan or tin(s), and then put the pan into the oven at 400° allowing the butter to melt, and the pan to heat.

Combine all of the ingredients, whisking to make sure that there are no lumps left. Pour into your tin or pan and then bake at 400° for about 25 minutes if you are making one big one or at for 20 minutes if cooking in muffin tins. The edges will be golden brown and will pull away from the sides of the pan. Remove the pan from the oven and let it cool a little while before slicing.

Sake marinated Chicken thighs


.5 litre of soy sauce
1 litres of cheap sake

Marinate Chicken in soy and sake for 2+ hrs - then bbq

keep 1 cup of the soy sauce and all of the sake add a pint of chicken stock
and 2 table spoons of butter

cook down for 20 minutes add sauteed onions cook for another 5 minutes

Use as a sauce for the BBQ chicken

Gluten Free Pecan pie

Pie crust:

    1 cup of ground hazelnuts

    1 cup of flour replacement (this is a all purpose flour blend composed of potato flour, garbonzo flour etc)

    I Teaspoon Salt

    1 Tablespoon Sugar

    6 Tablespoons Butter (not unsalted)

    6 Tablespoons Shortening

    6 to 8 Tablespoons Ice Water 


Warm the butter until it is soft but not melted. (best to leave out at room temperature for an hour or so)

1. Mix in a large bowl:

    2 Cups Flour / ground hazelnuts

    I Teaspoon Salt

    1 Tablespoon Sugar

    Then mix in:

    6 Tablespoons Butter

    6 Tablespoons Shortening

    6 to 8 Tablespoons Ice Water

2. Wrap your pie crust in plastic wrap; then, place it in the refrigerator for at least 20 minutes or as long as it takes you to make the pie filling. 



Filling:

    1 Cup Brown rice syrup

    1 Cup Brown Sugar

    1/3 Teaspoon Salt

    1/3 Cup Melted Butter

    1 Teaspoon Vanilla

    3 Eggs

    2 Cups Roasted Pecans


1. Preheat oven to 350.

2. Start by roasting pecan nuts

Two cups of pecans nuts in dry frying pan.
cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, stiring constantly.
When nuts are toasted, turn off heat and leave in pan. do not cover.

3. Melt butter

4. Mix together in the mixing bowl:

        1 Cup Brown rice syrup
        1 Cup Brown Sugar
        1/3 Teaspoon Salt
        1/3 Cup Melted Butter
        1 Teaspoon Vanilla
        2/3 teaspoon cinamon
       
5. Mix eggs slightly.. don't beat the eggs, you don't want them to look homogenized

6.Add the  eggs to the batter and stir until the batter looks as it did before you added the eggs.

7. Pour the pecan pie filling into pie shell.
 
8. Sprinkle the 2 cups of roasted pecans on top of the pecan pie filling. Some pecans will sink into the filling; while, others will remain on top. Now, put your pie in a preheated oven set to 350F for 1 hour to an hour and 10 minutes.

9. After the pie has been in the oven for about 30 minutes, take it out, and put strips of tinfoil around the edge to keep the pie crust from burning. Be careful not to spill you pie! The filling is runny and quite hot. Then, put the pie back in the oven.
       
10. Test at 1 hr (depending on your oven it might be ready) or put back in for 10 minutes more.

lemon chicken coriander soup

Stock
4 chicken necks
2 turkey necks
2 carots corsely chopped
3 inches of ginger corsely chopped
dark green end of two leaks corsely chopped
1 small bunch of greens - about 2 - 3 cups when chopped (collard or mustard, chard or kale)
2 tsp of salt
1 bay leaf
2 kefir lime leaf
filtered water to cover plus 4 - 6 inches more (apx 1.5 gallons)

Put it all in the pot and cook for 2 hours
strain
(you can use the cooked turkey and chicken meat for a chicken salad or pot stickers)

Soup
1 whole chicken
1 large onion
2 leak (trip the dark ends off and use for stock)
3 inches of ginger finely chopped
1 small turnip chopped
1 small rudabager chopped
1 carrot chopped
1 bunch cilantro chopped
1 tbls of dried ground coriander
1 tsp of whole coriander seeds
1 tsp of ground cardamom
1 tbls of groud fennel
1 tsp of fennel seeds

1 fennel (sweet anise root) chopped
2 tsp of salt

3 egg yolks
juice of 2 lemons
5 tbls of olive oil

Caremelize onions and leaks in 2 tbls of olive oil
remove from pan place in a pirex dish
in the same pan cover and brown the chicken for 20 minutes in 3 tbls of olice oil
add salt, ginger and spices cook for another 5 minutes
add veggies
add 3 quarts of (90 fluid oz apx) stock (see above for stock recipe)
Cook for an hour to an hour and a half
put cooked onions and leeks back in cook for another half hour.
beat lemon juice and egg yolks with a little broth
add the egg mixture to the soup
add the corriander, not more than a minute or two before serving.

Lamb Provencal

2 lamb shanks
1 can of green olives stuffed with anchovies (pitted calamata olives will work if you can't find these)
1 can of tomato puree (sauce not concentrate)
1 cup of red wine
2 table spoons of herb de provence
1 can of anchovies in olive oil
1 - 2 quarts of veggie or chicken stock

Marinate lamb shanks in anchovies, red wine and herbs over night
Add tomato puree and olives
Add enough veggie or chicken stock to almost cover
Bake at 375F for 1.5 hour

Serve over a bed of chard or with roast veggies

Gazpacho

Ingredients:
20 yellow bell pepper, coarsely chopped
20 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
20 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
10 pints cucumber, seeded, peeled and coarsely chopped
24 pounds plum tomatoes, peeled and halved, (fresh preferably, diced canned will do in a pinch if unseasoned)
10 pints / 5 quarts of tomato sauce
2 cups Oregano chopped, fresh
2 cups Parsley chopped, fresh
2 cups Basil chopped, fresh
2 cups Marjoram chopped, fresh
4 cups chopped cilantro leaves
2.5 tbls garlic salt
2.5 tbls black pepper
70 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
3 tbls salt
1/5 cup tabasco
16oz dijon mustard
1.5 cups Worcestershire sauce
3/4 - 1 cup of sugar
5 cups of lemon juice
1 3/4 cups balsamic vinegar - optional
14 cups cooked medium grind bulgur wheat (cook 4 cups of the uncooked bulgar to make apx 14 cups cooked)
40 cups = 20 pints of vegi stock (1 jar of better than bouillon vegi stock and 40 cups of water)
40 cups = 20 pints of water (in addition to the stock)
20 cups = 10 pints of tomato juice
20 purple onions, very finely chopped
20 cups = 5 litres olive oil

Directions: Chuck it all in a blender, (or several blenders:) and give it a buzz.
serves 400 apx

Flourless Banana Bread

Makes 18 cupcakes or 2 12 x 8 x 1 inch sheet cakes

1.5 cups of mashed bananas (roughly about 4 good sized bananas)
2 big tblsp of flax seed meal
2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs
1 cup of 'flourless' flour substitute (it comes ready made or you can make it yourself with garbonzo bean flouer and potato flour)
1/3rd cup of walnut oil
1.5 - 2 tsp of ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 cup finely chopped pecan nuts
1/2 cup of walnut halves
3/4 cup of ground hazelnuts
3 tbls of melted gee
3 tbls of melted vegi shortening
2/3rd cup of brown sugar
2 tbsp of golden syrup
2 tsp of vanilla extract


4 tblsp of gee / veggi shortening to grease the pan(s)

Preheat oven to 425F
Beat eggs roughly
Mix all the incredients together
Grease pan
put in pan
Bake for 15 - 18 mins depending on the size of the pan

====

Icing options:
Ginger icing
2x4 inch block of coconut butter melted
3 tbls of crystalized ginger preserve or ginger jam
1 tsp of lemon juice


Chestnut icing
2x4 inch block of coconut butter melted
3 tbls of crystalized chestnut puree