DP and I are really enjoying some fancy cooking tonight for our new years eve dinner. It's funny, we went from "oh gosh, the store closes in an hour and its crazy with no parking, I'll run in and get something" to an elaborate (for two) feast).
When we went shopping for a couple days of food since there wasn't much in the house, DP was stressing about it, wanting something fancy, and I was stressing over the lack of meal plan.
20 minutes and the produce/general store and butcher later,
and we are having:
Roasted duck with caramelized onions and caramel gravy
Sauted local chard
mashed sweet potatos
and probably some leftover caramel sauce for dessert.
(with a pasta, veggies and cheese or cream or leftover duck dish option, cheese sandwhiches, sauted radicchio, comice pears, and more in the next few days when stores are closed/and then shabbat when I don't shop.)
I'm feeling pretty good and proud. And really having fun.
And boy, did the caramel sauce turn out great.
Caramel sauce:
Boil an equal amount of water and palm sugar in a pot. It will boil really really fast. Let it keep going, even as it starts to get really really low, until it gets very very very dark in patches and the bubbles are slowing down and getting bigger (seriously, hold yourself back, it is really hard not to say "oh no, it will boil dry and ruin my pan" or "oh no, it will burn soon" but the deeper it gets the better the flavor. Once its good and dark, pour in some cream and turn off the heat. How much cream? less than the amount of sugar, for sure. add some little peices of butter and stir until homogenous. Add a dash of vanilla and some salt.
I just learned the trick about adding the water when you caramelize the sugar. It slows down the caramelization, and makes it much easier to get deep caramelization without burning it.
I hope you have a wonderful new years, and enjoy cooking up sumptous or simple TF feasts. Tell me all about them!!
When we went shopping for a couple days of food since there wasn't much in the house, DP was stressing about it, wanting something fancy, and I was stressing over the lack of meal plan.
20 minutes and the produce/general store and butcher later,
and we are having:
Roasted duck with caramelized onions and caramel gravy
Sauted local chard
mashed sweet potatos
and probably some leftover caramel sauce for dessert.
(with a pasta, veggies and cheese or cream or leftover duck dish option, cheese sandwhiches, sauted radicchio, comice pears, and more in the next few days when stores are closed/and then shabbat when I don't shop.)
I'm feeling pretty good and proud. And really having fun.
And boy, did the caramel sauce turn out great.
Caramel sauce:
Boil an equal amount of water and palm sugar in a pot. It will boil really really fast. Let it keep going, even as it starts to get really really low, until it gets very very very dark in patches and the bubbles are slowing down and getting bigger (seriously, hold yourself back, it is really hard not to say "oh no, it will boil dry and ruin my pan" or "oh no, it will burn soon" but the deeper it gets the better the flavor. Once its good and dark, pour in some cream and turn off the heat. How much cream? less than the amount of sugar, for sure. add some little peices of butter and stir until homogenous. Add a dash of vanilla and some salt.
I just learned the trick about adding the water when you caramelize the sugar. It slows down the caramelization, and makes it much easier to get deep caramelization without burning it.
I hope you have a wonderful new years, and enjoy cooking up sumptous or simple TF feasts. Tell me all about them!!
