Russian Monday: Roasted Lemony Duck with Buttery Quince - “Utka & Aiva”

Many people, when they think of duck, think only of roast duck. In reality there are so many interesting ways to prepare duck that, with the real connoisseurs, roast duck often takes a a back seat. For instance, steamed or boiled duck may be attractively combined with vegetables in Chinese-style recipes. Or duck may be braised and served with any one of a number of delicious sauces. But, personally I always come back to roasting the duck, with different herbs, spices, fruits and grains. Here is a recipe I created for upcoming holidays - roasted duck, with ginger and sweet honey, stuffed with lemons. I served it with fried pan buttery quince and few fermented and pickled vegetables. If you looking to cook something different for Christmas I hope you will try my recipe for simple roasted duck.

Smoked Rainbow Trout and Mushrooms Quiche

Perfect for picnics, parties or family suppers, this tasty quiche celebrates a timeless combination: cheese, smoked trout and mushrooms. The ingredients in this light but richly flavored quiche perfectly complement the melt-in-the-mouth pastry, which is made with potatoes.



Ingredients:

For the pastry:

• 1 floury potato, about 4 oz, roughly diced
• 2 cups plain (all-purpose) flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup butter, diced
• 1 small egg, beaten
• about 2 tsp chilled water

For the filling:

• 10 oz hot smoked trout, flaked
• 2 cups mushrooms, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp butter
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 cup milk
• 3 eggs
• 1/2 cup grated Gruyère cheese
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

To make the pastry, cook the diced potato in a pan of lightly salted boiling water for about 15 minutes, or until tender. Drain well through a colander and return the potato too the pan. Mash until smooth and set aside to cool while you make the pastry.

Place the flout in a large bowl and rub or cut in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs. Beat in the potatoes and egg. Bring the mixture together, adding chilled water if needed. Roll out the pastry on a lightly floured surface and use to line a deep 9in round, loose-based, fluted flan tin (quiche pan). Chill for 1 hour.

Position a rack in the lower third of an oven and preheat to 400ºF.

To make the filling, roughly chop the smoked trout into bitesize pieces and set aside. Heat the butter in a large, deep frying pan and add the onions and mushrooms. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally for about 7-10 minutes. Mix with smoked trout and put into the prepared pastry shell.

In a bowl, combine the cream, milk and. Using a whisk or fork, beat until well blended. Stir in some of the cheese and season with salt and black. Pour into the pastry shell and sprinkle the top lightly with remaining cheese.

Bake until the custard is set and the tip of a knife inserted into the center of the custard comes out clean, 35-40 minutes. Remove from the oven and let stand for several minutes before serving.

Quince Cardamom Tapioca Pudding with Homemade Crumbles - Have a Sweet Weekend!

Forgive me for posting a winter dessert today. I was looking for quinces all winter, unable to find them; a couple of days ago finally I got lucky, and here it is.

This recipe comes from many inspirations and memories. I remember one aroma from my childhood when my mother made compote from quince and it was so magically wonderful. I remember eating crepes with quince jam, the best breakfast ever. I never cooked tapioca before so I like to experiment with it and recently I discovered that I love cardamom-)))

This dessert is scrumptious, It takes some time to prepare, and worthwhile every minute of it. I hope you like it as much as I did, save it for next year when quinces are in season or you can make it with pears or peaches, which is certainly going to be  a summer dessert!



Serves 6
Ingredients:
For the poached quinces:

• 3 quinces, peeled, cored and quartered
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 1/2 tsp ground cardamom pods
• 5 cloves
• 1/4 cup (50gr) sugar
• 1 tsp allspice berries
• 1/2 lemon

For the vanilla tapioca:

• 2/3 cup large tapioca pearls
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole milk
• 2 Tbsp honey
• 1 tsp  ground cardamom

For the crumble:

• 1/4 cup brown rice flour
• 1/4 cup white oatmeal flour
• 1/4 cup tapioca flour
• OR 3/4 cup all purpose flour instead if not baking gluten free
• 1/4 cup finely chopped almonds
• 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 1/2 tablespoons almond milk

Directions:

Prepare the cardamom tapioca:
In a medium bowl, soak the tapioca pearls in the water for an hour. Drain and discard the water. In a large saucepan set over medium heat, bring the tapioca, milk, honey and cardamom to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer 20-25 minutes or until the tapioca looks translucent. Remove from the heat and place a piece of plastic wrap right on top to prevent a skin from forming as it cools.



Prepare the quinces:
Place all the ingredients in a large saucepan and add enough water to cover the quinces. Bring the content of the pot to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to low, place a lid halfway over the pot and simmer for 40 minutes to an hour, or until the quinces are soft when you poke a knife through them. Mash the quince with syrup and reserve.



Prepare the crumble:
Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Coat a large baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray.

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl and mix with your fingertips or a fork until the mixture resembles large beads. Spread the beads on the prepared baking sheet and bake, tossing them every so often as they become golden brown for 20 minutes. Let the crumbles cool.



When ready to serve, spoon the quince mixture into the bottom of each of 6 glasses, dividing it evenly. When the tapioca is completely cool, divide it in between the serving glasses on top of the quince mix. Sprinkle with crumbles, again dividing evenly.

Note: You might have leftover crumbles, you can crumble it up over oatmeal for breakfast or over ice cream.