Confit D' Oignon - French Onion Marmalade

In addition to the jelly Jody and I made, we also made a marmelade.

Confit D' Oignon
French Onion Marmalade

Ingredients

• 1 kg onion, red or yellow, peeled & cut in half & sliced thinly
• 100 ml olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 150 g soft brown sugar
• 75 ml dry white wine
• 75 ml red wine vinegar
• 25 ml balsamic vinegar

Directions

1. In a heavy frying pan, heat up the olive oil and add the finely sliced onions - toss around to make sure they all have a coating of oil.
   
   
2. Cover & cook over a gentle heat until they start to colour.
   
   
3. Add the salt, pepper, bay leaves & rosemary sprigs & cook for a further 20 to 30 minutes, until the herbs have wilted.
   
   
4. Take off the lid and add the sugar, wine & vinegars.
   
   
5. Bring them to the boil and keep stirring al the time; then lower the heat & simmer for about 20 to 30 minutes until the liquid is all dissolved and the onions are soft & sticky.
   
   
6. You will need to be very vigilant towards the end of the cooking - stirring all the time so the onions do not stick and become burnt and scorched.
   
   
7. Pick out the rosemary & bay leaves and spoon the confit into a clean, dry & sterilised jar & seal straight away.
   
   
8. Ready to eat after 2 weeks, but better if kept for at least 1-2 months.

Notes:

• We had issues with the oil during the rendering process. We had to sop most of it out.

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Spiced Cranberry Jelly

One of the recipes that Jody and I made over my annual visit to see here was a Spiced Cranberry Jelly. It turend out fairly well and is delicious.

Spiced Cranberry Jelly

Ingredients

• 48 ounces (or 3 pounds) of fresh or frozen cranberries
• 4 cups of water
• 3 cups of orange juice (or all orange juice or all apple cider)
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 12 whole allspice
• 40 cloves
• 1 T butter
• 1 box regular Sure Jell for jelly making
• 5 cups sugar

Directions

1. Place cranberries, water, juice, cinnamon sticks, whole allspice, cloves, and butter in a large pan. Bring to a boil and simmer, covered for about 15-20 minutes to release juices of cranberries. Almost all berries should burst to know when it is finished simmering. Remove the cinnamon sticks before straining.
   
   
2. Rub through a screen strainer to remove skins and small seeds of cranberries.
   
   
3. At this point you have juice and can follow the directions of the Sure Jell. Which is to bring the juice to a full rolling boil along with the packet of pectin, add the sugar and bring to a full rolling boil for 1 minute.
   
   
4. Ladle into sterilized jars....
   
   
5. I usually end up with around 9 jars for one batch of jelly.

Notes:

• Jody and I agreed that it is a good idea to measure the amount of liquid you have strained to determine the appropriate amount of pectin you need. Yu might get a more liquid jelly like we did if you don't.

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Ham, Fontina and Spinach Bread Pudding

Here is another recipe I am stealing from Jody's Yahoo! 360! Blog. She says, "This is a great winter recipe".

Ingredients

• 1 large baguette
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• 1 lb "cooked" ham, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 4 large eggs
• 4 C whole milk
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/4 tsp grated nutmeg
• 6 C spinach leaves, coarsley chopped
• 3/4 lb fontina cheese, grated*
• black pepper

Directions

1. Preheat broiler
   
   
2. Diagonally cut baguette crosswise into 3/4-inch thick slices and brush both sides with butter. Toast on a baking sheet under broiler until golden. Shut off broiler and preheat oven to 350.
   
   
3. Whisk eggs in a large bowl and whisk in milk, salt, nutmeg, and pepper. Add toasted bread and toss gently. When bread is saturated, transfer it into a shallow 3-quart casserole, slightly overlapping slices. Add any remaining egg mixture.
   
   
4. While bread is soaking, cook onions in oil stirring occasionally until golden. Add ham and cook, stirring occasionally, until ham is lightly browned.
   
   
5. Tuck spinach and ham between slices, reserving a little ham for the top. Sprinkle cheese on, lifting slices with a spatula to allow some to fall between them. Sprinkle reserved ham on top and bake in the middle of the oven until puffed and the edges of the bread are golden. (I usually put this on a cookie sheet just in case it 'boils' over, so I don't have a burnt mess on the bottom of the oven.) Cook until custard is set in middle, about 45 minutes to an hour.

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Apricot Glazed Pork Medallions/Les Medaillons du porc doré d'abricot

With the onset of Winter and a distinct lack of enthusiasm for any culinary adventures, I am stealing this recipe from my friend Jody's former Yahoo! Blog in order to try to keep up with my 2 recipes per month quota. Regretfully, there is no photo.

Jody is adventurous in her cooking style and she always has something unique for me when I visits or share when I can't

Apricot Glazed Pork Medallions/Les Medaillons du porc doré d'abricot

Ingredients

• 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 1/2-inch thick rounds (you can buy them cut)
• Salt and ground black pepper
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 1/4 cups apricot preserves
• 1/4 cup tamari sauce (just use soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled ginger

Directions

• Season both sides of pork with salt and black pepper.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add pork and sear 2 minutes per side.
• Add apricot preserves, tamari sauce and ginger and bring to a simmer.
• Simmer 5 minutes, until pork is cooked through and sauce reduces.

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Bourbon Balls/Boules de bourbon

Jody and I made these last time I was down to visit. They were holiday favorites of hers from her youth, ::insert me gushing over the flavor::

Jody writes:

My mother made these when I was a kid, I remember the smell distinctly. This is my grandmother's recipe. The reason I'm posting this now is that these MUST be made several weeks in advance of eating them in order for the flavors to truly develop. Make sure you store them in something air tight.

Bourbon Balls/Boules de bourbon

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoon cocoa
• 3 tablespoon Karo corn syrup
• 1/2 cup pecans, chopped
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped
• 1 lb. vanilla wafers, crushed well
• 1/2 cup bourbon whiskey
• powdered sugar

Directions

• Combine sugar, cocoa and wafers in a food processor.
• Pulse until mixture is mostly free of large chunks.
• Rough chop and add to the mix the dates and then the pecans.
• Pulse until mixture is of the roughly same consistency.
• Slowly add the Karo syrup and whiskey
• Form into small (3/4") balls, then roll in powdered sugar.

Notes:

• I used some left over sugar and cinnamon mix to coat the balls.
• I think it is a good idea to chill the mix before rolling them into individual servings.
• It might make a good log.

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