Art Show Reception: Fresh Fruit Reigns!

(THIS IS A POST FROM A FEW YEARS AGO - Concord Pears are available right now...hope you try them!)

The art show at my daughter's high school was truly AMAZING!  The credit for this inspiring show goes to the talented artists and one very special art teacher.  The reception buffet table included homemade baked goods and many fresh fruit items. My homemade cookies and cakes were certainly a hit but the fresh fruit items were even more popular with the artists and their guests!  

It is important to taste all of your fruit items before creating a fruit platter, cups of berries, or other fresh fruit offerings.  The above pears were purchased several days before the show to make sure they had time to ripen but also not get too ripe.  I love the way these pears look and they were so delicious!  This dish is so easy – see my previous post Concord Pears filled with Raspberries.  Squeeze just a small amount of fresh lemon juice over the surface of the pears to keep them from browning.  For all of the pears above (12) I squeezed only half of a lemon and then spooned a little juice over each pear - and I had a little juice leftover.  I prepared these several hours before the show and stored them in the refrigerator.  So easy and what a hit!

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Thanksgiving Menu (The Basics)

 Claire's Thanksgiving Menu BASICS

My Mom's Roast Turkey

Herb and Shallot Stuffing

Make-Ahead Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Spinach, Fennel, and Apple Salad with Cider Vinaigrette

Old-fashioned Carrot Salad

French Apple Tart

My Mom's Roast Turkey

Cranberry Sauce

Make-ahead Gravy

Spinach, Fennel, Apple, & Pecan Salad

Old Fashioned Carrot Salad

French Apple Tart

Herb & Shallot Stuffing (my favorite item on the Thanksgiving menu)

Granola for Abby, Amelia, Anna, & Callie!

I brought a couple of jars of this granola on a college-visit road trip.  We were looking at schools for my youngest and her friend Callie came with us.  Callie loved the granola so much that her mom asked for the recipe.  Apparently, they have been making this granola non-stop at their house ever since!  That was 3 years ago!   Another of my daughter's besties, Amelia,  asked for the recipe last week. It made me so happy to pass the recipe along.  

I have another granola recipe on my blog and many friends are very very fond of it. The BEST Granola recipe is certainly a favorite but this one has become a favorite, too.   Both recipes use olive oil and maple syrup - these are key flavor ingredients.  I have found Lucini brand of olive oil works best and grade A medium amber maple syrup is my choice for best flavor.

Enjoy!

Granola for Abby, Amelia, Anna & Callie!

1 cups raw almonds with skin

4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats (organic preferred)

¾ cup grade A amber maple syrup

¾ cup extra-virgin olive oil (I use Lucini brand for this recipe)

3 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon kosher salt or kosher sea salt 

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Preheat oven to 350° F.

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Put oats, almonds, cinnamon, and salt into large bowl – stir ingredients together with large spoon or spatula to distribute ingredients.  Pour maple syrup and olive oil over and stir to mix and coat all ingredients.  Pour granola onto prepared parchment-lined pan and spread so that ingredients are in one layer.  Bake in oven for 30-45 minutes until golden brown.  Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for about 10 minutes before eating.  Cool completely before storing in glass jars or other containers.

Air-fryer Chicken for Delia!

 

My son taught me how to use an air-fryer and now I am hooked!   I purchased the kind with the basket and also chose one on the smaller side.  They can take up a lot of counter space depending on the size and style.  Mine is the Cosori 4 Qt. with 7 cooking functions.  I chose it for the small size and the color - it's a pretty sage green!

This recipe is from NYT Cooking and recipe is designed for one large boneless, skinless chicken breast.  I have played around and used it for three large chicken breast and also used it for 6-7 thin-cut chicken breast cutlets. All are a success - so easy, fast, delicious AND (the best part)  CLEANUP is EASY!  I just put the basket right into my dishwasher on the top rack - done!  

 Air-Fryer Chicken for Delia:  Adapted from NYT Cooking

 

1 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, OR 2-3 large boneless, skinless chicken breast, OR 5-8 boneless, skinless chicken breast cutlets (thin cut)

Salt

Freshly cracked black pepper

2 teaspoons light brown sugar

1 Tablespoon rice vinegar

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 Teaspoons olive oil

 

Heat air fryer to 400 degrees, if preheating is recommended for your air fryer.

My air-fryer has a "Chicken" setting - it cooks at either 350 or 415.  After I preheat to 400 I use the 415 setting for 13 minutes.  Flipping chicken after 6 minutes.  (if using the cutlets I don't bother flipping because they are usually done in about 6-8 minutes!)

Cut chicken breast in half crosswise into two pieces of equal weight, creating one shorter, thicker piece and one longer, thinner piece.  OR just keep breast as is or use thin-cut cutlets!

Season chicken generously on all sides with salt and pepper; rub brown sugar all over. (Chicken breast can be seasoned and left uncovered for up to 12 hours in the refrigerator. Let the chicken come to room temperature before cooking.)

In a medium bowl, combine the rice vinegar, soy sauce and olive oil. Toss chicken in soy sauce mixture until well coated and allow chicken to sit in marinade for 5 minutes.

Transfer chicken to the air fryer basket, setting leftover marinade aside. Cook for 6 minutes and flip the chicken over. Cook until chicken is lightly browned, the sauce has turned slightly sticky on the chicken and the internal temperature at the thickest part of the meat reaches 165 degrees, another 6 to 10 minutes. If using whole (thick) breast then it may need a few more minutes to cook through.

Transfer the chicken to a cutting board to rest for at least 5 minutes so the juices can settle and redistribute. Slice the chicken against the grain. Pour any sauce left at the bottom of the air fryer over the chicken and serve. For extra flavor, squeeze lime wedge all over the chicken,.

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Pre-heat to 400 degrees

I used my "Chicken Setting" - 13 min at 415.

Flip over after about 6 minutes

Easy Cleaup....WOW!  Such joy!

My Favorite Irish Soda Bread (American & German, too)!

 St. Patrick's Day is the perfect time to make Soda Bread!  Here are three recipes for you to choose from.

Everytime I make these I'm surprised at how simple and incredibly delicious they are - sooooo good!  

XO 

Claire

Claire's Favorite Irish Soda Bread Recipe

German Soda Bread

American Soda Bread

ALMONDS: Brined, Sugared, and Tamari

From front to back:  Tamari, Brined, and Sugared

I showed you how to make Tamari Almonds in an earlier post.  Here are two more options to add to your pantry:  Brined and Sugared!  The brined almonds are salty and crunchy.  The sugared almonds are sweet with caramelized, cinnamon coating that reminds me of Christmas Markets in Germany.

Sugar & Cinnamon Almonds

 1 cups raw almonds with skin

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup water

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

pinch of salt

 

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Preheat oven to 350° F.

Pour almonds onto sheet pan and place in oven for 10 minutes until roasted to light golden (cut one open to see if interior of almond has changed from white to light golden brown).

Remove from oven, and add almonds, sugar, cinnamon, vanilla, salt, and water to a saucepan and bring to a boil over medium/high heat.  Once boiling, decrease heat to medium and cook for 7-10 minutes, stirring frequently with a wooden spoon.  The mixture will go from liquid to sticky and then to white and granulated. Continue cooking, stirring constantly until the sugar coats the almonds with a light caramel color.  Once almonds are coated with caramel remove from heat and turn out to a pan covered with silpat or parchment - allow to cool.

Brined & Roasted Almonds 

recipe from Six Seasons by Joshua McFadden

 8 ounces (1 1/2 cups) raw almonds with skin

1 cup water

1/3 cup kosher salt

 

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Preheat oven to 375° F.

Bring water to a boil in a saucepan.  Add salt and stir to dissolve.  Add the almonds to the hot brine, remove from heat, and let them soak for 30 minutes.

Drain the almonds and spread them evenly in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Roast until almonds are lightly toasted and fragrant, about 12 minutes.  Take one out to test - cut open to expose interior which should be light golden brown.  The nuts will still be soft but once completely cooled they will be very crunchy and salty.  

The sugared almonds at the beginning - bringing to a boil.

I like this kosher sea salt and use it for all my recipes.