Sunday, June 15, 2008

American ideas, British ingredients


I go into peoples' houses all the time to create meals - but never in another country. I recently had fun making some hors d'oeuvres for friends of mine who I stayed with in England.


Spicy Sausages and Candied-citrus Quark on Crostini, with Field Greens in a Citrus-reduction Vinaigrette


Ingredients:


  • 1 loaf baguette

  • 3 links spicy sausage (when at home, I like to buy the smokin' Habanero Chicken sausages at Piedmont Grocery)

  • 8 ounces quark (at home, Petaluma's Spring Hill is an excellent source for this - in England, I found it at Sainsbury's, the local equivalent of Safeway)

  • 1 each lemons, limes, oranges, and grapefruits

  • 1 bag field greens

  • extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1/3 cup granulated sugar

  • salt and pepper

Directions:



  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

  2. Prepare the Crostini: cut the baguette into thin slices, on the bias. Toss in a large bowl with extra virgin olive oil, just enough to evenly (but lightly) coat each piece of bread. Lay out on a sheet pan, sprinkle lightly and evenly with salt and pepper, then bake until golden and crispy - about 20-25 minutes. When done, set aside and allow to cool down.

  3. Prepare the sausages: heat about 1 Tb. of extra-virgin olive oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Sear the sausages until browned on both sides - then transfer to the oven. (It's easiest to use an oven-safe pan - if you have a cast-iron pan and good solid oven mitts, this is best.) Cook until the sausages are firm, about 15-20 minutes. Allow to cool down - when cool enough to handle, slice into thin rounds.

  4. Prepare the Candied Citrus zest + Quark: wash all the fruits, and dry thoroughly with a paper towel. Using a channel zester (not a Micro-plane!), zest all the fruits, collecting the zest in a small bowl. Set the fruits aside. Add the sugar plus an equal amount of water to a small sauce pan - stir in the sugar to dissolve it, then bring the sugar water to a boil over high heat. Once it starts to boil, add the zest, mix it in, and turn off the heat immediately. Let the zest sit in the syrup for 15-20 minutes. Drain the zest through a colander - discard the syrup (the syrup can be saved, if you like - it can be used as a glaze for certain desserts). Spread the drained, poached zest onto a lined sheet pan (if you don't line the pan, you'll be cursing later as you try to scrape candied zest of the pan). Place in the oven, allow to bake for 10-15 minutes, moving the zest around every 3-5 minutes to encourage even cooking (and prevent excessive sticking - some will stick in any event). The zest should be crispy and very lightly browned. Allow to cool - then remove from the pan, chop roughly, and mix into the quark.

  5. Prepare the Citrus-reduction Vinaigrette: have a colander ready over a large bowl. Trim the rind away from the zested citrus fruits. Using a small serrated knife, cut away the fruits from the rinds - these fruit pieces (these sections are known as supremes). Catch all the juices into the bowl as you work. When done, set aside the citrus sections. Transfer the citrus juices to a small sauce-pan - reduce these juices over medium heat until you have a syrup (be careful! a few extra minutes could leave you with a scorched product, be vigilant). Transfer this syrup to a large bowl and allow to cool to room temperature. Season the citrus syrup with salt and pepper, then whisk in extra-virgin olive oil until you have a vinaigrette - make sure it has enough oil or it'll be too acidic to enjoy.

  6. For presentation: top each crostini with a dab of Candied-citrus Quark, then a slice of Spicy Sausage. Toss the salad greens with the Citrus-reduction Vinaigrette, and place in the center of a plate (with the crostinis arranged around it), with citrus supremes arranged over the salad.