Pear, Leek & Gruyere Turnovers

For comments, please post below or email to cookingwithlarue@gmail.com

Pear, Leek & Gruyere Turnovers

Makes 8 Turnovers

Difficulty: Moderate

Pear, Leek & Gruyere Turnovers

This appetizer is sure to wow your family and guests. It can also be served as a light lunch with a salad of greens tossed in simple vinaigrette. In either case – it is fabulous and can be made earlier in the day if you like. It can also be frozen after it is baked and reheated for later use. How versatile!

Pears for the turnovers

Leek ready for cleaning and trimming

• 2 Tb butter
• 1½ C thoroughly cleaned chopped leeks
• Two 6 oz. peeled cored and chopped ripe pears of your choice
• 1½ tsp sugar
• Salt & pepper
• ¾ C packed grated Gruyere cheese (about 4 oz.)
• 1½ Tb chopped fresh chives
• 2 frozen puff pastry sheets
• Flour
• 1 egg

Leeks are a wonderfully delicious vegetable but they’re grown in sandy soil, so they need a good and thorough cleaning before use. Trim the root end and remove the dark tops, which are bitter.  Then make one long slice vertically, hold them together together, and chop horizontally in ¼- ½ inch sections. Put all into a large bowl, fill with cold water and agitate the chopped leeks with your hands, checking layers for any hidden dirt. The leeks will float and the dirt falls to the bottom. Lift cleaned leeks out of water to drain on paper towels. Chop drained cleaned leeks.

The cut leeks

Wash the chopped leek, the dirt will fall to the bottom

Melt 2 Tb butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add 1½ C cleaned leeks to skillet, stir 1 minute. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook until leeks begin to lightly brown, stirring occasionally, about 7 minutes. Stir in chopped pears and sugar. Increase heat to medium; sauté uncovered until any liquid evaporates, about 2-3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to a bowl; cool. Stir in Gruyere cheese and chives.

Sauté the leek and pears together

....and then add the cheese separately

Thaw 2 puff pastry sheets following package recommendations. Place one sheet on a work surface – sprinkle lightly with flour so it does not stick and roll gently just to take out the fold lines. Using a 4 – 4½ inch diameter ring, bowl or tartlet pan rim, cut out 4 rounds from each pastry sheet. 

Rolled pastry

Then roll out each cut pastry round to a 5” circle. Place about 3 Tb of leek mixture on half of each pastry round, dividing equally. Brush pastry edges as a glaze with 1 beaten egg.  Fold pastry over filling, pressing to adhere. Press edges with fork to seal. Brush turnovers with egg glaze. Pierce pastry in several places with toothpick. Place on baking sheet. Chill 20 minutes in the refrigerator.

Add the stuffing....

Close and then add the glaze

Preheat oven to 400 degree F. Bake turnovers until puffed and golden, about 18 minutes. Serve warm. They can be baked ahead of time and reheated briefly before serving. If you choose to freeze them, bake first, cool and put into a freezer-safe container. It will keep frozen for several weeks. Reheat from the frozen state before serving.

The final product!

I absolutely love these with champagne…of course, EVERYTHING is better with champagne!

Bon Appetit!

Larue

Larue's Simple, Light Extraordinary Green Salad

For comments, please post below or email to cookingwithlarue@gmail.com

Larue's Simple, Light Extraordinary Green Salad 

Serves: 4

Larue's Simple, Light Extraordinary Green Salad

I have used this salad recipe often…well, very often. Every cook needs to have a “go-to” lettuce salad up his or her sleeves. This is that salad. It follows a heavy-ish first course, like a thick winter soup, and followed by protein – steak, ribs, or fish - you name it.  Are you looking for something light and fresh to serve in between courses and to cleanse the palate and lighten the spirits? This salad should do the trick; it also makes for a good starter. You could, of course, add one (but just one…or it is no longer simple) item – such as sliced avocado.

Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs with Mango & Lime

For comments, please post below or email to cookingwithlarue@gmail.com

Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs with Mango & Lime

Serves: 4

Difficulty: Moderate

Braised Country-Style Pork Ribs with Mango & Lime

Mangoes are the starting point for this wonderful recipe – add a bit of lime and a dash of rum and we are out of February gloom and into a sunny mood. The additional tropical flavors of lime, chilies, ginger and coconut milk only seem natural. Take yourself to the Caribbean with this entrée.  As the mango cooks, it gives itself up entirely to the sauce, thickening it and contributing to a wonderful pale orange color. Serve with some Jasmine rice cooked in broth, chopped onion and a bit of coconut milk, add parsley for a bit of color and you have the perfect addition to sop up the sauce.

Key ingredients

Country-style pork ribs are relative newcomers to the meat case, promote the shoulder-blade section of the pork loin, and are not as lean as the pricier rib chops. Because they have the tougher, fattier character of the pork shoulder, they are best cooked slowly in any sort of braise. Shopping for them can be confusing, since they appear in a variety of shapes arising from the top end of the loin or bottom end of the shoulder.  For this recipe my favorites are cuts from the shoulder with bone in. They are never symmetrical so look for an even mix. 

Roasted Grape/Olive Crostini

Roasted Grape/Olive Crostini

Serves: 12 crostini

Difficulty: Easy

Roasted Grape/Olive Crostini 

When this recipe arrived in my email inbox (smittenkitchen.com), well, I jumped on it and made it that night (with my own minor modifications). Thank you Smitten Kitchen! I have repeated the recipe several times since. It is incredibly easy and so very different. You could likely use any combination of grapes and olives but I love the sweet red/purple grapes coupled with the briny kalamata olives. I only had rosemary growing in my garden for the first attempt but other herbs would work as well. In order to highlight the combined flavors of grapes and olives, I felt a relatively light and spreadable cheese best – hence ricotta. I also used whole milk ricotta…just because I wanted the creamy feel. Use low fat ricotta if you must.

Saffron Speckled Rice with Cranberries, Herbs & Pistachio

Saffron Speckled Rice with Cranberries, Herbs & Pistachio

Serves: 6

Difficulty: Easy

 

Saffron Speckled Rice with Cranberries, Herbs & Pistachio

This rice dish of the Persian Jewish community is a celebration dish often served at weddings. The original recipe included candied orange peel, sour cherries, cranberries and almonds.  I have modified somewhat and used cranberries.  You could also substitute sliced dried apricots, or even chopped dates if you want to emphasize sweetness. Another less sweet substitute would be currants soaked in a little lemon juice.  I absolutely love the technique to achieve the speckled nature of the rice. Instead of one solid white or yellow-orange rice – we are left with a speckled pattern – so pretty to see and taste!