December 1, 2009

[Catalina]

I tried to combine the Daring Baker's challenge with this month's Foodie Joust.



The cannoli recipe is really long, but you can see the whole process on my blog
http://dustbathladies.blogspot.com/2009/11/daring-bakers-november-challenge.html

Ginger/Fennel Pear Sauce with Lemon/Ricotta filled Cannoli
24 prepared cannoli shells
5 cups ricotta
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tsp lemon extract

Mix ricotta, sugar and extract together.  Pipe filling into cannoli shells.

 Pear Sauce
6 to 7 lbs (about 20 med.) pears
washed, peeled, cored and roughly chopped
4 cups sugar
1 9 oz pkg cinnamon Red Hots candies
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp cloves
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 fennel
Combine all ingredients in a large saucepot.
Cook over med heat until sauce is thick enough to round up on a spoon.
Stir frequently to prevent sticking.
Ladle hot sauce into hot jars, leaving 1/4 inch headspace.
Remove air bubbles.
Adjust 2 piece caps.
Process 20 mins in a boiling water canner.

Pipe pear sauce into cannoli on top of ricotta filling.  Sprinkle with more ginger and fennel to serve.

[betherann]

I love that unique twist on cannoli!

[wendypchef]

You are all so kind, thank you for the congratulations and congrats to the other winners!  We were pretty excited

We had fun choosing the three ingredients and had some help from "The Flavor Bible" by Karen Page and Andrew Dornenburg.  It is a savior in the kitchen for us - you can look up any ingredient and find out what works well with that ingredient, it really is eye opening!  We started with pears (becasue of the season) and went from there.  We are so excited to see what everyone comes up with.  Good Luck and Enjoy Yourselves!


~Joanne and Adam
www.inspiredtaste.net

I just bought the Flavor Bible a few weeks ago . . . it is awesome!

[Spinach Tiger]

Here is my entry. I took the roasted chicken left over from Thanksgiving, and made a savory Pear, Fennel, Chicken Tarte Tatin.
My camera got sick, so I had hard time with pictures, but here goes.

The link is here :  http://bit.ly/4SwJgt

[Forum Team]

Wow you guys!

Thas that is an awesome entry!!!

Catalina, how smart to combine the two challenges!!!

SPinach Tiger, what a great thing to do with leftovers!!!

[CantBelieveWeAte]

I finally got it all together...for me it was the holidays holding my attention.
I had guests and more than a little cleaning!
Here goes....without a net... *grin*

Pears Poached with Fennel and Candied Ginger


The recipe can be found on my blog here: http://wp.me/p9eV3-b5
Complete with tasting notes.
This one was fun! LOL!

Glennis ~ Can't Believe We Ate

[Forum Team]

Beautiful entry Glennis!  Thanks for getting it in!

[Queen]

Everything looks great you guys!!! I thought I was going to have to cancel this month, but it looks like we have some fantastic entries! YAY!!!

[Momgateway]

Here is my entry to this month's Royal Food joust.  http://momgateway.blogspot.com/2009/11/flank-steak-with-fennel-pear-ginger.html
Hope you enjoy it!

[Forum Team]

Wow!  Love that entry Momgateway!  I added the picture to it!!!

[Jo & Noel @ A Dash Of Flavour]

OMG these entries are brilliant.... well done everyone!!

[gfron1]

I'll be down to the wire - food is done but post is not.  I made a pithivier with ginger pear filling and fennel infused butter puff pastry.

[MM]

Can't believe I made it on time.  I had a hard time finding fennel!

My entry this month is:
Fennel Fritters w/ Pear-Ginger Relish
http://msenplace.blogspot.com/2009/11/royal-foodie-joust-2-fennel-pear-ginger.html



Fennel Fritters w/ Pear-Ginger Relish
from Ms. enPlace

For the fritters:
1 large egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 cup cooked and coursely mashed fennel (about 1 medium bulb)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
powdered sugar

Heat oil to 375.

Beat egg, milk, and vanilla together.  Add cooked fennel to the egg and milk mixture.  Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the fennel mixture to the dry ingredients and mix just until moistened.  Carefully drop batter into hot oil with a large spoon.  Fry until golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.  Dust with powdered sugar before serving.

For the Pear-Ginger Relish:
1 large pear, diced
1/8 c (heaping) dried cranberries
2 Tbsp water
1 T orange juice
1/8 c sugar
1 Tbsp minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

Place all ingredients in a small saucepan.  Simmer, covered, for about 20-25 minutes, or until pears are very soft.  Serve warm as a condiment to fritters, funnel cakes, pancakes, or other pastries.

[gfron1]

HERE is my entry: Ginger pear filled pithivier with fennel infused butter puff pastry

Here's part of the recipe:
I used Jacques Torres' Quick Puff Pastry recipe, but any will do. I started by melting half of the recipe's butter in a sauce pan, sautéeing it with one cup of diced fennel. I let that sit for an hour covered to cool, then strained the fennel. I allowed the remaining butter to come to room temp, then in a mixer I creamed the infused and remaining butter until will combined, then chilled. I proceeded with the recipe as usual at this point.

Next take 4 pounds of crisp pears, peel them, cut them vertically in half, core them and then slice them 1/16" thick uniformly - I used a meat slicer. Butter a baking dish - preferably glass. Fan the pears over the entire surface, brush with melted butter and lightly sprinkle with dark muscovado sugar. Keep layering until all of your pears are used - I ended up with about six layers in this dish. Grate a fresh ginger on the top. Wrap the entire dish with two good coverings of saran wrap to make it airtight. Then poke a few holes in the top to allow steam to escape. Place the pan on a foil lined jelly roll pan. Throw it in an oven set to 175ºF and bake for 10-12 hours. Make sure that if your oven has an automatic shut off that you disable it - mine is called Sabbath Mode. What comes out is perfectly soft and moist pears that maintain their structure. (You'll note that this is exactly what I did a couple of days ago with apples.) [The rest of the recipe can be found at my blog.]

[Núria]

Wow! Amazing entries!!!! I could have never imagined so many different dishes with these 3 ingredients 
Good luck everyone with the voting