Watch this important video today.Allan Savory: How to green the world's deserts and reverse climate change

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Watch this video now http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYWYU5V8JOo

Click here now to buy this e-book as all the author's royalties go to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

Here is my latest published article about growing and using Culinary Lavender and you can read it here http://www.helium.com/items/2438118-how-to-grow-and-use-culinary-lavender

It contains lots of good information.

Tips on how to Cook with a Wok

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery



One of the easiest ways to cook, at least for me, is with a wok. There is no mystery about it. It is fast, easy and has a bit a showmanship when doing a wok dinner for company.
My wok is cast iron from China even though it has an aluminum top. Prices usually start at $19.95. If you are using bamboo steamers, keep separate steamers for veggies and/or grains, and others for meats, fish, and other foods that can impart a flavor to the wood.
My wok sits on a reversible wok ring which sits on top of my gas stove and keeps the wok from wobbling around. In a Chinese restaurant the wok usually sits down into the gas stove. .

The earliest woks weren't woks at all, but cast-iron pans with sloping sides great for tossing and stirring a lot of food easily. These were developed as a result of the frugal use of fuel. Some historians also think that there's a connection between the helmets and shields of the invading Mongols and woks.

I like woks because they are very versatile. They can be used for almost any type of cooking: stir frying, deep frying; steaming, stewing, and even though I have never done it, it can be used for baking a cake. However, I do use mine occasionally for making beignets.



Some of the tools you will need are a tempura rack. This is indispensable when making tempura. At least one large bamboo wire skimmer is a must for anyone who wants to cook with a wok... Another important tool is the stainless steel skimmer.



Although Woks are available in many different types of materials, the traditional wok made from uncoated carbon steel is the most popular one and it the one I like the best. A wide variety of different materials, sizes and shapes are available nowadays. If you have an oriental store near you, chances are you will be able to find a vast assortment of oriental cookware. When selecting a wok, one must consider the type of stove you have. If you have a gas stove, you may use either a round-bottomed or flat-bottomed wok and you will need a wok ring.



If you have an electric range, the flat-bottomed style is the best choice, because it sits directly on the element. By selecting your wok appropriately, you will eliminate the need of a ring stand. Most Woks range in sizes from 10" to 16", the 14" is the most preferable size which is adequate for the preparation of most dishes in the cookbook. This material conducts heat well and is the most economical to purchase.



For the first time wok cooker, it is recommended that to purchase a wok set with lid, ring, wok turner, ladle, and strainer. A wok made of low carbon steel is preferred, as this type of metal is a better conductor of heat and it seems food will stick to the sides better than other materials. If one is concerned with appearance, a stainless steel wok is recommended. It can be scoured with steel wool and restored to newness after each use. Because stainless steel is a relatively poor conductor of heat and tends to reflect the heat back to the stove, it is recommended that a stainless wok be chosen with a slightly flattened bottom, to provide greater contact with the heating element of an electric stove.


I am not crazy about the stainless steel woks or even the electric woks for that matter. However, it is just matter of personal preference. I find electric woks to be an inefficient and expensive alternative that, with few exceptions, is best avoided, but to each its own as the saying goes.



When cooking with a wok stir fry your meat or shell fish first and then remove and set aside.



Then stir fry your chopped up vegetables to an al dente stage which means hot, firm and crispy or crunchy. Now toss your meat or shellfish back in continually stirring and then add your seasonings, starch to thicken your sauce or gravy.



Then you can serve over chinese noodles or rice and everyone can sit down and Wok and Roll!



May the Creative Force be with you



Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

http://www.localharvest.org/store/M48630

To read y latest article on how to grow and use culinary lavender please click on the following link now.  http://www.helium.com/items/2438118-how-to-grow-and-use-culinary-lavender

How to Make Homemade Breakfast Sausage©

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery

How to Make Homemade Breakfast Sausage


It is really very easy to make your own homemade breakfast sausage. Especially if you are worried about commercially-made sausage fearing not only fat content, but what odds and ends manufacturers dump into the mix you are rightfully so. By making your own sausage at home, you can ensure only the best ingredients and spices are used, plus control the fat content. Do not make the mistake of thinking sausage is strictly a meat product. Many sausage recipes also include seafood and vegetarian sausage blends.

The definition of sausage is ground meat mixed with fat, salt and other seasonings, preservatives, and sometimes fillers. Some sausage mixtures are sold in bulk form, and others forced into casings to form links. For those who do not have sausage making equipment or want to make an investment into sausage making consider the fact that it is very easy to make your sausage into patties. A non-electric sausage stuffer (one that is a hand crank type) will cost you about $100.00


and an electric one will cost you $150.00 to $200.00.



The main item you will need is a meat grinder and a simple hand crank one will suffice unless you buy ground meat from your local butcher.



Virtually any type of meat can be used in sausage, but most common is pork or pork blends. Variety truly is the spice of life, with spicy, hot sausages and bland sausages, and with flavorings running the gamut from garlic to nutmeg.

Today a home sausage maker can find all kinds of sausage seasoning blends on line where the guesswork of measuring, blending is all ready taken care of complete with instructions on how much meat to add or what other ingredients.

You can find many types of sausage seasonings at Home Farm Herbery where they offer about 22 different sausage seasoning blends and all their blends come with recipes inside the labels. They also offer free shipping and a free herb or herbal blend of their choice with each and every order. They have two really great breakfast sausage blends among their many sausage blends. One is Breakfast Sausage Seasoning and the other one is their Maple Breakfast Sausage Seasoning.

Their instructions for making their Breakfast Sausage are quite simple and when you try this great recipe you'll never want to buy breakfast sausage from a store again! An all-time favorite at breakfast time, fresh breakfast sausage is a highly seasoned type of pork sausage that is not cured or smoked.

To Make Home Farm Herbery Gourmet Breakfast Sausage you will need the following ingredients: The contents of their seasoning package, 2 pounds lean pork butt or 2.5 lbs with bone, 1/2 lb. fat, diced into 1.4 " pieces. Feel free to use turkey, chicken, venison, goat or lamb. When you want to eliminate the fat just add an extra ½ pound of your chosen meat to the blend. Special equipment needed: Meat Grinder.

Directions: Combine diced pork with fat back & Home Farm Herbery seasoning package & chill for 1 hour. Using a fine blade of the grinder, grind the pork. Form into 1" rounds. Refrigerate and use within 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. For immediate use, sauté' over medium-low heat in a non-stick pan. Sauté' on each side until brown and cooked through, approximately 10 to 15 minutes total.



To Make Home Farm Herbery Gourmet Breakfast Maple Sausage you will need the following ingredients: The contents of their seasoning package, 3 pounds lean pork butt or shoulder, 1 small onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup), 1/4 cup pure maple syrup & 2 tablespoons milk.

Directions: Hand-trim fat from the outside of meat to your desired fat preference. Grind the meat with a fine grinding plate. After grinding, add the sausage seasonings to the meat and blend by hand or use a meat mixer.



Be sure to mix thoroughly to ensure the ingredients are spread evenly throughout the meat. Stuff by hand or by using a sausage stuffer or sausage stuffing attachment for an electric meat-grinder. (Note: do NOT use the blade in meat-grinder when stuffing and it is best to use a stuffing (bean) plate). If you wish, you can also form patties without casings.


With either recipe should you wish to make patties a simple way to freeze the patties for later use is to lay out a piece of wax paper on a cookie sheet, place the patties on top of the wax paper and put the filled tray into the freezer. When the patties are frozen pop them off the wax paper and put into a freezer bag and replace bag back into your freezer. This way none of the patties stick together and are easy to remove in the number of patties needed each time you want to fry or broil up a batch.

More than 200 types of sausage are made in the USA alone and thousands of more are made worldwide. You, too, can become a creative chef right in your own kitchen and you can also make sausages from vegetable and seafood blends for those who eschew meats. There are also ways to lower the fat if you make your own at home using any of the chemical-free organic Home Farm Herbery Sausage Seasoning Blends.

May the Creative Force Be With You

Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery where everything is either grown or made with love!

http://www.localharvest.org/sausage-seasonings/

Everything You Wanted to Know About Summer Savory and Then Some©

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery



Summer Savory is better known than its cousin Winter Savory and it is an annual, but similar in use and flavor to the perennial winter savory. It is used more often than winter savory, as winter savory is thought to have a slightly bitterer flavor. Summer savory is preferred over winter savory for use in sausages because of the sweeter, more delicate aroma. A member of the mint family of herbs, summer savory originates in southern Europe and has been used in food preparation for over 2,000 years.



This herb grows to 12 to 24 inches in height and has lilac tubular flowers which bloom from July to September. When the plants are in flower, they may be pulled up and dried for winter use.



Summer Savory is raised from seeds, sown early in April, in shallow drills, 9 inches or a foot apart. Select a sunny situation and thin out the seedlings, when large enough, to 6 inches apart in the rows. It likes a rich, light soil.

At Home Farm Herbery the seeds are broadcast after the last frost and then they are thinned out with the thinned out seedlings being planted in another bed at 6 inches distance from each other and well watered. The seeds are very slow in germinating.

The early spring seedlings may be first topped for fresh use in June. Woody stems are removed from summer savory leaves, which are then dried and pulverized to create a dense, leafy green powder.



Summer savory plays an important role in Bulgarian cuisine (the herb is called chubritsa, in Cyrllic ???????, in Bulgarian), providing a strong and pungent flavor to the most simple and the most extravagant of dishes. On a Bulgarian kitchen or restaurant table you will find three condiments: salt, paprika and savory and when these are mixed it is called sharena sol or colorful salt.

Many people believe it is a helpful expectorant for lungs and head, a useful digestive aid for flatulence and colic, a general tonic and for the prevention of diarrhea. Rubbing a sprig of Summer Savory on a bee or wasp sting is said to give instant relief.

Summer Savory bespeaks flavor, and in fact, summer savory (Satureja hortensis) imparts a delicious taste to almost any dish the gourmet prepares. However, I recommend you test your summer savory's potency level before using it in your food, as the level of flavor tends to vary.

Though we do not use it as it was used in medieval times to enhance pies and cakes for a touch of spiciness; we do use it today primarily in soups, stews, and marinades, and with meats and vegetables. Germans refer to it as "the bean herb" because it is especially good with string beans, limas, navy beans, soybeans, all types of broad beans and it is used in many traditional Bavarian stewed bean recipes.



However, Summer Savory goes well with many other vegetables, such as cabbage, tomatoes, green peppers, asparagus, cauliflower, mixed greens, and rice. This versatile herb is also tasty in stuffing or dressing, sausages, and pork pie, and with chicken, fish, game meats, beef, lamb, and eggs and at Home Farm Herbery we like it in scrambled eggs, omelets, quiche and frittatas. When boiled with strong smelling foods like broccoli or sauerkraut, it helps prevent cooking odors and when it is steeped in vinegar or salad dressing, it lends an aromatic flavor. Summer savory can also be tossed into a salad or over vegetables and you will get a zesty, citrus flavor with every bite. It is a must when making gazpacho. People on low-sodium diets often find it an agreeable salt substitute.



In the days of the ancient Egyptians Summer Savory stirred the powdered herb into their love potions and they used it as a remedy for sore throats, dim vision, sciatica, palsy, intestinal disorders of various kinds, and the stings of wasps and bees. Nicholas Culpeper, the famous seventeenth century apothecary and author, valued it as a virtual cure-all and recommended that it always be kept on hand.

At our Home Farm Herbery on-line store we have noticed a considerable resurgence of the sale of not only our dried Summer Savory, but of our Heirloom Summer Savory seeds. You do not have to grow a big bed of it like we do as you can grow it in small pots as long as they have holes in the bottom and harvest the herb by snipping off the longest stems and then pinch off all the leaves.



Here is Home Farm Herbery’s famous Quiche Lorraine Recipe

Ingredients:

1 recipe pie dough or a prepared frozen pie crust

1/2 pound of bacon (you can use more or less to your taste)

1 cup milk

1/2 cup heavy cream

3 eggs

1/2 teaspoon salt

Black pepper to taste (we used about 1/2 teaspoon)

1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 cup grated gruyere or other cheese (cheddar works too)

1 heaping tablespoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon dried Summer Savory or 2 heaping tsps. Freshly minced

Directions:

If you are making your own pie crust, roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch round. Place it in a 10-inch wide, 1 1/2-inch high tart pan, pressing the dough into the corners. Use a rolling pin to roll over the surface of the tart pan to cleanly cut off the excess dough from the edges. Freeze for at least half an hour before blind-baking.

Pre-bake the frozen crust. Pre-baking is also called "blind" baking. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the frozen crust with heavy duty aluminum foil or with parchment paper. Allow for a couple inches to extend beyond the sides of the tart or pie pan. Fill two-thirds with dry beans or other pie weights or poke many holes in it using a fork tine. If you are using a pan with a removable bottom, place the pan on a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to catch any spillage. Bake for 20 minutes. Remove from oven and remove the pie weights (the easiest way to do this is to lift up the foil by the edges) and the foil. Using the tines of a fork, poke little holes all around the base of the crust. Return to the oven and bake for another 10 minutes, until lightly browned all over. Remove from oven and set aside.

Cook the bacon. Heat a large frying pan on medium heat. Arrange strips of bacon in a single layer on the bottom of the pan (you may need to work in batches or do two pans at once). Slowly cook the bacon, turning the strips over occasionally until they are nicely browned and much of the fat has rendered out. Lay the cooked strips of bacon on a paper towel to absorb the excess fat. Chop the cooked bacon crosswise into 1/4-inch to 1/2-inch pieces.



Preheat oven to 350°F. Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the nutmeg, salt, black pepper, Summer Savory and chives and whisk a little more. Add the milk and cream and whisk vigorously to incorporate and introduce a little air into the mix – this keeps the texture of the quiche light and fluffy.

Arrange the bacon and cheese in the bottom of the pie crust.



Whisk the egg-milk mixture hard again for a few seconds, then pour it gently into the pie crust. You want the bacon and cheese to be suspended in the mix, so you might need to gently stir it around just a little. You also want the chives, which will float, to be evenly arranged on top, so move them around with a spoon until you like where they are.



Put the quiche into the preheated oven and bake for 30-40 minutes. (If using pan with removable bottom, be sure to place a rimmed baking sheet underneath.) Check for doneness after 30 minutes by gently jiggling the quiche. It should still have just a little wiggle. (It will finish setting while it cools.) Cool on a wire rack.

Eat at room temperature, cold (a quiche will keep for several days in the fridge), or reheated gently in a 200-degree oven.

Yield: Serves 6.

May the Creative Force be with you



Arlene Wright-Correll

Home Farm Herbery

http://www.localharvest.org/store/M48630

How to Get the Enzymes Your Body Needs©

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery



March has been National Nutrition Month and eating healthy is part of that official proclamation. Make every month your own personal nutrition month and make eating healthy part of your life. You can start with an apple a day and as the saying goes keeps a doctor away.

Each of us knows yet seems to forget that the fresher the food, the more enzymatic Enzymes is the key to a healthy life. These enzymes provide your body with energy and longevity. They are also one of the main keys to slow down aging.

With that in mind remember that your local farmers markets will help you to get plenty through fresh, uncooked foods, daily you want. Smart healthy daily meals contain at least two servings of fresh fruit, and one big salad every day for everyone. Cooked foods are great also, but just remember we need the uncooked ones daily to get our daily dose of anti-aging enzymes. You can get yours through green-based juices, smoothies with veggies, salads and fresh fruit.



All of the local farmers markets vendors are required to wash their produce before they sell it to you and you probably re-wash it at home. However, that doesn’t eliminate toxins if the produce you buy or even grow are sprayed with pesticides because the pesticides go into the soil and up through the roots into the produce and no amount of washing will reduce them.

So shop organic and check with your vendor because more and more locally and sustainable chemical free produce is being distributed at reasonable prices through CSAs (community supported agriculture) and farmer’s markets. When you buy from a local Farmers Market food vendor who grows organically you are buying for freshness (more enzymes!) and reduction of carbon footprint, international fuel dependence and for other eco-earth benefits. Just ask the vendor or look for their signs that say Organic!

You may think by exercising and drinking lots of water you are reducing your toxic load but you aren’t unless you are eating toxin free produce and any other foods that have some kind of toxins in their growth chain.

Pesticide and chemical free food and drink should be part of you and your family’s every day life style or we will be growing a generation of children who will not live as long as today’s generation of adults have lived.

Tread the Earth Lightly


Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery

How to Grow and Cook Haricot Verts

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery



At Home Farm Herbery we love these Organic Maxibel Haricot Vert Beans!

Haricots Vert is French for green beans and is a French variety of green beans. This is the most popular French filet bean and unsurpassed as a gourmet market specialty.

Fancied for their slimmer, more delicate profile, these highly coveted, stringless filet beans can often prove more costly so this is one good reason to plant some plus they are a good money maker if you do the farmers market gig!



It is known for its long, slender, medium green pods with a delicate tenderness. This bean is a heavy producer of 6-8” beans on good sized plants. Maxibel will keep you loaded with fresh beans for a good amount of time. Pick frequently for optimal tenderness and yields.

If you have never tried these you do not know what you are missing!

Haricot verts produce long, thin, tender pods and must be picked every day or they will become tough and stringy. Only a few plants will provide tons of beans for a family of 4.



Haricot verts, or French filet beans, produce slender yet flavorful pods suitable for fresh use or cooked dishes. Like most beans, haricot verts require warm, sunny weather and can't tolerate a freeze. Pole varieties require a support for the vines to climb, while shorter bush types grow no more than 2 feet tall and require no supports. Sow haricot verts directly in the garden bed in early summer once frost danger passes and the soil temperature is above 60 degrees Fahrenheit.

I recommend you install a trellis if you are growing a pole haricot vert variety. Simply place a 6-foot tall stake at each end of the bean row and stretch some bean netting between the two. In lieu of that option just tie the tops of four poles together and spread the legs apart to make a bean teepee and the pole haricot verts will simply climb up.

When you sow the seeds sow them 1 inch deep and space pole varieties 2 inches apart along the base of the trellis netting or plant three seeds around each leg of the teepee.

When planting Haricot vert bush types plant the seeds 4 inches apart in rows set 8 to 12 inches apart.

Water once or twice weekly so the top 6 inches of soil remains moist. Haricot verts require approximately 1 inch of water a week.

Harvest haricot verts when the pods are pencil thick but still tender and green. Harvest daily once beans begin maturing to encourage further production on the plant and you will easily get a bumper crop.

We love them simply steamed for 8 to 10 minutes.

But you can do lots of things to them.

Here is a good recipe for Haricot Verts String Bean Stew

This is a very tasty meal to enjoy on a cold winter’s eve. We eat it with just a nice warm baguette or boule and it is a very satisfying meal. You can add leftover meatloaf or meatballs to make it a more substantial meal. The French beans (Haricots Verts) are the best.

String Bean Stew

Ingredients

2 lbs of fresh green beans (tips cut and strings removed)
1 lb of baby Yukon gold potatoes (peeled and sliced) and sometimes we use really small ones and just leave the whole and with the skins on them.
2 shallots or one small onion thinly sliced
2 cups of vegetable stock
½ cup of lardoons (small pieces of slab bacon with much of the fat trimmed off)
3 cans of stewed tomatoes or the equivalent if you are using your own canned tomatoes

2 tablespoons Olive Oil

Recipe Directions

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan and cook onion for 2-3 minutes or until onion is tender but not brown. Add the lardoons and sauté for another 3 minutes. Add the beans and stir over medium heat for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the juice from the cans of stewed tomatoes. Use a food processor to mash up the tomatoes and add them to the stew. Add the vegetable stock, bring to boil. Add the sliced potatoes. Simmer over low heat, stirring from time to time for 50 minutes or until beans and potatoes are cooked (add water if necessary).

Barley and Corn Salad with Arugula and Haricot Vert


Serves 4

1/3 cup pearl barley
1/2 pound haricot vert (slim green beans) trimmed and cut into 2? segments
1 cup fresh corn kernels (from about 1 large ear)
1 large bunch of arugula (about 4 ounces total)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
4 tablespoons soft fresh goat cheese (such as Montrachet), crumbled

Cook barley in medium saucepan of boiling salted water until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes. Drain; cool. Transfer to large bowl.

Cook haricot vert in large pot of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, NO MORE than 3 minutes. Drain. Transfer beans to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain well. Transfer to bowl with barley. Mix in corn kernels. Coarsely chop washed and dried arugula; add to bowl with barley mixture.

Whisk olive oil, vinegar, shallots, thyme and Dijon mustard in small bowl to blend. Pour enough dressing over barley mixture to coat. Season salad to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with goat cheese and serve alongside any remaining dressing.

Haricots Verts Stir-Fry with Szechuan pepper Salt is one of our favorites in the Home Farm Herbery Kitchen.



Serves 6

30 minutes or fewer

Crisp-tender thin green beans add a touch of elegance to a basic stir-fry. To give the dish a salty-spicy crunch, use more Szechuan Pepper Salt.

1 lb. extra-thin green beans (haricots verts), trimmed

2 Tbs. canola oil

1 lb. extra-firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic, minced (4 tsp.)

2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger

2 cups mung bean sprouts (4 oz.)

6 green onions, thinly sliced on bias

2 Tbs. low-sodium soy sauce or tamari sauce

1 ½ Tbsp. toasted sesame oil

2 ¼ tsp. Szechuan pepper Salt

1. Cook green beans in large pot of boiling salted water 4 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain, and dunk in large bowl of cold water. Drain again, and pat dry with paper towels.

2. Heat oil in wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add tofu, and stir-fry 8 to 10 minutes, or until golden brown on all sides. Transfer to paper-towel-lined plate with slotted spoon to drain.

3. Add garlic and ginger to wok, and sauté 30 seconds, or until fragrant and beginning to brown. Add green beans, bean sprouts, and green onions, and stir-fry 1 minute, or until green beans begin to brown. Add tofu, soy sauce, sesame oil, and Szechuan Pepper Salt, and toss to coat.

Or simply tried them sautéed in a little olive oil with Merlot Sea Salt and Lemon Pepper both of which are available at our Home Farm Herbery on-line store.  We even offer a Salt Free Lemon Pepper.



You can find these seeds to plant this year in your garden at our on-line store.

In the meantime.. let the Creative Force be with you



Arlene Wright-Correll

What to do with Leftover Panettone?

by Arlene Wright-Correll
Home Farm Herbery



Panettone (pronounced paene-toune) is a type of sweet bread loaf originally from Milan, but you do not have to go to Italy for the best Panettone for your holiday bread because we make it right here at Home Farm Herbery with all our Kentucky Proud local ingredients including our own dried fruit. It is overloaded with 8 eggs, lots of local chemical/pesticide-free honey and butter making it very rich dessert bread.

At Home Farm Herbery we use the following ingredients: Unbleached flour, water, salt, yeast, Local honey, Local eggs, Local butter, Home Farm Herbery dried fruit (raisins from our own grapes, currents, lemon peel, citron, orange peel) and lemon juice plus we add a big dollop of LOVE.

Most of the time this item is purchased around Christmas time and it seems to be a Christmas desert. It sort of is an Italian thing and most North Americans are missing out on a good thing because you can make lots and lots of great deserts with leftover panettone. Over the years we have amassed several good recipes at Home Farm Herbery and we would like to introduce you to some of them.

Recipes from Home Farm Herbery

Panettone French Toast and Bacon

Slice a thick cross-section of the cake. Soak it thoroughly in 2 eggs beaten with cream and a pinch of salt. Cook it over medium low heat in butter until golden brown and both sides. Dust with confectionary sugar and swerve it with maple syrup and/or a dollop of mascarpone and some slices of good quality crispy bacon. This cross section will serve 3 to 4 people. Of course for you vegetarians you can have just plain Panettone French Toast.



Panettone Pudding



Ingredients: ½ large Panettone sliced 1” thick

½ c mixed dried fruit such as cranberries and sultanas. 2 cups milk, ¾ cup heavy cream, 2 tsp. pure vanilla, ¼ cup sugar, 2 range free eggs plus 6 extra egg yolks

Directions: Lightly grease a 2.5 qt. baking dish. Slightly overlap the panettone in the dish and sprinkle each layer with the dried fruit. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, yolks, cream, milk, vanilla and sugar and pour it over the panettone. Let it stand for 30 minutes, pressing down on the panettone every 10 minutes until it soaks up all the liquid. Sprinkle the top with extra sugar and bake in a pre-heated oven to 350 degrees and bake for 45 to 50 minutes until golden brown. If browning to quickly cover loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. Remove from oven and let it stand for 10 minutes. Serve warm with extra whipped cream.



Panettone French Toast with Mixed Berries

Ingredients: 3 eggs, 1/3 cup pure un-thickened cream, 1/3 cup milk, 1 tbsp. sugar, ½ tsp. pure vanilla extract, 2 rounds of panettone cut across horizontally about 1 inch thick and quartered, about 9 ounces of mixed frozen berries thawed or fresh ones, 2 tbsp. of confectionary sugar plus extra to dust. 2 tbsp. unsalted butter.

Directions: In a wide shallow bowl mix cream, milk, sugar and vanilla. Add the panettone slices one at a time, turning each one until coated and leave for 10 minutes pressing down from time to time until all the liquid is soaked into the panettone.

In the meantime, put half of the berries, 1 tbsp. water and the confectionary sugar in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a bowl and add the remaining berries and set aside.

Melt half the butter in a non-stick frying pan over medium heat. Drain excess egg mixture from half the panettone slices and cook for 1 to 2 minutes on each side until golden brown. Keep warm while you melt the remaining butter and cook the remaining slices of panettone in the same manner. To serve, place two slices on each plate, dust with some confectionary sugar and top with the berries and a dollop of cream.

Panettone, Berry and Mascarpone Trifle



Ingredients: 2 egg yolks, ¼ cup sugar, ¼ cup Frangelico hazelnut liqueur, 9 oz. of mascarpone, 8 slices of panettone, and 11 oz. of mixed berries.

Directions: Use a balloon whisk to whisk egg yolks and sugar together in a medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add 1 tbsp. of the Frangelico hazelnut liqueur and whisk until smooth. Add the mascarpone and use a metal spoon to gently fold until just combined. Use a 3 inch biscuit cutter to cut discs from the panettone slices. Brush the four discs with a little of the remaining Frangelico hazelnut liqueur. Place in the base of four 1 cup serving dishes, add a layer of mixed berries, a layer of mascarpone, dividing evenly among the dishes and build each one up until all are layered and top with a layer of mascarpone. Sprinkle some remaining berries and cover with some plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before serving.

Panettone, Ricotta and Nectarine Cake



Ingredients: (1) 24 oz. panettone, 20 oz. fresh ricotta cheese, 2 oz. of bitter chocolate coarsely chopped, 2 oz. blanched almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped, 1 & ¼ tsp. Glacé orange, confectionary sugar plus extra for dusting, 2 tbsp. Grand Marnier, 4 fresh nectarines halved, stoned and sliced into thin wedges.

Directions: Using a serrated knife, cut the top off the panettone to make a nice cylinder shape, and then trip the crust from the cylinder and cut widthwise into 4 thick slices. Reserve trimmed panettone for another use. Push the ricotta through a fine sieve into a bowl and then add chocolate, Glacé orange, almonds, confectionary sugar and half the liqueur and mix well. Spread 1/3 cup ricotta mixture over the bottom slice of the panettone, press another slice over the top, then repeat spreading and layering, finish with a layer of ricotta. Combine nectarines with remaining liqueur and then top with 1/3 of the nectarines. Serve cake cut into wedges and serve with the remaining sliced nectarines passed separately. This cake is best on the day it is made and peaches can be substituted for nectarines.

Apricot Panettone Pudding



Ingredients: 5 to 6 oz. of apricots, 9 oz. panettone, sliced, butter, 10 oz. plus 1 tsp. milk, a piece of vanilla pod, split open with a sharp knife, 1 tbsp. caster or superfine sugar, 1 egg, 1 egg yolk, 2 oz. of chopped almonds and some powdered sugar.

Directions: Place apricots in a small pan bring to a boil, then cook gently for 5 minutes or until very tender. Drain, reserving the juice. Mash the apricots into a puree. Spread most of the apricot over the panettone and arrange in a buttered oven proof dish. Spread the remaining puree over the top, along with any juices. Put the milk, the split vanilla pod and sugar into a sauce pan and heat slowly until the milk just comes to a boil, then set aside for 10 minutes. Beat the egg and egg yolk together in a bow, and then pour on the heated milk, stirring to make custard. Pour the custard around the edges of the panettone, NOT ON TOP. Sprinkle the top with the almonds, dot with butter and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F. or until all the custard has been absorbed and the pudding is golden on top. Remove from the oven and cook 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.

Chilled Panettone with Poached Spiced Cherries



Ingredients: 8 slices of panettone, 3 tbsp. butter (softened), 2 tbsp. orange marmalade, 2 eggs slightly whisked, 1 cup milk, ½ cup light cream, ¼ cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste.

Spiced Cherries: 9 oz fresh cherries, (note you may or may not stone or pit the cherries. I usually do) 1 cup rose wine, ¼ cup sugar, 2 whole star anise and 1 cinnamon stick.

Directions: preheat oven to 320 degrees F. Grease four 2/3 cup capacity ramekins. Use a round pastry or biscuit cutter to cut 8 discs from the panettone slices, Spread the discs with butter and orange marmalade and place two discs in each ramekin. Whisk together the eggs, milk, cream, sugar and vanilla bean paste in a jug or jar until well combined. Pour evenly over the panettone slices and set aside for 15 minutes to soak. Place in a roasting pan and pour in enough boiling water to come halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes or until set. Remove from the oven, removing the ramekins from the water and place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to chill.

Meanwhile make the spiced cherries, place the cherries, wine, sugar, star anise and cinnamon stick in a medium saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low and poach for 15 minutes or until the syrup thickens and the cherries are tender. Remove from heat and transfer to a heat proof bowl. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the refrigerator to chill. Serve the chilled panettone with the chilled cherries and if you have not stoned or pitted your cherries, alert your guests to the presence of pits in the cherries!

Right now, while writing this the Home Farm Herbery Kitchen is awash with the aroma of Panettone as three of them are being baked on our stone hearth and once they are cooled down they will be shipped to 3 anxiously awaiting customers in different parts of the good old USA!

Try these recipes today and enjoy Happy Eating!

And may the creative Force be with you.



Arlene Wright-Correll

P.S. here is the link to order your own Home Farm Herbery Chemical Free, organic Panettone.

http://www.localharvest.org/panettone-italian-gourmet-sweet-bread-C24329