Grapefruit Segments in Vanilla Bean & Star Anise Syrup

Ingredients:
5 Texas Rio Star (red) grapefruits
1 cup sugar
2 vanilla beans, sliced along the seam
water
4-6 whole star anise


Directions:
Sterilize your jars. Keep them warm until ready to use. Supreme the grapefruit. As you work, place the segments in a large measuring cup. Squeeze the membranes and peels into the measuring cup. Discard the peels and membranes. Carefully remove the segments to a heavy sauce pan using a slotted spoon or mini strainer. Add water to the juice in the measuring cup to equal 2 cups (I only needed to add one cup). Add to the sauce pan. Add the vanilla beans and sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally but very gently. Remove the vanilla beans and star anise. Ladle the mixture into prepared jars. Cut the vanilla beans to fit and add them and the star anise to the jars if desired. Seal. Process for 5 minutes in a hot water bath.

Yield: 4-5 8 oz jars

Note: It is important to sterilize the jars prior to filling for this recipe due to the very short processing time. Do not over process the filled jars.


Tip: A great source for canning information is the Blue Book guide to preserving. I highly recommend it for learning how to can.

My thoughts:

I recently was lucky enough to come in possession of a bunch of truly fragrant Texas grapefruit. I had high hopes of finally tackling marmalade making but when I cut into them, about half, while delicious, had very, very thick skin (lots of pith) and I wasn't eager to spend all that time prepping the fruit and making marmalade only to yield a couple of 1/2 pints. We were getting ready to go on vacation so I knew I didn't have time just to eat them one by one and I am not a terribly big grapefruit eater anyway. I looked up tons of grapefruit recipes and none really seemed appealing until I came across a recipe for a poached grapefruit made with lots of fresh mint. It sounded tasty but again, my short deadline and amount of grapefruit I had didn't make this a practical solution. So I took the idea of poaching the grapefruit one further and canned the segments in a very light syrup. In the future I will use it just as I would poached grapefruit: over ice cream, yogurt or panna cotta or even in drinks. The vanilla bean and star anise add interest (and spice of course) to the syrup and keep the grapefruit from being puckeringly overpowering.

Duck with Orange-Five Spice Sauce

for the duck:
1 5-6 lb duck
1/4 cara cara orange (1 large wedge)

dry rub:
2 tablespoons five spice powder
1 1/2 tablespoons orange peel*
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
1/2 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tablespoon sea salt

sauce:
1 1/2 cup cara cara orange juice
2 star anise
1 cinnamon stick
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons shoaxing
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced



Directions:
Preheat oven to 325. In a small bowl, whisk together the dry rub. Rub the dry rub into the skin of the duck. Place the duck on a roasting rack on a roasting pan. Stick the orange quarter into the cavity of the duck and roast for 2 hours or until cooked though. Meanwhile, saute the onion and garlic in a small saucepan (using duck fat of a bit of olive oil) until softened. Add the remaining sauce ingredients and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened. Whisk in a bit of corn starch (dissolved in an equal amount of water) if it isn't thick enough. Ladle over sliced duck.

*Powdered/ground peel, not zest.

My thoughts:

Duck a l'Orange is the American version of a classic French dish that hit its peak during the '60s French cooking/home entertaining craze. While it still pops up on menus now and again, I thought it was time for an update. Five spice powder is one of my favorite spices, I've used it in both sweet and savory dishes and am always pleased with the savory-spicy flavor it gives anything it touches. I didn't want to leave tradition entirely behind so I used some Cara Cara oranges, their sweet but complex fruitiness was the perfect foil for the rich duck and spices. This dish scarcely takes anymore effort than roasting a chicken but is immensely rewarding, the duck is juicy and generously spiced throughout and the sauce is almost gilding the lily.

Get the most out of your duck:
Save the carcass and make duck stock.

Siphon off any fat that drips into the roasting pan every 20-30. Pour it into a heat safe container. Allow to cool then strain it using a mine mesh strainer. Store it in the fridge until ready to use.

Pumpkin Five Spice Sweet Rolls

Ingredients:

for the rolls:
4 cups flour
1 cup pureed pumpkin
1/3 cup lukewarm water
1/4 cup butter, melted and cooled slightly
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
1 oz dry yeast
2 eggs, at room temperature

for the filling:
4 to 5 tablespoons butter, creamed
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Chinese 5 spice powder*

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl, sprinkle the yeast on the water. Using an electric mixer with a dough hook combine the yeast, butter, sugar, egg and pumpkin. Add the flour and mix on low until smooth. The mixture should become a sticky dough at this time but it shouldn't feel damp or look wet. If it does, mix in a small amount of flour. Knead on a floured surface or in a stand mixer until smooth (but still slightly sticky).

Place the ball of dough in a buttered bowl. Cover with a tea towel or loose plastic wrap and let rise for about 45 minutes or until it doubles in size. It is okay if it rises longer or higher than that.

Preheat oven to 350. Remove dough from bowl and place on a clean, floured surface.



Roll the dough out in a large, 1/3 inch thick rectangle.



Spread the creamed butter over dough in a thin layer reaching all of the edges.





In small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and 5 spice powder. Sprinkle evenly over the buttered dough.



Roll dough into a tight log. Cut into 1 inch thick slices.




Discard the end slices if they are very small. Gently reshape each roll so they are round again.



Place in three 9 inch round cake pans that have been lightly sprayed with nonstick baking spray, forming a circle with one roll in the middle.




Allow to rise about 1/2 hour until they are about level to the top of the cake pan.




Bake for 15 minutes, then check to see if they are done. Pay careful attention to the creases where the rolls touch each other, you don't want any pockets of raw dough! Return to oven to fully cook as needed. Remove to a wire rack to cool for a minute then invert and ice.

Excellent with cream cheese sweet roll icing.

*I bought my bottle at H Mart (a Korean grocery store with lots of pan-Asian ingredients) but even McCormick makes a version now, so it is easily found at most grocery stores.


Yield: about 14 rolls

My thoughts:

This recipe took sort of a circuitous route into existence. I try to only post seasonal recipes and this time of year my most popular and favorite recipes to make always involve pumpkin, so I wanted to come up with a new way of using pumpkin.

I had been thinking about making pumpkin 5 spice ice cream until I decided that the flavor (five spice powder is a mixture of cinnamon, star anise, cloves, ginger and Sichuan peppercorn) might be better suited to a twist on the traditional cinnamon roll.

I really liked the idea of the five spice-pumpkin ice cream but wasn't confident that it would be good enough to post. I know that ice cream made with a ground spice often ends up with an unappetizing grainy texture so I had planned to break down the powder into the specific ingredients and use whole cloves, star anise, Sichuan peppercorn, cinnamon sticks and ginger and strain them out. However, I was worried that the flavor of so many whole spices might overpower the pumpkin. Five spice ice cream still sounds great (and I can't wait to make it) but for this recipe I really wanted the pumpkin flavor to be present and distinct. So I decided against it but was still in love with the idea of the five spice-pumpkin combination; five spice is similar to the traditional pumpkin pie spices but a little fresher and more dynamic.

I think I couldn't have come up with a better recipe incorporating five spice powder and pumpkin than these rolls. The fresh, pumpkin flavor is distinct but contained in the dough and is a great contrast to the distinctive flavor provided by the five spice powder in the sugar mixture. They are wonderfully addictive. We couldn't even wait for the them to cool before we devoured several. Really, they are better than any cinnamon roll I've ever had.

The dough is very soft and easy to work with; it rolls out like a dream. And while, yes, this recipe isn't exactly healthy, unlike a lot of sweet roll recipes, it only calls for 4 tablespoons of butter in the dough (unlike the 1/2 to 1 cup I've seen in cinnamon bun recipes) and I was able to get by with only 4 tablespoons in the filling. Not bad for a sweet roll that tastes so decadent.

Sichuan Peppercorn & 5 Spice Encrusted Pork Loin

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin

spice mixture
2 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
2 tablespoons smashed Sichuan peppercorns
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1 tablespoon five spice powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
2 teaspoons onion powder
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

steam flavoring
1/4 cup whole star anise
1/4 cup white tea leaves

mesquite chips

Directions:
Whisk together the spices. Rub on all sides of the pork. Store any leftover spice mixture in an air tight container.

Place a 8x8 square disposable heavy duty baking pan on the bottom of your charcoal grill and arrange the coals on either side. Pour water in the pan to the halfway point and the tea and star anise. Place mesquite chips in a foil packet, poke holes in the foil, and place on the coals. Place the pork on the center of the grate, over the disposable tin.



This will allow the pork to cook evenly on indirect heat. Keep the lid ajar until you start to see smoke.



Cover, leaving the top vents open and cook, turning the pork occasionally, until fully cooked, about 2 hours.



Note: If you notice that the smoke stops smelling like mesquite, replace the packet. Also, if the temperature seems to dip, add a couple of (cold) coals and uncover for a few minutes.

Tip: Crush the Sichuan peppercorns in a molcajete (like my husband is demonstrating below) or just crush them with your fingers.

My thoughts:

This is some seriously juicy, flavorful pork. The "slow and low" method keeps the loin from drying out and the spices seal in the juices. It really is my favorite way to cook pork loin, which as a fairly lean cut of meat is easy to over cook. Not using this method. It is incredibly easy but yields tender, juicy meat every time. In this version the Chinese spices permeate the pork, infusing it with a spicy, sweet flavor that pairs well with everything. Leftovers are great in sandwiches.

Homemade Corned Beef

Ingredients:
6 lb beef brisket, about 1 1/2 to 2 inches thick

brine:
4 quarts of water
1 1/2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
10 bay leaves
8 cloves garlic
5 whole star anise
2 sticks cinnamon, broken up
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seeds
1 tablespoon brown mustard seeds
2 tablespoons whole peppercorn mix
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon sodium nitrite*
1 tablespoon whole coriander
1/2 tablespoon whole cardamom
2 teaspoons dill seed
1 teaspoon mace
1 teaspoon celery flakes
1 teaspoon whole cloves


the cooking spices:
1 cinnamon stick, broken up
3 whole star anise
1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon yellow mustard seed
1 tablespoon brown mustard seed
1 tablespoon dill seed
1 tablespoon coriander


Directions:
Place the brine ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Boil for 5 minutes.



Allow to cool completely. Pour into a large, non-reactive, air-tight container.



I cannot recommend this container enough. It was the perfect size and believe me, it is harder to find a container that was actually air-tight and big enough to hold quarts of brine and a large cut of meat than you would think.

Add the meat.



Weigh down the meat with something non-reactive and heavy. I used a gallon-sized plastic resealable freezer bag filled with cool water. Refrigerate. Once a day, flip the meat, re-weigh it down and continue refrigerating it. This is to make sure both sides are evenly brined.


After 12 days, remove the meat from the brine. Discard the brine. Add the meat and the cooking spices to a very large (I used this 16 quart lobster pot)pot and fill with water. Boil for 3 hours or until the meat is tender and sort of flakes when you poke it with a fork. Allow to cool. When cool, scrape off any loose bits of fat and discard them. Slice the meat across the grain with a very sharp knife or meat slicer. I borrowed this meat slicer and it worked pretty well slicing the meat to deli-thinness.




*Sometimes called "pink salt" or "curing salt" this is a perservative that helps the meat retain the pinkish color. I had a hard time finding it locally but I finally found it for sale from this website. 8 oz is only $2 and is enough for dozens of curing experiments.

My thoughts:

There were times when I was making the corned beef I felt slightly insane. After all, I am lucky enough to live in a city with a good deli so it wasn't 100% necessary that I make my own corned beef from scratch. Luckily, after the weeks long, insanity inducing hunts for a brining container and sodium nitrate were over, the actual corning of the beef was really easy. Really, really easy. The brine was simple and while flipping the meat every day was one more thing to remember it wasn't time consuming. At the end of the 12 days you just boil it until tender.

I wasn't sure what spices exactly went into corned beef the few recipes I could find that didn't call for pre-brined meat just called for "pickling spices". What exactly was in those pickling spices wasn't really clear. So I just picked spices that I thought would make for tasty meat and hoped for the best. I then waited a long 12 days to try it and well, it totally worked. It was the best corned beef I have ever had and I have had a lot of corned beef. It was melt in your mouth tender and had the most perfect straight-from-the-deli flavor. Well worth the effort.

East Meets Southeast Barbecued Pulled Pork

Ingredients:
2 lb pork loin
For the sauce:
1/2 cup chili sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1 tablespoon sake
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon chile paste (Sambal Oelek)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespon grated garlic
1 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground star anise


Directions:
Preheat oven to 375. In a small bowl, whisk together all of the sauce ingredients. Slice the pork loin into 2 inch thick slices. Place in a baking dish with a lid. Cover in sauce, cover and bake 1 1/2 hours or until pull-apart-with-a-fork tender. Use a fork to shred the pork. Serve hot on sesame buns.

Yield: about 4 servings

My thoughts:

We couldn't decide between making Southern style barbecue pork or something Asian so we decided to meld the two together in a sort of China meets Japan meets the Carolinas pulled pork. It is beyond tasty and despite the long list of ingredients, a snap to make.