Tag Archive for: cherries

Beef Tenderloin with Cherry/Pepper Sauce

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Serves 4

  • 4  6-oz. beef tenderloin steaks
  • 1 ½ tsp. flour
  • 2 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
  • 2 Tbsp. dried cherries, strip sliced
  • 14 oz. can low salt beef broth
  • 14 oz. can low salt chicken broth
  • 2 c. Madeira
  • 1 shallot, finely chopped
  • 2 ½ Tbsp. butter, divided

In a large saucepan, sauté shallots in 1 Tbsp. butter 2 minutes, until soft.  Add Madeira; boil 15 minutes or until reduced to ½ c. Add broths, cherries, and peppercorns.  Simmer 30 minutes or until reduced to 1 ¼ c.  Mix 1 ½ tsp. melted butter and flour in small bowl. Gradually whisk into sauce; simmer until slightly thickened.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Heat 1 Tbsp. butter in heavy skillet over high heat.  Add steaks and cook as desired, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Transfer to plates, spoon sauce over, and serve.

Accompany with Cooper-Garrod Cabernet Sauvignon

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Cherries-n-Chicken

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Serves 6

  • 6 boneless chicken breast halves
  • 6 tbsp butter, melted
  • Flour for dredging
  • I can Bing cherries, 16 oz.
  • I onion, sliced thin
  • I bottle chile sauce, 12 oz.
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • I tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 cup sherry

Preheat oven to 400 degrees Wash chicken pieces, pat dry. Dip chicken in butter, then flour. Bake 20 minutes in a 9” x 13” dish. Meanwhile, simmer the juice from the cherries with the onion, chile sauce, brown sugar, and Worcestershire. Reduce oven to 250 degrees. Pour sauce over browned chicken and bake 45 minutes more. Spoon cherries and sherry over chicken. Return to oven for 15 minutes. Serve over white rice.

Accompany with Cooper-Garrod Cabernet Franc

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Seared Duck with Cabernet Reduction

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Serves 4

  • 4 duck breasts, boneless, skin on
  • 1⁄4 tsp. salt
  • 1⁄4 tsp. pepper
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 3⁄4 c. dried cherries, halved
  • 3⁄4 c. Cooper-Garrod Cabernet Sauvignon
  • 6 Tbsp. butter, cut in small pieces

Season both sides of duck breast with salt and pepper. Heat a sauté pan over medium heat; when hot, place duck breast in pan skin side down. Allow duck fat to render from under skin, crisply browning skin, about 8-10 minutes. (Do not shortchange this procedure!) Once well browned, increase heat to high and turn breast over to sear meaty side until it is also nicely browned. Remove duck from pan; keep warm.

Pour off accumulated fat, turn heat to low. Add shallots, dried cherries, and wine; cook together until wine is reduced by half. Add butter, a few pieces at a time, whisking to incorporate each addition. Check for seasoning, adding salt and pepper to taste.

To serve, spoon reduction sauce over duck breasts.

Recipe from Chef Jeremy MacVeigh, Professional Culinary Institute, PCIchef.com

Chef’s Note:

“The key to cooking duck breast is to render it, skin side down in a moderately hot pan for about 8-10 minutes to make the skin very crisp and to melt off the considerable amount of fat that lies beneath duck skin. Crisped duck breast skin is sublime, but only if it has been rendered well.”

Accompany with Cooper-Garrod Cabernet Sauvignon

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Cherried Lamb Chops with Port

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Serves 2 – can be doubled

  • 2 tsp. olive oil
  • 4 small loin lamb chops
  • 1/3 cup chopped shallots
  • 3/4 cup ruby Port
  • 1/2 cup low salt chicken broth
  • 1/2 cup dried tart cherries
  • 3 Tbsp. cherry jam
  • 1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
  • 1⁄2 tsp. ground cardamom
  • Chopped fresh mint for garnish

Sprinkle lamb with salt and pepper. Heat oil in medium skillet over medium to high heat. Cook lamb about 10 minutes, turning often with tongs. Transfer to plate and keep warm. Pour drippings from skillet. Cook shallots in same skillet; sauté 1 minute before adding Port, broth, cherries, jam, vinegar, and cardamom. Boil about 6 minutes, until cherries plump and liquid is syrupy. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon sauce over lamb and sprinkle with mint.

Serve with Cooper-Garrod Test Pilot P-47 Thunderbolt

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Cherried Pots de Creme

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Serves 4

  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 6 Tbsp. sugar
  • 4 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 Tbsp. crème de cassis
  • ¾ c. bing cherries (from a can), drained and quartered

In a food processor, beat butter and sugar until well mixed.  Add chocolate several spoonfuls at a time, mixing well after each addition.  Add eggs one by one, mixing at high speed until well incorporated.  Mix in cassis.  Without the blade, stir in the quartered cherries.  Spoon into 4 ramekins or dessert dishes; cover and chill at least 4 hours.

Accompany with Test Pilot F-86 Sabre Jet

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