Creme De Cassis Sauce Recipes

PEARS POACHED IN RED WINE AND CASSIS

Steps:

• Combine wine, honey, and crème de cassis in a medium saucepan. Using the tip of a paring knife, scrape seeds from vanilla bean halves into wine and add pods.Add cinnamon stick and raisins and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, fill a bowl with water and add lemon juice. Peel, quarter and core pears and drop into the acidulated water. (This prevents the pears from discoloring.)
• Drain pears and add to simmering wine. Bring back to a simmer, cover and simmer 10 to 15 minutes more, until pears areslightly translucent. Turn off heat and remove cinnamon stick. Add almonds. Serve warm or chilled.

PAN-SEARED DUCK BREAST WITH CASSIS COMPOTE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Place the duck skin side up. Using a sharp knife, score 4 (1/4-inch-deep) cuts across the skin at a 45 degree angle. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper over the meat side of each duck breast.
• Heat a well-seasoned skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. When pan is hot, add duck breasts, skin side down, and cook for 5 minutes, or until skin is brown and crispy. Flip and cook for 2 more minutes. If you are unfamiliar with duck breasts, don't be put off by their unusual look. The fat-to-meat proportions reverse themselves when cooked, as much of the fat is rendered and the meat expands.
• Remove pan from heat (save the drippings) and transfer duck breasts, skin side up, to a cooking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake on the top rack of the oven for 6 minutes.
• Carefully discard all but 2 tablespoons of duck drippings from the pan. Return pan to medium heat and add shallot. Stir occasionally for 3 minutes, or until shallot begins to turn golden. Add Cassis to the pan and stir with a wooden spoon to loosen up the browned bits left by the duck. Add jam, vinegar, and remaining teaspoon of black pepper, and stir occasionally for 3 minutes. Remove from heat.
• Remove duck from the oven and slice each breast at a 45 degree angle into 1/4-inch-thick strips (properly cooked duck should resemble medium-rare steak). Arrange in a fanlike pattern on a warmed plates and spoon Cassis compote overtop. Serve immediately.

CREME DE CASSIS SAUCE

Steps:

• melt the strawberry preserves in a heavy saucepan, add the creme de cassis, & bring to a low boil, lower heat add other ingredients up to the Fiore Di Scicilia & simmer until the sauce thickens a little. let cool While the sauce is thickening thinly slice the fruit in a bowl, sprinkle with sugar on top pour the sauce over the fruit cover and chill great accompaniment to cheesecake variation- slice peeled oranges would be good for this sauce as well *fiore di sicilia can be found in a baking mail order website. It reminds you of orange cremesicle or orange sherbert/ice cream taste. You can substitute pure vanilla extract

CREPES WITH RASPBERRY-CASSIS SAUCE

Steps:

• To make crepe batter, place milk, eggs, salt and sugar in blender. Turn on and, with the motor running, add flours, then melted butter and blend at high speed for 1 minute, until well mixed and smooth. Transfer to a bowl, stir in lime zest, cover and let rest for at least 30 minutes. If resting batter longer, refrigerate. (Whisk again before making crepes.)
• While batter is resting, make raspberry sauce. Combine 1/3 cup water and sugar in small saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer until sugar has dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in rose water, raspberries and cassis liqueur. Return to heat, bring to a simmer, cover and simmer 10 minutes. Remove from heat and strain the mixture into a bowl. Press the raspberry pulp through strainer with a spatula and discard seeds. Whisk or stir to blend pulp and syrup and set aside.
• Make the yogurt filling: In a separate bowl, whisk together yogurt, honey, lime zest and juice. Taste and adjust sweetness. Set aside.
• To make crepes, heat 8-inch nonstick crepe pan or skillet over medium-high heat and brush lightly with butter. Pan must be hot when you add crepe batter. Lift pan off heat and pour or ladle in a scant 1/4 cup batter, enough to thinly coat bottom of pan. Tilt and swirl pan to distribute batter in an even layer. Return pan to heat and cook crepe for about 1 minute, until edges color and bottom of crepe is lightly browned. Crepe should not stick to pan. Flip crepe over and cook for 30 seconds on the other side, until speckled. Turn out onto a plate. Continue with remaining batter, brushing pan occasionally with butter if desired.
• If you want to serve crepes at their hottest, assemble them as they come out of the pan. Spread a rounded tablespoon of the yogurt mixture over each crepe, drizzle on 1/2 teaspoon raspberry sauce, fold crepe in half and then in half again. Place on plate or platter. When all crepes are made and filled, spoon or pour sauce over, garnish with raspberries, and, if desired, dust with powdered sugar. Serve.

STUFFED LEG OF LAMB WITH BALSAMIC-FIG-BASIL SAUCE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine the chopped prunes and currants with the creme de cassis in a small bowl, and set aside. In another small bowl, combine the rosemary, thyme, coriander, salt, and pepper; set aside.
• Untie and unroll the lamb, lay it out flat on the work surface. Trim off excess fat, and cut any thick parts open so that it is evenly thick and somewhat rectangular in shape. Sprinkle half of the herb mixture over the lamb. Mix the almonds and chopped mint into the prune mixture; spread evenly over the lamb. Roll up starting at one of the short sides, and tie with kitchen twine in 1-inch intervals. Cut 9 slits about 1-inch deep into the top of the lamb, and insert a slice of garlic in each. Rub with olive oil, and sprinkle with the remaining herb mixture.
• Place lamb seam-side up on a rack set in a roasting pan. Roast in the preheated oven to desired doneness. For medium-rare, a thermometer inserted into the center will read 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). Remove lamb from the oven and cover with foil. Allow to rest for 15 minutes while proceeding with the recipe.
• While the lamb is resting, bring the balsamic vinegar to a boil in a small saucepan over high heat. Boil until the vinegar has reduced by half, 4 to 5 minutes. Once reduced, stir in the butter, honey, and sliced figs. Stir until the butter has melted, then remove from the heat, stir in the chopped basil and set aside.
• To serve, remove the twine from the lamb and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. Arrange on a warm serving platter and drizzle with the fig sauce, garnish with mint and basil leaves.