Holiday Fruit Sauce For Meat Recipes

EXOTIC FRUIT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all of the ingredients and season to taste with salt and pepper.

SPICY DRIED FRUIT DESSERT SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients except those to finish the sauce in a food processor and pulse until coarsely chopped; do not purée. Transfer to an airtight container and let rest at least 1 day, or up to 4 weeks.
• When ready to serve, transfer to a saucepan and add enough rum or other liquid to loosen. Heat until warm and bubbly. If desired, add black pepper to make the mixture more spicy. To make a richer sauce, whisk in cold butter 1 tablespoon at a time, to taste.
• Serve warm over ice cream, pumpkin pie or baked apples.

HOLIDAY FRUIT PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. In a small saucepan, combine cranberries, water and honey. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat until berries pop, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly., In a large bowl, combine pineapple, cornstarch and cinnamon; stir in cranberry mixture and apple. On a lightly floured surface, roll one half of pastry dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle; transfer to a 9-in. pie plate. Trim pastry even with rim. Add filling., Roll remaining dough to a 1/8-in.-thick circle. Place over filling. Trim, seal and flute edge. Cut slits in top. Bake 45-55 minutes or until crust is golden brown and filling is bubbly. Cover pie loosely with foil during the last 30 minutes if needed to prevent overbrowning. Remove foil. Cool on a wire rack.

MIXED BERRY SAUCE TO BE ENJOYED WITH MEAT

Steps:

• Cook the meat that is going to be served in a pan and then remove it and set aside to rest, covering with foil to retain the heat.
• Add the orange juice, bay leaf, redcurrant jelly, berries and sugar to the meat juices left in the pan from cooking the meat and boil the mixture for 3-4 minutes.
• Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for another 5 minutes until the fruit is soft.
• Remove the bay leaf, stir in the balsamic vinegar, mint and season with salt and pepper.
• Spoon over the meat and serve immediately while hot.

PORK ROAST WITH WINTER FRUITS AND PORT SAUCE

Steps:

• Make stuffing:
• Simmer apricots, prunes, and Port in a small heavy saucepan, covered, 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand 10 minutes.
• Cook onion and shallot in butter in a 12-inch heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add apple and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until apple is just tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in apricot mixture and cool.
• Stuff and roast pork:
• Preheat oven to 500°F with rack in middle.
• Make a pocket in center of roast by making a horizontal 1 1/2-inch-wide cut into 1 end of roast with a long thin knife, repeating from opposite end so pocket runs all the way through. Then make a vertical cut through center (forming a cross) to widen pocket. Push about 1 cup stuffing into pocket using a long-handled wooden spoon (you may need to stuff from both sides if roast is long). Reserve remaining stuffing for sauce.
• Season roast with 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and put in a large flameproof roasting pan. Wrap with bacon, between rib bones, tucking ends under roast. Roast pork 20 minutes, then reduce oven to 325°F and roast until an instant-read thermometer inserted 2 inches into center of roast (do not touch bone or stuffing) registers 155°F, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours total.
• Transfer roast to a cutting board, reserving pan, and let stand, loosely covered with foil, 15 to 20 minutes. (Temperature of meat will rise to about 160°F; meat will be slightly pink.)
• Make sauce:
• Skim fat from pan drippings and reserve 1 1/2 tablespoons fat. Straddle pan across 2 burners and add Port to drippings, then deglaze pan by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Strain pan juices through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.
• Cook shallot in reserved fat in a heavy medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 3 minutes. Stir in pan juices, 1 1/4 cups water, and reserved fruit stuffing and bring to a simmer. Whisk together arrowroot and remaining 1/4 cup water until smooth, then whisk into sauce with any juices from cutting board.
• Simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
• Carve roast into chops by cutting between ribs, then serve with sauce.

HOLIDAY FRUIT STUFFED ROASTED CHICKEN

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 275 degrees F (135 degrees C). Spread the walnuts out onto a baking sheet and toast them for about 45 minutes, until the nuts start to brown and become fragrant. Watch the walnuts carefully, because they burn quickly. Set the walnuts aside.
• While the walnuts are roasting, rinse the chicken well with cold water, then pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place the chicken into a small roasting pan, and sprinkle inside and outside with salt and pepper.
• Combine 2 tablespoons Italian dressing, 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1 teaspoon orange peel, the lemon peel, thyme, and basil in a small bowl. Brush the chicken inside and out with the mixture.
• To make the stuffing, heat 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium heat. Add the apple, pear, and pineapple chunks; cook and stir about 5 minutes, until the apple and pear are tender. Mix the cooked fruit mixture with the roasted walnuts, bread, prunes, grapes, 2 tablespoons Italian dressing, orange juice, apple cider, 1 teaspoon of orange zest, honey, and cinnamon in a large bowl and stir to combine.
• Increase oven temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Spoon the stuffing into the chicken cavity, including the area under the neck skin. Secure the skin over the neck cavity with toothpicks, and fold the wings underneath the chicken. Tie the drumsticks together.
• Roast the chicken in the preheated oven for 1 hour, and untie the drumsticks. Return the chicken to the oven and continue roasting until no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 45 minutes to 1 hour additional roasting time. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, near the bone should read 180 degrees F (82 degrees C). Remove the chicken from the oven, cover with a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and allow to rest in a warm area for 10 minutes before slicing.

NO-HEADACHE HOLIDAY SAUCE

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until cranberries pop, 25-30 minutes. Cool to room temperature or chill.

HOLIDAY HOT FRUIT COMPOTE

Steps:

• In a 2-qt. baking dish coated with cooking spray, combine the apples, pineapple, pears and peaches. In a small bowl, combine the cranberry sauce, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger and cloves. Stir into fruit mixture. Cover and bake at 350° for 45-55 minutes or until bubbly.