If you are a barbeque fan, the duck is something that can be done on your outdoor grill with the rotisserie feature. Some words of warning though come with duck cooking:

Number 1. Cook the bird on medium low temperature, because as the fat melts it will create a massive fire otherwise.

Number 2. Locate a drip pan below the bird to catch the fat. The drip pan needs to have water in it and there should not be any direct heat under the pan or you will burn the fat and create a fire hazard.

Number 3. Score the skin on the breasts to release the fat from under the skin. This in turn will allow the skin to crisp and secondly release the fat.

The Baste
The baste is a simple combination of soy sauce (low sodium if desired), citrus juices, what ever is available lemon, lime and orange and honey. The ratio is two parts soy sauce, one part citrus juice and one part honey. This baste can also be used for a final sauce by reducing down to a syrup and drizzled over the duck at serving time. In the cooking process you’ll want to baste the bird regularly. A four to five pound duck will take 90 to 120 minutes to cook at 325 to 350 degrees. To test for doneness, the internal temperature should be 165 degrees and the leg will pull free at its joint. Or you can pierce the leg joint with a sharp knife and if the juices run clear then the bird is done.

When serving duck I will not cut it off the bone but cut the whole bird into pieces and serve a piece of breast and a piece of leg meat for each guest. This way everyone gets a portion of skin with a variety of pieces.

MANGO CHUTNEY INGREDIENTS
• 4 pounds fresh mangos, ripe but not too soft, peeled
• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon chile flakes
• 2 1/2 cups medium dice red onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh ginger
• 1 cup small dice red bell pepper
• 8 ounces unsweetened pineapple juice
• 4 ounces cider vinegar
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons curry powder
• Kosher salt and fresh ground white pepper
• 1/2 cup raisins or golden raisins
• 1/2 cup toasted, roughly chopped
macadamia nuts (optional)

Directions
Cut the mango flesh away from the pit. The pit is shaped similar to an obelisk, so you’ll end up with 2 large pieces and 2 smaller pieces from each mango. Roughly chop the flesh.

In a sauté pan heat the oil and add the chile flakes. Be careful not to burn the chile, just toast to flavor the oil. Add the onions and sweat until soft. Add the ginger and bell pepper and sauté for 1 to 2 minutes. Finally add the mango and cook for 1 more minute.

In a separate bowl, combine the pineapple juice, vinegar, sugar, and curry powder. Add this mixture to the pan. Stir to combine. Bring the mixture to a bare simmer and reduce for about 30 minutes, stirring frequently. Season with salt and pepper. Add the raisins and the nuts and transfer to another container over an ice bath. I used a mild yellow curry powder, but if you want it hotter go for red.

My recipe for this month reflects just that. It is a hearty bone in pork roast with a “Fresno seasoning blend.”  I’m calling it that because it resembles Pappy’s Choice Seasoning Blend.   I’ll share my recipe for the seasoning blend as it is wonderful on breakfast potatoes and grilled vegetables as well.

Slow roast the pork loin on your rotisserie until you have an internal temperature of 140-145 degrees.  Allow to rest covered with foil and the internal temperature will rise to 155 degrees and it will be moist and juicy.  I’m serving it with a medley of roasted vegetables including carrots, fennel, onion, potatoes and mushrooms. This can be prepared on a pan in the barbeque as well.   This is excellent as a main course especially on a cold Sunday evening.  The leftovers can be handled in a few ways.  My preference is to crock pot the pork with a bit of chicken broth for pulled pork sandwiches or this will make a great posole stew or soup.  Or you can remove from the bone and thinly slice the pork loin trimming off any fat as desired and make an awesome sliced pork sandwich; maybe add a smear of mango chutney or perhaps coleslaw to kick it up a notch.  I’d serve it on a hoagie bun.   Now these ideas are just my off the top suggestions for the leftovers and of course when in doubt ask your mother or Google it.

FRESNO ROASTED PORK LOIN with Roasted vegetable medley

SEASONING BLEND
2 parts Salt
1 part Pepper
½ part Sugar
2 parts Paprika
¼ part Basil
1 part Granulated garlic
¼ part Ground Thyme
¼ part Ground Rosemary

INGREDIENTS
One whole pork loin will serve 8 guests with leftovers

1 bone in pork loin (chine bone removed, this will allow you to cut down between the bones for each serving, otherwise you will need to remove the rib bones just prior to serving / carving.)
Seasoning blend to well coat entire loin
6-8 medium sized red potatoes (blanch till crisp tender, drain, chill and cut into 1 ½ in cubes
4 carrots, peeled and cut in ½ inch bias slices
2 fennel bulbs.  Cut in half then into ½ inch slices
2 medium red onions cut in half then into ¾ inch slices
32-40 medium sized mushrooms, washed
¼-½ cup olive oil
2 T seasoning blend

DIRECTIONS
Preheat barbeque/grill/ smoker, Skewer pork loin on rotisserie spit.  This may require that you run the rotisserie rod through the center of the pork loin. To achieve this it may be necessary to use a long boning knife to create a slit for the rod to enter.  Once securely attached to the rod, liberally season the pork loin with seasoning blend, and place on barbeque at a medium heat.  Place a drip pan below the roast or you will have flame ups.  And remember, you are using an indirect cooking method. In essence the barbeque is an oven with the piece of meat rotating and basting itself.  Next in a large mixing bowl add the cut vegetables, olive oil and seasoning blend and gently fold together until all are evenly coated in oil and seasoning.  Turn onto cookie sheets in preparation of oven roasting.  If your barbeque unit is large enough place in with the pork twenty to thirty minutes before the pork is done.  That way everything will be done at the same time.  Or you may have to use your kitchen oven at 350-400 degrees till the vegetables are tender and lightly browned on their edges.  Remember when it’s done- remove from the heat.

Meat thermometers are essential in cooking roasts for the simple fact that you just can’t tell if the meat is done to the desired temperature.  Probe the roast in the thickest part beginning at 30-45 minutes of cooking time.   You are looking for an internal temperature of 135-145 degrees.  Allow the roast to rest covered with foil and the internal temperature will rise to 155 degrees and it will be moist and juicy.  Offer the roast with your favorite salsa, or a pan dripping gravy and you are in for a treat.  Remember if you aren’t interested in cooking it yourself, just come on down and we’ll do it for you.  Wishing you a prosperous New Year.  Karl and staff at Café 225

Procedures for this dish are simple and I’ll lay it out for you right now.

1. Heat your sauté pan to medium high heat, add the oil (4T), season and flour your chicken breasts (cut into smaller pieces on a bias for faster cooking), brown on all sides (until half way cooked), with the chicken still in the pan add your artichokes, olives, garlic, shrimp and capers.
2. Shake the pan for a few moments to coat everything with olive oil. Dust one teaspoon of flour onto the items in the pan. By doing this you are creating a roux (combination of flour and fat, in this case the olive oil). Allow the flour to cook for a few moments, but don’t allow the flour to brown.
3. Now deglaze the pan with white wine, say ½ cup. It will bubble and steam.
4. Scrape the pan to incorporate the wine and floured goodies.
5. Squeeze in juice from one lemon and add either fresh diced tomatoes or canned tomatoes or even tomato sauce or juice or paste…just enough to give the sauté some color. This is a fast dish so don’t cook for more than 3-5 minutes or the shrimp will shrink and become tough.
6. Check the flavor and add salt and pepper and fresh basil.
7. If you feel the sauce is too thick add water or chicken or clam juice. You’ll notice that the sauce thickens very quickly. When ready take off the fire. Your sauce should be a nice consistency with lots of goodies in it. I’ve specified the liquids for a 9 inch sauté pan which can serve 2-3 individuals.
8. Pour over pasta or serve with rice and enjoy.

Come see me or one of my cooks in February and we will walk you through this dish and answer all your questions. Trust me the ingredients are really forgiving. It just takes a bit of practice.

PEACH MELBA
Serves 4
Grilled or Poached Peaches
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
Peel of 1 lemon, removed in strips
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons peach schnapps
4 medium peaches, just shy of perfectly ripe
Raspberry Sauce (makes 1 cup)
2 – 1/2 pints fresh raspberries
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Vanilla ice cream
Fresh mint sprigs, garnish

To poach the peaches, place the water, sugar, lemon peel and vanilla bean in a saucepan that is just large enough to hold the peaches. You want the liquid to barely cover the peaches. Bring the mixture to the boil over high heat, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to low and add 1/2 cup of peach schnapps and the peaches. Cover the pan and cook at a very low simmer until the peaches are tender when pierced with a small knife, 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the size of your peaches. Remove the peaches from the poaching liquid with a slotted spoon and place them on a plate to cool. (The poached peaches can be stored, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Before serving, cut the fruit in half through the stem end and remove the pit. Carefully pull or peel off the skin and discard.)
Remove the lemon peels and vanilla bean from the poaching liquid, discarding the peel and saving the vanilla bean for another use. Then, place the pan over high heat and reduce the liquid to about 3/4 cup, concentrating the flavors of the syrup. Cool to room temperature, and then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of peach schnapps. Store the syrup, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Raspberry Sauce: Rinse the berries and place them in a small saucepan with the sugar. Place the pan over medium heat and cook until the berries soften and begin to break apart, about 10 minutes. Force the mixture through a fine mesh sieve, discarding the seeds. Add the lemon juice to the sauce and refrigerate, covered, up to 3 days.
A twist to the original version is to heat the poached peach half on the grill till warmed through, this adds a bit of smokiness to the peach and adds that certain level of California-ness to the dessert. This sometimes takes a bit longer than poaching so you may also poach them and then add the grilled element by simply putting the poached peach on a hot grill till they get the caramelized grill marks and adds the smokiness.

To assemble the dessert, place a scoop of ice cream in a bowl or large goblet. Top with 2 poached peach halves. Spoon some of the poaching syrup over the ice cream, then drizzle raspberry sauce over the peaches. Garnish with mint sprigs, if using. Serve immediately.

You’ll find the Peach Melba added to our dessert list while the season lasts!

Herb Dry Rub
Ideal for pork, poultry, roast beef, lamb, rabbit and fleshy vegetables such as squash, tomatoes and oven roasted potatoes.
Trim off any excess fat from roast, lightly rub with olive oil then generously apply a no salt or low salt dry herb blend like Mrs.Dash to the surfaces.  Ideally allow to marinade for up to a day refrigerated before cooking and if you are dealing with a thick roast you can make small incisions deep into the flesh and shove in slivers of fresh garlic or the dry rub.  Proceed with the cooking process or the barbeque using what ever technique is appropriate. Rotisserie for the thicker roasts or chickens, lightly grill then smoke for tri- tip or ribs. For vegetable all it will take is a short grilling till they are crisp tender

Marinades
Marinades are savory concoctions that bring out flavors, tenderize less-expensive cuts of meats and moisturize. Three basic ingredients are needed:
Acid to tenderize: vinegar, citrus juice, wine or beer. (Soy sauce and tomato juice are also acid bases but tend to be high in sodium).
Oil to moisturize: Use 2 parts acid to 1 part or less oil.
Seasoning to dress up flavors. (Avoid salt because it pulls moisture out of the meat.) Here are some basic marinades:
Soy Sauce, Garlic, Olive Oil, Balsamic Vinegar Great for Pork!
2 Tbsp Reduced Sodium Soy Sauce
2 minced garlic
1 Tbsp Olive Oil
3 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar
Place meat inside 1 gallon plastic bag and let marinade for two hours. May store in refrigerator for up to three days.
Basic Wine Marinade

1/4 (60 ml) cup olive oil,
1/4 (60 ml) Red Wine (RED MEATS) and White Wine (WHITE MEATS),
1 onion grated,
2 garlic cloves minced,
1 tbsp herbs (oregano, rosemary, marjoram, or bay leaf, or Italian Seasoning),
1 tsp pepper,
and 1/4 tsp salt.
Combine all ingredients with meat into a 1 gallon plastic bag.  Allow to marinade for 2-4 hours and up to 48 hours.
Sometimes the use of a glaze to finish the grilled item can add some bold flavors.  The glaze can very from your favorite barbeque sauce to a light basting of a fruit and mustard mixture, or even offering a dipping sauce will make the item complete.
This month I am featuring dry rub pork ribs with a Jamaican Mango Barbeque sauce
The dry rub consists of three parts “Mrs. Dash” no salt herb seasoning blend and one part house seasoning blend. (Similar to a “Laury’s” seasoning or “Pappy’s” blend.  I coated the ribs generously with the blend then grilled over a low fire for 20 minutes.  Then steamed the ribs for one hour and they were ready to serve.
The Mango Barbeque sauce is a combination of house made mango chutney and my favorite barbeque sauce.  The combination of a robust herb crusted rib and a sweet and tangy barbeque sauce makes a fantastic bold flavor that will excite your taste buds.
I hope you enjoy these simple tips for an exciting and flavorful barbeque experiences.

Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Ingredients:
1 cup black beans fully cooked, rinsed and drained
1 cup corn kernels (best if blanched on the cob then lightly grilled or just grilled or if in a pinch for time frozen)
½ cup diced red bell pepper
½-1 finely diced jalapeno pepper
½  cup diced red onion
½ cup diced tomato
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
1-2 tsp fresh garlic crushed or finely chopped
2-3 T lemon and or lime juice
1 T vegetable oil or olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Mix together and keep refrigerated till ready to use.  This mixture gets generously sprinkled over your Caesar Salad then topped with tortilla strips and blackened chicken breast slices.

A creamy macaroni and cheese recipe, made with cheese sauce, cooked macaroni, and seasonings. Top this with buttered bread crumbs, if you wish.
Ingredients:
·    5 cups cooked macaroni (8 ounces raw)
·    4 tablespoons butter
·    4 tablespoons flour
·    1/4 teaspoon salt
·    1/8 pepper, or to taste
·    2 cups milk
·    3/4 cup shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, or a blend of cheddar, mozzarella, parmesan
·    paprika, optional
Preparation:
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir flour into the butter until smooth and bubbly. Stir in salt. Gradually add milk, stirring constantly. Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Add cheese and continue to cook and stir until melted. Pour in cooked macaroni or favorite pasta and you’re ready to serve.  An alternative presentation is to pour macaroni and cheese sauce mixture into a greased baking dish, sprinkle with buttered bread crumbs with parmesan cheese and bake in a preheated 350° oven for 20 minutes, or until hot and bubbly.