And now for something completely different. I ended up with a half dozen farm fresh duck eggs from a farm stand. They were out of chicken eggs, but I decided I still wanted to experiment, so I ended up with these gargantuan eggs. Here’s a secret though: they are just like the chicken variety only bigger, so if you’re going to make these and don’t want to deal with the ducking part, just use 6 chicken eggs and do the rest of the recipe the same. They are big and delicious and a great appetizer, though you’ll only need one for a snack.
Savory Snacks
Sweet/Savory Apricot Chili Rosemary Walnut Crumble Bars
I am the queen of crazy flavor combinations, right? But even this one seemed a little crazy to me. Last weekend, I found some Divina’s Apricot Chili Rosemary Spread. Not exactly a sweet jam. In fact, it has a bit of a kick mixed in with the apricots. But I decided to make some of my ever-famous crumble bars, this time: Sweet/Savory Apricot Chili Rosemary Walnut Crumble Bars. It was an experiment. I totally didn’t think that it would work, but you know what? It works. I am not advocating eating this as dessert, but added to a charcuterie board with cheese, salami and olive and grapes, these crumble bars are a perfect addition. I was shocked. Totally surprised. Totally good.
I may have mentioned this before, but pigs are a symbol of good luck in Germany … Glücksschweine. The origins are from medieval times, where if you had a boar or pig, you would survive through the winter. Often right around New Year’s little big symbols (fondant, marzipan, chocolate) are given as resents to wish good luck for the coming year. These Prosperity Pig Parmesan Crackers are right along those lines as well. You obviously could also make them just as regular square or round crackers, but this is much more fun.
More comfort food – getting to be that time of year, eh? This time I’ve stayed on the North American continent and went for Mushroom poutine for dinner. Why not get some protein in with those carbs. Totally over the top and delicious. While I don’t necessarily recommend shortcuts, this can also be done with the fries of the frozen variety and likely no one would be the wiser. Quality cheddar curds make all the difference in the world too. Those that I used, of course, came from Vermont.
Goat Cheese and Tender Greens Baked Oven Puff
Have I even mentioned how much I hate the name of the food “Dutch Baby”? It’s absolutely stupid. And frankly, doesn’t sound very appetizing. And it wasn’t even “invented” in the Netherlands. Yes, of course, there are foods similar to a a Dutch Baby, but the expression itself was coined at a cafe in Seattle, and was even then, a misnomer as the person was most likely accidentally riffing on Deutsch (German) not Dutch. It’s a giant pop-over or Yorkshire Pudding (which may or may not come from Yorkshire).
And while I have the name, the food itself is quite delicious. This is a mostly savory version, with goat cheese, dill and baby greens (I used pea tendrils), but with a little drizzle of honey. Makes a great brunch dish!





