November and December are the months of parties and if you have reached my blog,you are probably searching for a unique appetizer to bring to Holiday gatherings.
Smoked ANYTHING has always been a food passion for me. I love to smoke meats and vegetables,mostly in the warmer months,but during the colder months I drag out my Cameron Stovetop Smoker and get creative.
This recipe development was inspired by my desire to bring a finger food appetizer to the Nashville Food Bloggers Christmas Party. These are my people! I finally found a group of creative,innovative cool people that share the same passions and love of food that I do. AND,the invitation said bring FINGER FOOD!
I created this recipe based on my love for smoked duck. Duck and Cherries
are a classic combination so I added chopped,dried cherries to the original biscuit
recipe. Cherry Jam with added Hot Cherry Peppers and Black Garlic Aioli turned out to be a perfect combination for this appetizer.
Brined and Smoked Duck. Yep. It’s that easy. Whole Foods,Fresh Market and most
groceries will supply duck breasts,especially around the holidays.Brining creates
a moist,succulent and flavorful duck breast.I added a touch of maple syrup to the
brining solution for a deeper flavor with hints of sweetness and caramelization
when searing the breasts at the end.
Don’t be afraid. It’s easy!
Brining:
Many brining recipes are available on the web. I happened to have purchased this Brining
Kit at Whole Foods.It’s not just for turkey.Chicken and pork chops would also be great for
brining with this kit. I cut the recipe by half and added a half-cup of maple syrup to a
large plastic bag and four frozen duck breasts and sealed it tight. Place the bag in the refrigerator and brine for 6 to 8 hours.Then,drain and pat dry.I brined the duck breasts without first thawing.That worked great!
Duck Breasts are now brining for 6 to 8 hours
The perfectly brined duck breasts are now ready for the Cameron Stovetop Smoker.
I decided to use Cherry wood chips. Follow the recommended directions;the duck
smoked for about 30 to 40 minutes.
For crispy skin,pan-sear the breasts skin-side down until browned and the duck fat
is rendered.
Cool and thinly slice.
Bite-sized Rosemary Biscuits with Dried Cherries Recipe
1 cup Bisquick
1/2 cup sour cream
1/4 cup melted butter
1 TBSP chopped fresh rosemary
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries*
I used Ocean Spray Dried Cherries
(For this specific recipe,I tripled the ingredients.)
Be sure to chop the rosemary leaves finely!
Combine the wet ingredients in one bowl and mix the dry ingredients in another.
Incorporate both and mix well.
Scoop about 1 heaping tablespoonful into a mini-muffin tin that has sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake 350 degrees for about 10 to 15 minutes until brown.
Yield:
ABOUT 45 biscuits with the tripled recipe
Slice the cooled biscuits in half and prepare the rest of the ingredients.
Squeeze out and thoroughly mash one head of Black Garlic into a paste.
If you don’t know about BLACK GARLIC, you are missing out!Check out the link. Black Garlic is garlic that has been fermented.The result is a sweet/savory richness with garlic undertones.
Some describe the flavor as soy sauce or umami flavor profile with hints of molasses.
Mix the Black Garlic paste with about 3/4 cup of Hellman’s Mayonnaise. That’s it.
The Black Garlic has so many dimensions of flavor,no more ingredients are necessary.
I can’t wait for you to try it!
I have found several food products with BIG FLAVOR that I keep on-hand.
It’s important to find a few ingredients with big flavor and a long shelf life,as with the Black Garlic in the Aioli recipe.I buy several packages at a time.If you don’t open the extra packages,they will keep for quite a while.It’s fermented! Another great find is the Sour Cherry Jam and Diced Hot Cherry Peppers. These two ingredients supply a big flavor that pairs well with the intense flavor of the smoked duck.
Mix about 1/2 cup of Dalmatia Sour Cherry Jam with a heaping teaspoonful of
Diced Hot Cherry Peppers.
On the bottom of each sliced biscuit,place a dollop of Black Garlic Aioli,one to two
slices of duck depending on the size,a leaf or two of arugula for color,then a
dollop of Spicy Cherry Jam and place the top of the biscuit on and….ENJOY!
This recipe makes enough for a party of 25. I hope you enjoy this as much as we did.
AND,the BLACK GARLIC AIOLI and Spicy Sour Cherry Jam can be used with many of your
favorite dishes too!
CIAO!