Charcuterie Plate, Sighing and Almost

Recently, I auditioned for a nationally televised cooking show. (I'm under contract to keep my trap shut as to the name of said show.) For the audition, each of us had to bring a dish that exemplified our cooking skill. I brought a charcuterie plate.

"Charcuterie" comes from the French word for pork butcher. A charcuterie plate is a dish of selected meat items with accompaniments. It demonstrates the chef's skill in preparing meat.  What better dish to bring to this audition?

Going clockwise from the top left, the items in my charcuterie plate were Chicken Liver Pate Mousse with Onion Marmalade, Creole Mustard in Citrus Bowl, Pink Pickled Egg with Pink Peppercorns and 18 - Month Aged Cheese, Cactus Pickles, Baguette.  I made everything in the photo except the glass jar and cutting board.

Yeah.  I seriously considered making the cutting board, too. (Who you callin' obsessive???)

At the audition, the chef who tasted my dish loved it! They gave me a callback! However, they never called again. Almost, but not quite. *Sigh*  Their loss is your gain, my friends. I'll be posting recipes for your culinary enjoyment.  Nyah. So there, Ms. Casting Director.

Maybe I should have made the cutting board, after all. Drat.

Fruitcake-free Fruit Crunch

Yeah, yeah, yeah. I've heard all the fruitcake jokes.  The thing is, I like fruitcake! People who don't like fruitcake have never had a good one.

To ease you, my dear readers, into the daring task of trying fruitcake, here's a snack mix.  It has the flavors of fruity goodness, without  the cake.

I double-dog dare you to try it.

Fruitcake-free Fruit Crunch

2 cups wheat cereal squares
2 cups rice cereal squares
2 cups corn cereal squares
2 cups oat cereal squares
1 cup dried golden raisins
1 cup dried, chopped dates
2 cups dried sour cherries
2 cups mixed nuts (may be salted or unsalted)
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup honey
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
2 Tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2 teaspoons apple pie spice or pumpkin pie spice

Line two large rimmed baking sheets (15 x 10 x 1 or larger) with parchment paper.  Layer half of dry ingredients in each pan. Mix thoroughly.

In 4-cup (or larger) glass measure, melt butter in microwave.  Add honey, brown sugar,  ginger and spice.  Whisk to combine.  Drizzle half of liquid mixture over each pan of cereal mixture.  Gently stir to coat cereal mixture.

Bake at 325º for 30 to 35 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes.  Cool pans of crunch on wire racks.  Break apart any large pieces. 

Goodness and Apricot-Brie Melt

If you knew what I'm doing today, you'd know why I'm being so brief.  I'll tell you later... Meanwhile, enjoy some ooey-gooey fruity nutty creamy cheesy goodness.

Apricot-Brie Melt

1 (8-ounce) round Brie cheese
1/3 cup apricot jam (or cherry or mayhaw jelly)
¼ cup almond slices
Apple and pear slices

Trim rind from top of brie, and place on a microwave-safe serving plate. Microwave at MEDIUM for 5 minutes. Top with 1/3 cup apricot jam and sprinkle with almond slices. Serve warm with apple and pear slices. Yield: 6 to 8 appetizer servings.