Holiday and New Year celebrations may be more restrained this year but you can still enjoy a treat or two, savory or sweet.
One of my favorites is rumaki. It’s a combination of chicken livers, bacon, and water chestnuts marinated in a soy, brown sugar, and garlic sauce with fresh ginger.
I know, I know. Many of you are already making a face at the word, liver. But just give this a try. In all my years of cooking and catering, rumaki was always a favorite among my clients.
My mother would make it New Year’s Eve if they were entertaining. My sister and I weren’t invited to the actual celebration, but a special plate of appetizers was always prepared for us.
Rumaki
1 lb. chicken livers, deveined and fat particles cut off , cut into 1” pieces
1 lb. good quality bacon, sliced in half length wise
2 cans whole water chestnuts. Cut each chestnut into half rounds
1 cup soy sauce
1⁄2 cup brown sugar
3 cloves garlic, minced through a garlic press
1⁄4 cup dry white wine ginger. If using whole, peel a piece about 1⁄2” in length and cut that into 4 pieces. If using ground, about 1⁄2 teaspoon.
Round, wooden toothpicks
Frilly toothpicks for presentation
Lay out each bacon slice onto a wooden board. You may have to do this more than once, depending on the size of your cutting board.
Starting at the bottom of the piece of bacon, place one water chestnut. On top of that add a piece of liver.
Using a toothpick, start at the end of the bacon, just under the chestnut and liver, and begin to roll up the bacon, as tightly as possible. Skewer each piece and set aside.
Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, wine, garlic, and ginger. Mix thoroughly and put into a heavy-duty plastic, sealable bag. Put each piece of rumaki into soy mixture and seal the bag.
Marinate at least six hours to overnight. I usually always do the overnight method. That way they are ready to go into the oven at any moment.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with foil. This just helps with clean-up.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes. You want the bacon to cook completely. At this point, I exchange the toothpicks for the frilly ones and plate. Some people heat the soy mixture to a boiling point and serve alongside the rumaki. Personally, I think they have lots of flavor as is.
Moving on, desserts were seldom on our menu growing up. I’m not sure why, except dessert, unlike other foods, is an exact science. You can’t just throw anything you want into desserts because it will change the texture and cooking time.
However, as I got into my catering career, I realized that dessert was always on the menu. Most of my customers would ask me to make desserts that they didn’t normally make themselves. Desserts require time and attention. I began experimenting, on my family of course (husband and two daughters) and they were always willing tasters. Here’s one of their favorites.
Apple Cream Cheese Tart
(For the crust)
1 1⁄4 cups all-purpose fl our
1 1⁄2 sticks unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
(For the apples)
3 Granny Smith apples
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
3 tablespoons Cointreau
1⁄4 cup sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons cinnamon
(Cream-cheese filling)
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
1⁄2 cup sugar
1 large egg
2 teaspoons vanilla
Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees
9, or 10, inch tart pan with removable bottom
Place butter, flour, sugar, and vanilla into a food processor and process until completely combined. Remove and wrap in plastic wrap while you mix the apples. Don’t clean the processor. In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, Cointreau, and lemon juice.
In a large bowl, combine sugar, cinnamon, Cointreau, and lemon juice. Peel, core, and slice apples thin and add to cinnamon mixture. Continue until all apples are done. Mix apples thoroughly with cinnamon mixture.
Take the pastry out of the refrigerator, and by using your hands, place pieces of dough over the tart pan. Begin to press down on dough until the entire bottom of tart pan is covered. I usually go up the sides as well.
Mix the cream cheese, egg, sugar, and vanilla in the processor and process until completely combined.
Spread the cream cheese mixture over the entire pastry.
Begin, on the outer edge, to place apple slices. After you have the first row placed, begin the next layer and start again where the apples meet. You want the apples to look pretty. Continue until you reach the center. I will usually add some of the apple juice mixture. You will probably have apple slices left. Enjoy!
Bake tart for 35 to 45 minutes. I usually put the tart pan into a larger pan to catch any juices. You want the tart to look beautifully golden. Take out and cool slightly.
Melt apricot or peach jam along with some Cointreau. Bring to a boil and brush the whole tart with the apricot glaze.
Once the tart is cool enough to touch, I begin to play with removing it from the bottom. Sometimes it will get stuck in places, but usually comes out easily. Place the tart, with bottom attached, onto a platter to serve.