Cardamom Crusted Alaskan Caribou With Spicy Gingerbread Boniato Squash Puree And Port Wine Cranberry Essence Food

SPROUTS, SQUASH AND 'SHROOMS

Steps:

• Steam Brussels sprouts until they just begin to get tender, but are still bright green. Remove from heat and set aside.
• Boil baby carrots in salted water until just tender. Do not over cook. Remove from heat, drain and set aside.
• In a large skillet or saute pan, heat the olive oil and butter over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook until the shallots are translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until they begin to become tender and release their juices. Let cook for a few minutes to allow flavors to blend. Deglaze the pan with the white wine and add the pattypan squash. reduce heat to low, cover and let cook until squash becomes tender but not mushy (about 15 minutes). Remove cover and increase heat back up to medium or medium-high and allow most of wine to evaporate. When most of the wine is gone, stir in the Brussels sprouts and carrots and gently stir to coat with the remaining pan juices. Remove from heat and stir in hoisin sauce.

SPARKLY GINGERBREAD

Steps:

• In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt and spices. Using an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or hand-held electric beaters, beat brown sugar and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Add egg, molasses and fresh ginger, and mix until well combined.
• Reduce speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients. Mix until just incorporated.
• Divide dough in half and scrape onto two pieces of plastic wrap, wrapping each piece separately into a flat disk. Refrigerate for at least 2 hours, or up to 5 days.
• When ready to bake, heat oven to 350 degrees. Use parchment paper or nonstick liners to line 3 baking sheets, or lightly grease them with nonstick cooking spray. (You may need to bake the cookies in batches.)
• On a clean, lightly floured work surface, roll one disk of dough 1/8-inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out all the dough. With a small metal spatula, place the gingerbread cut-outs onto the prepared baking sheets, leaving about 1 inch between cookies. Repeat with remaining dough. You can reroll the scraps once. Collect them from both pieces of dough, smush them together into a disk and chill before rerolling again.
• Bake small cookies for 8 to 12 minutes, and larger ones for 10 to 15 minutes, or until cookies are firm to the touch and their edges are slightly darker in color. Rotate cookie sheets halfway through for even baking.
• Let cookies cool on baking sheets until firm enough to lift, about 5 minutes. Using a metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely before decorating.
• To decorate, thin the royal icing with water until it's as thick as heavy cream (thinner than you'd use for piping). Divide it into small bowls (or a muffin tin), and use food coloring to tint it different colors. Use a brush to paint the cookies with icing, and, if you like, use toothpicks to apply more icing to make patterns. Sprinkle with colored sugar or other decorations, if you like, while the icing is still wet. Put the decorated cookies on baking sheets to set, then move them to tins or other airtight containers with parchment between the layers.