Brown Butter and Sausage Quick Bread

We still have company and today I am getting away with murder.  I made blueberry pancakes with my Williams Sonoma pumpkin pecan mix and cooked sausage that I buy in Lebanon.  I am still waiting for my order of Benton’s Bacon.  We started the day by touring Lebanon and the site we were going to build on.  My friends agreed that we made the right choice in moving into Nashville although they thought the property was beautiful.  Before leaving the area we showed them where Riba’s house was and then our golf club on the way to Barbara Mandrel’s house.  She no longer lives there, it is owned by the managers of the group Alabama among other groups and artists.    When not on tours it is used for guests and parties.  The tour guide said it might appear on the new show called Nashville. It is a very unique and the largest log house ever built.  It is another of my must sees if you come to Nashville.  They also have an excellent Italian restaurant on the site and we had dinner there.  It is my second time dining there and I was not disappointed.  They had a great musician singer entertaining.  We had dessert at home, finishing that chocolate torte and Jim served Valpolicella Classico, 1994 Amarone Boscaini from Vineti di Marano and so ended our Italian wine venture in Nashville. 

On our last morning together, I thought I would be serving a spectacular quick bread as they were leaving early to fly home.  It was ok, I guess.  I was disappointed.  I cut this recipe out of a Better Homes and Gardens magazine.  I served this with mixed fruit of cantaloupe, pineapple, blueberries, kiwi, and banana.  I squeezed a whole lemon and ½ lime over the fruit and mixed. 

Ingredients:

½ C unsalted butter

1 sprig fresh sage

8 oz. Italian sausage

1 T vegetable oil

1 ½ C all-purpose flour

1 t sugar

1 t baking powder

½ t salt

1 t ground black pepper

6 eggs, room temperature

2 t finely shredded lemon peel

3 oz. pecorino cheese, coarsely shredded

1/3 C golden raisins, roughly chopped

Directions:

1.       In a small saucepan melt butter over low heat.  Add sage.  Cook and stir, allowing the butter to brown to a nutty color.  Remove the sage.  Cool to room temperature.

2.       Remove sausage from casing, if necessary.  In a large skillet heat vegetable oil over medium heat.  Lightly sear the sausage, stirring and breaking it into small chunks as it cooks.  Cook through (but don’t allow it to sear too heavily).  Transfer to a plate.  Cool to room temperature.

3.       Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Butter an 8” cast-iron skillet; set aside.  In a medium bowl sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.  Stir in black pepper.

4.       In a large bowl whisk eggs and lemon peel about 2 minutes, or until frothy.  Stir in flour mixture.  Add brown butter.  Fold in sausage, pecorino, and raisins. 

5.       Pour batter into prepared skillet.  Bake about 30 minutes, or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 

6.       Remove from pan; cool on a wire rack.  Serve warm. 

I warmed this up in the microwave, but it cooled off fast.