A Day of Thanks

Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays.  Being with family, enjoying good food, and just relaxing make it a special day.  Each year my husband and I do something different for Thanksgiving.  Last year, we were alone having a very small meal in our own home.  Some years we are with my husband's family having Thanksgiving with his immediate family.  This year it is our turn to be with my family which includes my mom, dad, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents.  In this case, I will be bringing some of the items, but most of the food will be prepared by others since we live out of town.  Items on the menu include turkey, dressing, gravy, sweet potato casserole, beans, greens, biscuits, and dessert.  

My contributions for the day will be dessert, cranberry sauce, and Brussels Sprouts.  

I will be making Toffee Pecan Pie which is really superior to regular pecan pie recipes.  The filling is thicker, less jelly-like, and it is chock-full of nuts.  The toffee adds to the pie's deeper flavor giving it a brown-butter like quality.  I will be using the ratio of flour to fat that I do for the All Butter Pie Crust, but I will most likely be adding a little home rendered lard to the crust for extra flakiness and because I happen to have it on hand. 

Toffee Pecan Pie

All Butter Pie Crust 

The Brussels Sprouts will be shredded and cooked with a little bacon.  They are fantastic and can turn anyone adamantly opposed to Brussels Sprouts into a lover of the cute little cruciferous veg. 

Shredded Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

The Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Pecans is really more of a conserve than sauce.  It is chunky, loaded for bursting fruits, and crunchy with nuts.  It is my favorite cranberry sauce and the one I have to make every year.  Leftovers are delicious over desserts, ice cream, or on sandwiches.  Imagine melty fontina cheese on sourdough bread with a little cranberry sauce in between the layers.  Yum!

Cranberry Sauce with Apples and Pecans

I will also be trying a new recipe from Fine Cooking Magazine for a Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart.  Based on reviews and what I will have on hand, I will be making a few changes to the original recipe.  Since my pie crust recipe makes two crusts (and since many reviewers for the tart did not like the cornmeal crust in the original recipe), I will be using the second all butter crust for the tart instead.  Many reviewers also thought the bourbon flavor was too strong so I will be omitting it from the tart when I make it.  Everything else will remain the same, and we'll see how it goes.  I will make the candied pepitas the day before along with the crust to make assembly a little quicker.  

 Photo Credit

Bourbon-Caramel Pumpkin Tart recipe from Fine Cooking

In the meantime, I will be trying to consume less caloric options so that I can actually enjoy the big day.  I hope everyone has a fabulous holiday with friends, family, good food, and plenty to be thankful for.  

Beet Salad with Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Balsamic Vinaigrette

Here is a super simple, healthy, and tasty salad that works equally well for a quick weeknight meal as it does for a special occasion.  The salad consists of only a handful of ingredients, so the ingredients you use must be of the utmost quality.  Although the salad would be bit time consuming if preparing it from scratch just before wanting to serve it, you can save yourself a lot of time and effort the night you want to eat it by preparing its individual parts ahead of time.  

The beets, which should be purchased when they are small or medium in size, can be roasted in the oven several days before.  I roast them by cutting the tops off leaving about 1 inch of the stem intact.  I then scrub them well, place them in a single layer in a baking dish, and pour in just enough water to cover the bottom.  I place aluminum foil over the dish and roast them in a 425 degree oven for thirty minutes to an hour depending on their size.  They are done when a knife can be inserted into the center with little to no resistance.  You could uncover them about halfway through to get a more caramelized exterior and deepen their sweetness.  They can then be peeled, cut into wedges, and refrigerated until you are ready to use them.  This makes it easy to throw this or a similar salad together several times over the course of a week.  You can also roast and freeze some of the beets if you want a few ready for a future salad as well.  

The remaining ingredients are small, tender greens (I used a mix of baby lettuces and radicchio), candied pecans (such as Trader Joe's Candied Pecans although you could make your own if you are so inclined), and crumbled blue cheese.  Everything is lightly tossed with a drizzle of a tangy balsamic vinaigrette sweetened with honey.  The vinaigrette does not have as much oil as most (this one has a 1:1 ratio rather than the more standard 1:3), but it is important that the vinaigrette be assertive enough to stand up to the earthiness of the beets and the sharpness of the blue cheese.  Once on the salad, it will not seem overly acidic at all. 

With these ingredients on hand and at the ready, this colorful and delicious salad is always at your fingertips.  

Beet Salad with Blue Cheese, Candied Pecans, and Balsamic Vinaigrette- serves 4

4 cups loosely packed baby greens (or tender lettuces, torn)
4 beets, roasted, peeled, and sliced into 4-6 wedges each
4 oz blue cheese, crumbled
4 tbsp candied pecans, coarsely chopped
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp raw honey
salt and pepper

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar and honey.  Slow drizzle in the oil, whisking constantly, until combined. Season with a pinch of salt and freshly cracked black pepper.  Set aside.  You could also add these ingredients into a small jar, put the lid on tightly, and shake vigorously to combine.  

In a small bowl, combine the greens with about half the vinaigrette (you just need enough to lightly coat each leaf).  Divide the greens evenly among four plates or bowls.  In the now empty bowl, gently toss the beet wedges with the remaining vinaigrette.  Place the beet wedges on top of the dressed greens, dividing them evenly among the four plates.  Crumble 1 ounce of cheese over each salad.  Sprinkle 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans over each.  Serve salads immediately.   

Printable Version

 

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Almonds

Last week I spent a couple of days in New York City.  Usually when we are there it is near Christmas or in the summer, but this year it was nice to go in the fall.  I particularly enjoyed spending the morning at the Union Square Greenmarket where I purchased several heads of beautiful and colorful cauliflower.  At the market here at home, I rarely see locally grown cauliflower much less cauliflower in shades of green, orange, and purple.  It was a treat. It was also a little difficult to pack in my carry-on for the plane, but I made it work.  I also purchased some artisanal Vesuvio pasta from Eataly, a market filled with Italian foods and restaurants.  Vesuvio pasta is a spiral shaped pasta resembling a shell or the volcano for which it is named. 

Of course, bringing produce and pasta back from New York makes you want to do something special with it, so I threw together this tasty dish using an adaptation of a recipe from Cooks Illustrated.  The cauliflower gets roasted in a scorching hot oven until it is well browned.  Then it gets mixed with the pasta and a sauce made of roasted garlic, olive oil, and lemon juice.  A bit of freshly grated cheese helps hold everything together and create a sauce that clings nicely to the pasta.  The sprinkling of almonds on top adds a nice crunch.  

I haven't changed this pasta recipe much, but I have decreased the amount of pasta to make it healthier and lighter and to serve two people rather than four.  I also decreased the amount of olive oil and cheese, but the overall dish is just as good or better than it was when I made it with the full amounts.  You can also make this with broccoli or other roasted veggies, and you can substitute other types of nuts depending on what you have on hand.  

A word of warning about the lemon juice...the original recipe calls for 2-3 tablespoons.  We find that 1 1/2-2 tablespoons is sufficient to give it nice lemony flavor without being overpowering.  Add some juice, taste test, and adjust as needed for your own personal tastes.  

Pasta with Roasted Cauliflower, Garlic, and Almonds- serves 2-3

Don't be put off by the amount of garlic in this recipe.  It mellows nicely when roasted and makes a great sauce.  Vesuvio pasta is not available in most markets so use a short pasta such as fusilli or orrechiette instead.    

2 heads garlic, top quarter of each head cut off and discarded
3 Tbsp plus 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
Olive oil or canola cooking spray
1 head cauliflower, florets cut in bite size pieces, leaves and stems discarded
1/2 pound short molded pasta
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1 1/2-2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated plus more for grating on top
2 Tbsp sliced almonds, toasted
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 500 degrees.  Place each prepared head of garlic in the center of a square of aluminum foil and drizzle 1 teaspoon olive oil over each.  Fold the foil upwards to create a sealed packet, and place the packets in the center of a large baking sheet to roast for 20 minutes.  

Remove the baking sheet from the oven.  Place the prepared cauliflower florets around the foil packets on the baking sheet.  Spray the cauliflower with cooking spray and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Continue to roast the cauliflower and garlic for an additional 20-25 minutes, stirring once halfway through, until the cauliflower is well browned and tender when pierced with a fork.  

Remove the garlic packets from the oven and carefully open the packets to help them cool quickly.  Once cool enough to handle, squeeze the roasted garlic cloves into a small bowl.  Mash the garlic with a fork until it forms a paste.  Add the red pepper flakes, a sprinkling of salt, and the lemon juice to the garlic and stir.  Slowly stir in the 3 tablespoons olive oil.  Set the sauce aside.  

In the meantime, bring a pot of water to a boil and prepare the pasta according to package directions.  Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup pasta cooking liquid.  Drain the pasta and return it to the empty pot.  

Mix the pasta and roasted cauliflower.  Add the garlic sauce, pasta cooking liquid, and 1/2 cup cheese.  Stir gently to combine and distribute ingredients.  Serve pasta in a shallow bowl sprinkled with toasted almonds and additional grated cheese.  

Printable Version

 
 

Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes from 1749

Each year we take our fourth graders to Old Salem, a small village and living history museum in the larger city of Winston-Salem.  On our tour, the students get to take part in a variety of activities using traditional eighteenth century methods such as cooking, painting, making pottery, and carding wool.  This year we took our trip in the fall, and the students got to cook small pumpkin cornmeal pancakes adapted from a recipe from 1749.  The pancakes were creamy on the inside, crunchy on the outside, slightly sweetened, and dusted with cinnamon sugar (which the docent pointed out would not have been traditional since sugar would have been an expensive resource).  

The students loved making the pancakes, with each student adding a different ingredient to the mix, and the entire group took turns whisking the egg whites with a whisk made of small twigs.  They cooked their pancakes, with the help of the docent, in melted butter in a spider pan over hot, burning coals.  The students then had the opportunity to sample their creations along with a little apple juice from a cold pewter mug.  Even though the pancakes are not overly sweet like snacks students are accustomed to today, there was not a single piece of pancake left on a plate in the end.  The students enjoyed them, and I did too, and it was made all the more special by the fact that they created the pancakes themselves.  

These pancakes are a perfect fall treat, slightly sweetened and spiced.  We will be recreating them at home tonight.  We will not be dusting them with cinnamon sugar but will instead drizzle them with a little warm maple syrup.  A few slices of bacon will round out a quick and easy fall breakfast-for-dinner, and while I'm sure they won't be quite as tasty as they were prepared in an eighteenth century kitchen over hot coals, they will still hit the spot.  

Pumpkin Cornmeal Pancakes- makes nine 3-inch pancakes or 4-5 larger ones

The recipe we were given at Old Salem stated that this was adapted from Peter Kalm's Travel Accounts, 1749.  When the students made them, they made small three-inch pancakes, and we did not use all of the milk.  I am including the recipe below as it was given to us.  

1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 cup mashed pumpkin
1 egg
3/4 cup sweet milk
butter

Mix dry ingredients in a medium bowl.  Separate the egg.  Beat the yolk until creamy and the white until the color of snow.  Add milk, pumpkin, and yolk to the dry ingredients.  Fold in the whites.  Add more milk to make a thin pancake batter. Cook pancakes on both sides in butter until nicely browned.  Serve hot sprinkled with cinnamon sugar.   

Printable Version

Penne with Chicken, Green Beans, and Roasted Tomatoes

Green beans are still coming in from the garden.  We picked some just yesterday, but as the temperatures cool and the leaves fall, their numbers are dwindling.  I thought I would share one final recipe to help celebrate the last of these.  Soon, fresh green beans will be just a memory (until next year).  

Let me begin by apologizing for the less than ideal pictures.  They were taken quickly, in poor lighting, and with a poor camera. Focus on the pasta, not on the skills (or lack thereof) of the photographer.  

This pasta is perfect for this time of year when summer produce isn't quite finished, but you are ready for some warm, gooey comfort food.  It is creamy and cheesy, nicely flavored with herbs, and filled with tender chunks of chicken, slightly crisp green beans, and chewy roasted tomatoes.  It also reheats well, although it will not be quite as creamy the second time around.  

If you roast your own tomatoes in the summer, this is the perfect way to use them.  If not, store-bought sun dried tomatoes will work.  Just drain them well if packed in oil or rehydrate them if using the dry packed tomatoes in the bags.  Also, this recipe, as is, only makes a 9x9 baking dish which serves 2-4 people.  If you wish to make more, just double the ingredients and bake it in a 9x13 pan.  

I fully intend on making this dish in the fall and winter with broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts, so by no means should you feel boxed in by green beans if they are finished for the year where you live.  

Penne with Chicken, Green Beans, and Roasted Tomatoes-  serves 2-4 

I cooked the chicken for this dish separately and ahead of time.  I seasoned one large chicken breast with a little salt and pepper and a sprinkling of Herbes de Provence.  Rosemary and a little thyme would work well also.  I grilled the chicken until just cooked through. I then chopped it in bite sized pieces.  You could use any cooked chicken in this dish.

1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cooked and chopped (see note above) 

1 onion, finely chopped
1 1/2 tsp garlic, minced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
2 Tbsp flour
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in 1 inch pieces
4 oz roasted tomatoes (or sun dried), chopped
8 oz penne pasta
2 oz mozzarella, shredded
2 Tbsp Pecorino Romano, grated
1/2 cup seasoned breadcrumbs
1 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Spray a 9x9 baking dish with cooking spray.  Combine breadcrumbs and butter in a bowl and set aside.  Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  Once boiling, add the pasta and cook until just al dente.  In the last two minutes of pasta cooking time, add the green beans and boil until crisp tender.  Drain the pasta and beans in a colander and set aside.  

Return the empty pasta pot to the heat and add the olive oil on medium heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent.  Add the garlic and thyme and cook 1 minute.  Add the flour, salt, and pepper, and whisk to combine.  Whisk in the stock and cream and heat until the mixture boils and begins to thicken.  Remove from the heat and stir in the red wine vinegar.  Stir in the cooked chicken, pasta, green beans, chopped roasted tomatoes, and mozzarella cheese.  Stir to combine.  

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.  Top with the seasoned, buttered breadcrumb mixture. Sprinkle Pecorino Romano cheese over the breadcrumbs.  Bake for 15-20 minutes until bubbly and brown on top.

Printable Version


 

Using What's Been Put Up: Skillet Apple Crumble

One of the most convenient items to have on hand is canned pie filling.  You can make any number of desserts quickly by simply popping the lid off the jar and topping the filling with some type of crumble or crust.  Whether it's Spiced Peach Crisp made with Cardamom Peach Pie Filling or this Skillet Apple Crumble made with Apple Pie Filling, crisps and crumbles are my favorites because the toppings are so easy to put together.  You can have a great, homemade dessert ready for the oven in minutes.  

This dessert can be made from scratch if you don't have canned apple pie filling on hand, but if you don't have any, you should really make some very soon before apple season ends.  The filling is perfectly spiced, just gooey enough without being too thick, and the apples (if you use a baking variety) hold their shape nicely.  The crumble topping is easy to make and requires items you probably have on hand.  I will warn you that this dessert has a high ratio of crumble to filling.  I like it that way so that you get a fair amount of topping in every bite, and while I am making it in a skillet, it can certainly be made in a pie pan lined with a crust.  In that case, it would be more like a Dutch apple pie.

If you don't have the pie filling on hand, use the 1 quart recipe from National Center for Home Food Preservation and skip the canning step.  You just may need to blanch your apples slightly longer so that they cook through during baking.  If you want to make more, use the 7 quart recipe from that site or my slightly altered version below.  The crumb topping recipe comes from Cook's Illustrated, and even though it requires two baking periods, it is well worth the extra minutes.  The topping stays crisp and crumbly on this dessert without turning to mush in the filling.    

Skillet Apple Crumble- makes a 10 inch skillet dessert or pie

1 jar apple pie filling
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup granulated sugar
1 Tbsp cornmeal
7 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  

Spoon apple pie filling into a cast iron skillet or baking dish.  

In a bowl, combine the flour, sugars, and cornmeal.  Drizzle the melted butter into the dry ingredients, and toss with a fork to moisten until large, pea-sized crumbs form.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and spread the crumbs in an even layer on the baking sheet.  Bake the crumbs 5 minutes until golden brown.  Cool several minutes until cool enough to touch.  

Sprinkle the crumbs over the pie filling.  Bake another 10 minutes until deep golden brown.  Serve warm with ice cream or whipped cream.  

Printable Version  

Concord Grape Jam

Can you make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich without grape jelly or jam?  Sure, other flavors like strawberry are okay, but nothing compares to grape.  It just works best.  At least that's the consensus at my house. 

That being said, when you start to make your own jellies and jams, it is difficult to make a sandwich (or anything else using jam, for that matter) with anything other than homemade.  I had been putting off making grape jelly because I just don't like the process of making jelly (too time consuming and laborious for me), but that also meant I was constantly having to consider purchasing grape jelly in the supermarket.  

Grape pulp with seeds

I usually didn't which led to many inferior sandwiches.  That is, until I decided to try grape jam instead.  If you've never tried grape jam, you must.  Like right away.  It is so easy, sets beautifully, and has a great consistency.  Jelly-like but with a little more texture, it does not have chunks of grape as peach would have chunks. Instead the grapes are pressed through a sieve to achieve the proper consistency.  

Grape skins ready to be ground in food processor

Grape pulp being pushed through a chinois to remove seeds

Since making this jam, it is a little scary to admit that we have already eaten two jars.  This jam can also be used in any number of desserts where jam would be appropriate.  Thumbprint cookies, jam filled muffins, oatmeal jam bars (I will try to post a recipe for these soon)...the list could go on and on.

Concord Grape Jam- makes approximately 9 half-pints

4 pounds Concord grapes (other varieties will work also)
1 cup water
7 cups granulated sugar
1 box powdered pectin (1.75 oz)

Prepare canner, jars, and lids.  Sort, wash, and remove stems from four pounds of grapes.  

Squeeze the skins off the grapes, and separate skins and pulp into separate bowls.  

Place pulp (will still contain seeds at this point) in a medium pot with 1 cup water.  Bring the mixture to a boil, cover, and simmer 5 minutes.  Press the pulp mixture through a fine mesh sieve or chinois (conical strainer on a stand with a pestle) to separate the pulp from the seeds and to break the pulp down.  Set aside.  

In a food processor, puree all or part of the grape skins.  The amount you use is up to you and the color you hope to achieve (I used about 2 cups skins measured before pureeing).  Press the pureed skins through the sieve into the prepared pulp.  

Place the prepared grape mixture in a large, heavy bottomed pot.  Add the pectin and stir to combine.  Bring the mixture to a boil.  Once boiling, quickly add the sugar and stir to combine.  Stirring constantly, bring the mixture to a full rolling boil.  Boil for 1 minute.  

Remove the jam from the heat.  Using a clean spoon, skim the foam from the top of the jam.  Ladle the jam into prepared jars leaving 1/4 inch headspace.  Wipe jar rims and top each with a prepared lid and ring.  Process jars 5 minutes in a boiling water bath adjusting for altitude as needed (increase processing time 1 minute for each 1000 feet).  Remove jars from the canner to a clean towel to cool completely before checking seals, labeling, and storing. 

Printable Version