Category Archives: THANKSGIVING DINNER RECIPES

BREAKFAST ROLLS

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One of the joys of traveling in Italy is the continental breakfast that is almost always provided as part of the cost of your hotel or B&B room. And as can reasonably be expected, the size and amount of dishes offered depend almost entirely on the size of the hotel or B&B. So in a small B&B you might just get cold cereal, yogurt, individually wrapped croissants, fresh fruit, juice, and coffee. While in a larger hotel, the variety and choices can be almost endless.

In a medium sized hotel (we didn’t stay in any large hotels) you are almost always presented with a cheese and sausage platter or two, wonderful chewy baguette slices, plastic wrapped biscuits and Melba toast, various pastries including croissants, hard boiled eggs (or sometimes scrambled eggs), fresh fruit, yogurt, cereal (both corn flakes and cocoa puffs), juice (often fresh squeezed), and espresso drink(s) of your choice.

But by far the best breakfast bread I tasted was in our first hotel in Rome. It was a not too sweet, hollow brioche type roll made I’m sure by forming several small balls of dough and placing them together in some sort of a large cupcake shaped pan to bake. So when you broke them open, you had several lovely little concave pockets on which to spread your butter and contain the honey. I’m tellin’ you, these babies were enough to make a grown woman swoon. OMG they were good.

So of course when I arrived home, one of the first things I wanted to duplicate were these wonderful rolls. The difficult part of finding a recipe for a one of a kind roll is, well duh, they’re one of a kind! I have spent hours looking, believe me. But when I do figure it out, you, my faithful readers will be the first to know!

In the meantime I’m going to share the recipe for my first attempt. This recipe is easy to make and produces an absolutely divine tasting roll. And when spread with butter and honey, well it’s just a heavenly experience. These would also be fabulous served at Thanksgiving. So give them a try.  But keep posted (so to speak). I have only begun to search for the roll of my dreams.

  • 1/2 c. milk
  • 1/4 c. butter
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • 2 T. sugar
  • 1 pkg. or 1 T. active dry yeast
  • 2 T. warm water
  • 2 eggs, room temperature
  • 3 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
  • small amount of vegetable oil
  • melted butter

Scald milk; stir in butter, salt, and sugar. Cool to lukewarm. Sprinkle yeast on warm water in the bowl of your heavy duty mixer; stir to dissolve. Add the lukewarm milk mixture along with the eggs. Beat in flour a little at a time, to make a soft dough. Knead with your mixer or turn onto a floured surface and knead lightly until dough is smooth and satiny. Pour a small amount of oil over the dough in your mixing bowl and turn dough to coat all of the surfaces. Cover with a tea towel or plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place free from drafts until doubled, about 90 minutes.

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Punch down and turn out on a floured surface. Butter 12 standard (1/3-cup) muffin cups. Divide dough into 12 equal pieces using a bench scraper; cut each piece into thirds.

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Roll each small piece into a ball. Place 3 balls in each prepared cup (dough will fill cup).

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Place muffin pan in a warm draft-free area; lay sheet of waxed paper over the rolls. Let dough rise until almost doubled (dough will rise 1/2 inch to 1 inch above top rim of muffin cups) about 45 minutes.

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in your microwave. Gently brush melted butter over each roll. Bake rolls in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for about 15-18 minutes or until golden brown. (Check after the first 10 minutes. If rolls are already golden brown, cover with aluminum foil for the remaining baking time.) Allow rolls to cool for a few minutes in the baking pan then transfer to cooling rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

GRUYÈRE SOUP

Maybe it’s because I am sitting inside our trailer in Bandon, Oregon while the rain is beating down on us that posting a recipe for one of my favorite soups seems so appropriate.  Could be, don’t you think? It’s not really cold outside, but it is wet! So even though it is just after breakfast, my mind just naturally drifted off to something warm and delicious, and the first thing I thought about was this James Beard classic.

I found this recipe many years ago when I was looking for a perfect first course soup. And “perfect” is the one word that describes this soup to a tee. I didn’t change a thing from Mr. Beard’s recipe. Why would I want to mess with perfection? So do yourself a favor and make this soup next time it is raining and you are in need of a little comfort. This will do the trick.

  • 4 T. butter
  • 4 T. flour
  • 2 c. milk
  • 2 c. chicken stock
  • 1 tsp. Dijon mustard
  • 2 ½ c. grated Swiss Gruyère cheese (do not use domestic “Gruyère”)
  • dash or 2 hot sauce (Tabasco or Frank’s)
  • kosher salt
  • Garlic Croutons, opt (recipe provided)
  • fresh chopped parsley, opt.

Melt butter in a heavy medium sized saucepan. Add flour and cook over low heat for 5 minutes. Whisk in milk and stir until mixture slightly thickened. Add chicken stock and mustard. Heat through. Remove from heat and add cheese and hot sauce. Add salt if necessary. Serve immediately garnished with Garlic Croutons and chopped parsley.

Garlic Croutons:

  • 1 T. butter
  • 2 c. cubed crusty, chewy bread
  • granulated garlic

Melt butter in a large sauté pan. Add bread cubes and slowly sauté until crunchy and browned. (This takes upward of 45 minutes, so plan to make croutons when you are working on other dishes and are close at hand.) Stir frequently. When the bread cubes are golden brown and crunchy, lightly sprinkle with granulated garlic. Cool and store in an airtight container. Use on soups or salads.

 

CHEDDAR AND PORT WINE CHEESE BALL

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There are just those times when all I really want is a nice adult beverage and a nibble of something savory and mouth friendly. For me, there just isn’t anything better than one of Mr. Cs martinis and a couple of really good crackers spread with this cheese. And when I say good crackers, I’m not talkin’ Chicken in a Biscuit! I mean good crackers! And some of the best crackers I have ever tasted are in a new product line imported from Canada. (At least they are new to me.) The maker of my new favorite crackers is Open Nature. The three I like the best (and coincidentally the only three I have tasted so far) are Rosemary & Onion Flatbread, Rosemary Raisin Cracker Crisps, and Cranberry Cracker Crisps. They are simply astonishingly good.

So do yourself a favor and serve this wonderful cheese ball at your next soiree. Your guests will think you are a culinary goddess. (But don’t forget. You don’t have to tell anyone how easy this recipe is to prepare. After all, even the most minor of goddesses is entitled to a little secret here and there! This could be one of yours….)

  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • couple grinds black pepper
  • 2 c. (scant) shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • 3 T. port – either tawny or ruby*
  • 1/2 c. dried cranberries, roughly chopped, opt.
  • 1/2 c. toasted chopped pecans

Combine cream cheese, pepper, cheddar cheese, and port in a food processor. Whirl until creamy and smooth. Stir in chopped dried cranberries. Refrigerate at least 1 hour before shaping into a ball. Wrap ball in plastic wrap and refrigerate until about an hour before ready to serve. Roll in pecans just before serving. Great with crackers and thin apple slices.

*Or for a more intense port wine flavor: In a small saucepan, boil port until it is reduced to about 3 tablespoons. Remove from heat and cool completely.

Bonus Recipe: Place room temperature cream cheese on a plate. Top with Dalmatia Fig Spread and serve with Rosemary Raisin Cracker Crisps. (And yes I know you are shocked that I didn’t make my own fig spread. I’ve tried. But I just can’t reproduce anything nearly as good as this wonderful spread that comes in a small jar with an orange “paper” lid.) You simply owe it to yourself to try this lovely combination in the near future.

ITALIAN DREAM CAKE

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So for years I have been seeing recipes for Italian Dream Cake. Years! (And yes I know it’s actually Italian Cream Cake, but once you have eaten a piece of this fabulous creation, I bet you won’t argue with my new name for this Italian classis dessert!) So like I said, I’ve been looking at recipes for this cake for years. And yet I never gave any of them a try until our last JazzVox concert. (I was planning an Italian food theme and needed more than one dessert. So in addition to one of my favorite Italian inspired cakes, Amaretto Bundt Cake (recipe to be posted in the near future), I decided to serve this cake using a recipe I found who knows how long ago. I made a few minor variations of course, but the basic easy to prepare bones of the recipe remain. All I can say is – WHY IN THE NAME OF ALL THINGS TUSCAN DID I WAIT SO BLOODY LONG TO MAKE THIS CAKE? It is incredibly delicious and almost embarrassingly easy to prepare. So do yourself a favor and don’t wait like I did. Make this cake for your next gathering and impress the pickles out of your family and friends. Or take it to work one day. Just don’t be surprised if your co-workers start begging you to “bring THAT cake” again and again. Some recipes should just plain come with warning labels. This is one of those recipes.

Warning: Will trigger adoration! Will inspire devotion! Will lead to more baking! Be prepared!

  • 1 white cake mix
  • 1 (3½-oz.) pkg. instant vanilla pudding
  • ¾ c. half & half
  • ¾ c. water
  • 4 lg. eggs, room temperature
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • 1¼ c. chopped pecans, lightly toasted, divided
  • 3½ c. flaked coconut, divided
  • 3 T. unsalted butter, room temp.
  • 6 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • ¼ tsp. vanilla
  • 1 T. heavy cream or more
  • 2½ c. powdered sugar or more

In the bowl of your mixer, combine the cake mix, vanilla pudding, half & half, water, eggs and oil. Beat for 3 minutes at medium speed. Fold in 1 cup of the pecans and 2 cups of the coconut. Pour the batter into a lightly buttered 9 x 13-inch pan (glass is best). Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (glass pan) or 350 degree oven (metal pan) for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Do not over-bake. Allow to cool completely before frosting. While cake cools, toast the remaining 1 ½ cups of coconut. Set aside.

In a medium sized mixer bowl, thoroughly cream the butter and cream cheese. Add the vanilla and powdered sugar and enough cream to make a smooth spreading consistency. (You may need to add more cream or powdered sugar to get the right consistency for you.) Frost the cake and sprinkle with toasted coconut and remaining ¼ cup pecans. Refrigerate until about an hour or two before you plan to serve. Don’t even think of serving with ice cream or whipped cream. Absolutely not necessary and would detract from the cake itself. You simply don’t want to do that!

 

 

 

APPLE CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

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This is probably the best and easiest apple cake recipe imaginable. I received the basic bones of this recipe from my dear friend Linda’s mother Rhoda. Rhoda told me the cake was OK served the same day but was absolutely sensational after it had been frozen. I sometimes bake wedding cakes for relatives and friends and always freeze them until the day they are to be served. But until Rhoda told me about freezing this particular cake, I hadn’t really thought about why some cakes are actually moister after having been frozen.  Since vegetables and fruit are built of cells containing cytoplasm (the clear liquid that fills the cells), when frozen, water expansion causes the cell membranes to rupture. This creates a distinctly different texture. In essence, plant cells lose any remaining crispness that may have remained after having been exposed to heat during the baking process. (I’m no chemist, so this is a very rudimentary, and hopefully accurate explanation.) Bottom line: I would never dream of serving any cake containing fruit or veggie matter without first letting it spend a bit of quality time in my freezer. Same goes for quick breads such as Banana or Zucchini. The difference is simply that remarkable.

Please note: There are two recipes for cream cheese frosting below

Cake:

  • 4 c. grated apples
  • 1 c. granulated sugar
  • 1 c. packed brown sugar
  • ½ c. vegetable oil
  • 1 c. chopped nuts
  • 2 eggs, beaten
  • 2 tsp. vanilla
  • 2 c. flour
  • 2 tsp. cinnamon
  • 2 tsp. soda
  • 1 tsp. salt

Combine apples, sugars, oil, nuts, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl. Whisk together the flour cinnamon, soda, and salt. Add to apple mixture. Pour into a greased and floured 9 X 13-inch pan. (A glass pan is best.) Bake in a pre-heated 325 degree oven (for glass) or 350 degree oven (for metal) for 40-45 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into middle of cake comes out clean. Cool completely, cover with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and freeze for at least 2 days. Defrost and spread with frosting. *Decorate with chopped nuts. Serve at room temperature.

*I always decorate a cake with nuts if there are nuts in the cake itself. You never know when someone might be allergic. So if there are nuts on top, no one has to wonder. Many people don’t like to cause a fuss, and having nuts so in evidence, nothing has to be said to the hostess except no thank you!

Regular Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • ½ c. butter, room temperature
  • 8-oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 tsp. vanilla
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar
  • ½ c. chopped nuts, decoration

Cream butter and cream cheese together until well blended. Add vanilla and enough powdered sugar to make a firm but not too stiff consistency. Beat until smooth and easy to spread.

Spiced and Spiked Cream Cheese Frosting: 

  • ½ c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
  • 1 (8-oz.) pkg. cream cheese, room temperature
  • pinch salt
  • 2 T. brown sugar
  • ¼ tsp. ground cinnamon
  • ½ tsp. vanilla
  • 1½ T. liqueur – Calvados (apple flavored brandy) or regular brandy
  • 1 lb. powdered sugar, more or less

Beat the butter, cream cheese, salt, and brown sugar together until creamy. Mix in the cinnamon, vanilla, and Calvados. Add powdered sugar until you reach your desired consistency.

 

 

 

 

 

CREAMY GREEN BEANS WITH MUSHROOMS

For holiday dinners a plain veggie is almost always ignored especially if the meat and other side dishes are also fairly simple. After all, it’s a holiday meal. And inherent with holiday dinners is the absolute need for something rich on your plate that you might not otherwise eat. And if that lovely mouth feel that comes from a dish containing butter and half and half happens to also include a vegetable, it’s a win-win situation! For example, this recipe would be perfect if you were planning to serve Maple Syrup Glazed Spiral Ham and Refrigerator Mashed Potatoes. Neither recipe has so high a fat content that creamy green beans would be too rich served as an accompaniment. However, if you were planning to serve Stuffed Leg of Lamb (recipe to be posted in a day or two) and Baked Red Potatoes with Roasted Garlic Sauce, a simple dish of steamed green beans would be a much better choice. Taste buds are picky and they are easily overwhelmed. They seem to be particularly happy when they have a variety of plain and rich flavors to visit and revisit at leisure. So when planning a dinner party, think about variety in both taste and texture, plain preparations versus rich, and color presentation. Color is all too often neglected when choosing what dishes to serve together. And I’m not saying that you have to obey the rules of the color wheel. But who doesn’t prefer to see a pop of bright green, red, or yellow on their otherwise mono-chromatic plate of food? Remember, parsley wasn’t invented to provide a last minute burst of fresh flavor to almost any savory dish, or because of its high vitamin content. It was invented for the sole purpose of bringing a splash of color to an otherwise dreary plate! A little story:  I will never forget one of the dinners we were served when my former husband and I took our 3 youngest children to Europe for 5 weeks in 1978. One of the places we stayed in England actually served us poached white fish, boiled peeled potatoes and way over cooked plain cauliflower. And on a white plate, of course! Now, in the world of home decoration white on white is terribly sophisticated. On a plate placed before three children ages 10, 11, and 12, who were used to a very eclectic assortment of food at home, this all white presentation was not well received. In retrospect it was really quite funny to watch all three little faces turn to me at the same time with expressions that clearly read “mom, do I have to eat this”? And truly, who could expect them, or anyone for that matter to eat something so unappealing. If I remember correctly, none of us ate that dinner. Instead I think we found the nearest Indian restaurant. (We ate quite a bit of Indian food for the two weeks we travelled around England, Scotland, and Wales and were never disappointed!) So, moral of the story; have fun planning your Easter dinner. Just remember – too much of a good thing is not appealing, crunch is your friend, and white on white is stunning in the home of a “dazzling urbanite” (to quote Jim (Gene Wilder) in Blazing Saddles), but on a plate, not so much!

  • 2 T. butter
  • 1 small onion, finely chopped
  • 8-oz. cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves, chopped
  • ¼ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 3/4 c. half and half
  • ½ c. grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 T. chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 lb. fresh green beans, cut in bite size pieces and steamed until crisp tender

Melt butter in a medium sized fry pan over medium low heat. Add the onions and sauté until tender, about 6-8 minutes. Stir in the garlic, thyme, salt, and pepper. Sauté for about a minute or until garlic releases its aroma. Add the mushrooms and sauté until they start to turn a light golden brown, about 10-15 minutes. (This dish can be prepared up to this point ahead of time and set aside. Just before ready to serve, place back over heat and follow instruction as written.) Add the half and half and Parmesan cheese. Simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring frequently. Adjust seasoning. Gently stir in the green beans and parsley. Serve immediately. This green bean dish is based on a recipe from the blog entitled Closet Cooking; a great source of fun recipes, by the way.

 

WINTER FRUIT SALAD

I am not the biggest fruit lover in the world. I think it’s because sweet food has never been my favorite. But I know what you are thinking. Fruit is good for you and you need several servings a day. I know! I too read all the press about healthy eating. But I just can’t make myself wake up in the morning yearning for my first piece of fruit! Actually that’s not quite true. There is one fruit I always wake up thinking about, and that is the seed of the coffee plant. And yes, coffee seeds or pits (incorrectly named as beans because of their resemblance to the true beans that grow in long pods on certain leguminous plants) grow inside the round red or purple cherry fruit of tropical evergreen shrubs. So I guess if I were to press the point to the ridiculous, which is how I seem to be hard-wired to do anyway, each morning when I consume a cup of processed (to free the seeds from the cherry), roasted (to enhance the flavors locked inside) finely ground and brewed coffee, I am getting my first serving of fruit for the day! I can live with that. And another thing I can live with in the morning, or for lunch or dinner, is this fruit salad. I don’t know why, but fruit that has been cut up tastes better to me. And then when you add a simple dressing which further enhances the flavor of the fruit, even I become a devoted fan. There’s hope for the old gal yet! Speaking of hope, I hope you enjoy the new Easter recipes I will be posting the rest of this week and the ones that are already on my blog under Easter Dinner Recipes. I’m especially fond of the Deviled Eggs recipe. And really, after your children have hunt for and found the colored hard boiled eggs lovingly placed in your yard awaiting their discovery, what else are you going to do with them? Your kids are never going to want them all for themselves. After all, they’re children. And what child is going to choose a rabbit egg (that’s just wrong to begin with) over a chocolate egg or a marshmallow peep? (Now peeps are really sick and wrong, yet I know intelligent men like my dear friends Nich and Steve who actually horde them!) With your children’s permission of course, don’t delay turning those dyed eggs into Deviled Eggs. I say don’t delay, because you truly don’t want them to go bad hidden in the back of a child’s closet. (Trust me on this one. I have first-hand knowledge of organic items being hidden in a closet.)

  • 2 T. fresh lime juice (don’t even think about using that stuff that comes in a cute little plastic lime look-alike container)
  • 2 T. honey
  • ¼ c. vanilla yogurt
  • ¼ tsp. poppy seeds
  • 1 tart apple, cored and cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2 oranges, peeled and sections cut in two
  • 2 c. red or green seedless grapes
  • 2 kiwi peeled, cut in half and each half cut into half-moon shaped pieces
  • 2 bananas, sliced
  • 2-3 sprigs of fresh mint, opt.

Combine lime juice, honey, vanilla yogurt, and poppy seeds in the bottom of a pretty bowl. (Glass is nice if you have one.) Add the fruit and stir gently. Garnish with sprigs of mint. Serve immediately. Note: the dressing can be made ahead or time, but don’t add the fruit until you are ready to serve. You can use any combination of fruit you like. With the amount of dressing this recipe makes, about 7-8 cups of fruit is just about right. You don’t want a soggy salad. Also, I use no more than 5 different kinds of fruit when I make fruit salad.  I think if the salad contains more than five varieties your mouth can’t fully appreciate the unique qualities of each.

 

 

SAVORY CHEESE SPREAD

I am always looking for ways to save grocery dollars. Maybe it’s a throw back to my parents’ era, (the great depression that is), or maybe because I helped raise 4 kids on a tight budget, or maybe I’m just frugal. Call it what you may, but if I can prepare a homemade version of an expensive item that I love, well I’m all over making it at home. Another consideration, that is fast becoming even more important to me than cost, is the list of ingredients that aren’t in the dish I prepare at home. Do I really need all those preservatives in my system? I mean really, they aren’t helping with the whole wrinkle thing that’s rampantly happening on my face, so of what value are they to me personally? (Now please understand, if I could see any cosmetic benefit from massive doses of Butylated Hydroxytoluene (BHT) or Sodium Benzoate, I would stuff my face with products containing these additives. I’m frankly getting a little scared seeing my mother look back at me from my mirror!) But all kidding aside, I really dislike all the chemicals contained in processed food. So if I can prepare a recipe like this one for a mock Boursin Cheese which contains fewer chemicals than the real stuff, then I feel better and not coincidentally richer for the substitution. Of course, once you look at the ingredient list for this spread you are going to take me to task for the butter and cream cheese. I can just hear you saying, I mean really Patti, there may not be as many chemicals in your version, but all that fat? Well, the real stuff ain’t any better!  And besides, I only make it for parties and everyone knows there aren’t as many calories if you eat standing up. So party food, no problem! Just don’t sit down with a bowl of this in front of you. That would be my health tip for the day!

  • ½ c. butter (1 stick), room temperature
  • 8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
  • 1 garlic clove, very finely minced
  • 2 T. finely grated Parmesan cheese
  • ½ tsp. dried dill weed
  • ¼ tsp. dried marjoram
  • ¼ tsp. dried basil
  • ¼ tsp. dried chives
  • 1/8 tsp. dried thyme
  • ¼ tsp. freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 T. finely minced fresh parsley

Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Return to room temperature before serving stuffed in cherry tomatoes or as a spread for soft butter crackers. This spread is best when prepared and allowed to mellow for at least 2 days before serving.

 

 

 

ROASTED MUSHROOM CREAM SOUP

I found this recipe in Bon Appetite years ago and it has been my favorite creamy mushroom soup ever since. (Of course I made a couple of tweaks, but that’s what I do!) The first time I made this delicious soup was for Mr. C. and the other members of the “Tangoheart” orchestra. It was for one of the many rehearsals we held at our Bellevue home. (You’ve heard the term “starving musicians”. Well this group could have been the poster children for starving musicians everywhere!) I usually served soup for these rehearsals because it could remain happily simmering on the stove until the group was ready to take a food break. Soup is also quick and easy to eat, so the group never had to take too much time away from rehearsing. Along with a nice chewy loaf of bread, a glass of wine, and a brownie perhaps (no, not the kind that is now legal in Washington state), soup was always the perfect way to provide a simple meal for our musician friends. This soup is also lovely when served as the first course at a dinner party. It is ever so rich, and a cup or so is just perfect. So next time you plan a dinner party, consider serving a lovely rich soup like this, just after the appetizers and before the main course. Your guests will love everything about this soup. It is creamy, a little chunky, and tastes like heaven in a bowl. It’s also meatless. That’s especially nice when planning a dinner party for associates or new friends. Even if one of your guests happens to be a vegetarian, and unable to partake of the meat portion of the entree, they can always have more of this wonderful soup. Your guests may not be musicians when they arrive at your home for dinner, but serve them this soup and they will be singing your praise by the time they leave!

  • 1 lb. Portobello mushroom, stemmed, dark gills removed, caps cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • ½ lb. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps cut into ¾-inch pieces
  • 3 T. extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ tsp. kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 ½ T. butter
  • ½ medium onion, finely chopped
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 6 T. Madeira
  • 3 T. flour
  • 6 c. vegetable broth
  • 1 c. heavy cream
  • 1 ½ tsp. chopped fresh thyme
  • chopped fresh parsley, opt.

Place cut mushrooms on a large short sided baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Cover with aluminum foil and bake in a pre-heated 400 degree oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15-30 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender but still moist. Meanwhile, melt butter in a heavy large pot. Add onion and garlic and gently sauté until the onion is very soft. (Do not cook too quickly. The onion and garlic should not be allowed to brown.) Add Madeira and simmer until almost all of the liquid has evaporated. Add flour; stir for 2 minutes. Add 4 cups of the broth, cream, and thyme. Remove from heat. When the mushrooms have finished baking, puree half of them with the remaining 2 cups of vegetable broth. Chop the remaining mushrooms into small pieces and add them, along with the mushroom puree to the pot. Return pot to heat and simmer over medium heat until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning. Ladle into serving bowls/cups and garnish with a light sprinkle of chopped parsley.

 

 

APPLE PIE BARS

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There is just nothing better than apple pie.  Apple pie is delicious, relatively inexpensive to prepare, and by golly, it’s American! But Apple Pie Bars, an Irish favorite, are simply amazing too and take about half the time to prepare. All the lovely spiced apple flavor we so dearly love is right there in this dessert. Then to make matters even more delectable, and decadent I might add, we take the whole dish over the top by adding a *cognac flavored whipped cream. (I don’t know if a liquor enhanced whipped cream is Irish or not. But when Mr. C. and our good friend Mr. H. recommended the use of cognac when I approached the subject of adding some type of booze to the whipped cream for this dessert, it sounded perfect to me. It turned out so amazing, that if the Irish don’t add liquor to their whipped cream, they sure as heck should be!)

*Some interesting information about cognac. According to the Cognac Expert web site “cognac is a type of blended brandy (distilled wine) that most commonly is produced in 3 different grades – V.S. (Very Special – aged 2-5 years), V.S.O.P. (Very Superior Old Pale – aged 5-10 years), and X.O. (Extra Old – 10 years and beyond). Blending different ages of cognacs is what determines the grade and quality of the finished product. And it doesn’t matter in what proportion these cognacs are blended, it’s the youngest one in the blend that determines the grade. So, for example, you might find that a large producer blends a few drops of a very, very old and rounded cognac with a small amount of middle aged Cognac, and then fills the bottle with seven year old cognac. They would still only be able to market the bottle as V.S.O.P. because the youngest member of the blend was within the 5 to 10 year guideline for V.S.O.P.” As with other fine liquor, aging time is often a consideration in both quality and price. So obviously an X.O. cognac is going to be considerably more expensive to purchase than a V.S. For cooking purposes, I use a V.S., whereas for sipping, Mr. C. prefers a V.S.O.P. (Of course he does.) A little hint regarding the use of cognac in cooking: I love good gravy, and in my humble opinion, I make one that’s fairly decent. (Our good friend Jim swears it’s only because I have the “grandma” gene.) But I have a secret. I often finish my gravies with a teaspoon or two of cognac. There is just something about the flavor of cognac that blends beautifully with the richness of the meat juices, especially in turkey gravy. You don’t even really taste the cognac. It just helps ramp up the other flavors. So give it a try next time you fix gravy. Just go easy, you don’t really want your family or guests to learn your secret. Just let them think you possess a “gravy” gene too. It’s more fun that way!

  • 2 c. + 1 T. flour
  • 1/2 c. granulated sugar
  • 1/4 tsp. salt
  • 3/4 c. chilled butter, diced
  • 2 egg yolks, beaten
  • 3 large semi-tart apples, peeled, cored and cut into ¼-inch slices
  • 1/4 c. brown sugar, packed
  • 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon + more for sprinkling
  • 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
  • 1 c. heavy whipping cream
  • 2 T. powdered sugar
  • 2 tsp. cognac or spiced rum or 1/2 tsp. vanilla
Whisk the 2 cups flour, granulated sugar, and salt together in a bowl. Cut in the butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. (I use my fingers.) Stir in egg yolks with a regular table knife. (The dough will be crumbly.)  Remove 1/4 of the mixture and set aside. Press remainder onto bottom of a 9×13-inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, combine brown sugar, remaining 1 tablespoon flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg; add prepared apples. (See tip below.) Place apples on crust, and top with reserved crumb mixture sprinkled evenly over top.
Bake in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking for an additional 20 minutes or until top is a light golden brown and filling is bubbly around the edges of the pan. Meanwhile whip heavy cream to stiff peaks. Add powdered sugar and cognac and whip again just until combined. Serve bars warm or at room temperature dolloped with whipped cream and sprinkled lightly with cinnamon. Absolutely delightful served with a nice hot cup of coffee or a cold glass of milk. (Tip: cut your apples ahead of time if you want, but don’t add the brown sugar mixture until just before you are ready to bake. If the sugar mixture is added ahead of time, osmosis (the tendency of liquid to travel) will occur and just that little bit of excess liquid can make the shortbread crust soggy. This same principle also applies when baking fruit pies. Regardless of whether you are using apples, berries, or any other type of fruit, don’t add the sugar mixture until just before you place the mixture on the bottom crust. (I even go so far as to have my top crust all ready to go before I add the filling.) Believe me, the fruit will still give off plenty of juice while it is baking, but you have a better chance of your pie crust not getting soggy if you start with as little liquid as possible.)