Scalloped Potatoes

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Ingredients

3 Tbsp butter
2 lbs (about 4 medium sized) Russet potatoes, peeled, sliced 1/8-inch thick
1 large yellow or white onion, thinly sliced
2 Tbsp chopped fresh parsley
1 Tbsp chopped fresh chives (optional)
2 thick slices of bacon, cooked and chopped
2 1/2 cups grated Swiss or Gruyere cheese (about 8 ounces)
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 ounces)
2 1/2 cups to 3 cups of half-and-half (half milk, half cream)
Salt and pepper

Method

• Preheat oven to 350°F. 
• Butter a large casserole dish with 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.  
• Layer the bottom of the casserole dish with 1/3 of the potato slices. 
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper. 
• Layer on 1/2 of the sliced onions and 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese. 
• Layer on 1/2 of the bacon, 1/2 of the parsley and chives. 
• Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.
• Repeat by layering on 1/3 of the potato slices, sprinkle again with salt and pepper. 
• Layer on the remaining sliced onions, 1/2 cup of the Swiss cheese, the remaining bacon, parsley and chives. 
• Sprinkle with a little Parmesan.
• Top the casserole with the remaining potato slices. 
• Add the half and half. 
• Dot the potatoes with the remaining 1 1/2 Tbsp of butter.
• Cover the casserole with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for one hour. 
• After an hour, remove from the oven, remove the foil, sprinkle on the remaining Swiss and Parmesan cheese. 
• Return to the oven for an additional 30-40 minutes. 
• When done, the potatoes should be tender, but not mushy, and the liquid should be mostly absorbed.

**Tip** For a faster cooking time, you can parboil the sliced potatoes for 8 minutes first, patting them dry, before layering them in the casserole pan. In this case the total oven cooking time is about 35-45 minutes.

Old Fashioned Apple Pie

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1/2 cup finely ground blanched almonds or almond flour (can substitute 1/2 cup flour if you don't have almonds)
16 Tbsp (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes, chilled in freezer for at least 15 minutes
1 teaspoon salt
1 heaping teaspoon brown sugar
3 to 6 Tbsp water, very cold

Filling Ingredients
2/3 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
3 pounds of 1/4-1/2 inch thick slices of peeled and cored good cooking apples such as Granny Smith, Pippin, Golden Delicious
1 1/2 tablespoons brandy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Egg Wash
1 large egg yolk
1 Tbsp cream

Directions

• In a food processor, combine flour, almonds, salt and brown sugar, pulse to mix. 
• Add butter and pulse 6 to 8 times, until mixture resembles coarse meal, with pea size pieces of butter. 
• Add water 1 Tablespoon at a time, pulsing until mixture just begins to clump together. If you pinch some of the crumbly dough and it holds together, it's ready, if not, add a little more water and pulse again.
• Remove dough from machine and place on a clean surface. 
• Carefully shape into 2 discs. Do not over-knead the dough! You should still be able to see little bits of butter in the dough. These bits of butter are what will allow the result crust to be flaky.
• Wrap each disc in plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour.
• Position rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 375°F.
• Combine sugar, flour and spices in large bowl. 
• Use your hands and mix in the apples so they are well coated, then add brandy and vanilla extract.
• Remove one crust disk from the refrigerator. Let sit at room temperature for 5-10 minutes.
• Sprinkle some flour on top of the disk. Roll out with a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface to a 12 inch circle; about 1/8 of an inch thick. As you roll out the dough, use a metal spatula to check if the dough is sticking to the surface below. Add a few sprinkles of flour if necessary to keep the dough from sticking. 
• Gently fold in half. Place on to a 9-inch pie plate, lining up the fold with the center of the pan.
• Gently unfold and press down to line the pie dish with the dough.
• Spoon in apple filling, mounding slightly in center.
• Roll out second disk of dough, as before. 
• Gently turn over onto the top of the apples in the pie. 
• Pinch top and bottom of dough rounds firmly together. 
• Trim excess dough with kitchen shears, leaving a 3/4 inch overhang. 
• Fold dough under itself so that the edge of the fold is flush with the edge of the pan. Flute edges using thumb and forefinger or press with a fork.
• Stir yolk and cream in small bowl to blend. 
• Brush over top of pie. 
• Cut slits in top crust to allow steam to escape. 
• Bake pie until crust begins to turn golden, about 20 minutes, then reduce heat to 350°F. 
• Tent the rims with aluminum foil or a pie protector if the edges are browning too quickly. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, anywhere from an additional 30 to 45 minutes, depending on the type of apples you are using. 
• Transfer to rack; let stand 1 hour. 
• Serve pie warm or at room temperature.

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Cumin-and-Oregano Rubbed Turkey

 

 

 

Ingredients

 

16-pound turkey, fresh or defrosted

3-4 cups Stuffing 

Kitchen string

Cumin Rub 

1½ cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter



Directions

1. Preheat Oven to 400 Degrees
2. Remove any object in the cavity. Rinse the turkey inside and out with very cold water and pat dry with paper towels.
3.  Loosely stuff the turkey with the stuffing. 
4. Pull the legs together so that they overlap. 
5. Use the kitchen string to tie the legs together. 
6. Spoon any leftover stuffing into a buttered ovenproof casserole dish. Bake in a 350-degree oven, uncovered, for 20-25 minutes, or until crispy and golden brown. 
7.  Using your hands, gently rub about half to three quarters of the cumin rub over the exterior of the turkey, working it lightly into the skin. Reserve the remaining rub for basting the turkey during roasting. 
8. Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. 
9. Roast uncovered for 30 minutes until the skin starts to brown, then cover with aluminum foil. 
10. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the 3 sticks of butter over medium heat. 
11. Stir in the remaining rub.
12. Set aside, covered, to keep warm. Use a pastry brush to baste the turkey with the seasoned butter every 30 minutes during roasting. 
13. Reduce the heat to 325 degrees and roast the turkey for about 4 ½ hours, or until the juices run clear when the meat is pricked, the leg joints feel loose, and a meat thermometer registers 180 degrees when inserted in the thickest part of the thigh.
14. Check the stuffing: the thermometer should register 165 degrees when inserted into the center of the stuffing. 

 

 

CUMIN RUB

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter

2 tablespoons cumin

5 tablespoons dried oregano

3 tablespoons smoked paprika (hot)

2 tablespoons salt

2 tablespoons fresh-cracked pepper

¼ cup olive oil 

In a small saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat.  Combine the seasonings and olive oil in a mixing bowl. Add the melted butter and stir to mix well. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ingredients

Crust

• 1 cup pecans
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs (approximately 4 graham crackers)
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 1 egg yolk

Filling

• 4 8-ounce packages cream cheese, room temperature
• 2 cups (1 pound) brown sugar
• 5 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• 2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree*
• 2 tablespoons bourbon or other whiskey

Pan

• 1 9-inch diameter, 3-inch tall springform pan

* You can make your own pumpkin purée by cutting a sugar pumpkin in half, scooping out the seeds, placing the pumpkin halves cut-side down in a roasting pan with a 1/4 inch of water in it, and cooking it in a 350°F oven for an hour, until soft. Scoop out the flesh and purée it in a blender or food processor. Strain out excess water.

Direction

1. Pulse pecans, flour, sugar, and crumbs in a food processor. 
2. Add butter and egg yolk. Pulse until mixture is homogenous. 
3. Press into bottom of 9” springform pan and bake for 10 minutes at 375°F. 
4. Remove from oven and let cool.
5. Drain or strain any liquid from pumpkin purée. 
6. Take pumpkin purée and place on several layers of paper towels. 
7. Cover with several layers of paper towels and use your hands to gently squeeze out as much liquid as you can from the purée. Not that you will probably go through a lot of paper towels (can use tea towels too). Two 15-ounce cans of puréed pumpkin should yield a little more than 2 cups of purée, with the excess moisture removed. You want exactly 2 cups of the purée.
8. Whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ground ginger, grated nutmeg, and allspice in a medium bowl. 
9. With a wooden spoon (no need for a mixer for this step), mix in the salt, pumpkin purée, vanilla, and bourbon. 
10. Beat in the eggs.
11. In a large bowl, (helps to use a mixer for this step) combine the cream cheese and the brown sugar until fully creamed and smooth (no lumps). 
12. Gradually add the pumpkin mixture until fully incorporated. 
13. Bring a kettle of water to a boil.
14. Place crust-baked springform pan in the middle of two layers of large sheets of aluminum foil (to help prevent water-bath moisture from leaking into the pan). 
15. Fold the aluminum foil up the sides of the pan and trim. 
16. Place the aluminum wrapped pan in a large roasting pan (large enough so that there is room on all sides). 
17. Pour the pumpkin cream cheese mixture into the springform pan.
18. Place the roasting pan containing the springform pan in a 325°F oven on the middle rack. 
19. Pour boiling water into the pan so that it comes halfway up the side of the springform pan. 
20. Cook for 1 1/2 hours. 
21. Turn off the oven heat and prop the oven door open. 
22. Let the cheesecake sit in the oven, cooling for another hour. 
23. Then remove from oven and let come to room temperature. 
24. Once it has cooled down, chill for several hours in the refrigerator, preferably overnight.
25. When ready to serve, gently remove the cake from the springform pan...To help ensure that the cake doesn't stick to the springform side as you unlock it, first run a blunt knife around the cake and then warm the sides of the pan with a hair dryer. Then carefully unlock the springform and lift off the sides.

Caramelized Nut Tart Recipe

Ingredients

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3-4 tablespoons ice water


Filling Ingredients:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/4 cup water
2/3 cup whipping cream
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup slivered blanched almonds
Whipped cream (optional)
9 1/2 inch tart pan with removable bottom

 

 

Direction:

Crust:

• Mix flour, sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in processor. 
• Add butter. Using pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. 
• Mix in vanilla and enough ice water by tablespoonfuls to form moist clumps. 
• Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. 
• Wrap in plastic and refrigerate until firm, about 2 hours.
• Preheat oven to 375°F. 
• Roll dough out on floured surface to 12-inch round. 
• Transfer dough to 9 1/2-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. 
• Fold overhang in and press, forming high-standing double-thick sides. 
• Pierce dough all over with fork. 
• Freeze 15 minutes.
• Bake crust until set but still pale in color, piercing with fork if crust bubbles, about 20 minutes. Transfer to rack; cool. Increase oven temperature to 400°F

Filling:

• Combine sugar and 1/4 cup water in heavy medium saucepan. 
• Stir over medium-low heat until sugar dissolves. 
• Increase heat. Boil without stirring until caramel is deep amber color, occasionally brushing down sides of pan with wet pastry brush and swirling pan, about 10 minutes. 
• Reduce heat to medium.Gradually whisk in cream (mixture will bubble). 
• Stir until caramel is smooth. 
• Add butter, honey and vanilla. 
• Stir until well blended. Mix in all nuts.
• Pour caramel mixture into crust. 
• Bake until entire filling bubbles, about 20 minutes. 
• Cool completely on rack.

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