Blueberry Dutch Baby

 

Most of these ingredients I keep on hand except for the blueberries and lemon zest.  The blueberries are usually sold in a quantity that ends up being two cups so I need to buy two lemons.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 tablespoons butter, divided
• 1/2 cup  whole or 2% milk
• 1/2 cup  all-purpose flour
• 4 large eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• the zest of one lemon

+++

• 1 cup blueberries
• Confectioners sugar for dusting

Maple Syrup

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INSTRUCTIONS

1. Place an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 450°F. Place a 9- or 10-inch cast iron skillet over low heat on your stovetop. Keep it over low heat while you prepare the batter. 
2. Melt two tablespoons of the butter in the cast iron skillet, then transfer to a blender. Add the milk, flour, eggs, granulated sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest, and blend until smooth. (Do not skip this step — the batter will be lumpy if you do.)
3. Place the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter into the cast iron skillet. Turn the heat up to medium-high. Let the butter melt, add the blueberries, and give the skillet a shake. Immediately pour the batter over the blueberries and transfer the skillet to the oven. Bake until the pancake is puffed and golden, about 15 minutes.
4. You might be tempted to open the oven to check on things-especially if your oven glass door is dirty like mine and you can't see.  Resist this temptation and trust your oven temperature.  It will be ready in 15 minutes; no sooner and no later.  If you open the door you run the risk that it will fall and maybe you have invited guests that you want to see the dramatic tall dish that will then fall right before them and not in the depths of your oven.  
5. Remove pan from the oven, and dust with confectioners sugar, if you wish. Cut and serve immediately with maple syrup. Yes, it will fall.  You have not failed.  And if you can't serve it immediately, that's OK, too.  Hot blueberries can be overwhelming. But nobody is going to want to wait.  This is tasty. 

Cranberry Salsa

This is the color of Christmas.  It makes you glad you live in Texas so you can add jalapeno peppers and cilantro to something this color.  It just LOOKS like Christmas.  And if you're gonna live in Texas this is the thing to eat for Christmas.

And I will caution you to taste as you go.  Don't blindly add a bunch of jalapeno peppers to anything or you will be sorry, especially if you have a bunch of Yankees amateurs eating your stuff.  I also advise against cutting it into coarse chunks.  Really.  As nice as the green color is, you really are in it for the taste more than the color.  You can let the cilantro be your color.  You don't want to abuse your guests.  

In order to do this, I cut the jalapeno separately up in a food processor after cutting out the membrane and seeds, add an orange in while you are processing it (otherwise there's not enough to process one measly little pepper).  Set the pepper and orange aside in a small dish.  

chop the cranberries in a food processor 

one 12 ounce bag fresh cranberries washed.

bunch cilantro  (go slow...chop and add 3/4....taste and see if you want more)

1 bunch green onions, sliced thin and chopped....

juice of 2 limes

pinch of salt

3/4 cup sugar

after you get everything all mixed together add the jalapeno and start tasting.  

If you don't use all the jalapeno at first, save it and wait until the next day to see if you want to add more.  Sometimes you get a little more brave.  Just remember you can always add more later but you can't take it out once it's in there.

You might even be one of those people to add a second pepper.  Go for it. 

Now, you can add this to a chunk of Cream Cheese or slices of Brie and crackers or whatever else you want.

Merry Christmas.  

Spatchcocking a Turkey

First, let's take a moment to appreciate what a glorious word "Spatchccoking" is. I have no idea where the word came from.  It sounds vaguely Hungarian.  I had never heard of this technique until Elizabeth saw it in a Parade magazine a month ago and sent me the link with the thought, "What do you think?".  Ever the adventurous one, I agreed that we should give it a try.  And we are transformed, reformed, converted, ready to change our ways.

It does take a certain leap of faith and willingness to  change the way you cook.  You will not end up with a Norman Rockwell version of a turkey.  You will have a flattened version, much like if a truck ran over your turkey while you weren't looking. But the meat will be juicier and the bird will play well with others instead of hogging the oven. It cooks in half the time.

Here's what you do to spatchcock a turkey. 

First things, first:  Remember that turkeys are big birds. 
Basically, you remove the backbone and then lay the bird flat on a cookie sheet, as flat as you can get it.  The instructions I got called for kitchen shears but I knew better and got the biggest searrated knife I owned and the firmest grip I could muster and grabbed that bird with its tail in the air and it's wings holding balance on the counter and just reamed the knife down, sawing hard as I went.  You gotta watch not only the knife but the sharp edges of the bones as you cut through the rib cage.  Repeat the same process.  You're basically just cutting the back out, leaving the breast and wings as you are familiar with them.  You will need to cut through the breast center to flatten it; no need to cut through it completely, just enough to release it.  Pat around on the bird to assure yourself lyou have it as flat as you can get it.  Tuck the wings underneath themselves. 

Rub butter all over it.  Or olive oil.  Salt and pepper.

You will notice how big this bird is.  Turkeys are like that.  That's why we serve turkeys for big meals like Thanksgiving instead of chickens. You don't see anybody pigging out over a chicken. This presents a problem for your oven. 

You may not have, indeed--you probably will NOT have room for a big bird.  Instead, I got two small turkeys.  Here is a picture of one of them before and after:



I cooked them both at the same time.  Yes, there was room because they lay very flat and I used both shelves.  The recipe calls for 450 degrees for 90 minutes.  This sounds wrong but it works.  You can trust me.  I did it at my house, in my oven.  And you are looking at the picture of the turkey that came out of my oven set at 450 degrees.  This gave us a whole lot of extra time.  I cut up the turkey and covered it with foil and set it aside.  I think I set it in a roasting pan set on warm with a little water in the bottom for steam and let it rest there for about 30 minutes while we used the oven to heat the casseroles and the rolls.

I do believe this was the lowest stress Thanksgiving meal I've ever cooked.  And I am not known for my stress-free Thanksgivings. But they are tasty.

French tost casserole

French toast casserole with fruit

• 1 small loaf day-old French bread ( or about 1/2 of a large loaf)
• 5 eggs
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups whole milk
• 1/4 cup flour
• 6 tablespoons brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup blueberries
• 1 cup strawberry, sliced

Directions

1.    Lightly grease 9x13 pan.

2.    Cut the bread in 3/4-inch slices.

3.    Layer in the pan, fitting snugly. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs, sugar and vanilla.

4.    Stir in the milk.

5.    Pour over bread; turn bread slices over.

6.    Cover and refrigerate overnight.

7.    In the morning, pre-heat the oven to 375 degrees.

8.    In a bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar and cinnamon.

9.    Cut the butter in bits, add to the mix and rub together to make a crumb topping.

10. Remove the pan from the fridge, carefully turn the bread pieces over and scatter mixed berries evenly over the bread.

11. Sprinkle with crumb topping.

12. Bake at 375 degrees for 35-40 minutes, until puffy and golden.

Brie en Croute

I think I got this off the internet.  I think every great chef has made it once in their lives.  My idol, Ina Garten, can probably make it in her sleep.  And this is the thing:  It looks like a really intimidating exercise but it really is amazingly simple.  You could probably make it in your sleep.  Maybe you already have and that explains the drips of brie on your pajamas.

I made it for Christmas Eve at Elizabeth's house.  I learned a valuable lesson that night:  you shouldn't put too many rich items out.  We were on sensory overload that night.  So, here's a tip:  Save the recipe for a lunch or light dinner gathering where this cheese can be the star of the show.

I wasn't too fond of the sugary filling.  Maybe almonds and orange marmelade instead of the cinnamon and brown sugar.  Or maybe something savory--not sure what.  Check the internet.  But definitely try this:  it's a lot easier than it looks.

Brie in puff pastry

1 sheet frozen puff pastry, pre-packaged
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/2 cup walnuts
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (8-ounce) wheel Brie
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg, beaten
Crackers

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
 
Defrost puff pastry for approximately 15 to 20 minutes and unfold.
 
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Saute the walnuts in the butter until golden brown, approximately 5 minutes. Add the cinnamon and stir until walnuts are coated well. Place the walnut mixture on top of the Brie and sprinkle the brown sugar over the mixture.

Lay the puff pastry out on a flat surface. Place the brie in the center of the pastry. Gather up the edges of the pastry, pressing around the brie and gather at the top. Gently squeeze together the excess dough.  Glue each fold with the egg wash so it doesn't come apart while cooking.

Brush the beaten egg over top and side of Brie. Place Brie on a cookie sheet and bake for 20 minutes until pastry is golden brown.
 
Serve with crackers.
 
To give a special look, cut extra pastry into heart or flower shapes and bake until golden.

Egg Nog

Everybody wants egg nog at Christmas.  One of the several things my daddy was proud of was that one of his patients was the man who personally was in charge of making the egg nog at Oak Farms Dairy in Oak Cliff in the 1950's.  And every Christmastime, even if he wasn't sick, Mr Laguard would stop by Daddy's office to bring him a carton of egg nog.  And every year Daddy would take enormous pride in the delivery of the egg nog as though  Shorty Laguard had made it just for him..

Beaven's daddy also made a killer egg nog.  Except George made his from ice cream and bourbon.  The ice cream gave it a smooth richness and the bourbon insured that it never reached a frozen state again.  George stored it in the freezer and it was about as cold as egg nog could be but never froze.  It had so much bourbon in it that I swear you could have set fire to it. One year when Emily was in middle school she and a friend visited George and Blanche with us, drank some egg nog and got their first buzz.  Slept all the way home.

Here is the recipe a friend posted.  Looks rich and creamy.  No bourbon.  Add your own. 

Mike Cole’s Egg Nog

1 1/3 cup sugar
8 egg yolks
8 egg whites
1 tsp salt
1 gallon whole milk
4 tsp vanilla
2 cups heavy whipping cream

Beat 1 1/3 cup sugar into egg yolks, add salt and stir in milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly until mixture “coats” a spoon. Chill.

Beat egg whites till foamy. Gradually add ¼ cup sugar, beating to soft peaks. Stir into the custard mixture and mix thoroughly. Add vanilla. Mix the whipped cream until fully whipped, add ¼ cup sugar as you are whipping. If you are saving for use, add the whipped cream and mix thoroughly. Chill and store. If you are using for a party, pour the custard mixture into a punch bowl and “dot” the mixture with islands of whipped cream. Sprinkle with nutmeg for effect and taste.

Sticky Buns

It's the morning after Thanksgiving and everybody is Turkey Comatose and you've cooked everything with any kind of Wow factor.  Try this.  It's Ina Garten's recipe.  Her stuff always works.

Of course, you don't have a package of puff pastry in your freezer.  You were looking for an excuse to go to Walmart on the day after Thanksgiving, weren't you? I'm sure there will be no one in the grocery department.

Whenever you make this, it is a surefire winner.  I've never known it to fail or fail to please.  Ina uses raisins in her recipe but I don't like raisins so I don't have them here.  If you want, use them in place or in addition to the pecans.

Notice the ingredients are two parts:  one step is putting stuff in the muffins tins and also putting filling on the pastry. This is a real sugar overload.


Ingredients
12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature.
1/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
1/2 cup pecans, chopped in very large pieces

1 package (17.3-ounces/ 2-sheets) frozen puff pastry, defrosted

For the filling:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
2/3 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
3 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 cup raisins …. Or not.....or chopped pecans!!!  :)

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Place a 12-cup standard muffin tin on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the 12 tablespoons butter and 1/3 cup brown sugar. Place 1 rounded tablespoon of the mixture in each of the 12 muffin cups. Distribute the pecans evenly among the 12 muffin cups on top of the butter and sugar mixture.

Lightly flour a wooden board or stone surface. Unfold 1 sheet of puff pastry with the folds going left to right. Brush the whole sheet with the melted butter. Leaving a 1-inch border on the puff pastry, sprinkle each sheet with 1/3 cup of the brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons of the cinnamon, and 1/2 cup of the raisins. Starting with the end nearest you, roll the pastry up snugly like a jelly roll around the filling, finishing the roll with the seam side down. Trim the ends of the roll about 1/2-inch and discard. Slice the roll in 6 equal pieces, each about 1 1/2 inches wide. Place each piece, spiral side up, in 6 of the muffin cups. Repeat with the second sheet of puff pastry to make 12 sticky buns.

Bake for 30 minutes, until the sticky buns are golden to dark brown on top and firm to the touch. Be careful - they're hot! Allow to cool for 5 minutes only, invert the buns onto the parchment paper (ease the filling and pecans out onto the buns with a spoon) and cool completely.

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/easy-sticky-buns-recipe/index.html?oc=linkback

Fresh Cranberry Relish

This is from the Dallas Arboretum cookbook.  Whenever I think of cranberry relish I think of the canned stuff you invariably forget to put on the table until after the meal is over. It also doesn't taste all that great.  THIS recipe is delicious.

4 cups fresh cranberries (or one package)
2 apples, cored
2 oranges, seeded
Orange zest
3/4 cup sugar

Zest the oranges.  Chop the cranberries.  Peel and chop the apples.  Peel and chop the oranges. Mix it all together with the juices from all that peeling and chopping.  Add the sugar.

If you have any left over after the big meal you can use it to make a great fruit smoothie.

Cheese Wafers

I got a lot of compliments on these crackers at the annual Womens Retreat at Gilmont this weekend.  I can't take credit for them because I got the recipe from a cookbook the Dallas Arboretum put out.  It has recipes of some of the great dishes they serve in their tea room.

No matter where it came from this recipe produces a crisp, light and tasty savory for afternoon tea:

1/2 pound butter (Now you understand why this is so good.)
4 cups of grated Sharp Cheese
2 cups of flour
1 cup of finely chopped pecans
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt

Blend the butter and cheese together.  Add the pecans and spices and mix well.  Add the flour and mix well. 
Roll this into a 2 inch roll.  Wrap in plastic and chill.........30 minutes in the freezer will do.  Use the refrigerator if you will chill longer.  You don't want to have to cut frozen dough.

Slice into 1/4 inch slices.  Bake at 350 degrees 10-15 minutes or so until crisp.

After they've cooled you can freeze them if you need to. This makes about 36.  Maybe a bit more.  I tasted some and kind of  lost track of how many I ate.

Coffee Cake

I've been channeling Ina Garten the last two weeks in search of the perfect coffee cake. We used to always have a store-bought one on Christmas morning.  But, to my horror, I couldn't find one in the freezer case this year.  When I went to the recipe sources it was slim pickings.  I wanted one with no exotic ingredients like sour cream.

The first one I tried was nasty.  I suspected the Crisco I used was too old.  So I tried it with fresh Crisco and still didn't like it.  The next one--sans Crisco-- was too dry.  This morning, I added apples and half a banana for extra moisture and a second egg to give it more body.  And I love it!

Three coffee cakes later I think I have a recipe that I'm happy with.

ingredients:

2 cups of Bisquick
2/3 milk
2 eggs
2 tablespoons sugar
cinnamon
1 teaspoon orange zest
vanilla (you know how I am about vanilla)
1/2 apple chopped fine
1/2 bananna chopped fine
1/2 cup blueberries (OK, so maybe this is an exotic ingregient but I swear I had some in the freezer.  It's not imperative you put blueberries in. And if you don't have a banana or an apple in the house, then shame on you for not eating healthy like I do.)

mix everything well except for the blueberries. Pour it all into a greased pan (I use a round spring-form)
Once everything is in--and only then--carefully sprinkle the blueberries on top

Then add the strusel topping:

1/3 cup Bisquick
1/3 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons butter
cinnamon
mix this in the Cuisinart until the butter is pea-size
then add in 1/3 cup granola cereal (or not if you don't have it)
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Bake at 350-375 for about 25 minutes. 

Christmas Tip

One of the most over-looked tips at Christmas time is that the whole outdoors can function as a spare refrigerator.  And unheated spot will do.  When I was a kid we used the laundry room and my step-mother would set all her baked goods there to keep until we delivered them.. This was a spot of genius until the squirrels chewed an access to the room and ate the pecan gracing each cookie.  It didn't touch the cookie, just the pecan,  The past few years I've used an ice chest I keep in the back of the car. I keep an ice chest in my car to keep the ice cream cooler in the summer's drive home or keep the rotisserie chicken warm on the drive home in the winter.  You can also put your pies straight into the trunk of the car.  At Christmas the outside temperature is about the same as the refrigerator.

Suzanna's Seasoned Christmas Crackers

Beaven's cousin has sent us these for the past two years and I finally got the recipe from her.  It was simply called "seasoned crackers" but I've decided she needs a snack named for her.  It just sounds better this way.  Suzanna isn't the only lady in the world making these, though.  When I took them to bible study last week another woman had the same snack but with different crackers.  Good thing, too, because we ate them both right down to the last cracker.  I added some of them to my Texas Trash.  I guess I'll list that recipe here, too.  Or you could just buy a box of wheat chex cereal and the recipe is on the box.

1 package oyster crackers
1 package Good Season Italian Dressing mix (the other lady at bible study used Hidden Valley dressing mix)
1/2 teaspoon dill weed
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2/3 cup oil (I used olive oil)
* Suzanna said you can also add crushed red pepper-which I think she did to mine.  Very tasty addition)

combine it all and give the oil time to soak in.

Party Mix

The recipe for this is actually on any box of Wheat Chex cereal.  Christmas is the only time of year I buy this cereal and I really do wonder if anyone eats it as a cereal anymore.  I've adapted the recipe for my own personal tastes.  I've eliminated the Corn Chex, for instance, because I thought was a bland mix with all those chex in there.  Instead I added more nuts.  Less pretzels and more Goldfish snacks.  I also took the same ingredients for the sauce that gives it its flavor and added/subtracted.  Do your own improvisation.  Just keep the same mixture of sauce to snacks:

Sauce:
stick of butter melted in a sauce pan
3 Tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 Tablespoon Liquid Smoke
combine all this.

Then gather 12 cups of stuff and put it in a BIG roasting pan.  I use the turkey roaster. It doesn't matter what you use as long as you keep to the 12 cups proportions:

3cups of Wheat Chex
3 cups nuts (I use cashews)
3 cups of more nuts (pecans)
small package of Goldfish crackers

pour the sauce over this, mixing well.  It will be soggy.  Put the roasting pan in the oven at a low temperature.  200-250 degrees.

Sir every 15 minutes or so.  When it's dry you can add some sweet stuff like honey roasted peanuts.  This kind of balances the flavor.

I've found this to be great for parties but also a great gift you can mail.  Put in a big ziplock bag and it won't need too much cushioning material to get it safely across the US in a couple of days.