Thanksgiving is next week.
Just an FYI.
It's the earliest it will ever, ever be - according to Mr. S who read that in an article somewhere. Which means most of us are probably either in complete denial, or over the moon.
I think I've got one foot in both. Thus the mac & cheese. I can claim I was practicing for Thanksgiving, while secretly having every intention of just stuffing my face full of carbs and cheese. And ignoring the swirls of cinnamon and evergreen that inevitably arrive this time of year.
Pass the bread crumbs.
If you serve mac & cheese, perhaps you should test-run this recipe. It's grown-uppy enough to be served to the in-laws, while still being acceptable to a 3 year old. I call this a win.
This version has a special cheese called Fromage Blanc in it. The cheese is like a lightly curded greek yogurt, or a tangy, softer queso fresco. It's really good. You should use it, if you can find it. Or you can google substitutions. Your choice.
Start off with melted butter and panko breadcrumbs. Toast until just brown and remove from heat.
Melt more butter in a saucepan and add some flour.
Then whisk till it doesn't smell raw any more (2 minutes). Gently - and slowly!! - pour in milk.
Whisk it frequently until it starts to bubble. Remove from heat.
Add in grated white cheddar,
parmesan/romano,
and fromage blanc. Mix.
Then spices. Paprika, cayenne, nutmeg.
Whisk until all mixed together. Toss in cooked pasta (I prefer shells to elbows) and stir.
Spoon the mac & cheese into buttered ramekins.
Top with the buttered and browned panko.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until bubbling. Remove from oven. Let sit 5 minutes. If you can.
Mmmmmmm.
Baked Blanc Mac & Cheese
Makes four 20 oz servings
Adapted from Martha
4 tbsp butter (plus a bit for the dishes)
1/2 c. panko bread crumbs
4 tbsp flour
2 1/2 c. milk
8 oz white cheddar (I used Tillamook with black peppercorns added), grated
6 oz parmesan/romano cheese, grated
1/2 c. fromage blanc (can sub greek yogurt apparently, but I'd stick with this stuff if you can find it.)
sprinkling of nutmeg, paprika, and cayenne pepper
1 box (12 oz) shell or elbow pasta
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium-sized skillet, melt 1 tbsp of butter. When the butter starts to bubble, add in the panko bread crumbs. Stir frequently. Cook until just golden and remove pan from heat. The crumbs will continue to cook in the warm pan even when it's off the heat.
Start the water for pasta at this point. Once it starts to boil, add in the pasta. Cook for 2 minutes less than the quickest time it says on the box (I cooked mine for 8 minutes, when it said 10-12 minutes on the box).
In a medium saucepan, melt the other 3 tbsp of butter until bubbling. Add the 4 tbsp of flour and cook for 2 minutes, or until the raw flour smell goes away. Gently and slowly pour in the milk, whisking the entire time. Whisk frequently, until mixture begins to bubble. Remove from heat.
Whisk in cheeses and spices. Pour cheese sauce over drained pasta. Mix. Spoon into 4 buttered 20-oz ramekins, or a 9x9. Top with panko. Bake for 15-20 minutes, until it bubbles around the edges.
It's officially winter here in the sunny west. Yesterday I turned on the heater, pulled out my slippers, pilfered a pair of thick socks from Mr. S's drawer, and tried to start the tea kettle with my mind powers.
Cause getting out from under my pile of blankets is difficult. They're piled really high.
Needless to say we made soup. This soup.
Which meant we needed cornbread.
Mmmmmmm.
What's better on a cold day than chicken tortilla soup and cornbread?
I suppose I'll come out of my blanket cocoon for that!
And - perk - you get to use the oven at a high temperature. Talk about a room-warming dish.
Start off with flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Sift them into a large bowl.
Add in granulated garlic and cayenne pepper.
In a smaller bowl (or large measuring cup), combine milk, eggs, and honey.
Pour the milk mix into the cornmeal mix, add the soft butter. Beat it all up until smooth.
Then add in the chopped green chiles and sliced green onion.
Pour into a greased 8x8 and bake until a toothpick comes out clean (70 minutes or so).
Serve with soup.
Now - back under the blankets!
Spicy Green Chile Cornbread
Adapted from my mom's Perfect Cornbread recipe
1 c. flour
1 c. cornmeal
4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp granulated garlic
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (if you want it less spicy, cut down to 1/4 tsp)
1 c. milk
2 eggs
1/4 c. honey
1/4 c. butter, softened
1 can diced green chiles (hot or mild, your choice)
2 green onions, sliced thin
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together flour, cornmeal, baking powder, and salt. Stir in garlic and cayenne pepper. In a separate bowl, mix milk, eggs, and honey together. Pour into flour mixture and add butter. Beat, until combined. Add in chopped green chiles and green onions.
Pour into greased 8x8 glass pan. Bake for 70 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Coffee cakes are delightful.
But for some reason, I never think to make them. Until I do, and then I must make one NOW.
This thought crept into my head on Friday. But we had a delightful dinner with friends planned - so the cake had to wait. Then I worked Saturday morning and managed to start a knitting project in the afternoon - so the cake was stuck waiting again.
But Sunday, oh Sunday! After church and a quick trip to the store (to get sour cream for the coffee cake), the cake was in the oven. Lickety split.
It really takes about 10 minutes to put together.Then it fills your house with a mouthwatering, mind-bending smell for an hour. Then it fills you mouth with amazing deliciousness.
I really should make coffee cake more often!
Start off with the filling. Dried cherries get blitzed, then add nuts and blitz them too.
Add sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
Now, to the cake part. Cream butter and sugar.
Add eggs, sour cream, and vanilla.
*Quick soap box moment* Use Mexican vanilla, people. If you are using that crud that comes in a tiny bottle and costs an arm and a leg - you need to find the closest Mexican grocery and buy this stuff. It's amazing, cheap, and not optional. Just do it. If you want to test me, do a head to head vanilla pudding taste-off using that other crud and Molina. You will never go back. Never.
Ok, back to the batter. In a sifter combine already sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
Sift the flour into the other mixture and beat until just combined.
*I forgot to take a photo of the finished batter before feverishly spooning it into the pan. But, you know what batter looks like. You'll be fine.*
Spray the heck out of a bunt pan.
Spoon a third the batter in the pan. Layer with half the filling.
Add another third of the batter.
Then the filling.
Then the last third of the batter. Bake for an hour and enjoy your new air freshener.
Let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then flip out.
Enjoy!
Nutty Cherry Coffee Cake
Makes 1 bunt cake
1 c. butter (2 sticks), softened
1 1/2 c. sugar
2 eggs
1 c. sour cream
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 c. flour, sifted
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Filling:
1/2 c. slivered almonds
1/2 c. cashews
1/2 c. pistachios
6 oz. dried cherries
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Make the filling: In the bowl of a food processor, dump the dried cherries. Blitz until cut into chunks. Add nuts and blitz again. Then dump into a bowl and add sugar and cinnamon. Toss to combine. Set aside.
In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar. Add the eggs, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat on low/medium speed until combined. In a sifter, combine the sifted flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Sift into the large bowl and beat until just combined.
Spay a bunt pan with baking spray. Spoon a third of the batter into the bunt pan. Top with half the filling. Then another third of the batter, and then the rest of the filling. Spoon on the last of the batter and smooth with the spoon.
Bake for 1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Let cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then flip out onto a cooling rack. Can rest in the fridge and be served cold. Or you can eat it hot, like I do.
Last week, on Halloween night, Mr. S and I decide to do something different.
We live in an apartment, and thus don't get too many trick-or-treaters. Last year we were left with an unscuffed doormat and a massive bowl o' candy.
This year? We took an Indian cooking class with I Heart Curry. We cooked Upma (a cream of wheat based dish I'd only ever even seen once before), Chicken in a Nutty Gravy (which has an actual Indian name that sounds cooler, but then we'd never guess what it was), and Polao (flavorful rice).
It was totally the best thing ever. If you live in the Bay Area and like Indian food - this is the lady to go see.
But after all that, I was completely inspired. I cleaned out my spice cupboard. And then I made this.
Potatoes au gratin - Indian style!
Start off with butter and onions.
Add a bunch of spices. Mmmmm. Now your house smells divine.
In goes the cream/half & half and a bay leaf. Let cook.
Slice up your potatoes into thin rounds.
And be sure to butter your baking dish.
Layer a third of the potatoes in.
Top with spiced cream.
Then top with parmesan. Do it all again so there's 3 layers.
Bake at 375 for 45 minutes. Let rest for at least 10 minutes. Then dive in!
I love inspiration!
Aloo Gratin
Serves 4-6
4-6 smallish purple potatoes
2 red potatoes
1/2 yellow onion, diced
2 tbsp butter
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground fennel
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (adjust to your taste - this is where the spicy is)
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, diced
salt & pepper
1 1/2 c. half & half or cream (you can use milk, it's just a little watery)
1 c. Parmesan cheese
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Using a mandolin and a hand guard (get a mesh glove), slice the potatoes to 1/4" thickness, or there abouts. Thin is what you're going for.
In a small saucepan, saute the butter and onions for a few minutes. Add in the turmeric, coriander, fennel, cumin, ginger, and garlic. Stir around and cook for another couple minutes, until fragrant. Pour in the half & half and add the bay leaf. Let cook just below a simmer for 5 minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
Butter a 9x9 square glass baking dish. Layer in the potatoes over the bottom. Pour on a third of the milk mixture. Top with a 1/4 c. of parmesan. Do this until you have 3 layers of potatoes and have used all the milk. Dot the top with more butter and use all the leftover parmesan cheese to top. Bake for 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbly all over. Allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before serving.
Marshmallows are funny things.
There were pallets of them sitting right inside the door of our local grocery today. All sorts. Jumbo, mini, cinnamon-flavored, coconut, and chocolate. There were colors too. It looked like a fluffy sugar explosion. But they all - ALL - taste like chalky sugar foam. Blech.
Good for rice krispie treats, but that's about it.
My favorite marshmallows ever came from a tin. One of those fancy brands that you see at Williams Sonoma. They were gifted to us during the Christmas season, many years ago. I can still remember the crinkly foil that surrounded them, and my disbelief that anything that called itself a marshmallow could be that tasty.
Only one problem. The good ones are so stinking expensive!! I mean, it's basically just sugar, gelatin, and water. Seriously, guys? Bring on the gelatin. I'll do it myself.
In fact - I'll make them taste even better by adding fall spices. And two special ingredients.
Then covering them in chocolate.
I think I better start on the next batch. These suckers are going in the candy tins for Christmas.
In a large bowl, mix gelatin, spices, and water.
You want the unflavored gelatin. This stuff -
Let sit. It will harden up almost immediately.
In a medium saucepan, bring sugar, Lyle's Golden Syrup, and molasses to a boil - stirring constantly - until they reach 235 degrees.
It's going to bubble up like crazy. Stir constantly. Remove from heat immediately after it reaches 235.
Put an electric mixer in the bowl with the gelatin and turn it on low to start breaking it up into chunks. Gently pour the syrup in, beating the whole time.
Turn the electric mixer up to high and beat for 10 minutes, until it looks like marshmallow fluff.
Take a 9x13 pan and line with parchment. Dust with a mixture of cornstarch and powdered sugar.
Pour the marshmallow fluff in the pan. Use damp hands to smooth it down. Allow to sit overnight.
The next day, line a cutting board with wax paper. Dust with powdered sugar/cornstarch.
Turn the marshmallows out. Peel the paper off.
Chop into 3/4 inch strips.
Then squares.
Set up your double boiler (two pans - one in the bottom boils water, one on the top holds the soon to be melted chocolate).
Grate up some wax - it's what makes the chocolate harden.
Mix up chocolate and wax. Melt.
Dip marshmallows into the chocolate. Tap off the excess.
Place on waxed paper and use a spoon to top off and cover your hole mark.
Refrigerate until hardened. Yum!
Chocolate Covered Spice-mallows
Makes ~100
Adapted from Lyle's Golden Syrup Recipes
3 1/2 packets of unflavored gelatin (~24g)
1 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1 3/4 c. sugar
4 tbsp Lyle's Golden Syrup (look in the British foods section)
2 tbsp molasses
3 tbsp powdered sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
water
2 12-oz bags semi-sweet chocolate chips
4 tbsp grated parafin wax
In a large bowl, mix gelatin with ginger, cinnamon, and allspice. Pour in 100ml of water (use that other side of the measuring cup). Stir it together. Let it sit while you do everything else.
In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, syrup, and molasses. Stir and heat until 235 degrees F. You need a candy thermometer to get it right. Stir continuously, or it will bubble over. This takes 15 minutes or so.
Once it makes it to 235, remove from heat. Using an electric mixer, beat the now semi-hard gelatin and pour the syrup in in a slow stream, while the electric mixer is on low. Turn it up to high and beat for 10 minutes. You'll whip air into it, and it will look a lot like marshmallow fluff at the 10 minute mark.
Take a 9x13 pan and line with parchment paper - this is not optional. Do it. Mix the powdered sugar with the cornstarch. Dust half of it on the parchment-lined pan, making sure to go all the way up the sides. Dump out the extra, leaving a lightly powdered surface.
Pour the marshmallow fluff into the powdered pan. Dip your hands in water, and use your wet hands to pat down the fluff. Cover lightly with plastic wrap (so that it doesn't touch the surface). Allow to sit overnight.
Use the other half of the cornstarch/powdered sugar mixture to dust out on a wax paper-lined cutting board. Turn out the marshmallows. Use a large knife to slice the marshmallow block into 3/4 inch strips. Chop those into squares. Continue to dust with powdered sugar so that it doesn't stick together.
In a double boiler, combine 1 bag of chocolate chips with 2 tbsp grated parafin wax. Melt.
Dip marshmallows in the chocolate, lay on waxed paper. Top with a cap of chocolate to cover the hole. Chill in the fridge until hard. Serve with a smile.
