by Kathy Douglas | Nov 14, 2017 | Side Dishes
We took an old Irish Potato Bread recipe and turned leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes into a delicious quick bread. Using no yeast, this tasty bread rises to the occasion with baking powder and is filled with cheddar cheese, fresh chives, and grated potatoes.
INGREDIENTS
1 ½ cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 ½ cups grated raw potato (preferably russet)
1 extra large egg plus 1 extra large egg white
⅓ cup melted unsalted butter, slightly cooled
¾ cup whole milk
¼ cup snipped chive pieces
½ cup finely grated cheddar cheese
3 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus 2 additional tablespoons for dusting and kneading
1 ½ tablespoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Butter for serving
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and position a rack in the center of the oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Place the mashed potatoes in a large bowl. Peel the raw potato and grate it through the large holes of a box grater. Place the grated potatoes in a clean kitchen towel and wring tightly to squeeze out any excess moisture; add to the mashed potatoes.
Stir in the egg, egg white, butter, milk, chives, and cheddar cheese until well combined. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add in three batches to the potato mixture, stirring well with a wooden spoon after each addition until the mixture forms soft, but sticky dough.
Lightly flour a clean work surface. Turn the dough out onto the floured surface and knead for 60 seconds, adding flour in small increments to keep the dough from being too sticky. Shape into an 8-inch loaf, and place on the prepared parchment lined baking sheet. Use a sharp knife, slash a ½” deep X in the top of the dough.
Place in the oven and bake until golden brown, firm, and somewhat hollow sounding when tapped, about 60-65 minutes. Remove from the oven and using the parchment, move the bread to a cooling rack. Slide the parchment out from under the bread and cool for one-two hours on a wire rack before slicing. Serve warm with butter. Makes one loaf, about 12 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Nov 6, 2017 | Desserts
Our layered dessert starts with a delicious chocolate brownie base, followed by pumpkin pudding and topped with soft whipped cream and caramel pecans. It’s a quick and easy dessert, that’s the perfect finish for any fall dinner or on your Thanksgiving dessert table.
INGREDIENTS
½ cup chopped pecans
½ cup Pumpkin Puree
½ cup Williams Sonoma Caramel Pumpkin Butter or any high-quality pumpkin butter
Pinch of kosher salt
2 eggs
3 ½ cups milk
1 cup sugar
¼ cup cornstarch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
½ cup whipped cream
1 tablespoon confectioners sugar
1 cup homemade caramel sauce or any high-quality jarred caramel sauce
12 2” brownies or brownie bites, homemade or high-quality store purchased
INSTRUCTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the pecans on a small sheet tray and toast for 8-10 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.
Place a large size bowl over a bigger bowl filled with ice; set aside.
Combine the pumpkin puree with the pumpkin butter and salt in a medium bowl and whisk until well combined; set aside. In a separate medium-size bowl, add the egg and milk together and mix until thoroughly incorporated; set aside. In another medium bowl, whisk together the sugar and cornstarch. Slowly add the egg and milk mixture to the sugar/cornstarch mixture, whisking the entire time. Pour into a large saucepan set over medium heat. Continue to whisk while bringing the mix to a boil; then whisk for one minute longer. Remove from the heat and whisk in the vanilla extract. Then add the pumpkin mixture to pan, continually whisking, until thoroughly blended. Pour into the bowl set over the ice-filled bowl. When cooled, cover, place in the refrigerator, and chill for at least 4 hours or overnight.
When ready to serve
Place the cream in a bowl and using a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment, whip until very soft peaks form. Sprinkle the confectioner’s sugar over the cream and continue whipping until stiff peaks form. Set in the refrigerator to keep cold.
Place the caramel in a small saucepan. Heat on low until softened and smooth. Stir in the toasted pecans and remove from the heat.
Crumble the brownies into small pieces. Fill six 12-ounce serving cups with the brownie pieces, pushing them up on the sides to make an indent in the middle. Divide the pudding between the cups and fill ⅔ full. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and the caramel nuts; serve immediately. Makes six servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 30, 2017 | Entrees, Uncategorized
Our “not so scary Blood and Bones” themed Halloween dinner has a delicious bowl of homemade tomato soup served with mini grilled tomato “bone” sandwiches. Quick and easy to make, it’s the perfect festive dinner before heading out to your Halloween celebrations.
INGREDIENTS
Tomato Soup
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped fine
1 carrot, grated
1 large clove garlic, chopped fine
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¼ cup white wine, we prefer Pinot Grigio
3 cups no salt chicken stock
28-oz. can purée San Marzano tomatoes
1 4-inch fresh rosemary stem
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup of cream
Grilled Cheese “Bones”
8 large pieces of country white bread
8 sandwich slices of cheese, fontina, mozzarella, cheddar or your favorite melting cheese
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
Bone shaped cookie cutter
DIRECTIONS
In a large saucepan, heat the oil and butter over medium heat until the butter melts. Add the onion, carrot, and garlic, occasionally stirring, until the vegetables are softened but not browned, about 8 minutes. Add the flour and stir to coat the vegetables and garlic. Add the wine and cook until the wine is almost completely evaporated. Add the stock, tomatoes, rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon each kosher salt and fresh ground pepper. Increase the heat to medium and bring to a strong simmer, stirring, so the mixture doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 40 minutes.
While the soup cooks, make the grilled cheese “bones.” Cut 16 bone shapes out of the bread. Cut 8 bone shapes out of the cheese. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Thinly spread the butter over one side of each 16 bone shaped bread. Place 8 in the sauté pan and top with one piece of cheese. Place the other bone shaped piece on top of the cheese, butter side up, as the cheese begins to melt. When browned, turn over and cook the other side until also browned. Remove from the sauté pan and keep warm while you finish the soup.
To finish the soup, discard the rosemary stem and add 1 teaspoon of salt and ½ teaspoon of black pepper. Using an immersion blender, purée the soup or use a blender or food processor and puree in two or three batches. Return the soup to the pot, whisk in 1 cup of cream and reheat to warm. Season to taste with salt and pepper and add to 4 warmed bowls. Add two “bones” per bowl of soup.
Make 4 servings.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 24, 2017 | Candy
Halloween isn’t just for kids! So we decided to put together a unique bourbon candy bark made only for adults. Perfect for your grown-up party, this sticky, gooey treat is made with popcorn and dark chocolate bark drizzled with bourbon caramel and topped with mixed nuts, white chocolate and topped with festive harvest blend M&M candies.
INGREDIENTS
8 ounces high-quality dark chocolate, chopped
3-4 cups of pre-popped salted popcorn
¼ cup homemade caramel sauce or quality jarred caramel sauce such as Williams-Sonoma, Trader Joes, or Fresh Market
1 tablespoon bourbon, preferably Maker’s Mark
½ cup salted mixed nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans, walnuts, peanuts
8 ounces white chocolate, chopped
1/2 cup Harvest Blend M&M’s
Line a sheet tray with parchment paper or a Silicone baking mat. In a metal bowl set over simmering water, (water should not touch the bowl) add the chopped chocolate and stir to melt completely. Spread very thinly over the parchment or mat, and immediately press the popcorn into the chocolate. Refrigerate 15 minutes to set the chocolate bark.
Add the caramel to a saucepan and heat until warm and smooth. Stir in the bourbon and remove from the heat; cool slightly. Drizzle the caramel over the popcorn, immediately top with the nuts over the caramel. Refrigerate 15 minutes to set the caramel.
Set another metal bowl over the simmering water, add the chopped white chocolate and stir to melt completely. Remove from the heat and add to a plastic bag. Cut off a small corner and pipe the white chocolate over the nuts, immediately top with the M&M’s. Refrigerate 1 hour to set then break into large pieces and serve immediately.
by Kathy Douglas | Oct 16, 2017 | Entrees
Our pot pies have a thick and rich filling – full of chicken, carrots, celery, onions, and seasoned with tarragon and parsley. To top it off in festive style, we used a buttery and crunchy puff pastry pumpkin face.
INGREDIENTS
1 box puff pastry (Dufour or Pepperidge Farm)
2 cups of boxed unsalted chicken stock
½ cup carrots, peeled and diced
½ cup celery, diced
2 cups diced onion
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 tablespoons of all-purpose flour
1 clove of garlic, minced or pressed through a garlic press
2 tablespoons of white wine
2 cups of cooked, cubed chicken breasts
¾ cup of frozen peas
1 ½ tablespoons of fresh tarragon leaves
1 tablespoons of finely chopped, fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon of salt
½ teaspoon of freshly ground pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
To make the pumpkin tops: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lay the puff pastry out on a floured cutting board. Using a 5″ pumpkin cookie cutter, cut out 4 pumpkins. Lay on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Cut out eyes and a mouth. Place in the oven and bake 20-22 minutes until puffed and browned all over. Leave on the sheet pan and set aside to cool slightly while you make the filling.
To make the chicken filling: Heat the stock in a saucepan over medium heat with the carrots, celery, and onions. When simmering, cover and lower the heat, cook for 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender; then keep warm.
Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook the flour, constantly stirring until the mixture smells nutty about 2-3 minutes. Whisk in half the stock and vegetables until smooth. Whisk in the balance of the stock until you have a smooth, thick mixture. Add the wine, garlic, chicken, peas, parsley, tarragon, salt, and pepper. Stir in well and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper as desired. Transfer the mixture to four 5″x 1-¾ ” individual baking dishes, place on a foil-lined sheet tray and bake in the oven for twenty minutes.
Remove and rest 5 minutes then top each with a puff pastry pumpkin and serve.
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