ROAST CHICKEN WITH GARLIC CROUTONS

From the French Farmhouse Cook Book, by Susan Hermann Loomis

Ingredients:

10 half slices sourdough bread

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

1 chicken, 3 1/2 - 4 lb, with giblets

1 T cognac, whiskey, or marsala

1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper

Thyme, optional

Ingredients for a caesar salad

Methodology:

Heat the oven to 450°F.

Remove the giblets, place the liver in a small ramekin on a baking sheet, cover with 1 T liquor, and roast in the oven for 20 minutes.

Place the chicken breast up in a roasting pan.  Squeeze the lemon into the cavity and tie the legs together.  Add the chicken neck.  Roast for 30 minutes.

Spread the bread out on a baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes, flipping halfway through.  Remove from the oven, cool until it's not too hot to touch, and rub the garlic cloves on both sides of each slice of bread.

Cut the bread into large pieces (4-6 pieces per slice).  Remove chicken from oven, and spread bread pieces around and under chicken (lifting temporarily with tongs).  Roast an additional 20 minutes, or until the chicken reaches 165°F in the thickest part of the thigh.

Remove the chicken, drizzle the croutons with the juices and stir around the pan, scraping up any stuck bits from the bottom of the pan.  Roast an additional 20 minutes, pouring over any remaining juices from the chicken after 10 minutes.  Remove from oven, drizzle over any remaining juices.

Serve with a sharply-dressed caesar salad.

BISCUITS

From CM, via the Secret Family Cookbook

This recipe makes enough to fit into an 8" square glass pan, to serve two or three people.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 c flour

1/4 t salt

2 1/4 t baking powder

1/4 c butter, cut into small cubes

~3/4 c milk or buttermilk

Methodology:

Preheat the oven to 450°F. 

Whisk dry ingredients together.  Add the butter pieces, toss to cover in flour, then rub into the flour mixture with your fingers until no chunks remain.  Stir in the liquid.  More may be necessary if using buttermilk.  The dough should be sticky.

Turn out on a well-floured surface, flour the top surface, and knead once or twice before patting out to 3/4" thick.  Cut with a well-floured round cutter (or slice into square biscuits using a sharp, well-floured knife) and place into an 8" glass baking dish (no preparation of the pan is necessary).

Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until golden brown on top.

Serve with butter, jam and honeycomb, or with sausage or bacon gravy.

CORNBREAD

From Creme de la Crumb

Here is a 6-muffin recipe, see below for 1 8x8 pan or 12 muffin amounts

This amount will make ~10 waffles in a min-waffle maker.

Ingredients:

2/3 c flour

1/3 c cornmeal

3 T sugar

1 1/2 t baking powder

3/8 t salt

1 t mesquite flour

3 T olive oil or melted butter

100 ml milk

2 T greek yoghurt

1 egg

Methodology:

Preheat oven to 350°F and grease muffin wells.

Whisk dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk wet ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Add wet ingredients to dry and whisk to combine.

Transfer to pan.  Bake for 20 minutes.  Allow to cool 5 minutes before serving.

12-muffin or 8 x 8 pan amounts:

1 1/3 c flour

2/3 c cornmeal

1/4 + 2 T sugar

1 T baking powder

5/8 t salt

1 T mesquite flour

1/3 c olive oil (or 1/3 c (5.5 T) butter, melted)

200 ml milk (2/3 + 1/6 c)

1/4 c greek yoghurt

2 eggs

Increase baking time to 40 minutes for 8 x 8 pan.

CREPES

From The French Farmhouse Cookbook, by Susan Hermann Loomis

Ingredients:

3 large eggs

1/4 t salt

2 1/2 c (625 ml) milk, divided

1 t vanilla

1 3/4 c (230 g) flour

Butter, to cook

Methodology:

Mix the eggs and salt in a stand mixer on medium until well broken-up.

Add 1 c milk and vanilla, and mix again.

Add the flour and mix until combined, stopping to scrape down the bowl when necessary.  Once the batter is smooth, add the remaining milk and mix until smooth.  Rest for half an hour, or up to overnight.

Heat a large skillet over medium heat, then turn down to low.  Butter lightly.  Pour a thin layer of batter into the skillet, swirling it to coat the pan bottom completely.  Once the edges begin to crisp and dry, flip carefully and cook another minute, or until pale brown spots appear on the underside of the crêpe.

Repeat with remaining batter.

Serve warm, with whipped cream, raspberry jam, and fresh fruit.

RED LENTIL DAL

 From youtube

Ingredients:

1 c washed red lentils, soaked for 20 minutes and drained

bay leaves 

1/2 t ground turmeric

1/4 c cashews

1 T olive oil

1 onion, chopped (200 g)

1 carrot, grated (80 g)

1 garlic clove, minced

1 t ginger, minced

250 g diced fresh tomatoes

1 T tomato paste

1 t cumin

1 t coriander

1 t paprika

salt and pepper to taste

1 c water

1/4 c cilantro, chopped

tadka:

1 T olive oil

1 t chili flakes

1/2 t paprika

Methodology:

Add the lentils to a medium pot, cover with water, add the bay leaves and turmeric, and simmer for 20 minutes. 

Soak the cashews in boiling water for 20 minutes.  Blend the soaked cashews with 1/2 c water until smooth.

Heat the olive oil in a large pot and cook the onion over medium heat until it is translucent.  Add all remaining ingredients in that section, cover and simmer for 5 minutes.  Add the cashew cream, cover and cook for an additional 5 minutes. 

Once the lentils are cooked, add them to the sauce and cook for an additional 10 minutes.  Remove from heat, check for seasoning, adjust the consistency, and add the cilantro.

Make the tadka:

Heat the oil in a small saucepan.  Add the spices, heat through, and pour over the lentils.

Serve hot with steamed rice and naan.

VIETNAMESE ALPHABET SOUP

From Katie's Test Kitchen, via chrissstttiiine

Ingredients:

Meat mix:

1 lb ground chicken (beef is traditional)

1 or 2 shallots, diced

2 t sugar

1/2 t ground black pepper

1/2 t ground white pepper

1 T mushroom seasoning (or knorr)

1/2 t salt (omit salt if the mushroom seasoning is salty)

1 T fish sauce

3 T shallot oil

Soup:

(1/2 t salt) Salt to taste, as the mushroom seasoning may have enough salt

1 t sugar

2-3 t mushroom seasoning

12 oz letter pasta, or stelline/pastina, cooked 2 minutes less than package directions, drained

Toppings:

Fried shallots

2 scallions, white and light green parts thinly sliced

Large handful cilantro leaves and stems

Ground black and white pepper

Methodology:

Combine the meat mix well and set aside for 15 minutes to marinate.

Heat oil in a large dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the meat mix and sauté, breaking the meat up, until it's just cooked through.  Add 10 c boiling water, and remaining soup ingredients, and simmer on low 15 minutes.

To serve, add all of pasta to dutch oven, cook to heat through, and serve, topped generously with herbs, shallots and pepper.

BUTTERMILK PANCAKES

Ingredients:

1 c flour

1 1/2 T sugar

3/4 t baking powder

3/4 t baking soda

3/4 t salt

1 1/2 c buttermilk

2 eggs

2 T butter, melted

Additional oil for the pan

(1 banana, 1 egg, and 1 T whole wheat flour)

Methodology:

Whisk all dry ingredients together in a large bowl.

Whisk the eggs and buttermilk together, then mix in the melted butter.

Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.

Cook over low heat in an oiled, cast iron skillet.

Serve with whipped cream and jam or fresh fruit.

(Add in 1-2 bananas, mashed, and an additional egg, to the wet ingredients, and 1 T whole wheat flour per  banana to the dry ingredients)

HOT CHOCOLATE

From the NYTimes, paywalled

Ingredients:

1/2 c water

1/4 c unsweetened(, dutch processed) cocoa powder

3 c milk

1 T sugar

1 pinch salt

4.5 oz chopped bittersweet chocolate

Methodology:

Whisk the water and cocoa together until smooth in a medium saucepan.

Whisk in milk, sugar and salt, and heat over medium flame until tiny bubbles form around the edge of the pan.

Remove from heat, pour in the chopped chocolate, and leave undisturbed for 1 minute.  Whisk thoroughly, taste for sweetness, and serve.

Top with whipped cream, if desired.

THANKSGIVING II TURKEY

From the NY Times, via the Defector

Ingredients:

2 c buttermilk

33 g salt

2-3 lb turkey breast, skin on, if possible, on or off the bone

Methodology:

One or two days before you plan to cook, place buttermilk and salt in a large bowl, and stir to dissolve salt.  Add turkey to bowl, and toss to cover.  Refrigerate for 24-36 hours, turning the turkey periodically so it brines evenly.

Two hours before you plan to cook, remove the turkey from the bowl and scrape off as much buttermilk as is easily done.  Discard buttermilk, set turkey on a rimmed plate and leave to adjust to room temperature.

Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and heat to 425°F.  Place breast skin-side up on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a wire rack or parchment paper.

Place baking sheet on the prepared oven rack and roast the turkey until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F in the thickest part of the breast, about 40 minutes for a boneless, or 50 minutes for a bone-in breast.

Rest 20 minutes, slice and serve with gravy, apple orange cranberry sauce, and Brussels sprout-kale salad.

EGG NOG

Adapted from Jamie Oliver

Ingredients:

2 c milk, or 1 1/2 c milk and 1/2 c cream

2 cinnamon sticks

1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

pinch salt

1 vanilla pod, seeds scraped out, or 1 t vanilla

2 egg yolks

1/3 c sugar

Methodology:

Heat the milk, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and salt (and vanilla pod, if using), to steaming in a saucepan.

Meanwhile, whisk the yolks with the sugar in a small bowl, until lighter in color.

Temper the eggs by whisking in a ladle of hot milk.  Mix until smooth, then pour egg-milk mixture into the remaining milk in the saucepan and cook over low heat until it thickens.

Add vanilla extract, if using, and sprinkle with nutmeg.

Cool and serve topped with more nutmeg, if desired.

MANHATTAN FISH CHOWDER

Adapted from Myrecipes, via the wayback machine

Ingredients:

3 T butter

3 medium onions, chopped (about 2 3/4 c)

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/4 c tomato paste

1 c dry white wine

3 c water

3 medium carrots, chopped (about 1 c)

3 celery stalks, diced (about 3/4 c)

3 medium red or gold potatoes, chopped (about 2 c)

3 c shredded kale

1 28-oz can diced tomatoes, with juice

1 T chopped fresh or 1 t dried thyme

1 t salt

1/2 t ground pepper

1 bay leaf

1/2 t smoked chipotle chili flakes

1 t smoked paprika

2 lb halibut fillets, skin removed and cut into 1/2" pieces

Methodology:

Melt butter over medium heat in a large dutch oven.  Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly golden.  Add garlic and stir until fragrant, 2 minutes.  Add tomato paste, and cook for 1 minute.  

Pour in white wine, scraping up any tomato paste that is stuck to the bottom of the pot.  Cook until the pot is almost dry.  Add all remaining ingredients but fish, and bring to boil, then simmer for 30 minutes, or until potato is tender.  

Add fish, cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily.

Serve with crusty bread.