Thanksgiving pt 1

We're having thanksgiving on Friday because my parents are both working tomorrow, but my mom is making a lot of food ahead of time, so it will be coming in slow installments. A lot of desserts this year.

Cranberry, Shallot, and Dried-Cherry Compote
(stewed, basically in place of cranberry sauce)

Makes about 3 cups
1/2 lb small shallots or pearl onions, left unpeeled
1 Tbsp unsalted butter or vege oil
3/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup white-wine vinegar
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup dried sour cherries (5 oz)
2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries (8 oz; not thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup water

Blanch shallots in 3 quart saucepan of boiling water for 1 minute, then drain. Peel them and separate into cloves if necessary.

Cook shallots in butter in the saucepan over moderate heat, stirring, 1 minute. Add sugar and 1 Tbsp vinegar and cook, stirring frequently, until sugar mixture turns a golden caramel, 15-20 minutes. Carefully add remaining vinegar, wine, and salt and boil, stirring, 1 minute. Add cherries and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until shallots are tender and liquid is syrupy, about 45 minutes.

Add cranberries and water and gently boil over moderate heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until cranberries have burst, about 10 minutes. Transfer compote to a bowl and cool completely.

Four-Layer Pumpkin Cake with Orange-Cream Cheese Frosting

For the cake:
3 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp Chinese five-spice powder, available in the spice section of most stores
1/2 tsp fine sea salt
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 cups (packed) brown sugar
3 large eggs
1 15 oz can pure pumpkin
1/2 cup whole milk

For frosting:
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 8 oz packages cream cheese, room temp
1 Tbsp finely grated orange peel
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
Chopped walnuts, toasted

Cake: Position rack in bottom third of oven; preheat 350°. Spray two 9 inch cake pans with 1.5 inch sides with nonstick spray. Line bottoms with parchment; spray parchment.
Whisk flour and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat butter in another large bowl until smooth. Beat in brown sugar. Add eggs 1 at a time, beating to blend between additions. Beat in pumpkin. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture in 3 additions alternating with milk in 2 additions, beating to blend between additions. Divide batter between pans.
Bake cakes until tester inserted into the center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Cool in pans 15 minutes. Run knife around cakes to loosen. Invert cakes onto racks. Remove parchment. Using tart pan bottom as aid, turn cakes over onto racks, top sides up, and cool completely.

Frosting: Using electric mixer, beat butter in a large bowl until smooth. Add cream cheese and orange peel; beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth.

Trim rounded tops from cakes.
Using long serrated knife, cut each cake horizontally in half. Place 1 cake layer, cut side up, on a large platter. Smooth 2/3 cup frosting atop cake; and over edges. Repeat 2 more times with cake and frosting; top with remaining layer, cut side down.

Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake.

Decorate cake with walnuts.

This is what the magazine's looked like. Pretty good!

Pecan, Caramel and Fudge Pie

For crust

1.5 cups chocolate wafer cookie crumbs (about 7 oz)

5 Tbsp butter, melted

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

For filling

3/4 cup (1.5 sticks) unsalted butter

3/4 cup (packed) brown sugar

6 Tbsp light corn syrup

3 cups pecan halves (about 10 oz)

3 Tbsp whipping cream

2 oz unsweetened chocolate, chopped

For crust: Blend all ingredients in processor. Press crumb mixture onto bottom and sides of 9 inch diameter glass pie dish. Cover crust and freeze while preparing filling.

For filling: Preheat 350°. Combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup in a heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil, stirring often. Boil 1 minute. Stir in nuts and cream. Boil until mixture thickens slightly, about 3 minutes. Remove from heat. Add chocolate. Stir until chocolare melts and mixture is well blended.

Pour hot filling into crust.

Using a spoon, evenly distribute nuts. Bake until filling bubbles all over, about 10 minutes. Transfer pie to rack and cool.

Fig Crostata

I'm not going to put the recipe for this up because it was really hard to make, but if you really want it, email me.

This was the filling:

Tiina and Darden

...came over for dinner.


A bad picture for a great meal.


Salmon with Maple-Thyme Glaze

1/2 cup country-style Dijon mustard
4.5 Tbsp pure maple syrup
3.5 Tbsp water
2 Tbsp prepared horseradish
6 8-oz salmon fillets (or one huge one)
1.5 Tbsp (packed) golden brown sugar
1.5 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme

Preheat oven to 350°.
Whisk mustard, 3 Tbsp maple syrup, 3.5 Tbsp water, and horseradish in a small bowl to blend.
Arrange salmon on baking sheet.
Whisk 1.5 Tbsp maple syrup, sugar, and thyme in another small bowl to blend.
Spread thyme mixture evenly over salmon.

Bake until salmon is just opaque in center, about 14 minutes.
Transfer salmon to plates and spoon mustard-horseradish sauce over and serve.


Baked Shrimp with Fennel and Feta

4 Tbsp olive oil
1.5 cups 1/2 inch diced fennel bulb
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 14.5-oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
Kosher salt and pepper
1/2 cup fresh breadcrumbs
3 Tbsp chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 lbs feta, crumbled (about 3/4-1 cup)
1.25 to 1.5 lbs large shrimp, peeled and deveined


Preheat oven to 425°.
In a 12 inch oven proof skillet, heat 2 Tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the fennel and saute, stirring occasionally until slightly softened and lightly browned, 7-8 minutes. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, 1 minute.
Add the wine and bring to a boil.
Add the tomatoes and their juices, season with salt and pepper, and stir to heat through.
Spread the tomato mixture into an even layer in the skillet.


In a small bowl, stir the breadcrumbs, parsley, feta, the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil, and salt (about 1/2 tsp) and pepper to taste.
Arrange the shrimp in a single layer on the tomato mixture, and sprinkle with the breadcrumb mixture.
Bake until the shrimp are cooked through and the cheese is melted, 12-15 minutes.

Served with rice.

From Fine Cooking Magazine



Pan-Roasted Carrots

2 Tbsp olive oil
16 long, thing carrots, peeled and trimmed
salt and pepper
4 rosemary sprigs
4 tsp honey
1 Tbsp butter

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over low heat. Add the carrots and salt and pepper to taste.


Cook, turning the carrots occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, 15 to 20 minutes.
Add the rosemary during the last 5 minutes of cooking.
Just before serving, add the honey and butter and mix well.
Serve hot.

From The 150 Best American Recipes


Panna Cotta

2 Tbsp cold water
1.5 tsp unflavored gelatin
3 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar, or more to taste
Pinch of salt
1.5 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup (an 8-oz container) sour cream

Put the cold water into a small cup, and sprinkle the gelatin over it. Let it stand for 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, in a 3 quart saucepan, warm the cream with the sugar, salt, and vanilla over medium-high heat. Do not let boil. Stir in the gelatin mixture until thoroughly dissolved. Take the cream off the heat and cool for about 5 minutes.
Put the sour cream in a medium bowl. Gently whisk in the warm cream, a little at a time, until it is smooth. Taste the mixture for sweetness; it may need another tsp of sugar. Turn the panna cotta into a serving bowl or into eight 2/3 cup ramekins, custard cups or coffee cups, filling each one 3/4 full with the cream. Chill for 4 to 72 hours.

From The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper

Mabob Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies

3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 sticks margarine
1 cup white sugar
1 cup brown sugar
2 large eggs
2 tsp vanilla
2 cups old fashioned oatmeal
2.5 cups chocolate chips

Preheat 375°. In a mixer (if you have one otherwise in a bowl and use a handmixer), beat margarine and the two sugars until creamy. Then add eggs and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Mix dry ingredients (excluding the oatmeal) together in a bowl. Beat this into the rest, but only until it is well mixed in, over beating at this point will make for some tougher cookies. Mix in the oatmeal and chocolate chips. Make balls of dough and put on the pan. Makes about 40 cookies for me. Cook for 7 minutes, rotate which pan is on top if you have two going at once, and cook for another 7 or 8.





The dough is clearly the best part.

So far, my mom and I are the only people to successfully make these. Other people have made them, and they've been fine, but they just can't compare, and no one knows why. May be the oven.