Butternut Squash Soup...

I had a delicious butternut squash soup at my cousin's house in Pepperell and haven't stopped talking about it. For two years. This attempt proves butternut squash and carrots make a great couple. It's a sweet soup with an earthy flavor. Maybe croutons on top made out of cinnamon raisin bread?

Serves 8–10

1 tablespoon olive oil or butter
2–3 pounds butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks
3 large carrots, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger (1-inch piece)
2 quarts vegetable stock or cold water
1/8 cup grated orange zest
1 bunch parsley, chopped
pinch of ground nutmeg
sea salt, to taste
ground pepper, to taste

Heat the olive oil or butter over medium heat in a large sauce pot. Sauté the squash, carrots, onion, and ginger for 3 minutes, until they are lightly browned. Add the stock and orange zest, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook uncovered for 35 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. Add the parsley, nutmeg, and salt and pepper. Purée the soup with a hand held immersion blender or in a food processor until smooth and creamy.

The Barefoot Contessa's Roasted Turkey Roulade

Originally posted 11/27/08 not long after our Thanksgiving Day feast, a day my daughter likes to refer to as "the best day of my life" as recently as just last week.

Ina's new book hit the bookstore in late October and I immediately knew what I was serving for Thanksgiving. I hate the idea of all the waste of a whole turkey, so when I saw this recipe I was in. I visited the local butcher shop and ordered the boned and butterflied turkey breasts and swallowed hard. Abandoning the traditional potato stuffing was a risk. Take a peek at the ingredients here. Best of all, each turkey breast only took two hours to roast. All that white meat... oh it was good.

3/4 cup large-diced dried figs, stems removed
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy (I used orange juice)
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups diced onions (2 onions)
1 cup (1/2-inch-diced) celery (3 stalks)
3/4 pound pork sausage, casings removed (sweet and hot mixed)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 cups Pepperidge Farm herb-seasoned stuffing mix
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (2 halves) turkey breast, boned and butterflied (5 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1. Place the dried figs and cranberries in a small saucepan and pour over the Calvados and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes.

3. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits with a fork, and saute, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned.

4. Add the figs and cranberries with the liquid, the chopped rosemary, and pine nuts, and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

5. Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, chicken stock, egg 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir well. (The stuffing may be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight.)

6. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan. Lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board., Sprinkle the meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

7. Spread the stuffing in a 1/2-inch-thick layer over the meat, leaving a 1/2-inch border on all sides. Don't mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. (Place the leftover stuffing in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.)

8. Starting at one end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides.

9. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

10. Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until a thermometer reads 150 degrees in the center. (I test in a few places.)

11. Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes. Carve 1/2-inch-thick slices and serve warm with the extra stuffing.

Hope your Thanksgiving was extra great this year. Mine was.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients

* 1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
* 4 eggs
* 1 cup vegetable oil
* 2/3 cup water
* 3 cups white sugar
* 3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 2 teaspoons baking soda
* 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
* 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
* 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2. In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3. Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Almond Butter Cake

I know, I know, enough with the almond. It's obvious I'm in pursuit of the perfect almond cake, one that's on the smaller side with the exact amount of crunch. Since I haven't been very successful I decided to attempt to modify a "go to" recipe I've relied on for years, the Desert Island Butter Cake. The resulting recipe is as follows:

2 T. almond paste
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 cup flour
2 sticks melted butter
1 T. almond extract
sliced almonds to garnish
confectioners sugar for sprinkling

Process almond paste and sugar in food processor until blended. Add eggs and process until fluffy. Add 1 cup of flour, 2 sticks of melted butter and 1 T. almond extract. Blend by hand. Pour into 9" pan and bake at 350 until golden brown.

To mix it up I've made the recipe in this pan and placed a sliced almond on the top of each miniature cake with a dusting of powdered sugar.

I might be satisfied now.

Brown Sugar Cookies

I'm re-posting this recipe just in case you glazed over after reading directions that included a step to brown some butter. I have never seen this in a cookie recipe before but I must tell you . . . make these. The extra step was so worth it. This recipe is spectacular.

Ingredients

* 14 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1/4 cup granulated sugar
* 2 cups packed dark brown sugar
* 2 cups flour
* 2 tablespoons flour
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1 large egg
* 1 large egg yolk
* 1 tablespoon vanilla

Directions

1. Heat 10 Tbs butter in 10" skillet over med-high heat until melted, about 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1-3 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and transfer browned butter to large heatproof bowl. Stir remaining 4 Tbs butter into hot butter to melt; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350. Line 2 large (18x12") baking sheets with parchment paper. In shallow baking dish or pie plate, mix granulated sugar and 1/4 cup pack brown sugar, rubbing between fingers, until well combined; set aside. Whisk flour, baking soda and baking powder together in medium bowl; set aside.

3. Add remaining 1 3/4 cups brown sugar and salt to bowl with cooled butter; mix until no sugar lumps remain, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined, about 1 minute. Give dough final stir with rubber spatula to ensure that no flour pockets remain and ingredients are evenly distributed.

4. Divide dough in 24 portions, each about 2 Tbs, rolling between hands into balls about 1 1/2" in diameter. Working in batches, toss balls in reserved sugar mixture to coat and set on prepared baking sheet, spacing them about 2" apart, 12 dough balls per sheet. (Smaller baking sheets can be used, but it will take 3 batches.)

5. Bake one sheet at a time until cookies are browned and still puffy and edges have begun to set but centers are still soft (cookies will look raw between the cracks and seem underdone), 12-14 minutes, rotating baking sheet halfway through baking. Do not overbake. See here for done test information.

6. Cool cookies on baking sheet 5 minutes; using wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack and cool to room temperature.

Egg Rolls

1 lb. uncooked medium shrimp
1 lb. uncooked bonless lean pork
4 oz. fresh mushrooms
8 green onions
1 red pepper, seeded
8 oz. Chinese cabbage
1 can water chestnuts
3 T. sherry
1 1/2 T. soy sauce
2 t. grated pared fresh ginger root
1 t. sugar
1/2 t. salt
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
24 spring roll or egg roll wrappers
3 cups vegetable oil

Finely chop shrimp, pork, mushrooms, onions, pepper, cabbage and water chestnuts using cleaver or food processor. Add sherry, soy sauce, ginger, sugar and salt and mix well.

Mix water and cornstarch in small bowl until blended. Place 1/4 cup filling evenly across corner of each wrapper and brush cornstarch mixture evenly over all edges of wrappers. Carefully roll wrappers around filling folding in the corners.

Heat oil in wok over high heat until it reaches 375 and fry 3 to 4 rolls at a time until golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain on absorbent paper.

P.S. I frequently use only chicken in these egg rolls. I posted the recipe the way I learned it . . . I mostly make chicken only egg rolls.

Pumpkin Pound Cake

Pound Cake Ingredients:

3 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups butter, softened
6 eggs
3/4 cup canned pumpkin
3/4 cup milk

Glaze Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
3 tablespoons butter, softened
4 to 6 teaspoons milk

Heat oven to 350°F. Combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Set aside.

Combine sugar and 1 1/2 cups butter in large bowl. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Continue beating, adding eggs one at a time, until well mixed. Add pumpkin; continue beating until well mixed. Reduce speed to low. Beat, gradually adding flour mixture alternately with 3/4 cup milk, until well mixed.

Spoon batter into greased and floured 12-cup Bundt® pan. Bake for 55 to 60 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely.

Combine powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons butter and enough milk for desired glazing consistency in small bowl. Glaze cooled cake OR dust with powdered sugar.

Like the bundt pan? It's perfect for a pound cake since the extra edges/ridges produce more pound cake crunch. I've also used this one for years as well as this one.

Starbucks Pumpkin Scone

INGREDIENTS:

2 cups all-purpose flour
7 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup canned pumpkin
3 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg
6 tablespoons cold butter

Glaze

1 cup plus 1 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk

Spiced Icing

1 cup plus 3 tablespoons powdered sugar
2 tablespoons whole milk
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
pinch ground ginger
pinch ground cloves

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon cloves, and 1/4 teaspoon ginger in a large bowl.
3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together pumpkin, half-and-half, and eggs.
4. Cut butter into cubes then add it to the dry ingredients. Use a pastry knife or a fork to combine butter with dry ingredients. Continue mixing until no chunks of butter are visible. You can also use a food processor: Pulse butter into dry ingredients until it is the texture of cornmeal or coarse sand.
5. Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, then form the dough into a ball. Pat out dough onto a lightly floured surface and form it into a 1 -inch thick rectangle that is about 9 inches long and 3 inches wide. Use a large knife or a pizza wheel to slice the dough twice through the width, making three equal portions. Cut those three slices diagonally so that you have 6 triangular slices of dough.
6. Bake for 14 to 16 minutes on a baking sheet that has been lightly oiled or lined with parchment paper. Scones should begin to turn light brown.
7. While scones cool, prepare plain glaze by combining ingredients in a medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Mix until smooth.
8.When scones are cool, use a brush to paint a coating of the glaze over the top of each scone.
9. As that white glaze firms up, prepare spiced icing by combining ingredients in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed. Drizzle this thicker icing over each scone and allow the icing to dry before serving (at least 1 hour). A squirt bottle works great for this, or you can drizzle with a whisk. Makes 6 scones.

Just Chicken Pie

A chicken pie with no peas or carrots - by Deena Stovall, as printed in America's Best Lost Recipes. I didn't trust, so I skipped the cheese in this recipe. I'm just traditional when it comes to some recipes. I will make this over and over again.

Ingredients

* 2 1/2 lbs chicken breasts, with skin and bone
* 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
* 1 celery rib, chopped fine
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1/3 cup all-purpose flour

* 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
* 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
* 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
* 3 scallions, chopped
* 2 refrigerated pie crusts, 9-inch
* 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
* 1 large egg, beaten

Directions

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Cover a rimmed baking sheet with foil.

2. Pat the chicken dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Place on the prepared baking sheet, skin-side up, and roast 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, remove and discard the skin, and cut the meat from the bone and shred the chicken into 2-inch pieces. Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees.

3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Cook the celery until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in the flour and cook until it begins to brown, about 1 minute. Stir in the milk, broth, and zest and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until thickened, about 5 minutes. Strain the sauce into a large bowl, discarding the vegetables. Stir in the chicken and scallions, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Let the filling cool until just warm, about 30 minutes.

4. Spoon the chicken mixture into the pie shell and sprinkle with the cheese. Top with the remaining circle of dough. Trim all but 1/2 inch of the dough overhanging the edge of the pie, using your fingers.

5. Cut four 2-inch slits in the top of the dough, brush with the beaten egg, and bake until the crust is deep golden brown, 45 to 55 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes. Serve.

Want to make this easier? Just buy that roast chicken at Costco.

Photo courtesy of Minnesota Public Radio.

Brown Sugar Fudge

Perfect for that holiday box of goodies you're tying up with baker's twine...

3 cups packed light brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Line a 9-inch square baking pan with foil, leaving overhang on all sides. Grease the foil. Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce the the heat to medium-low and cook until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer, about 234 degrees, 5 to 8 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and allow to cool until just warm (about 120 degrees) and not yet firm, 35 to 45 minutes. Using a wooden spoon, stir vigorously until the mixture lightens and is no longer shiny, 6 to 10 minutes. Spread the mixture into the prepared pan and let sit until firm, about an hour. Using the foil overhang, remove the fudge from the pan and cut into 1 inch squares. The fudge can be stored in an airtight container for up to 1 month.

Bailey's Hot Fudge

Bailey's of Boston might be long gone but their hot fudge recipe lives on. Their silver bowls just made the hot fudge sundae taste that much better.

* 1/2 cup butter
* 2 unsweetened chocolate squares
* 2 cups confectioners' sugar, sifted
* 3/4 cup evaporated milk

Slowly melt butter and chocolate in a saucepan. Remove from heat. Alternately add the sugar and evaporated milk. Stir till smooth. Return to heat. Simmer 8-10 mins. Makes 2 cups.

Thank you, Betsy, for lighting a fire under me to get my hands on the recipe. I owe you.