The Bitten Word

Chestnut Soup with Crisp Prosciutto

2009-12-16T11:03:26-05:00

Fine Cooking (December 2009/January 2010)

Last month, we had a roasted chestnut soup at a restaurant here in DC. Tasting it for the first time was an almost religious experience. Sweet, nutty and silky-smooth, the soup was just one of those foods that instantly warms your soul. We couldn't stop smiling!

A couple days later, we saw pints of chestnuts at the farmers market. We decided to grab some and see if we could replicate that heavenly bowl of soup. By a stroke of luck, we came home, opened our December/January issue of Fine Cooking, and found this recipe for Chestnut Soup with Crisp Prosciutto.

Several days after that, DC got its first snow of the season. For eight hours on a chilly Saturday, fat wet flakes fell silently outside the windows.

Could there be any better day for this soup? We would literally have chestnuts roasting...okay, not on an open fire (our landlord wouldn't like that). But we were excited about the smell of roasting chestnuts wafting through our house while we gazed at the Christmas tree and the falling snow.

The universe, it seemed, was telling us to make this soup.

But the universe had some tricks up its sleeve.

As per the recipe, we dutifully soaked and scored the chestnuts, and then roasted them in the oven for a half hour. As we'd hoped, the scent was transformative as it rose from the oven and filled our apartment.

But when we tried to peel the nuts, something was off. The meat in the center was rock hard. According to the recipe, you should be able to "spoon out the nutmeat." Ours would've required the jaws of life.

What had we done wrong? Simple, it turns out: We'd let out chestnuts sit too long on the counter. What had been fresh chestnuts at the market had hardened into little stones while they sat for two weeks on our kitchen counter.

We vowed to try again. So a week later, we picked up some more chestnuts (this time from the supermarket, since there were none to be found at the farmers market that week).

We soaked. We scored. We roasted.

This time, perfection! We cooked them for slightly less time than the recipe calls for (25 minutes versus 30). The nutmeat nearly slid out of the shells, and they were easy to chop up.

The rest of the soup is a very basic preparation -- saute the leeks, add the chestnuts and herbs, add some stock, simmer for a half hour. Then you blend the whole thing to get a nice smooth texture.

Two quick notes:

1) The only labor-intensive part of this is scoring and peeling three pounds of chestnuts. It takes a long time, and it's tedious. And the peeling works best when the nuts are still warm. So if you have two or three pairs of hands for this, it'll be much easier.

2. We actually ran the soup through a blender twice, to get that silky-smooth texture we were looking for. It's not necessary, but we thought it gave the soup a much nicer texture.

So how was the taste?

Astoundingly good. Indescribably good. Warm-your-soul-and-make-you-smile good.

This soup will change your life.

It was just so gorgeously rich and smooth. And for a soup this luxuriously creamy, it's really shocking there's not an ounce of cream in the recipe. Trust us, you wouldn't need it. The chestnuts hearty and rich enough on their own.

The thyme and the prosciutto -- we actually fried up a little bacon, instead -- just propel this soup into the stratosphere. The salty bits of porkfat and the fresh, herbal notes of the thyme are perfect counterpoints for the soup's rich sweetness.

We can't think of a better soup for any winter meal. And, hey! It turns out there's a reason "The Christmas Song" starts off with "chestnuts roasting...."

Chestnut Soup with Crisp Prosciutto
Fine Cooking (November 2009)
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(This photo: Fine Cooking)

For an ultra-silky texture, use a regular blender rather than a hand blender to purée the soup.Serves eight to ten.

Yields about 10 cups.

INGREDIENTS

3 lb. fresh chestnuts
2 Tbs. unsalted butter
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. extra-virgin olive oil
4 medium leeks (white and light-green parts only), halved lengthwise, rinsed, and thinly sliced crosswise
1-1/2 Tbs. chopped fresh thyme; more for garnish
10 cups lower-salt chicken broth
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 oz. thinly sliced prosciutto, cut into thin strips

DIRECTIONS

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 400°F.

In a medium bowl, cover the chestnuts with warm water and soak for 25 minutes. Drain and dry with paper towels. Score an X into the flat side of each chestnut, cutting all the way through the shell. Put them flat sides up on a rimmed baking sheet and roast until the Xs curl back into a crown shape and they are tender when squeezed, about 30 minutes. Peel while still warm, removing both the shell and the inner skin. If a shell resists peeling, spoon out the nutmeat instead. Roughly chop the chestnuts and set aside in a medium bowl.

In a 6-quart pot, melt the butter with 2 Tbs. of oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the chestnuts and 1 Tbs. of the thyme; cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the broth and 1/2 tsp. salt; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the chestnuts are extremely tender, about 30 minutes, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Let cool briefly. Working in batches, purée the soup, either in a regular blender or with a hand blender. Strain the soup through a fine sieve into a clean 4-quart pot. Set the soup back over medium-low heat and gently reheat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, in an 8-inch nonstick skillet, heat the remaining 1 tsp. oil over medium heat. Add the prosciutto and cook, stirring frequently, until crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1/2 Tbs. thyme and cook 30 seconds more. Drain on a plate lined with paper towels.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with some of the prosciutto and thyme.

Pork Empanadas with Thyme

2009-12-14T09:42:50-05:00

Everyday Food (December 2009)

Here in our nation's capital, we have a great little chain of empanada stores called Julia's Empanadas. In fact, there's one right around the corner from our house. Julia's is a great place to grab a quick bite or a late-night snack.

For those of you not familiar with empanadas, Julia's sums it up nicely on their website:

Every country has one, in Jamaica they're called "patties", in Italy "calzones", the Israelis call them "knishes". We call them "Empanadas". So what's an Empanada? It's a mildly spiced, freshly baked sandwich served hot!!

Maybe it's because we have access to great empanadas, but we had never really considered making them at home. We love them, but Julia's does it so well, could ours stack up? Everyday Food was going to help us find out.

Word of warning: This recipe is not for a quick meal. It's multi-step and fairly time consuming (1 1/2 hours total), so take that into consideration. We actually made these on a weeknight, and believe us when we say, it was a late dinner.

The actual process of making the empanadas, though, is not overly difficult. The dough, for instance, comes together quickly and requires no resting time. Similarly, the filling of pork, potato and spices cooks quickly, but it does need time to cool.

The combination of flavors in this dish is our favorite thing about it. The sage- and thyme-scented dough adds a nice fragrance, and the filling, spiced with golden raisins, garlic, pine nuts, makes for a distinctive pork and potato combination.

Assembly is perhaps the trickiest thing about this recipe, but once you get the hang of it, it goes quickly. Roll the dough, cut it into circles, add filling, fold the dough over and crimp. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

And it is in that step, ladies and gentlemen, where we made our error.

The recipe instructs you to roll the dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. We did -- or at least we got close -- but we think that ours was still too thick. When we sat down to our late-night dinner and tore into some empanadas, it was obvious that our dough-to-filling ratio was off. There was a lot of dough, making the empanadas far too bready.

If you make these empanadas, we would encourage you to roll the dough thinner than you think you need to. Trust us, you'll be glad you did.

Before we make any more empanadas, perhaps we need to stop by and get some tips from the folks at Julia's.

Pork Empanadas with Thyme
Everyday Food (December 2009)
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(This photo: Marcus Nilsson/Everyday Food)

Makes 8
Prep Time: 55 minutes
Total Time: 1 1/2 hour

Ingredients:
1/2 medium Yukon Gold potato, peeled and diced medium
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 small yellow onion, diced small
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 pound ground pork
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves plus small springs for topping
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 teaspoons all purpose flour, plus more for working
2 tablespoons golden raisins (optional)
2 tablespoons toasted pine nuts (optional)
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
course salt and ground pepper
Empanada dough (below)
1 large egg

1. Set strainer basket in medium pot with 2 inches boiling water. Add potato, cover, and cook until tender, 10 to 15 minutes. In large skillet, heal oil over medium. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion softens, 5 to 7 minutes. Raise heat to high and add pork, thyme, and sage; cook, breaking up meat with a spoon, until pork is no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add flour; cook, stirring, until blended, about 30 seconds. Add raisins (if using) and 2 tablespoons water: cook until thickened, about 1 minute. Remove from heat and stir in potato, pine nuts (if using) and vinegar. Season filling with salt and pepper, and let cool.

2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. On a floured surface, divide dough in half and roll each piece to an 1/8-inch thickness. Using a a 6-inch cookie cutter or plate as a guide, cut out 8 circles. Place 1/4 cup filling on half of each circle, leaving a 1/2 inch border. Brush edge of dough with water; fold top half over filling. Press edges to seal, then crimp firmly with a fork.

3. Transfer empanadas to two baking sheets lined with parchment. In a bowl, beat egg with 1 tablespoon water. Brush empanadas with egg wash and top with thyme springs. Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes, rotating sheets halfway through.

EMPANADA DOUGH

In a food processor, pulse 4 cups all-purpose four (spooned and leveled), 2 teaspoons baking powder, and 1 tablespoon course salt. Add 2 tablespoons each minced fresh sage and thyme; pulse until combined. Add 3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces; pulse until mixture is the texture of coarse meal, with a few pea-size pieces of butter remaining. Add 1 cup ice water; pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed (add up to 1 cup water, 1 tablespoon at a time, if needed). Turn dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and knead just until dough comes together, 4 to 5 times.

Ham Steaks with Hazelnut Sauce

2009-12-11T08:25:37-05:00

Saveur (December 2009)

In writing about this recipe, Saveur tells readers that the sauce is "based on a recipe in Mimi Sheraton’s The German Cookbook (Random House, 1965)."

But we think we could have pretty much guessed that on our own. Ham steaks? In a cream sauce?

This dish screams 1965.

It's like something Mrs. Edna Schakowsky of Cleveland, Ohio, would serve for Thursday dinner before her husband's bowling buddies swing by to pick him up.

It's like what Mrs. Francine Flendermann of Eau Claire, Wisconsin, would serve on Monday night when the Dittmeyers come over for bridge.

It's what Alice would've served the Bradys.

We liked the idea partly for its kitschy 60's suburban-ness, but also because it sounded warm and comforting on a chilly early-winter night.

Let's dispense with one thing right away. In addition to this recipe's appearing The German Cookbook, Saveur actually lists the name of the dish as "Schinkensteaks mit Haselnuss-Sosse." We have a sneaking feeling that this dish is actually about as German as a pizza. (Or, come to think of it, about as German as a German Chocolate Cake.)

Let's get one other thing out of the way, too: There's nothing hazelnut about this. Oh, the recipe calls for them, and we dutifully included them. They smelled delicious going in, but immediately got lost in the sauce. We couldn't discern the slightest hint of hazelnut in this sauce.

But is it tasty?

Well, on the one hand, it's ham slathered in cream, covered with toasty breadcrumbs. How could it not be tasty? And, yes, we did think it was hearty and comforting.

But -- as much as we love ham, and as much as we love cream -- this is one heavy dish. The sweetness of the cream sauce (thanks to the apple brandy) was a lot to handle.

The whole thing was a little overwhelming and, well, a reminder of how people ate 40 years ago. It was a little like biting into a Nixon-era time capsule. Tasty, sure -- but just not really our thing.

Ham Steaks with Hazelnut Sauce
Saveur (December 2009)
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(This photo: Saveur)

Serves 2 to 4

3 tbsp. unsalted butter

2 white onions, thinly sliced

1 tbsp. canola oil

2 1⁄4"-thick cooked ham steaks,

  smoked or unsmoked

1⁄4 cup apple brandy

1 cup heavy cream

3 tbsp. Dijon mustard

1⁄2 cup hazelnuts, toasted

  and finely ground

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper,

  to taste

6 tbsp. dried bread crumbs

4 sprigs rosemary

1 tbsp. finely chopped chives

1. Heat oven to 400˚. Grease an 11" x 14 1⁄2" baking pan with 1 tbsp. butter. Arrange onions on bottom; bake until soft, about 15 minutes. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a 12" skillet over medium-high heat. Working in 2 batches, sear ham steaks, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate. Add brandy to skillet; return to high heat. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until brandy has almost evaporated, about 1 minute. Add cream and mustard; cook for 2 minutes. Add hazelnuts and season with salt and pepper; pour sauce over reserved onions. Place steaks on top of onions. Melt remaining butter and combine with bread crumbs; coat tops of steaks with crumbs; arrange rosemary on top. Bake until hot, about 15 minutes. Garnish with chives.

The Bitten Word's Holiday Gift Guide 2009

2009-12-09T08:40:16-05:00

Some of you might be scrambling for gift ideas. Then again, some of you might be like us, sort of lazily drifting towards the holidays. Maybe there will be gifts, and then again, maybe there won't. A holiday surprise!

We're trying to keep it simple this year. Rather than just buy a bunch of stuff, we want to give friends and family things that they will really enjoy.

So here are some ideas for you that we've collected over the last few months. Have something you'd add to the list? Let us know in the comments.

GIFTS YOU CAN MAKE

Full disclosure: We're not sure either of us has ever actually made a holiday gift for anyone since the sixth grade.

But last December we made Jacques Torres' Cherry-Nut Mudslides (pictured left) and we liked them so much, we still think about them to this day. No doubt the person on your list who receives them as a gift this year year will as well.

December's Real Simple also has a feature about homemade gifts. We loved their ideas for Infused Vodkas and Chocolate Chunk Hot Cocoa Mix.

The latest Food Network Magazine has an excellent feature about recipes-in-a-jar that can be given as gifts, from Curried Lentil Soup (pictured left) to Blue Cornbread to Christmas cookies. The photos are beautiful and make for festive looking packages. The full batch of ideas are available on their site.

THE GIFT OF FOOD/GIFT CERTIFICATES

This year's hot holiday gift? Pork. You heard it here first.

We're giving a lot of gifts from Western Kentucky-based Broadbent Hams, who has been making award-winning pork products since 1909. We've been Broadbent's obsessed since visiting their store this fall. Here are some items we liked from their store that would make excellent gifts:

Bacon Trio Gift Pack: Maplewood, Hickory & Pepper! (6 packages for $35).
Two pounds of classic Cooked Country Ham (2 pounds for $28)
Country Sausage Sacks (50 servings for $20)

If pork's not your thing (Heaven forbid!), a friend introduced us to La Tienda (Tienda.com), an online retailer specializing in products from Spain. They carry everything from food to kitchen gear. It's definitely a fun site to browse. We already have our eye on this Bomba rice and this Chorizo Soria.

Our friend Ken is a huge fan of Ricks Picks, a New York based company that makes fourteen varieties of pickles. Ken, who has excellent taste, recommends the Mean Beans, a spicy take on dilly beans, and the Smokra, pickled okra with Spanish paprika. With a name like Smokra, how can you go wrong?

More ideas after the jump, including gifts you can drink, read and cook with.

THE GIFT OF DRINK

Have a soda junkie in your life? Order them a regional soft drink that's not available nationally. A few ideas:

Ale-8-One: For the ginger-ale fan who wants a kick of caffeine, give Kentucky's Ale-8-One. It's also good with bourbon. Just sayin'. Order Ale-8-One here.

Moxie Cola: We tried this in Maine a few years ago. It's definitely an acquired but unique taste. Order Moxie Cola here.

If you're looking for something a little stiffer, try one of the following:

George Dickel #12 Tennessee Whiskey: If you have a whiskey or bourbon fan in your life, George Dickel is a great gift. It's distilled in Zach's hometown and is an excellent Tennessee sippin' whiskey. Order George Dickel here.

ROOT Organic Liqueur: We're starting to see this pop up all over the place in magazines. Most write-ups describe it as a boozy root beer. We're dying to try it. Order ROOT here.

BOOKS

There are two books we're really wanting to get our hands on: Simple Fresh Southern by The Lee Bros., which we wrote about earlier this month, and Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc at Home, which is turning up on just about every "best of" cookbook list right now.

Since we haven't read them, we can't vouch for them, but here are two lesser covered books that we're really digging right now:

Damn Good Food: 157 Recipes from Hell's Kitchen. No, it doesn't have anything to do with Gordon Ramsey. This cookbook is based on the food from Minneapolis restaurant Hell's Kitchen. When Zach was in Minneapolis for a conference last May, he visited Hell's Kitchen twice in three days. He's been talking about the house-made peanut butter, Mahnomin porridge and sausage bread ever since. Thankfully, they're all in the book.

The Complete America's Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook. America's Test Kitchen mailed us a copy of this book earlier this year. It's a must have for Cook's Illustrated fans. The book covers the highlights of ATK'S work from 2001 to 2010, including not only recipes but also product and equipment reviews.

Here are more ideas for books that we own and love.

KITCHEN GEAR

We're limiting the amount of kitchen gear and gadgets we're buying, because frankly we're running out of space in our kitchen. But that doesn't mean you have to!

Here are a few kitchen items that always make good gifts:

A Microplane (left). Every kitchen needs one of these.

An excellent pair of kitchen scissors. Endlessly useful in the kitchen.

A great chef's knife. Here's one that's well rated and extremely affordable at only $30.

More kitchen gear recommendations can be found here.

FOOD MAGAZINE SUBSCRIPTIONS

If you, like us, were saddened by the loss of Gourmet this winter, then give food magazine subscriptions to the foodies in your life. Browse subscriptions here.

What's on your gift and wish lists this year? Let us know in the comments!

Related Posts:

2008 Gift Guide, including Ruth Reichl's autobiographical food trilogy, gift certificates to Penzeys Spices, knive, and an electric composter that we never purchased.
Four foodie books we read (and loved) this year, including Ratio, The Flavor Bible, The Fortune Cookie Chronicles and Gael Greene's wonderfully smutty Insatiable

The Bitten Word's Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Bacon and Apples

2009-12-07T09:02:08-05:00

We know, we know. You don't like Brussels Sprouts. We hear it all the time.

Friends come over for dinner, ask what we're having, and -- if it's any time between October and March -- we're most likely going to list Brussels sprouts as one of the dishes.

Hearing that we're serving them, guests often give a polite nod. Occasionally, looks of disappointment and fear briefly flash across their faces.

But we're undeterred. You see: we're on a mission to make everyone else like Brussels sprouts, too.

We weren't always Brussels sprouts fans. Neither of us can remember ever having them growing up and we can't recall when or why we became such converts, but it was years ago.

We, like many others, assumed that we didn't like them. Because let's face it, in the throng of vegetable options available to us, Brussels sprouts have the reputation of being decidedly not cool.

So here's the secret that will change Brussels sprouts for you and turn them from totally geek to totally chic.

Roasting.

That's it.

If you slice up Brussels sprouts, toss them in olive oil and roast them until they're nicely caramelized, they'll be a home run at your dinner table.

Add some chopped up apple to the pan prior to roasting? It'll be as if you won the World Series.

Add bacon with the apple? Well, we're all out of sports analogies, but the results will change your life.

Okay, maybe not change your life, but they will change your perception of this much maligned vegetable.

Go ahead. Try it. You know you want to.

More Brussels recipes that we've tested and loved:

The Bitten Word's Roasted Brussels Spouts with Bacon and Apples

1 pound Brussels sprouts
2 slices bacon (uncooked)
1 apple, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes (we use Honeycrisp if available. Gala, Fuji or Pink Lady apples work great too)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Remove any damaged or discolored leaves from the outside of each sprout and cut off the tough white stem base (if necessary). Cut each sprout in half.

Place the Brussels in a roasting pan with the diced apple. Slice 2 slices of bacon into 1/2 inch pieces. Drop them uncooked into the pan with the sprouts and apples. Drizzle the sprouts and bacon generously with olive oil. Toss to combine.

Roast 20 minutes at 400 degrees. Toss. Continue roasting 15 to 20 minutes more, until the vegetables are nicely caramelized.

The Leftovers | Interesting Stuff from November Food Magazines

2009-12-04T09:59:20-05:00

Here are some non-recipe items that caught our attention in November's assortment of food magazines.

Gourmet

In the (sniff) final issue of Gourmet, John Willoughby has a short but surprising item.

The Gourmet test kitchen bought eight random tablespoon measurements from a variety of stores, and then weighed the amount of salt each one held.

The results were surprising, with the variance between the largest and smallest at 33 percent -- 33 percent! As Willoughby points out, this might not make much of a difference in a lot of cooking, but in more precise recipes, like baking, it could make a huge difference in the final result.

Now we need a scale to see how much our tablespoons hold!

Food & Wine

We loved this profile of Athens, Georgia-based supper club The FourCoursemen. The club was started by two friends who just liked to try new recipes. Over the course of three years, it has blossomed into a full-blown affair, with elaborate dinners for twenty-four guests. Invitations are in high-demand. Their food is beautiful and we want to come to dinner. Seriously.

Martha Stewart Living

We've been hearing about The Lee Brothers' new cookbook, Simple Fresh Southern, all over the place, but it was in Martha Stewart Living that we first saw it featured.

We haven't yet gotten our hands on a copy, but we're looking forward to checking it out this winter.

If you've already picked it up, let us know what you think!

Follow Us on Facebook

And finally, if you're on Facebook, then be sure to become a fan of The Bitten Word. It's one more way you can follow the goings on here at the blog.

Baked Apple Dumplings with Cider Sauce

2009-12-03T11:36:10-05:00

Cook's Country (November 2009)

Thumbing through the most recent Cook's Country, we stopped dead in our tracks at the site of these Baked Apple Dumplings.

Pieces of apple, enveloped in flaky dough, dusted in sugar and set in a pool of sweet cider sauce? Adorable and mouth-watering.

They looked so old-fashioned, like something your great-grandmother would make to top off Sunday lunch.

So we made them the first chance we got.

In the Fall and early winter, we almost always have apples on hand. Every Sunday,we buy Honeycrisp apples at the farmer's market, and we love them. Seriously, we practically swoon every time we eat one. We were tempted to try Honeycrisps here, in place of the Golden Delicious that are suggested, but we decided to follow the recipe to the letter. Besides, this being an America's Test Kitchen recipe, we were pretty sure they had already made these dumplings with just about every variety of apple that exists and had chosen the best one.

The only change we made in assembling these dumplings is that we halved the recipe. If you'd like to do the same, we suggest making the full portion of dough and halving the rest so that you have plenty of dough and roll out as much as you need.

These are by no means a quick dessert, but they're an entirely satisfying one.

The basic dough comes together quickly, but needs to rest for an hour in the refrigerator. If you plan ahead and make the dough in advance, this won't slow you down. The apples are very easy to prep.

We were surprised to find that the apples hold a secret: a small mound of golden raisins, butter and cinnamon-sugar where the core used to be. As the dumplings bake, this little package turns into pure deliciousness. We used all of this mixture that was called for, but found ourselves wanting a little more to pile into each apple. Next time, we might make a little extra.

We had planned to eat these with vanilla ice cream. But with the added sweetness of the cider sauce, we found that we didn't need it.

The end result is phenomenal. Like little individual apple pies on a plate, these Baked Apple Dumplings are comforting and delicious dessert that tastes like home, or maybe your granny's house.

Baked Apple Dumplings
Cook's Country (November 2009)
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(This photo: Kander + Kander, Cook's Country)

Use a melon baller or a metal teaspoon measure to core the apples. We like to serve the dumplings warm with vanilla ice cream and Cider Sauce (recipe below). Other sweet, moderately firm apples, such as Braeburns or Galas, can be used in this recipe.

Dough
    2½ cups all-purpose flour
    3     tablespoons sugar
    2     teaspoons baking powder
    ¾    teaspoon salt
    10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
    5     tablespoons vegetable shortening, cut into ½-inch pieces and chilled
    ¾    cup cold buttermilk

Apple Dumplings
    6     tablespoons sugar
    1     teaspoon ground cinnamon
    3     tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
    3     tablespoons golden raisins, chopped
    4     Golden Delicious apples (see note)
    2     egg whites, lightly beaten

1. MAKE DOUGH Process flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in food processor until combined. Scatter butter and shortening over flour mixture and pulse until mixture resembles wet sand. Transfer to bowl. Stir in buttermilk until dough forms. Turn out onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly until dough is cohesive. Press dough into 8- by 4-inch rectangle. Cut in half, wrap each half tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

2. PREP APPLES Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. In second bowl, combine butter, raisins, and 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar mixture. Peel apples and halve through equator. Following photos 1 and 2, remove core and pack butter mixture into each apple half.

3. ASSEMBLE DUMPLINGS On lightly floured surface, roll each dough half into 12-inch square. Cut each 12-inch square into four 6-inch squares. Working one at a time, lightly brush edges of dough square with egg white and place apple, cut-side up, in center of each square. Following photo 3, gather dough one corner at a time on top of apple, crimping edges to seal. Using paring knife, cut vent hole in top of each dumpling.

4. FINISH APPLES Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Following photo 4, arrange dumplings on prepared baking sheet, brush tops with egg white, and sprinkle with remaining cinnamon sugar. Bake until dough is golden brown and juices are bubbling, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool on baking sheet 10 minutes. Serve with Cider Sauce.

CIDER SAUCE

Makes about 1½ cups

To make this sauce up to 2 days in advance, reduce the cider mixture until it measures 1½ cups, then refrigerate. When ready to serve, return mixture to simmer and whisk in butter and lemon juice off heat.

    1     cup apple cider
    1     cup water
    1     cup sugar
    ½     teaspoon ground cinnamon
    2     tablespoons unsalted butter
    1     tablespoon lemon juice

Bring cider, water, sugar, and cinnamon to simmer in saucepan and cook over medium-high heat until thickened and reduced to 1½ cups, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in butter and lemon juice. Drizzle over dumplings to serve.

Reader Reports: Your Thanksgiving Dishes

2009-12-01T09:19:35-05:00

We had a blast trying out Thanksgiving recipes from this year. Of the 172 recipes in this year's magazines, we ended up making about 20 of the dishes. We wrote about 17 of them here on the blog, and suddenly it was Thanksgiving.

C'est la vie. There's always next Thanksgiving!

We were curious about what dishes readers had selected to make this year, so we asked you to send us your take on recipes from this year's food magazines.

Check out submissions from readers below the jump!

Lisa's Grilled Turkey

(Photo: Lisa)

We're a bit jealous of Lisa in Silver Spring, MD. She tried Bon Appétit's Grilled Turkey with Toasted Fennel and Coriander with Fresh Thyme Gravy. We were really intrigued by this recipe but lack a grill big enough to hold a substantial bird. Lisa's take:

This turned out so GREAT! I was really worried as the 3 other reviewers on epicurious.com said it took them 3 hrs to cook the turkey and mine was done in 2hrs 20mins (although the recipe called for 2.5hr with a 12-14 lb turkey). I also found that for a lot of the time the grill needed to be on med-high gas level rather than low, as the recipe said, in order to keep my grill thermometer at ~325, couldn't bear to keep the grill on high gas level which was necessary to get the internal temp near 350. I also followed the recipe's suggestion of first hour breast side down and then flip for the last 1.5hr.

I rested the turkey for an hour, and then moved on to the gravy. The veggies at the bottom of the roasting dish were VERY roasted and there wasn't a large amount of drippings, but by deglazing the roasting pan I was able to get more of the goodness off. The gravy was also very good, it had a very strong grilled flavor to it.

When I carved the turkey it's meat had a reddish tint to it which made me think it was under-cooked but I was wrong. The breast and thighs were perfectly cooked, super tender, and juicy.

Katie and Scott's Spatchcocked Turkey

(This photo: Katie & Scott)

Katie and Scott from Kentucky made Roast Spatchcocked Turkey and "showed that bird who's boss." Their verdict?

"Deeeelicious!!"

Jenny's Pumpkin Pie Spectacular

(This photo: Jenny Bakes)

Jenny from Jenny Bakes made Pumpkin Pie Spectacular (what a title!) from the November issue of Southern Living. Her take?

"It was just okay for me. The gingersnap layer, for all the extra work, didn't really add that much to it, and almost took away from the custardy pumpkin taste that I've come to expect."

Amy's Dark Chocolate Tart

(This photo: Amy)

Amy from The National Nosh made a Dark Chocolate Tart with Pistachio Brittle from the January issue of Fine Cooking.

"It tasted as good as it looks. Not a crumb was left."

Andrew and Jimmy's Dynamic Duo

(These photos: Andrew & Jimmy)

Andrew and Jimmy in Silver Spring, MD made the Jellied Cranberry Sauce from Food & Wine (November 2009) and the Glazed Turnips and Parsnips with Maple Syrup from Everyday Food (November 2008):

We used Food and Wine and Everyday Food as inspiration this year. The cranberries were from F&W. I used a bosc pear instead of a fuji apple and I added grated ginger. The decorative dish helped as well! They turned out great.
We also used Everyday Food's recipe for glazed vegetables from Nov. 2008. These were parsnips and sweet potatoes glazed with maple syrup. Also great!

The Boyds' Spatchcocked Turkey

And finally, the Boyds also tried spatchcocking this Thanksgiving. The Boyds didn't submit their dish for inclusions, but we loved their email so much that we're excerpting it here:

It worked! Though I used a knife I refer to as my kitchen saw, instead of scissors on the 14 pound bird. And I had to stand on a chair to lord over that bird. I didn't take pictures...spatchcocking should be done in private. It roasted beautifully. Thank you and happy leftovers.

Happy leftovers, indeed.

Did you make a food magazine recipe for Thanksgiving? Tell us about it in the comments!

Cinnamon Polenta Pancakes

2009-11-30T10:30:12-05:00

Food & Wine (December 2009)

Well, we're done with all our Thanksgiving cooking, and we've cleaned out all the leftovers. Our Christmas tree is trimmed. We've hauled out the holly and decked the halls.

In short, we're in full-tilt holiday mode around here.

Which is why we thought these pancakes sounded so delicious. Hearty cornmeal hotcakes warmed by the comforting taste of cinnamon seemed like the perfect, homey indulgence on a gray wintry morning.

We wanted these pancakes to be really special. Unfortunately, we got a big ol' plate of "meh."

The biggest disappointment here was that we couldn't taste the polenta at all -- the cornmeal seemed to add absolutely nothing to these pancakes. Maybe if we'd used a coarse-ground meal, we would have tasted more of a difference. But we simply couldn't discern anything distinctive about the cornmeal.

And the cinnamon, unfortunately, also turned out to be something of a bust. We envisioned pancakes subtly infused with the taste of cinnamon -- the spirit of the holidays on a plate!

But the final product just tasted like regular pancakes inelegantly covered in cinnamon shavings. It was a lot less tasty than we'd expected.

So color us disappointed. Maybe our expectations were too high. Maybe our hopes were blinded by the Christmas spirit. But these cinnamon polenta pancakes were just nothing special.

So these pancakes didn't do much in the way of holiday cheer. Perhaps it's time to break out the egg nog.

Cinnamon Polenta Pancakes
Food & Wine (December 2009)
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(This photo: Food & Wine)

• TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN
• SERVINGS: 4

Ingredients
    •    1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
    •    3/4 cup cornmeal
    •    1 tablespoon sugar
    •    1 teaspoon cinnamon
    •    1 teaspoon baking powder
    •    1/2 teaspoon baking soda
    •    Pinch of salt
    •    1 cup low-fat buttermilk
    •    2 large eggs, beaten
    •    1/4 cup olive oil
    •    1/4 cup water

Directions

1. In a bowl, whisk the flour with the cornmeal, sugar, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. In a bowl, whisk the buttermilk with the eggs, olive oil and water. Whisk the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, leaving small lumps.

2. Set a griddle or skillet over moderate high heat and spray it with vegetable oil spray. When the pan is hot, spoon in 1/4-cup mounds of batter and spread to form 4-inch rounds. Cook the pancakes until the bottoms are browned and bubbles appear on the surface, 2 minutes. Flip and cook until browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Serve the pancakes warm.

The Bitten Word's Day-After-Thanksgiving Kentucky Hot Brown

2009-11-25T10:11:01-05:00

Washingtonian magazine contacted us a few weeks ago, asking for ideas about what to do with Thanksgiving day leftovers. Go over to their site to check out our contribution and see recipes from other Washington, DC food bloggers.

As proud Southerners, we both anticipate the day after Thanksgiving as much as the big feast itself. Why? Kentucky Hot Browns. Clay grew up in Kentucky, and hot browns were a post-Thanksgiving staple in Zach's Tennessee family, as well. This open-faced sandwich takes the Thanksgiving turkey, tops it with bacon and tomatoes, and drenches the whole thing in a warm, gooey, cheesy Mornay sauce. It's not only a great way to transform leftover turkey, it might actually be better than the whole Thanksgiving dinner!

The Bitten Word's Day-After-Thanksgiving Kentucky Hot Brown

Adapted from The Brown Hotel, Louisville, KY

Makes 2 Hot Browns

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 quart heavy cream
1/2 cup white extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 pound leftover Thanksgiving turkey, sliced or shredded into pieces
2 slices Texas toast, crusts removed
1 Roma tomato, cut into 1/4-inch slices
4 slices crisp bacon
Salt and pepper to taste
Paprika and parsley for garnish

Make a roux by melting butter in a sauce pan and whisking in flour until a thick paste forms. Continue cooking over medium heat, whisking continuously, for two minutes. Add cream, whisking to combine. Bring to a simmer, stirring often. Once sauce reaches a simmer, remove from heat and whisk in the cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

Build hot browns by placing slices of bread in an oven-safe dish (you can use one dish for both hot browns or individual dishes). On top of bread, add turkey, then sliced tomatoes. Pour cheese sauce over each hot brown. Place under broiler until cheese sauce is brown and bubbly.

Remove from oven. Top each hot brown with bacon and garnish with paprika and parsley.