Easy Corn Pudding

I can't believe I haven't posted this before. It's an age old recipe I have made for Thanksgiving since before Ray and Chay were born. I am going to revise it tonight and add some paprika and maybe some other things like onion or garlic powder. 

1/2 can creamed corn

1/2 cup drained kernel corn

4 T flour

2 T sugar

Salt and pepper

1/4 cup melted butter

3-4 beaten eggs

1 cup milk

1. Mix all except eggs and milk in 2 quart souffle or baking dish. Add eggs and milk 

2. Bake at 350 for one hour.

Sweet Potato Casserole

 Technically from this Cookbook: The Southern Entertainer's Cookbook by Courtney Dial Whitmore with Phronsie Dial

However, it closely resembles the recipe E's mother made that I absolutely love and am so sad I never got from her before she died. 

Sweet potato casserole filling

3 lbs sweet potatoes

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, softened

1/4 cup milk

2 large eggs

1 t vanilla extract

1/4 t salt

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Bake sweet potatoes for 50-60 minutes. Allow to cool. Remove skins and place in a large mixing bowl.

3. Add sugar, butter, milk, eggs, vanilla and salt and cream together until smooth. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish.

Pecan streusel topping

6 T butter, melted

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

1 t cinnamon

Salt

1. In a mixing bowl, stir together butter, brown sugar, flour, pecans, cinnamon and salt until combined.

2. Sprinkle the streusel topping evenly over sweet potato filling and bake uncovered for 30 minutes.

Glazed Carrots with Brown Sugar Maple Glaze

Kenny's favorite.

2 lbs. carrots, peeled and cut into 1" lengths

1 T olive oil

Water

2 T unsalted butter

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 T brown sugar

1 T maple syrup (can sub honey or additional brown sugar)

1 T lemon juice

1 t balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper

1/4 t EACH - dried thyme, cinnamon 

1/8 t EACH - ground ginger, chili powder 

1. Heat olive oi over medium - high heat in a large skillet with a lid. Add carrots and cook undisturbed for 2 minutes, then continue to cook and stir for an additional 3 minutes.

2. Remove from heat and carefully add enough water to reach 1" deep in the skillet. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer 12-18 minutes or until carrots are barely fork tender. 

3. Drain carrots of excess water and add carrots back to skillet.

4. Add butter and garlic to carrots and cook over medium heat until the butter melts. Add brown sugar, maple syrup, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar and all seasonings. Continue to cook and stir until glaze thickens, about 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper as necessary.

Buttermilk Poblano Gravy

I made this for Thanksgiving at the Morgan's this year. It pairs nicely with Keith's smoked turkey that we have had for the past few years. I found it in the November 2019 issue of Food & Wine.

2 large poblano chilies
3 T unsalted butter, divided
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken stock
1 T flour
2 T whole buttermilk
Salt and Pepper

1. Roast poblano peppers under broiler on all sides until blackened. Place in a bowl, cover with plastic wrap and steam for 10 minutes.

2. Rub off skin from chiles using plastic wrap covered hands. Remove and discard stems and seed. Finely dice 1 chile. Cut remaining chile into strips and set aside.

3. Melt butter in a medium skillet over medium high. Add onion and chile strips. Cooks until soft. Combine onion mixture and 1/2 cup warm stock in a blender, and process until smooth.

4. Melt remaining butter in same skillet over medium. Whisk in flour and reduce heat to low. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add onion and chile puree and remaining 1 cup warm stock. Cook whisking constantly until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add buttermilk and diced chile. Simmer gently to allow flavors to meld. Season with salt and pepper.

Apple and Cranberry Sauce

 A little change up from my normal cranberry sauce by adding sweetness with the apples.

1 cup Apple cider

1 cup sugar

12 oz bag cranberries

1 Apple, peeled and diced

Pinch of cinnamon 

Pinch of salt

1. Bring Apple cider and sugar to a bowl, mixing steadily. 

2. Add cranberries and apples. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. 

3. With a hand blender, blend fruit in pot and smooth-ish. Let cool and transfer to container.

Cranberry Sauce

A bag of cranberries, rinsed and picked through
1 cup sugar
2 oranges, juiced, plus the zest from one orange

Combine ingredients in a sauce pan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer as sauce thickens. Cranberries will burst after about 5-10 minutes.

Chill in the refrigerator.

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Found for thanksgiving on www.thegalleygourmet.net

***Note: Blogger won’t let me edit the directions but don’t miss this important step which I left out before. When you add the heavy cream, also add the chicken stock. Cook down, then whisk in the flour to thicken. Very important or you will have green bean soup! Which I realized at 7:00 am the day of 2018 Thanksgiving.

Green Bean Casserole from Scratch

Topping:

1 cup Panko bread crumbs
2 T unsalted butter, softened
3 cups of canned fried onions
Salt and Pepper

Beans and Sauce:

2 lbs fresh green beans, trimmed and halved
3T unsalted butter
8 oz. white button mushrooms, finely diced
2 small shallots, finely diced
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
3 T unbleached all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups heavy cream
1/2 cup grated Gruyere cheese
2 teaspoons soy sauce (optional)

1. For the topping, In a bowl of a food processor, combine the butter and panko. Add the fried onions, salt, and pepper and pulse just until coarse crumbs form, set aside.

2. With oven rack in middle position, preheat the oven to 425. Fill a large bowl with cold water and ice, set aside. Bring water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt and beans. Cook until beans are bright green and tender about 6-9 minutes. Drain beans and immediately plunge into the ice water to stop cooking process. Drain completely.

3. Melt butter over medium-high heat until foaming subsides. Add mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Saute until mushrooms release moisture and liquid evaporates, about 6 minutes. Add cream, reduce heat to medium, and simmer until sauce has thickened, about 10 minutes. Add cheese and stir until melted, about 1 minute. Stir in the soy sauce. Season with salt and pepper.

4. Add the green beans to the sauce and gently toss to coat. Transfer to a 9x13 baking dish. Sprinkle the topping over the beans and bake until the top is golden and the sauce is bubbling, about 15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes.

Caramelized Onion, Gruyere, and Bacon Dip

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
1 Sweet onion, chopped
Approx. 2 oz. of Gruyere (plus 2 Tablespoons), shredded
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh chives, divided
1/3 cup canola mayo
1/3 cup fat-free sour cream
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 bacon slices, cooked and crumbled
Salt, if you think necessary

1. Preheat oven to 425

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat and add onion. Saute 5 minutes, stirring frquntly. Reduce heat to low and cook until golden, about 20 minutes.

3. In a medium mixing bowl, stir in the 2 oz. of Gruyere, onion, 1 Tablespoon of chives, mayo, sour cream, pepper and bacon (and salt, if necessary).

4. Transfer micture to baking dish (I use French Onion soup bowls). Sprinkle with 2 Tablespoons of Gruyere.

5. Bake for 20 minutes then sprinkle with 1 Tablespoon of chives.

Based on this recipe: Cooking Light

French Apple Tart

Pilsbury pie dough (yeah, I don't bake)
Apple preserves (or pear if you can't find apple)
1 vanilla bean, split length wise
3 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 Granny Smith apples, skinned and sliced thin

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees

2. Roll dough to 12-in and place on pizza pan (I use the the one sold at Target with the holes and it worked well)

3. Brush dough with 1 1/2 Tablespoons of apple preserves. Place in the freezer for 5-10 minutes.

4. Scrape seeds from vanilla bean and combine with brown sugar and nutmeg in a small bowl. Sprinkle 1 Tablespoon over the dough.

5. Arrange apple slices on crust in a circle. Sprinkle remaining sugar mixture over apples.

6. Bake for 35 minutes (it only took me 20 minutes before my crust and apples were done).

7. Brush 2 Tablespoons of apple preserves over cooked tart.

8. When serving, top with creme fraiche.

Based on yet another Cooking Light recipe.