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Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

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This is America’s Test Kitchen Recipe from 2007, as part of their holiday makeover. It’s quite terrific. I know every family has their own version of this, but if you’re like me, you might also like to vary the marshmallow-topped yams every once in awhile. This recipe doesn’t disappoint!

Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Streusel

7 lbs. sweet potatoes, of similar size (6-8)

Streusel
5 T. unsalted butter, cut into 5 pieces and softened, plus more for the pan
1/2 c. unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 c. packed dark brown sugar
1/4 t. salt
1 c. pecans

Filling
5 T. unsalted butter, melted
2 t. salt
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. pepper
1 T. vanilla extract
4 t. fresh lemon juice
Granulated sugar
4 large egg yolks
1 1/2 c. half-and-half

1. For the sweet potatoes: Adjust an oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 400. Poke the potatoes with a fork or knife and place on a rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Bake until they are very tender (they easily pierce or can be squeezed with tongs), 1-1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven and cut in half lengthwise, and let cool ten minutes. Turn the oven down to 375.

2. For the streusel: while the potatoes are baking, butter a 13 x 9 inch dish. Pulse the flour, brown sugar, and salt in a food processor until blended, 4 times. Sprinkle the butter over the top and pulse, 6-8 times. Then, add the nuts and pulse, 4-6 times. (If you don’t have a food processor, you can mix the first three ingredients with your fingers or a fork, and the butter, and mix again with your fingers until big crumbs form. Then, chop the nuts–to however small you prefer–on a separate surface, and add and combine. It should look like streusel.)

Once the potatoes have cooled, scoop out the flesh into a large bowl. Transfer half the flesh to the food processor; cut the remaining flesh into coarse 1-inch chunks.

3. For the filling: add the melted butter, salt,  nutmeg, pepper, vanilla, and lemon juice to the potatoes in the food processor and process until smooth, about 20 seconds. Taste for sweetness, then add up to 4 T. granulated sugar, if necessary; add the yolks. With the processor running, pour the half-and-half through the feed tube and process until blended, about 20 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the potato pieces and stir gently to combine. (Alternately, blend or mash half the sweet potato flesh well, then add the ingredients as listed above, using a wooden spoon to combine. I don’t have a food processor, and these still turned out really well.)

4. Assemble and Bake: Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and spread into an even layer with the spatula. Sprinkle with the streusel, breaking up any large pieces with your fingers. Bake until the topping is well browned and the filling is slightly puffy around the edges, 40-45 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving.

Note: to cut down on Thanksgiving-day work, you can bake the sweet potatoes up to two days in advance, scrape the flesh out, and store in an airtight container in the fridge. Then, proceed from step 2.

Creamy Sweet Potato Mac n’ Cheese

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I went through the whole “let’s try to disguise veggies for our kids by pureeing them all like Jessica Seinfeld” thing and tried a few recipes from her book.  A couple good things came from that, but I’ve decided that honesty is just so much simpler than sneaking around my kitchen with my already suspicious kid looking on.  HOWEVER – tonight I came up with something quite fantastic.  As far as redeeming irredeemable food goes when that’s all you’ve got in your cupboards.  And it’s probably already been invented. But I keep going back to the pot for another bite, so I figured I’d just post.

1 box Mac n’Cheese

1/2 box Elbow pasta (I love the new-ish Barilla protein/whole grain pasta)

1 medium soft yam (baked/steamed/boiled)

1/2 c cream cheese (pretty sure the fat free kinds don’t melt very well, so best to use the good stuff)

1/4 c milk

1-2 T butter

garlic salt

table salt

Add your protein pasta (or regular) to WELL SALTED (2-3 T?) boiling water and boil for a couple of minutes before adding the boxed stuff.  Meanwhile mash up the sweet potato in a microwave safe bowl and add the cream cheese in chunks.  Warm the mixture to the point that you can easily stir or puree it and add garlic salt to taste.  Drain the pasta when al dente (still firm to the bite) NOT rinsing (EVER) and add the butter, milk and packaged cheese as normal.  Then add the creamy potato mixture and stir in to the pasta creating a thick, creamy, hearty and healthy(er) mac n’ cheese!  Pepper it to taste.

Turkey Vegetable Soup

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I made a great soup in the crock pot last night, if I do say so myself.  I had beets and carrots in the fridge to use up, but you can use whatever combination of veggies you happen to have on hand.  I think the keys to the flavor are the onions, garlic and spices.

Turkey Vegetable Soup (in the Crock Pot)

Leftovers from the crock pot turkey breast, shredded (I probably wound up with about 4 cups of turkey meat)
2-3 C. beets, chopped into 1″ chunks
2-3 C. carrots, chopped into 1″ chunks
1-2 C. onions, coarsely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 C. dry lentils
2 cans reduced sodium chicken broth
3 cans water (use chicken broth cans)
1 T. dry tarragon
1 t. Kosher salt
2 t. black pepper

Combine everything in the crock pot and cook on low for 8-10 hours.  Serve with a nice loaf of bread and butter.  This makes a LOT of soup.

Peanut Butter Filling for Homemade Reese’s

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I wasn’t aware that making candy wasn’t actually that difficult–it takes some time to tweak out the imperfections, but it’s pretty straightforward. And this filling makes homemade candy worth it. In fact, I used to just make this recipe at Christmas to pass out to friends, but last year, I made it for Valentines, Easter, Halloween (into eyeballs) and of course Christmas too. A Reese’s just isn’t the same after trying one of these . . .

Peanut Butter Filling for Dipped Chocolates

1 stick butter, softened
1 c. peanut butter (I’ve used natural and the other [unnatural?], both work fine)
1 1/2 c. confectioner’s sugar
1/4 c. light corn syrup
chocolate for dipping (the better the chocolate, the better the candy. Look for Guittard, Ghiradelli or Callebaut in block form)

In a mixing bowl or standing mixer, combine butter and peanut butter until well incorporated (about 2 minutes). Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula, and mix for another 30 seconds. Then, add the sugar; mix for 30 seconds, then the corn syrup, and mix until incorporated. Divide the filling (it will be really soft) into two separate storage containers and refrigerate for at least one hour.

When ready to roll the balls, line a baking sheet with wax paper or parchment paper. Remove one container (the other will get too soft if you take it out now, so leave it in the fridge), and roll the filling into 1/2″ balls (or whatever size you prefer). Place on the cookie sheet. Continue until all the dough from both containers has been rolled, then place in your freezer for at least one hour.

When ready to dip, temper your chocolate (I won’t get into this process too much here, but tempering involves melting the chocolate and cooling it to about 89-90 degrees, depending on the type, just prior to dipping. Your chocolate will get streaky if it’s not tempered correctly. This, of course, takes practice and it helps to have an instant-read thermometer. There are several helpful websites and cookbooks that can help, too). Line another cookie sheet with wax or parchment paper. Using a fondue fork or other dipping instrument, spear a peanut-butter ball, and dip in the chocolate, then place on the cookie sheet. Continue until the chocolate is too cold (then you must retemper) or fillings are all dipped. If the filling gets too warm before it’s all dipped, place in the freezer for 15-20 minutes before continuing.

When finished, keep the chocolate in the fridge until serving. As the chocolate warm to room temperature, a little bubble of peanut-butter filling forms on the top. This makes them easy to identify–and I don’t know how to prevent it :). Since the filling is soft, it literally melts in your mouth, and is a lot less sugary than Reese’s.

This process sounds involved, but really takes no longer than a batch of cookies with a little experience. And it’s really fun to have homemade candy. I’m pretty sure you’ll love them.

Steakhouse-Style Mini Brown Bread Loaves

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So, about two years we went to dinner at a Steakhouse in Draper, and they served us these enchanting little brown bread loaves. They were a little sweet, a little on the dense side, and a perfect pairing with butter. Since then, I’ve been trying to recreate them, basing my experiments on a recipe from King Arthur’s Whole Grain Baking book. This is what I’ve come up with; I have to admit that I can’t really remember what the original tasted like, but these look about the same and I imagine they taste comparably good :). They do take longer than most yeast bread to rise (does cocoa powder slow yeast?), so make sure to plan accordingly.

Mini Brown Bread Loaves

1 c. warm water
6 T. butter, melted
1/3 c. honey
4 1/2 c. flour (you can substitute half for whole wheat flour, if you want)
scant T. salt
3 T. brown sugar
2 T. dutch-process cocoa
1 egg
2 1/2 t. yeast

Stir yeast and warm water together and let foam, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, combine butter, honey, salt, sugar, cocoa, egg, and 1 1/2 c. flour in a standing mixer. Mix with the dough hook for one minute, add the yeast, and combine for another minute. Then, add the flour, 1/2 c. at a time, until the dough comes together, and pulls from the side of the bowl. Continue to knead in the mixer for another 5-7 minutes.

Turn the dough onto the counter and knead by hand for about 30 seconds. Place in a deep, greased container, cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise for 2 hours (it will look poofy, but might not fully double in size).

Turn the dough onto the counter and divide into 8-10 pieces. Shape each piece into long, oval rolls (about 5″ x 2″) and place on a baking sheet.  Cover loosely with plastic wrap and allow to rise another 1 1/2-2 hours. Again, they might not fully double in size, but will definitely have grown.

Half an hour before baking, preheat your oven to 350. Bake the rolls for 25-30 minutes (they will be slightly brown on the bottom or read 200 degrees F). Slice like sandwich bread and serve with soft butter.

Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

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I made this today for my husband’s birthday. He always requests spice cake and, as I have sworn off supermarket cake mixes, I made a diligent search for a good recipe.  I came across this one on America’s Test Kitchen. It is fabulous!

Spice Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting

2 1/4 cups flour

1 T cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground cardamom

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

2 sticks butter (16 Tbsp), softened

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp table salt

2 large eggs at room temperature

3 large egg yolks at room temperature

1 tsp vanilla 

1 3/4 cups sugar

2 T mild molasses

1 T grated fresh ginger (don’t substitute powdered ginger)

1 cup buttermilk at room temperature

FROSTING

5 T butter, cut into 5 pieces, softened

1 1/4 cup powdered sugar

8 ounces cream cheese, cut into 4 pieces, softened

1/2 tsp vanilla

1/2 tsp spice mixture reserved from cake recipe

3/4 cup coarsely chopped walnuts, toasted (opt)

 1. For the cake: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour 13- by 9-inch baking pan. Combine spices in small bowl; reserve 1/2 teaspoon for frosting.

 

2. Heat 4 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat until melted, 1 to 2 minutes. Continue to cook, swirling pan constantly, until butter is light brown and has faint nutty aroma, 2 to 4 minutes. Add spices and continue to cook, stirring constantly, 15 seconds. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. In small bowl, gently whisk eggs, yolks, and vanilla to combine. In standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, cream remaining 12 tablespoons butter with sugar and molasses at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl twice with rubber spatula. Reduce to medium speed and add cooled butter and spice mixture, ginger, and half of egg mixture; mix until incorporated, about 15 seconds. Repeat with remaining egg mixture; scrape down bowl again. Reduce to low speed; add about one-third flour mixture, followed by half of buttermilk, mixing until just incorporated after each addition, about 5 seconds. Repeat using half of remaining flour mixture and all of remaining buttermilk. Scrape bowl and add remaining flour mixture; mix at medium speed until batter is thoroughly combined, about 15 seconds. Remove bowl from mixer and fold batter once or twice with rubber spatula to incorporate any remaining flour.

4. Transfer batter to prepared pan; zigzag tip of metal spatula through batter, pulling it to pan edges to release any air bubbles. Lightly tap pan against counter 3 or 4 times to dislodge any large air bubbles; smooth surface with spatula.

5. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean, 32 to 37 minutes. Cool cake to room temperature in pan on wire rack, about 2 hours.

6. For the frosting: In bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter, sugar, and reserved 1/2 teaspoon spice mixture at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Add cream cheese one piece at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. Add vanilla and beat until no lumps remain, about 30 seconds.  Run paring knife around edge of cake to loosen from pan. Using spatula, spread frosting evenly over surface of cake. Sprinkle cake with walnuts, if using. Cut into squares and serve.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

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This filling accompanies the Sweet Dough recipe and comes from the Best Make Ahead book. The Orange Cinnamon Roll recipe is my own variation.

Cinnamon Spice Filling for Sweet Rolls

2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. brown sugar
pinch of salt
1/4 t. ground cloves
1 T. butter, melted

Combine cinnamon, brown sugar, salt, and cloves in a small bowl. After the first rise of your dough, press the dough out to about 12″ x 16″.  Brush the dough with the melted butter and spread the cinnamon filling across the inside, leaving a 1″ border along the two long edges. Roll the dough up, jelly roll style, from long edge to long edge, and pinch the edge closed. With a sharp serrated knife or with a string, cut the dough into 12 rolls. Place into a buttered dish, and let rise an additional 45-60 minutes, until doubled. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

I tried my Aunt Barbara’s filling, and the results were good, but didn’t taste too much different than this easier filling above. However, they did have a nice orange flavor. So, for a sweet roll with orange in it, I would recommend this,

Orange Cinnamon Rolls

Before rolling out the dough, combine in a small saucepan
1/4 c. orange juice
1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. butter
1 t. grated orange peel

Bring to a boil for two minutes, then pour into an 9 x 11 baking dish. Allow to cool. Meanwhile, complete the cinnamon rolls with the filling above, but add an additional 1 t. grated orange peel to the filling. After you have cut the cinnamon rolls, place on top of the syrup and allow to raise. Finish as specified above.

Frosting

Either of the above recipes go well with this frosting:
2 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
2 T. whole milk
Beat the ingredients with a mixer until combined, adding more/less powdered sugar to get your desired consistency. Frost the rolls after they have cooled slightly.

Funny!

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So, there’s actually a reason I’ve been dragging my feet in posting lately, and it’s because I’ve been pretty much keeping out of the kitchen while I wait for my nausea to subside. Yep. Formerly, by about week 14, I feel pretty good, so I’m only about 2-3 weeks away from returning, slowly, to my favorite hobby, though by early April, there will be another big break:).

But last week I did start cooking a little again, I just have nothing fantastic to report, except for my favorite pumpkin muffins (it is officially fall, right!), so I had to laugh when I got on to post today. But if anyone is interested in an alternative pumpkin recipe, let me know and I’ll be happy to post it. It’s very similar to Kelly’s, but a little heavier on the spices, and I usually make them into muffins.

I’m looking forward to more cooking soon, but meanwhile, any tips on feeling better? (besides ginger, preggie pops and saltines, that is.)

Light Chicken Parmesan

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I first tried this recipe years ago, and I keep coming back to it. It’s not a typical thing for me to make, but I like it, and it

from Everyday Food

from Everyday Food

comes together really quickly, so I definitely recommend it. And I must confess to using a whole egg, because I’m just not that concerned about taking the yolk out, and it’s still great.

Click here for Martha’s recipe: Light Chicken Parmesan

I served this with polenta (essentially 1 c. cornmeal to 4 c. boiling water, cook until thickens, and then add salt and olive oil and parmesan to taste). Surprisingly, even the kids ate the polenta.