So, picture this: one day you’re minding your own business, blissfully unaware of the difference between a “corn”erback and a corn muffin, and the next, you’re a full-blown Indiana University football fanatic. The transformation was so dramatic and so fast, even forensic scientists can’t explain it. My NY neighbors are convinced I need “deprogramming,” but honestly…no regrets. I think I’m here because I was looking hard for some good news. And man, did Fernando Mendoza bring that! He personifies “the Good News we need RIGHT NOW”, with or without that megawatt smile.
Fernando isn’t just a football star—he’s got leadership AND humility, a sniper precision pass and a love of family, both in the stands and on the field. He calls his o line the “Hoggies.” (Could ya die?) I’m reasonably sure he was media trained before he learned to walk. Coach Curt Cignetti took a bunch of so-called misfits from the losingest team in college football history and turned them into 16-0 national champs. Last time that happened? 1894. Yale. Womp womp.
Family, Football, and the Legendary Tonette
The best part of my football obsession? The hilarious chalk talk with my brother. He’s adamant: I cannot be deprogrammed, because this is our family bonding topic for the next decade. I just texted to confirm if the Yale win year was in fact 1894 (I was 90% certain), and he said he didn’t go to any ofthosegames. Honestly, Google is easier.
After IU’s Big 10 championship win, the team got a bye and didn’t play again for 26 days. But they prepped for the Rose Bowl like it was a military maneuver—5:30am practices, every day. My family’s Rose Bowl history runs deep: Bill Keck, Class of ‘41, was a yell leader and attended the game in 1968. Here he is in his back-in-the-day Christmas present—Rose Bowl IU gear— next to his son doing the same, 58 years later for the team’s second trip to Pasadena. Tradition, baby.
1968 IU superfan heads to team’s first Rose Bowl Armchair quarterback plans to watch the game 58 years later
It should be noted that Dad, who brought his tonette (think: fourth grade tiny plastic flute) to every home or away game, played the IU fight song proudly, as the ultimate Hoosier fan and song leader. Getting thrown out of a Don Ho show in Hawaii for playing along to Tiny Bubbles is not part of this story, so don’t even ask.
My niece and nephew and their spouses made it to the Rose Bowl. I love the crimson glow behind them.
The Peach Bowl: Duck Soup and Meme Magic
At the next game—the Peach Bowl— Hoosier Nation turns out again in force. Oregon QB Dante Moore said in an interview, “I thought it was just that the seats were red, (sigh) but it was the Indiana fans”. I. Can’t. Stop. LAUGHING!!!! He sounded sad.
The game? IU stomped the Ducks 56-22. #DuckSoup The highlight: a pick six in the first 11 seconds. I didn’t even know what a pick six was at Christmas, but now I’m squealing as cornerback D’Angelo Ponds picked off Dante Moore’s pass and moved on down the field some 25 yards and right across the goal line. Hands on hips in a traditional Cignetti pose. The memes are on fire.
The Natty: More Tonettes, SuperMendoza & Hoosier the Bison
In the roll up to the National Championship in Miami, it was rumored that my nephew Joe wondered if I had a room full of Good Will Hunting formulas all over the wall, laying out the final game’s plays. Of course, I do! And YES! this is historically bad photoshop—ON PURPOSE lest anyone think I was serious about this—janky team logo intended. It’s not a LinkedIn profile photo, guys. Chillax.
Joe and Megan brought the boys to Miami, and America’s newest Bill Keck (born 100 years after the OG) brought the tonette.
The game was electric. Fernando Mendoza made the most outrageous run in college football history. With a fourth down timeout and AFTER the Field Goal Team was on the field, Coach called for a run-pass option. Fernando, a passer extraordinaire, did not pass – HE RAN… and then some. He said his moves were by instinct, opposite Coach’s call, and ending with a 360o spin, and a Superman-style horizontal dive into the end zone. There is a meme of him flying with an IU crimson cape, earning him the title of SuperMendoza! Iconic. If you missed The Run, you need to see it. (with thanks to @HoosierHystrcs)
And somewhere in all this madness, I became a superfan of Hoosier the Bison, IU’s mascot who hasn’t been seen since the 60s. Yes, there’s a bison. Yes, it’s awesome.
So like that, I’m an Indiana University football fanatic!
On a final note – and by way of transition to the recipe – I had to share this meme from @brokenbracketology. Too funny and there is corn! Of course there is – it’s Indiana.
The Real MVP: Cheddar Apple Corn Muffins with Bacon Flags
Now, let’s talk food. Because honestly, the Super Bowl with the Seahawks and Pats? Yawn. But these muffins along with some Kicked Up Kick Off Chili? Excitement level? There’s a Bacon Flag on the play! Apples, cheddar, a little hot pepper kick—if bacon is not your style, feel free to skip it. Still yum.
But in my book, if you can add a bacon flag, you absolutely should.
Box mixes? Hard pass. Sugar and hydrogenated lard? No thanks. This savory cornbread is just as fast to make from scratch, and you get to feel smug about knowing your ingredients.
I chose Granny Smith apples and peeled and cored them before mincing finely. It’s important to keep the pieces small so they don’t create wet pockets in the bread. And I went with a standard sharp Cheddar, but maybe some pepper Jack if you’re feeling spicy. And don’t sleep on Hatch Chile Jack if you spot it.
Hearty Soups for Game Day
I have linked several soups below that would be good and sturdy for the beer swilling that will no doubt happen, but my go to for game day is the Kicked Up Kick Off chili. Of course, you don’t have to use Cutty Sark – can you even find it? – but don’t waste a single malt on beef and beans. Palease!!! The alcohol cooks off but it leaves behind a nice earthy aroma. I made this years ago for Cutty Sark and I continue to make it every time I make chili. It freezes well too.
Final Thoughts: Joy, Football, and Bacon Flag Muffins
However you spend your weekend—may it be with friends, good food, and respect. Apologies to lifelong Hoosiers for my coattail riding and rookie football knowledge. It’s all about the joy, baby. And the bacon. Always the bacon
The recipe is sturdy enough for beer swilling and game day chaos. Corn muffins chock-ful of granny smith apples and sharp cheddar and topped with a crispy bacon flag. Serve with Kicked Up Kick Off Chiliand let the games begin.
Ingredients
Scale
3/4 cup corn meal
3/4 all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper or more to taste (I lean toward 1 1/4 teaspoons)
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
3 eggs, whisked
1/2 cup butter, melted and cooled
1 cup peeled, minced Granny Smith apples
4 ounces cheddar, grated
4 pieces crispy bacon, each broken into 3 pieces
Instructions
1.Preheat oven to 350oF. Butter muffin pan(s).
2.In a medium mixing bowl, combine corn meal, flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cayenne.
3.In a small bowl, whisk together the buttermilk and eggs. Add the melted butter and stir to combine.
4.Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and fold until just combined. Batter will be lumpy.
5.Fold in the prepared apples and cheddar.
6.Divide evenly between 12 muffin cups. Plant a bacon flag in each muffin.
7.Bake in preheated oven for 25 – 30 minutes until tester comes out clean.
8.Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. When cool enough to handle, remove from muffin pan.
Notes
You can make this up to a day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Reheat in a warm oven in an ovenproof dish, covered with foil.
Prep Time:15 minutes
Cook Time:27 minutes
Category:Baking
Method:Oven
Cuisine:American
Hearty Game Day Soups
Kicked Up Kick Off Chili
This is a spin on a recipe I once developed for Cutty Sark, as part of a Super Bowl campaign. The complex layering and depth of flavor which result from adding scotch to this dish have made it my go-to recipe when making a hearty winter chili.
Super Bowl is just a few days away so we can keep rocking the soup vibe without shame. This Posole Verde is so much more than a soup, perhaps a stew, and has all the personal choice condiments that are mandatory for serving a crowd. Put down a feast of toppings, a crunchy salad, and some cornbread, and sit back and watch the half-time show!
This hearty, healthy vegetable soup will get you through until the farmers’ markets are cranking out peak of the season produce again. A dollop of pesto will brighten the flavors and get you jonesin’ for sweet summer corn and tomatoes.
One-Pot Butternut Squash Chili – It’s Vegetarian, Y’all!!
I’m filing this butternut squash chili recipe under D for Damn Delicious. The squash’s sweetness takes on smoked paprika, chili powder (brave enough to go Ancho?) and cumin – and wins. And the toasted garbanzo beans on top are the crunch this soup begs for.
Though I know you are all set with the full menu I linked to in the last post, I couldn’t in good conscience send you off for Thanksgiving without a new dessert to be the crowning glory to your feast. A simple apple crisp at its heart, the addition of Jim Beam Apple liqueur with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey elevates this fruity finish to something truly special. Must be that American oak wafting over the apples that sets this apart. I had house guests while working on this dish and one or two of them may or may not have had three or four portions. Who’s counting? If you don’t use spirits, you can easily sub with non-alcoholic extracts – vanilla or almond – or a dash of cinnamon, clove, or nutmeg. As written below, this dish is largely unseasoned, letting the farm-fresh apples and healthy splash of apple liqueur with bourbon do the heavy lifting. If you want to swap out the JB Apple, try a straight bourbon, Hotel Tango Whiskey (from a new-ish Indiana distillery run by friends), Gentleman Jack, or even Calvados. I’ll do me, you do you.
There are just so many apple varieties available these days, whether you shop at the farmers’ markets, the grocery or with instacart. But it’s really important to grab a cooking variety so, kids, don’t try this at home. We need an apple whisperer to the rescue. This fall I have really enjoyed Sweet Tango and so I asked my local farmer – Skinner’s Homestead Acres out of Fennville, MI – how they would fare. No bueno. He said they had tried to cook Sweet Tangos a few ways and they cooked to mush. Good to know, since they are super crispy and very flavorful. Try one raw if you can. I heart!!! I suspect it may have to do with the water content – too much and there is nothing but pulp left. So it’s a balance between crispy, juicy, and flavorful that makes the perfect cooking apple.
Cooking classics are Jonagold (“fluffily crisp,” juicy, and aromatic), Ida Reds (firm, tart, and juicy) and Northern Spy (juicy, crisp, and mildly sweet with a high acid balance). The farmer recommended Snow Sweet which was new to me and so perfect. It was fantastic raw too – very white flesh which is slow to oxidize. On a subsequent test, I used Northern Spy and they worked well too. I always ask which apples will store well and load up before the season ends. I go with the farmer’s rec on “good-keepin’ apples”.
A friend introduced me to the apple cutting technique below (note that the apples should first be peeled for this recipe). Just cut through the center on both sides of the stem, top to bottom. You can get a slice off that center slab on either side of the core. Take the two halves and lay them cut side down and slice thinly from bottom to top. It is so much easier than trying to cut a rolling side and makes it simple to get uniformly thin slices. It’s really upped my apple cutting game, and I use it for everything including cheese boards, snacks, salads, and more. It’s perfect for a Crisp when you want uniform slices for even cooking.
So this raises that age old question – Cobbler? Crisp? Slump? Crumble? Grunt? Betty? Pandowdy? Buckle? There is definitely both a geographical and time element to these names. While they are all fruit-based, I’m ruling out Cobblers off the bat. They have biscuits dropped on top and resemble cobblestones (old English). Grunts are right behind – New England and named for the sound the dough makes while cooking and – like Pandowdy and Slumps – are typically cooked on the stove top. Legitimate Bettys are layered with crumbs or grahams and are more cakey, and a Buckle (which is very cakey) tends to buckle around the bubbling fruit. So finally we arrive at Cobbler or Crisp – and drum roll please…the Crisp has oatmeal. Voila! That’s what makes it more crispy than a Cobbler, which is generally pure sugar, flour, and butter streusel. Exhausted from that marathon around the dessert aisle? Hmmm…think we better dig into this delicious dessert RIGHT NOW.
Bourbon-Spiked Apple Crisp
Now that we have the recipe name – CRISP! – and the perfect apple (your choice), and we have made the decision of adding hooch or not, there is little else to do but get peeling. This recipe comes together very quickly and then you can be on your way to worry about other details of the feast – namely is the Prosecco cold enough. I make the topping in the food processor because I like to chop the oats and the nuts just a bit. So I start by putting the other ingredients – cold butter, brown sugar, flour, and salt in the processor and pulse that until it resembles coarse meal. Then I add the oats and walnuts, in turn, giving each their half-dozen pulses. Oats will get a few more pulses than nuts, but both retain some texture. As with all things baking, set the timer 10 minutes early, so you can keep an eye on the browning factor. If it seems to crisp up before the apples are tender, lay a loose layer of foil over the top. You don’t want anything to steam, but you also don’t want it blackened.
However you celebrate and with whomever, I send Thanksgiving blessings to you, your friends and family. It’s so wonderful to spend a day, or even a part of a day, during this season of running too fast in gratitude for our many blessings. Have a wonderful, food-filled day! Gobble! Gobble!
Though a simple apple crisp at its heart, the addition of Jim Beam Apple liqueur with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey, elevates this crisp to something truly special. Must be that American oak that wafts over the apples that sets its apart.
Ingredients
Scale
Topping:
2 ounces cold butter, cut into bits
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tablespoons flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup Jim Beam Apple Liqueur infused with Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 eggs
¼ teaspoon salt
2 pounds apples, peeled, cored, and sliced thinly (see notes)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350oF. Butter an 8×8 or 2 quart baking dish.
Prep topping: Add butter, brown sugar, flour and salt to the workbowl of a food processor. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the oats and pulse about 4-5 times, chopping coarsely. Add the walnuts and pulse 6 times more. The goal is that the butter/sugar/flour is fine, but that the oats and nuts retain some texture. Sprinkle ½ cup of the topping in the baking dish. Refrigerate remaining topping until needed.
Prep the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, sour cream, bourbon, flour, eggs, and salt. Add the apples. Pour the mixture into the baking dish.
Bake on a sheet pan to avoid spills, in the center of the oven for 50 minutes. Sprinkle remaining topping over fruit, baking an additional 30 minutes.
Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack.
Serve warm with ice cream.
Notes
Be sure to choose an apple that can stand up to cooking. Sometimes we tend to grab a favorite eating apple, but that is not always the best choice. On my first try, the farmer suggested Jonagold, Snow Sweet or Ida Reds. I chose Snow Sweet and they were perfect, though I suspect not that easy to come by. They are also delicious “eating apples”.
The next time I tested the recipe, I used Northern Spy – a classic cooking apple. This fall I have fallen in love with Sweet Tango, but my farmer told me don’t bother. They cook to mush. That was a real surprise because they are so very apple-y tasting and super crunchy. But, I trust the farmer.
For the non-drinkers in the crowd, feel free to omit the bourbon and consider some extracts like vanilla or almond. I used vanilla on one of my tests but found it in competition with the bourbon, so ended up eliminating it. If you are not using the alcohol, try adding in some alcohol-free extracts.
For those adding the alcohol, consider a straight bourbon, Hotel Tango Whiskey (from a new-ish Indiana distillery run by friends), or even Calvados, in lieu of the JB Apple.
Serve with ice cream. Vanilla is classic or salted caramel would be a serious upgrade.
I know you probably can’t come down from your L-tryptophan rush on Thursday cold turkey, so how about easing in with some breakfast pumpkin chia pudding (though it has been served for dessert by many) or the best turkey leftover recipe ever!!
You’re driving me crackers, she said to this weather. Luckily this tasty little number is neither season- nor weather-dependent. I found my inspo for this recipe in a fancy store in California (Market Hall in Berkeley, if you must know), and I just might have eaten my weight in them. After “serving” them to guests two nights in a row, while secretly polishing them off on my own in the kitchen, I decided it was time to stop paying this fool’s ransom and knock them off for myself. Armed with only a visual on the seed varietals and my longstanding loyalty to a good cheese crisp, I took it upon myself to try to replicate and I must say I nailed it first try. You’re welcome!! The base recipe for these – when seed-free – reminds me of the signature dish at an early Lidia Bastianich restaurant – Frico. The frico, as a dish,is a melted cheese crisp, usually made with unpasteurized cow’s milk cheese from Friuli called Montasio. At the restaurant, these cheese crisps crowned salads and were often stuffed with potatoes or mushrooms and more, served as an appetizer. How I miss this!
But, oh my, these Cali ones were chock-full of seeds, which provides more crunch and an additional level of nuttiness. Yahoo. As I was testing them, I remembered a frequent guest that I cooked for during my days as the food stylist at The Rosie O’Donnell show. Marjorie Johnson, from Minna-so-TA, dont’cha know. At 4’8”, this feisty redhead, always decked out in a red dress, topped with a red apron, is pure sass. Here she is in 2016 at the Anoka County Fair, where she won 52 ribbons, including 22 blue and the sweepstakes prize for her tea ring. Yes, those are all hers…from that week!
I met Marjorie before the millennium, and her goal was to have 2000 blue ribbons by the year 2000. She has well over 2500 now and has not slowed down one bit. Her secret, she told me, to beefing up her ribbon count was to enter random categories with less competition……………like crackers. And we’re back. Temporarily. (I must add that is something I was long aware of – don’t take the easiest path using a sweet ingredient in a dessert. Work harder and come up with something that is unexpected.) I haven’t seen Marjorie in a while, but we keep in touch and I have her book. I’ll never forget the segments we did with Alec Baldwin or Paul and Nell Newman after Marjorie won a load of dough from Newman’s Own. It all went to her favorite charity – American Cancer Society in Minnesota – and they in turn crowned her the belle of the ball, tiara and all. I think Alec summed it up best – while on his knees to meet Marjorie eye to eye – “We need more Marjories!!”
Seeded Cheese Crisps
I debated calling this a Cheese Krackle instead of a Cheese Crisp, because the seeds make it so much more than a Crisp. Such decisions!?! Luckily the recipe is much more straightforward than that challenge. I really don’t need to tell you in great detail about this recipe, because once I locked in the ratio of ingredients, it pretty much baked itself. Instead of Montasio, I chose a rosemary Asiago, an Italian cow’s milk gold medal winner at the 2008 World Championship Cheese Contest, and Fontina Fontal, also Italian, and also cow’s milk…from our friends at The Cheese Lady, of course. The Asiago adds a bit of tang and the Fontina is a sublime melting cheese. Keep the cheeses cold until you grate them, as they tend to be a bit softer than many cheeses we often grate. I used the big holes on a box grater.
Add all the seeds to the grated cheese and mix well to combine. You may find that as you dole out the mixture onto a sheet pan that the smaller seeds will settle so be sure to keep mixing as you go.
You will need two or three batches on a half-sheet pan to bake off all the mixture. If you need to re-use a pan for a later batch, let it cool to room temp first so it doesn’t throw off your oven timing. I used two Tablespoons mixture per cracker and flattened them a bit with my fingertips for even cooking. You will need to leave a little space between them, but more for an easy removal than to accommodate massive spreading.
Bake at 375o for 7 – 8 minutes until the crisps are lightly golden. Remove the pans from the oven and let the cheese crisps cool slightly on the sheet pans until they firm up. Then you can transfer quickly to a wire rack using an offset spatula. I would tell you to store them in an airtight container once cooled, but let’s be real – are you going to have any leftovers? Kind of doubt it!!!
These are tasty as a garnish for soups and salads, or as an accoutrement to a cheese or meze spread. Call it a Krackle, call it a Crisp, but definitely call it delicious.
When you give this loaded cheese crisp a whirl, tag me on Instagram and as always, I LOVE to see your comments below.
This seed-filled cheese crisp is great on top of a soups and salads, or as an accoutrement to a cheese or meze spread. Call it a Krackle, call it a Crisp, but definitely call it delicious. And while you are at it, double up on the recipe. You’re gonna want more.
Ingredients
Scale
3 ounces grated Asiago, or 1 1/3 cups
1 ounce grated Fontina Fontal, or 1/3 cup
3 1/2 ounces raw shelled pumpkin seeds, or 2/3 cup
1 ounce raw shelled sunflower seeds, or 1/4 cup
3 Tablespoons sesame seeds, or 1 ounce
1 Tablespoon flax seeds, or 1/2 ounce
1 Tablespoon poppy seeds, or 1/3 ounce
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375o F. Line two half-sheet pans with parchment paper.
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix well. The smaller seeds may settle so be sure to stir as you dole out the mixture.
Divide the mixture into crackers, allowing 2 Tablespoon per cracker. Flatten any mounds to a uniform thickness.
Bake for 7 – 8 minutes until lightly golden. Cool slightly on the sheet pans until they firm up, and then quickly transfer to a wire rack using an offset spatula. Store in an airtight container once cooled.
Notes
I used a rosemary Asiago but plain works well too.
Keep the cheeses cold until you grate them, using a box grater. They are a bit soft so they don’t grate as well at room temperature as a harder cheese, like Parmesan.
These are delicious on top of a soup or a salad, or as an accoutrement to a cheese or meze spread, but do note they are not sturdy like a Ritz, so don’t go planning to spread your Cheez Whiz atop. Who are you anyway??:)
Prep Time:10 minutes
Cook Time:10 minutes
Category:cracker
Method:Oven
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I have had a tattered copy of the grandmother of this meat pie recipe since I first moved to New York – and I always read the faded title as Kulebvaka. Shared with me by an older Jewish woman who was very adventurous in exploring international flavors even in the 70s, the copy was covered in her handwritten notes. I assumed, wrongly as it turns out, that the vaka had something to do with beef, the main ingredient in this recipe. All those years of having the name wrong prevented me from making the connection to coulibiac, one of my earliest catering days’ fancy puffs. The coulibiac I made was filled with salmon and – oh yes – crammed full of eastern European flavors, like dill and sometimes horseradish. Coulibiac. Kulebyaka. “Yaka”, not “Vaka”. The name had nothing to do with the beef that fills the pie. Color me surprised – years and years later.
It turns out the word Kulebyaka comes from the Old Slav verb kulebyachit which means to make with hands – nothing to do with what was inside. It can be stuffed with fish, meat, mushrooms, rice, hard-boiled eggs and so much more. The traditional meat pie recipe calls for a yeast-based dough (I am just using a store bought pre-rolled pie crust), but it was elevated to haute cuisine status (and the pastry became more delicate) during the 19th century when French chefs started appearing in Russia. The tradition continues as the Hennin twin brother chefs that I trained under in Paris spent time in Russia. One showed up here with a vat of caviar as his carry on. Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaas!
That meat pie recipe I received so long ago did in fact have sieved hard-boiled eggs in it, and I kept that intact, making good use of one of my favorite tools, the potato ricer. It helps bind the mixture and is a nod to its Russian roots. I changed all the spices and added fresh dill and an entire bottle of prepared horseradish, because we like our flavors a bit more assertive here in ‘Murica.
There are no real secrets to make this a perfect party addition, and it’s also great for a cozy night at home, served with just a simple salad. Serve it cold, serve it hot; make it an app, make it an entrée. I used a springform pan here, but I have also made it in a scalloped-edge tart pan which gives it a great look. Take some of the extra dough scraps and create flowers or leaves to decorate the top. Just make sure you have a removable-bottom pan for easy removal. Give it a whirl and let me know what you think!
This tasty beef pie is great hot or cold. Easy to pull together and pour into a ready-made crust, it is a real crowd pleaser year-round.
Ingredients
Scale
Pastry for a double crust pie
2 pounds lean ground beef
3 Tablespoons butter
2 small onions, minced, about 3 cups
3 hard-boiled eggs, peeled
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup beef stock
1 8-ounce bottle prepared horseradish, drained
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon mustard seeds, coarsely ground (pulse in a spice grinder)
1 teaspoon celery seeds, coarsely ground (pulse in a spice grinder)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bunch fresh dill, stems removed and finely chopped
1 egg yolk
1 Tablespoon half & half (cream, milk, whatever you have)
Instructions
Preheat oven to 400oF. Lightly butter a 9-inch, deep-dish, removable-bottom springform or tart pan. Arrange the bottom crust, pressing into the bottom and sides. Refrigerate until needed.
Sauté beef, breaking into small pieces, until no longer pink, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a strainer and let fat drain off. Wipe out the pan and add the butter. When melted, add the onions and sauté until golden brown, about 13 – 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, press the hard-boiled eggs through a potato ricer or strainer until finely sieved.
Add the drained beef to the onions, and heat through. Sift the flour over the beef and stir in. Add the stock and stir again, cooking through 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from heat.
Stir in the sieved eggs, the horseradish, pepper, mustard seeds, celery seeds, salt, and dill. Let the mixture cool.
Spoon cooled mixture into the bottom crust. Press down with the back of a spoon to compact. Cover with the remaining pie dough, seal edges, and crimp decoratively. Cut several vent holes to allow steam to escape.
Mix egg yolk and half & half in a small bowl and brush the top of the pie. Place pan on a sheet pan to bake.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until the top is golden brown.
Serve hot or cold, as an appetizer or main.
Notes
If you cut the pie straight from the oven it will be a bit loose. Better to let it rest for 10 minutes to firm up.
Time is nigh for setting the table and facing that big ole mess we call family…and all that that entails. This seems to be the one holiday when everyone descends on the same day and comes with baggage instead of picnic baskets. But let’s be real – we are indeed so lucky that we can in fact gather, break bread and give thanks. I am hoping the biggest debate your gang faces on Thursday is sweet potato or pumpkin. (I’m looking at you Val – duh, pumpkin!) And my picnic basket this year is loaded with a secret weapon – a dessert that you can make a day or two ahead. Check that box. Move on. Worry about the Beaujolais Nouveau and who will do the dishes. Dessert is mission-accomplished. This pumpkin ginger cheesecake falls smack in the middle of the “consider it done” category. That of course assumes you can keep it safeguarded til after dinner on Thursday. It’s tempting.
Thanksgiving dinner often gets a bad rap for being a brown meal. But I love the vibrant colors of fall squashes, pumpkins and gourds. Use them for table settings, roast them for a side or salad, make a quick bread, or whip them up in a dessert.
Cheesecakes are pretty flawless desserts to prepare even if you haven’t made them before, as long as you follow a few simple tips. They are super sturdy, so you don’t need a deft hand. I would argue quite the opposite. You really don’t want to be dainty with the batter – don’t incorporate lots of air, do bang the pan, get aggressive. Be bold. If you follow my instructions and read the accompanying notes, you will be a star performer – dare I say, a pastry chef. Start with your ingredients at room temperature, use a good quality springform, and use a food processor, not a mixer. A processor will combine the ingredients without incorporating air which will cause the cheesecake to puff and fall, leaving a crater in the center. Allow all the time needed for cooling to room temperature and then refrigerating. It takes time, but not active time. And know that if all else fails – craters or cracks – you will be slathering a cream topping on and that can cover a multitude of mistakes. Yes, indeed. You are definitely a pastry chef.
This pumpkin ginger cheesecake is surprisingly light, yet creamy. The nutty crust has that I want more-ish quality! And, a dose of Gentleman Jack Daniels keeps the party rolling.
Ingredients
Scale
Crust:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup melted butter
Filling:
15 ounce can pumpkin puree
24 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
5 ounces Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tablespoons vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 eggs, at room temperature, lightly beaten
Topping:
1 cup sour cream
2 Tablespoons Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey
2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
Instructions
Make the Crust:
Preheat oven to 350° F. Combine flour, brown sugar, pecans, and melted butter and mix until crumbs adhere. Press into a 9 or 10″ sturdy nonstick springform pan and bake for 10 – 12 minutes. Remove and cool. Wrap pan in heavy duty foil. Reduce oven temperature to 300°F.
Make the Filling:
In food processor, puree pumpkin until smooth. Add cream cheese and puree until smooth. Add Gentleman Jack, sugar, vanilla, ginger, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg and pulse until mixed. Add eggs and pulse 2 – 3 times only until just combined. Do not overprocess.
Pour filling into cooled crust and bang pan on the counter to eliminate extra air. Place in a roasting pan and fill with hot water, halfway up the side of the springform. Bake for 1 1/4 – 1 1/2 hours or until set. It may still be a bit wobbly in the center, but it will firm up as it cools.
Turn oven off and leave the cheesecake in the water bath in the oven for 30 minutes more. Remove the roasting pan from the oven, and carefully remove the springform from the water. Remove foil and cool on wire rack until room temperature. Refrigerate until fully chilled.
Make the Topping:
Combine sour cream, Gentleman Jack, and powdered sugar and spread on top of cheesecake. Refrigerate until set.
Gently run a knife or thin metal spatula around inside edge of pan. When cheesecake has released, open outer pan ring and remove.
Notes
Feel free to substitute a dark Rum or Bourbon if you prefer.
I can see the problem you are having. A giant mound of peach perfection and you are so tired of fruit pie and cobbler (Okay, we should probably admit that is NOT really a thing, being tired of pie and cobbler). But it’s a holiday weekend and you MUST use that beautiful bounty ASAP yet you would rather be on the beach, boat, SUP or _____(fill in the blank). So with that last hurrah of summer celebration hurtling toward you at ram speed, here’s a dessert that you can make in a flash, yet will look like you have been slaving away. Stone fruit –still abundantly available – is the perfect choice for this “cobbler, not-a-cobbler.” Cut into wedges, a peach or nectarine is sizable enough to hold its shape (ain’t nobody likin’ fruit mush) and comes with its own good dose of pectin. I throw in a few blueberries for a wee bit of flavor, color, and texture contrast, but warn against fruit with a high water content and thin skins (I got my eyes on you raspberries and blackberries.)
Normally a fruit cobbler comes with a streusel or pastry crumb topping, but I love this idea of biscuits. I would say it’s fresh and new, but since I created this dish at New World Grill some 20 years ago, I will settle on timeless. It’s hard to find a fruit pot pie at all, and the ones I have seen are made with a double pastry crust. This dish has no bottom – which means…..???? You got it!! No soggy bottoms!!! Pastry fraidies unite! You can do this!! Just cook the fruit with a little cornstarch stove-top then drop biscuit dough on top. Super easy to serve as well because everyone gets a heaping spoon of fruit topped with a biscuit topped with …Ice Cream? Whip Cream? Greek Yogurt? Yes. Yes. And Yes. Please. It’s dessert magic.
I have made this with peaches and nectarines (peel the peaches, but no need on the nectarines), but you might also try plums or apricots. And cherries could be a nice alternative to the blueberries I use. Just keep a sturdy skin in mind when improvising. And always let a fruit dessert cool to avoid the juice-bomb. This is best served same-day, an hour from the oven or reheated. Biscuits are a bit of a diva when it comes to humidity, so the longer it sits around the less flaky they will be.
I learned to make traditional biscuits from a woman who said “handle them like you are holding hot coals.” (It was a KFC shoot and we must have made 1000 biscuits). It was good advice – don’t touch them much at all. Biscuits are made by cutting little tiny bits of ice cold butter into the dry ingredients, so that each pea-sized bit is flour-coated. Then you gently add the liquid – buttermilk, perhaps – until it just holds together. If you hot-handle the dough, the butter will start to melt. The butter should melt only once – in your honking hot 425oF oven – because that creates steam and that, my friends, provides lift. Voilà! Flaky!!
The other reason to lightly handle the dough is to avoid overworking the glutens which will make a tough and sometimes shrunken biscuit. (That joke just wrote itself. I don’t even have to put it in words.) I got you covered here, this dough is NOT fussy and is made in the processor and uses a small amount of boiling water to pull the dough together. It’s a bit of the opposite of everything I have just said – no hot coals. This makes it super simple and you can get away with it in part because it is going atop hot fruit which will also create some steam.
Summer Fruit Pot Pie
Fruit Filling
8 cups pitted and sliced nectarines, about 8 pieces or 4 pounds
Juice of one lemon, about 3 Tablespoons (please zest it first and save the zest for the biscuit)
1/2 cup sugar
3 Tablespoons corn starch
1/2 cup cold water
2 cups blueberries
Biscuit Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Zest of one lemon
6 ounces ice-cold butter, cut into bits
¼ cup + 2-3 Tablespoons boiling water
Preheat oven to 425oF. Butter a 9x13x2-inch 3-quart casserole.
Start the Fruit: Combine the nectarines with the lemon juice and sugar. Set aside. Dissolve the cornstarch in the cold water and set aside for 5 minutes.
Start the Biscuits: Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and lemon zest in the work bowl of a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut in the butter with the food processor, by pulsing 8-10 times, until the mixture resembles coarse meal. (You can also use a pastry cutter).
Back to the Fruit: Combine the nectarines with the cornstarch in a saucepan. Bring the cornstarch-nectarine mixture to a boil, and cook for 1 minute. Remove from heat and gently fold in the blueberries. Transfer fruit mixture to the casserole.
Finish the biscuits: Slowly pour in ¼ cup boiling water and pulse a couple times until just combined. Scrape down sides. Add additional water one Tablespoon at a time, up to 3 additional Tablespoons. Pulse with each addition until dough just comes together and becomes spoon-able. It should remain a bit stiff and not turn gooey. If you add the water all at once, you run the risk of adding too much liquid and melting the butter. Add it gradually and it will just slightly soften it. Drop the dough by scant 1/4 cups onto the fruit to form 12 biscuits. Use a spoon or small spatula to ease the dough out of the cup. All that butter will let it slide out quite easily.
Bake in bottom third of preheated, foil-lined oven for 35 – 40 minutes until fruit is set, biscuits are golden, and a toothpick inserted in a biscuit comes out clean. If the biscuits are getting too brown, cover loosely with foil for the last 10 minutes or so. Transfer to a wire rack to cool slightly. Cool for about an hour, to let the juices set. Serve while still warm or reheat if it has cooled. Top with ice cream, whipped cream, or plain Greek yogurt.
