Cornbread stuffing with fresh and dried fruit

To commemorate our memorable Thanksgiving meal and adventure at Nadja's and Gavin's, here is the cornbread stuffing recipe. Of all the recipes I have made at Thanksgiving, hoping that one would stick as a new tradition, this is it. I have made it two years in a row and plan to continue.

The cornbread needs to dry overnight, so start this at least one day ahead.

BUTTERY CORNBREAD:

1 1/3 cups coarse stone-ground yellow cornmeal

1 cup unbleached all purpose flour (I used 1 cup of gluten-free flour, and no xanthan gum)

1/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk

9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk, beaten to blend

Butter 9x5x3-inch metal loaf pan. Mix cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, and coarse salt in large bowl. Add buttermilk, melted butter, and beaten eggs. Stir with wooden spoon until well blended. Let mixture stand 30 minutes to absorb liquid. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 375°F.

Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake bread until browned around edges and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 40 minutes. Let bread rest in pan 5 minutes. Turn bread out onto rack and cool completely. DO AHEAD Can be made 2 days ahead. Wrap in foil and store at room temperature.

STUFFING:

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
• 4 cups chopped onions
• 4 cups chopped unpeeled McIntosh or Golden Delicious apples (about 2 large)
• 2 cups chopped celery with leaves
• 24 pitted prunes, diced (about 10 ounces)
• 12 dried apricot halves, diced (about 2 ounces)
• 1 tablespoon fennel seeds
• 2 teaspoons coarse kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 cup low-salt chicken broth

Cut bread lengthwise into 1-inch-wide slices. Place on baking sheet; cover with kitchen towel and let dry overnight. Cut bread slices into 1-inch cubes.

Preheat oven to 375°F. Butter 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Melt butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and sauté until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add apples and celery. sauté until celery begins to soften, about 10 minutes. Scrape contents of skillet into very large bowl. Add prunes, apricots, fennel seeds, salt, pepper, and thyme; toss. Add dried bread cubes and toss until evenly combined. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish. Pour broth evenly over.

Bake stuffing uncovered until heated through and top begins to form crust, about 40 minutes.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Sour Cream Topping

From epicurious.com, by request of my mother:

For the crust

• 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
• 1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• 1/4 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled

For the filling

• 1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
• three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into bits and softened
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons heavy cream
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon if desired

For the topping

• 2 cups sour cream
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon, or to taste

16 pecan halves for garnish

Make the crust:
In a bowl combine the cracker crumbs, the pecans, and the sugars, stir in the butter, and press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Chill the crust for 1 hour.

Make the filling:
In a bowl whisk together the pumpkin, the egg, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the ginger, the salt, and the brown sugar. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and the granulated sugar, beat in the cream, the cornstarch, the vanilla, the bourbon liqueur, and the pumpkin mixture, and beat the filling until it is smooth.

Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is just set, and let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.

Make the topping:
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream, the sugar, and the bourbon liqueur.

Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for 5 minutes more. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight. Remove the side of the pan and garnish the top of the cheesecake with the pecans.

Creamy New York Cheesecake

Another dessert recipe associated with my FSU days, this one also delivered by Michael Sullivan, but the recipe really comes from flutist Jacob Roseman.

CRUST:

1 TBS sugar

2 cups graham cracker crumbs

2 sticks butter

1 cup sugar

CAKE:

2 lbs cream cheese (4 packages of Philadelphia cream cheese or equivalent)

2 large eggs (beaten)

1 tsp vanilla

2 TSP cornstarch

1 cup of sour cream

Preheat oven, 450º. Make crust: mix crumbs and sugar, add butter. Press into springform pan, aim for a uniform depth of 1/8-1/4".

Cake: with dairy products warmed to room temperature, cut cream cheese into chunks. Beat cheese and sugar with a hand mixer just until creamy (DO NOT OVERBEAT). Add in slightly beaten eggs, vanilla, lightly beat (1 minute). Then add 2 TSP cornstarch, mix well. Then gently fold in sour cream with spoon. Pour into pan.

Bake 10 min at 450º. Reduce temperature to 200º, continue to bake 45 minutes. After that, turn off oven and let cool gently for 3 hours, preferably in the oven with the oven door slightly propped open.

Michael Sullivan's Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Clarinetist and friend to many, Michael Sullivan was an avid cook, loved to entertain. This cookie recipe tastes especially good to me because I know that he would have tried many different recipes until settling on the one that pleased his guests the most. He wasn't known for healthy cooking, but entertainment cooking...I remember him saying "you don't want to know what's in it" when people would ask about his desserts. No surprise, then, that this recipe contains additional grated chocolate in the batter. Sadly, Michael died in 2007 from a rare cancer, at the young age of 43. He gave me this recipe in 1993 or 1994 when we were in school at Florida State, and handed it to me on a small photocopied sheet of paper; apparently enough other people had asked for the recipe that he had made several copies. I would consider scanning this copy and making it available for those who might like a version in Mike's own handwriting.

Mrs. Field's® Chocolate Chip Cookies (courtesy of M. Sullivan)

cream together: 1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

add: 2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

combine: 2 cups flour

2 1/2 cups oatmeal (blended to powder)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp baking soda

add all ingredients together

stir in 4 oz Hershey Bar (grated) and 12 oz bag chocolate chips

form to golf ball size on ungreased cookie sheet

Bake at 350º for 12–15 minutes

Sweet Saffron Rice with Currants and Pistachios

By request of Steve Stusek. Notes to Steve: I don't usually use the saffron (even when I have, it hasn't changed the color significantly, probably because I don't have good saffron in the house). The other day, I used jaggery, currants, and cashews, but I don't think the type of sugar, fruit and nuts matters that much.

From "The Art of Indian Vegetarian Cooking", by Yamuni Devi. This relatively simple sweet rice is made regal by the color and flavor of saffron. The success of this Indian side dish depends on the delicate balance of flavors contributed by the rice, saffron and sweetener. Jaggery, light brown sugar, or maple sugar is the best sweetener for this dish. If you use maple syrup or honey, omit 2 table spoons (30 ml) of water. Basmati rice is highly recommended.

Preparation time (after assembling ingredients): 5 minutes
Cooking time: 25-30 minutes
Serves: 4 or 5

1 cup (95 g) basmati or other long-grain white rice
1 ¾ -2 cups (400-480 ml) water
1/3 teaspoon (1.5 ml) high-quality saffron threads
1 ½ -inch (4 cm) piece of cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves
¼ teaspoon (1 ml) salt
½ cup (75 g) crumbled Jaggery, maple sugar or equivalent raw sugar, lightly packed
1 teaspoon (5 ml) cardamom seeds, coarsely crushed
2 table spoons (30 ml) ghee or vegetable oil
3 table spoons (45 ml) silvered or sliced raw pistachios or almonds
3 table spoons (45 ml) raisins or currants
2 table spoons (30 ml) blanched raw pistachios, sliced into thin curls garnishing

1. If basmati rice is used, clean, wash, soak and drain as explained on page 4.
2. Bring the water to a boil in a heavy 1 ½ -quart/liter nonstick saucepan. Place the saffron threads in a small bowl and add 2 ½ table spoons (37 ml) of the boiling water. Allow the threads to soak for 10-15 minutes while cooking the rice.
3. Stir the rice into the boiling water and add the cinnamon stick, cloves and salt. When the water resumes boiling, reduce the heat to very low, cover with a tight-fitting lid and gently simmer with out stirring for 20-25 minutes or until the rice is tender and fluffy and all of the water is absorbed. Remove from the heat and let the rice sit, covered, for 5 minutes to allow the fragile grains to firm up.
4. In the meantime, combine the saffron water, sweetener and cardamom seeds in a small saucepan. Place over moderate heat and stir until the sweetener is dissolved. Lower the heat slightly and simmer for about 1 minute. Pour the syrup into the rice and quickly re-cover.
5. Heat the ghee or oil in a small pan over moderately low heat until it is hot but not smoking. Fry the nuts and raisins until the nuts turn golden brown and the raisins swell. Pour the nuts, raisins and ghee or oil into the piping-hot rice and gently fluff with a fork to mix. Spoon onto a serving platter and sprinkle with the sliced pistachio nuts.

Cincinnati Turkey Chili

This recipe has become a staple in our household. I have never followed the recipe exactly, but think I have struck my rhythm with this recipe now. It is a modification of the "Cincinnati-Style Chili" recipe found on epicurious.com, with turkey instead of beef, and with beans in the chili instead of on the side.

3 onions, chopped

6 garlic cloves, pressed or minced

3 TBS vegetable oil

2 pounds ground turkey (I used a mixture of ground breast and ground turkey)

SPICE "MASALA"

a scant 1/4 cup chili powder

2 TBS sweet paprika

2 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground allspice

1 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp cayenne

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground cloves

1/4 tsp ground mace (or you can use nutmeg)

1 bay leaf

3 cups water

15 ounces of canned tomatoes, (I used Muir Glen fire-roasted whole tomatoes)

2 TBS wine vinegar

2 TBS molasses (or you can use brown sugar)

28-30 ounces of kidney beans (one large can or two small cans)

2-3 TBS chocolate powder (I used Ibarra Mexican hot chocolate)

pasta, grated cheddar, Texas Pete hot sauce, chopped onions as sides

In a large heavy kettle cook the onions and the garlic in the oil over moderate heat, stirring, until the onions are softened, add the turkey, and cook the mixture, stirring and breaking up the lumps, until the turkey is no longer pink. Add the "spice masala" and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the bay leaf, the water, the tomato sauce, the vinegar, and the molasses and simmer the mixture, uncovered, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep the meat barely covered, for 2 hours, or until it is thickened but soupy enough to be ladled. Add the kidney beans after 1 hour, more or less (timing isn't critical, but you don't want to simmer the beans for the entire two hours). Discard the bay leaf and season the chili with salt and pepper, and chocolate powder. The chili may be frozen or made 4 days in advance, cooled, uncovered, and kept covered and chilled. Serve the chili as is or in the traditional Cincinnati "five-way" style: Ladle the chili over pasta and top it with Texas Pete, the onion, and Cheddar cheese.

Gaeng Mussamun

I went to the trouble of making fresh Mussamun curry paste the other day, and so have been sharing the recipe and the paste of this Thai standard with friends while it is still good. I have made this once with beef and once with chicken. Only advice I can offer is: wait 24 hours before eating, the spices really don't manifest in the dish for at least that amount of time.

Mussamun Curry with Beef, Potatoes, and Peanuts

5 cups coconut milk*

2 lbs boneless beef, cut into 2-inch chunks

1 cup coconut cream*

1/3 c Mussamun curry paste

3 TBS fish sauce

2 TBS palm sugar or brown sugar

3 TBS Tamarind Liquid §

12 whole cardamom pods

6 cinnamon sticks

2 lbs potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch chunks

1 large onion, cut lengthwise into thick wedges

1/2 cup dry-roasted peanuts

About 2 TBS freshly squeezed lime juice

In a large saucepan, bring the coconut milk to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the beef chunks and simmer until the beef is tender, about 1 hour.

In a small heavy-bottomed skillet over medium hear, bring the coconut cream to a gentle boil. Adjust the hear to maintaim a gentle boil and cook for 6 to 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. The coconut cream will become fragrant as it thickens. When you see tiny pools of oil glistening on the surface, add the curry paste and stir to dissolve the paste in the coconut cream. Continue cooking for 3 to 4 minutes, until the curry paste has a pleasing aroma.

Scrape the curry paste into the pot with the beef and coconut milk; stir well. Add the fish sauce, sugar, tamarind, cardamom, cinnamon, and potatoes. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the onions and peanuts and simmer until the potatoes are cooked, about 5 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning until you have a pleasing sweet, sour and salty balance. Add a little lime juice to sharpen the taste.

Serve warm.

Note: Substitution of chicken for the beef has an advantage: much less preparation time. To substitute chicken for the beef, use 3 lbs chicken thighs, cut into bite-sized chunks. Omit the initial long simmering in coconut milk called for with beef. Begin by cooking the curry paste in coconut cream over medium heat as directed. Stir in the chicken and cook it in the coconut-curry sauce until coated and browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large saucepan, add the coconut milk, and bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Continue as directed in the beef recipe.

To prepare the curry in advance, cook it only up to the point where the onions are added. Cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate up to 24 hours. To serve, bring the curry back to a gentle boil over medium heat. Add the onion and continue as directed.

*What is the difference between coconut cream and coconut milk? They are the same thing, but the milk is diluted with more water. We buy canned coconut cream with 11-17 grams of fat per serving, and then dilute it for the coconut milk. This recipe calls for 5 cups, so we use 2 1/2 cups coconut cream and 2 1/2 cups water.

§For Tamarind Liquid: Boil 1/2 cup water, and add it to about 1/4 dried tamarind. After 20-30 minutes, press all the brown tamarind liquid you can through a fine sieve, discarding the pulp.

Another Lentils Recipe

Found a simpler Indian lentils recipe. Our neighbors, Adam and Melissa are always looking for foods that their one year old John Harper will eat, and he enjoyed this one. We use it as a side dish for dinner or main dish for lunch, serving it over rice.

Red Lentils Tarka (Masoor Dal)

from Madhur Jaffrey's Quick and Easy Indian Cooking

1 1/2 cup red lentils

1 tsp. dried turmeric

1 1/2 tsp. salt (we use less, start with 1 tsp and add more at the end if needed)

3 Tb. veg. oil or ghee

generous pinch of ground asafetida

1 tsp cumin seeds

1-3 dried hot red chiles

Wash lentils in several changes of water, and drain. Put lentils in heavy saucepan with 5 cups water and turmeric. Stir and bring to a simmer. Cover, such that the lid is slightly ajar, turn the heat to low, and simmer gently for 35-40 minutes or until the lentils are tender, stirring every so often. When tender, stir in the salt, and leave the pot on very low heat while you do the next step.

To make the tarka, put the oil in a small frying pan set over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add asafetida, then the cumin seeds. Let the seeds sizzle for a few seconds, then add the chiles. As soon as the chiles turn dark red, lift the lid of the lentil pot and pour in the contents of the frying pan - both the oil and the spices. Cover the lentil pot immediately to trap the aromas.

Note: I have also added minced or pressed garlic to this recipe, adding it to the oil after the chiles, pouring the contents into the frying pan just after the garlic turns from white to tan. Be careful, garlic will turn to brown or black quickly if left in hot oil very long.

Nadja's Lentils

Another recipe from our meal the other day, thanks to Nadja Cech for her kitchen acumen. Overcook these if you want them to smell like marijuana. I want to have this recipe handy for myself, thus I have posted it here.

2 cups red lentils
~5 cups water, vegetable broth, or chicken broth
1 piece of ginger (~1" x 1") peeled
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and whole
1 tsp turmeric powder
1 Tbsp of chopped cilantro
1/4 tsp cayenne powder (optional, I did not use it at the beach)
1 tsp salt (or to taste)
3 Tbsp lemon juice (or to taste)
1 tsp whole cumin (optional)
3 Tbsp ghee or high heat cooking oil (optional)

Rinse the lentils, bring to a boil and skim the scum off the top. Add the cilantro, turmeric, ginger (whole), garlic (whole) and cayenne. Cook for ~1 hr or until the lentils are soft. Add the lemon juice and garlic. If you are using the cumin (which I did not when we were at the coast), heat the ghee or oil for a few minutes, then add the cumin and toast it quickly for a minute or two. Drizzle the ghee or oil/cumin mixture over the lentils just before serving.

Green beans with onion paste

An Indian recipe we enjoyed while on vacation at the Outer Banks. Nadja Cech and Sarah Dorsey were the cooks, and they deserve as much credit as the recipe. As I head Nadja say, "When green beans become a main course, now that's special!"...something like that. Not an easy recipe, but worth it, and Sylvia loved it, so it will be worth it for us to have around as leftovers.

1 1/2 lbs fresh green beans

1 medium sized onion, peeled and coarsely chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 inch piece of fresh ginger, coarsely chopped

1 medium sized canned tomato, coarsely chopped

1/2 tsp turmeric

10 TBS vegetable oil

2 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp whole cumin seeds

1/2 tsp whole black mustard seeds

1 or 2 whole dried red peppers (optional), or 1/2 hot fresh green chili, sliced in half (optional) or 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp salt (or to taste)

2 tsp lemon juice

GARNISH

1 TBS finely chopped cilantro

Wash the beans. Trim the ends. Slice them into fine rounds about 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch thick. (This takes a while, so it is best to sit down somewhere with a chopping board and sharp knife and do about 8 beans at a time.)

Put the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato and turmeric in a blender and blend into a smooth paste.

Put 6 tablespoons of the vegetable oil in an 8-inch skillet or heavy-bottomed pan, and heat it on medium. Pour in mixture from blender and fry for about 5 minutes, stirring all the time, adding a teaspoon of warm water if and when it starts to stick to the bottom. Now put in the coriander and cumin and continue frying another 5 minutes, again adding a teaspoon of warm water if necessary to prevent sticking.

In a 10-inch skillet, heat the remaining tablespoons of oil over a medium flame. When very hot, put in the whole cumin and mustard seeds. After 10 seconds, add the whole red peppers if you are using them. Stir once, and as the peppers darken and the mustard seeds begin to pop, put in the sliced green beans and the sliced green chili if you are using it. Now scrape up all the mixture from the first skillet and add it to the beans. Fry the beans on medium flame for 5 minutes, stirring all the time. Turn heat to low, add the salt and lemon juice, and let the beans cook covered, stirring now and then, until they are tender (about 35 minutes). If you are using cayenne pepper, stir in 5 minutes before the end of cooking time. If the beans stick to the skillet, add 1 tablespoon of water, stir and keep cooking.

These beans can be cooked in advance and reheated over a low flame. Serve them in a warm dish, and if you like sprinkle finely chopped Chinese parsley over them.

Cook's Tips: Fry the mixture from the blender in a deep heavy pot to keep splatter down. Make sure you fry the mixture well, it's essential to the overall flavor of the dish. I think it needed a bit more lemon. I also used a lot more cilantro than called for. It's a fabulous blast of flavor in the dish. I think the dish needed to cook longer than 35 minutes, I'd suggest you allow 45 minutes.