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