taste
Let's talk food, from restaurants and recipes to farmers markets, food issues and wine. Lee Svitak Dean, Rick Nelson, Kim Ode and Bill Ward will start the conversation.
resize text 
find us on Facebook
follow on Twitter
subscribe via RSS
Posts about Recipes
Sunday supper: Corn bread stuffing
Posted by: Rick Nelson Updated: December 10, 2012 - 10:01 AM
With yesterday's snowstorm, a warm and comforting Sunday supper felt just right, and what's more warm and comforting than stuffing?
This is a favorite recipe of mine, adapted from the 2006 edition of Allysa Torey's go-to Sunday supper cookbook. I've made it so many times that my well-worn copy's binding is cracked to automatically open to page 84. Many other pages (the crostini with goat cheese and tomatoes, the lemon-tarragon chicken, the summer squash-sweet corn casserole, the peach crumble) are similarly splotched with food stains and spills. That's always a good sign, right?
I've made a few alterations to the recipe over the years. The major one is adding a few eggs, to bind the stuffing together and give it a richer bite (if you prefer your stuffing egg-free, increase the amount of stock to 2 cups). If I don't have the exact herbs on hand, I'll substitute others, although sage is a must. The chives in my refrigerator were looking pretty desperate, so for last night's iteration I tossed in marjoram and savory, and it was as good as always.
(By the way, Torey calls it dressing, but this Minnesotan prefers stuffing, even though it's not getting anywhere near the cavity of a bird.)
I'll cop to using Jiffy brand muffins. Why not? They're inexpensive (I think I paid 63 cents per package at Lunds, and the recipe requires two boxes), and it mixes up in, well, a jiff. The package's instructions call for an egg and milk; we had some half-and-half in the back of the refrigerator -- it was a miracle that it hadn't reached its expiration date -- and I used that instead of the skim we always keep on hand. Note to self: Always do this.
I didn't have the foresight to bake the muffins on Saturday, so I dried them out a bit by crumbling them on a sheet pan and baking them for 5 minutes at 350 degrees. For bread cubes, I pulled some out of the freezer -- leftovers from Thanksgiving's stuffing-a-thon -- and gave them a nice toasted texture by baking them for 10 minutes, also at 350 degrees.
I didn't do it last night, but sometimes I cut up bits of butter and toss it over the top of the stuffing before it goes in the oven. I usually add more herbs than the recipe calls for, as much as doubling the amount. Oh, and because the stuffing can run a little on the sweet side -- it's the corn muffins -- I occasionally flip the corn muffin/bread cube ratio.
That's the thing with this recipe: It's forgiving. Last night, post-shoveling, we served it with roast chicken, and it was delicious. As always.
CORNBREAD-APPLE-PECAN STUFFING
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Note: To toast pecans, place on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake 10 to 15 minutes in a 350-degree oven, until fragrant and lightly browned. Adapted from "At Home With Magnolia: Classic American recipes by the owner of Magnolia Bakery" by Allysa Torey (Wiley, $29.95).
4 tbsp. (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for pan
1 c. (about 1 medium) chopped yellow onion
1 c. chopped celery
1/4 c. freshly chopped chives
1 tbsp. fresh chopped sage
1 tbsp. freshly chopped thyme
1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
4 c. coarsely crumbled corn muffins (about 8 to 12 from your favorite recipe, or from a muffin mix such as Jiffy), left out, uncovered, at least overnight, to dry
2 c. cubed white bread, left out, uncovered, at least overnight, to dry
1 1/2 c. (about 2 medium) peeled, cored and chopped Granny Smith apples
1 c. coarsely chopped pecans (see Note)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 1/2 c. chicken or turkey stock
Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter bottom and sides of a 2-quart baking dish.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 4 tablespoons butter. Add onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add celery and continue cooking for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and stir in chives, sage, thyme, salt and pepper. Transfer mixture to a large bowl and allow to come to room temperature. Add crumbled corn muffins, cubed bread, apples and pecans and lightly toss. Add eggs and chicken (or turkey) stock and toss until just combined.
Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes. Remove aluminum foil, rotate pan and bake until golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve.
Best cranberry relish ever
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: November 23, 2012 - 11:12 AM
My favorite cranberry relish couldn't be easier: Grind up fresh, uncooked berries in a blender or food processor. Add some sugar and the zest of an orange, lemon or both. Then let it sit for a spell. Fabulous. And beautiful. The berries remind me of jewels. It's a terrific sandwich topper the next day, too. You can find this recipe -- and many others suited for the big day -- in the Taste cookbook, "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining Wtih Seasonal Menus."
EASY CRANBERRY RELISH
Makes about 3 cups.
Note: Every menu needs an easy dish. From "Come One, Come All/ Easy Entertaining With Seasonal Menus," by Lee Svitak Dean.
• 1 (12 oz.) pkg. fresh cranberries
• 1 1/2 c. sugar, or to taste
• Zest from 1 orange or 1 lemon (or from both for extra flavor)
Directions
In a food processor or blender, coarsely chop the cranberries.
In a large bowl, toss berries and sugar together. Add zest to cranberries; stir. Refrigerate for 6 to 8 hours or overnight to let flavors blend. Stir again before serving.
Best-of-the-best holiday cookies
Posted by: Lee Svitak Dean Updated: November 20, 2012 - 12:39 PM
Photos by Lee Svitak Dean
The Taste section of the Star Tribune has held its annual holiday cookie contest for the past decade, resulting in 10 winning recipes that have pleased bakers and appeared on holiday cookie platters for years.
In celebration of our 10th contest, we thought it would be fun to put the top 10 recipes to the test by having four local experts -- pastry chefs -- offer their thoughts on the recipes.
Steve Horton of Rustica bakery, Adrienne Odom of Parasole Restaurants, Diane Yang of La Belle Vie and Stephanie Schwandt of D'Amico Kitchen, pictured above, did just that as staff photographer Tom Wallace, also pictured, recorded the occasion. Find out which were the top three cookies next week (Nov. 29) in the Taste section, along with the winning recipes from this year's contest.
All the winners and finalists from the past decade will be available in the NEW e-book from the Star Tribune. "The Cookie Book" will be available on amazon.com and iTunes (and more) on Nov. 29 for $2.99.
Tweaking the Toll House formula
Posted by: Rick Nelson Updated: September 27, 2012 - 10:11 AM
Does this ever happen to you? A food-porn image leaps off the pages of a magazine and imbeds itself into your cortex. Before you know it, you're scrupulously following the recipe's every word, and each step in the process is raising expectations and appetites. Yet despite your best efforts, the finished product isn't a twin of the one published in the magazine. It's more like a second cousin, from the ugly side of the family.
My latest tragic disconnect between newsstand fantasy and kitchen reality originated with the (phenomenal) new issue of Saveur. To celebrate the magazine's 150th issue, Team Saveur gathered 150 classic recipes, squeezing 101 into print, and diverting the balance to the magazine's website and digital edition. Even a cursory spin through this keeper of an issue reveals an eclectic, never-ending parade of one I-wanna-make-that dish after another.
Leave it to my sweet tooth, which never met a chocolate chip cookie that it didn't totally crush on, to stop dead in its tracks on page 76. And the more I read, the more I liked. What a cool idea: Rather than balling and dropping the dough to form cookies, this recipe, borrowing puff pasty principles, rolls out the dough and layers it. Three layers, to be exact, alternating with several handfuls of chopped bittersweet chocolate. A two-inch biscuit cutter does the rest of the work. What really caught my eye is how the tops of the cookies in the magazine's version appear to have had a puffy outer layer that collapsed, almost like another favorite cookie of mine, the meringue.
Here's how mine turned out. Not bad looking, right? But not quite as stunning as the beauties that emerged from the mighty Saveur test kitchen in midtown Manhattan (which, by the way, is the real-life version of the handsome, lavishly equipped facility that exists in the fantasies of most home cooks).
One possible explanation for the difference in appearance (besides my own baking cluelessness, of course): Saveur's recipe leaves out a finishing touch, or author Sarah Copeland skipped it in the version she sent to Saveur World Headquarters: Just before baking the cookies, Copeland brushes the tops with a beaten egg and sprinkles each cookie with a few grains of fleur de sel (find the details here).
By the way, when it comes to both flavor and texture, this recipe garners nothing but praise. The crackled tops -- a golden, chocolate-pocked cousin to the molasses crinkle -- create an enticingly crunchy outer shell that gives way to a tender, exceedingly rich center. Another welcome touch: The teasingly salty kick, which plays nicely against all that bittersweet chocolate. In the end, I didn't really care that they didn't mirror the magazine's version, because on every other level, they were a phenomenal chocolate chip cookie. The results were so impressive that the spoon-and-drop method now seems like a last-resort alternative.
Here's a peek at the cutting-out-the-dough stage. It's a soft dough, so it's best to work quickly, while the dough remains chilled and relatively firm. The good news is that they're a free-form cookie, so nothing about this process requires an exacting technique.
Ok, I'll admit: The disparity between Saveur's outcome and mine was bugging me, so I baked them again this morning, only this time I included the egg wash.
Glossy tops, yes. But still, nothing that comes close to resembling the image in the magazine. Not that it matters, because Saveur has just handed me my new go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. Who cares what they look like? These things are amazing.
Oh, and I've decided that I prefer them deeply brown, a la the extraordinary chocolate chip cookies at Rustica. I'm also following the sage advice that Salty Tart baker/owner/quote machine Michelle Gayer doled out at a bread-baking contest last weekend at the Mill City Farmers Market. "Do you guys know that color means flavor?" she said. "Don't be afraid of the brown. Put it back in the oven."
Will do.
SAVEUR’S CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES
Makes about 2 dozen cookies.
Note: This recipe must be prepared in advance. From the October 2012 issue of Saveur magazine; contributed by Sarah Copeland, author of “The Newlywed Cookbook” (Chronicle Books).“The beauty of making classic Toll House cookies is discovering how malleable the recipe can be," wrote Copeland. "Once I’d learned that layering sheets of butter into dough makes puff pastry irresistibly flaky and rich, I resolved to create a chocolate chip cookie with equal textural appeal. I tried layering pieces of chocolate into cookie dough in a similar style, and I was delighted with the results: crisp around the edges, moist and tender inside, and so marbled that every bite contained the consummate balance of sweet dough, melting bittersweet chocolate, and crystalline salt.”
2 ¼ c. flour, plus extra for rolling dough
¾ tsp. baking soda
¾ tsp. kosher salt
1 c. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ c. packed dark brown sugar
¾ c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 egg yolks
9 oz. bittersweet chocolate, roughly chopped
1 egg, beaten (optional)
Sea salt (optional)
Directions
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda and salt. In a bowl of an electric mixer on medium-high speed, combine butter, brown sugar, granulated sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add yolks, two at a time, beating well after each addition. Reduce speed to low and add flour mixture, beating until just combined. Transfer dough to a work surface and divide into three equal pieces. Flatten each piece into a 4x6-inch rectangle; wrap in plastic wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line baking sheets with parchment paper. Lightly flour a work surface. Place one dough rectangle on prepared work surface and sprinkle with half the chocolate. Top with another rectangle, sprinkle remaining chocolate and cover with last rectangle. Using a floured rolling pin, flatten stacked rectangles into a 9x6-inch rectangle that is 1 ½ inches thick. Using a 2-inch round cutter, cut out cookies and transfer to prepared baking sheets, spacing cookies 3 inches apart. Gather scraps, reroll into a 1 ½-inch thick disk and cut out more cookies, repeating until no dough remains. (At this point, you can brush the tops of the cookies with a beaten egg, and sprinkle a few grains of sea salt on each cookie). Bake, rotating baking sheets halfway through baking, until cookies are lightly browned and set, about 15 minutes. Remove from oven, cool 2 minutes then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Making the most of heirloom tomatoes
Posted by: Rick Nelson Updated: September 4, 2012 - 9:34 AM
Locally raised heirloom tomatoes, in all their colorful glory, are pouring into farmers markets and stores, including my go-to grocer, the Seward Co-op. I'm finding it impossible to walk through the store's produce section and not buy them. That's exactly what happened to me yesterday, and when I got home I remembered a recipe from former Chet's Taverna chef (and now Three Sons Meats Co. owner) Mike Phillips, from a story published in Taste in 2003.
I made it for dinner last night (modifying it slightly, see below), and yes, it was every bit as lovely as I remembered; the tomatoes' color and flavor really shine, enhanced by a tomato-fortified vinaigrette and tons of basil. "You don't need to do a whole lot with tomatoes," is what Phillips said in the story. "They're so good on their own that you don't want to mess them up too much. Personally, I like to do what my grandma would do, which is make a tomato sandwich, just sliced tomatoes and mayonnaise on toast."
Same here. But I'll also be making this salad again in the coming weeks. It's too good to wait until next year's tomato season.
HEIRLOOM TOMATO SALAD WITH GREENS AND CROUTONS
Serves 4.
From Mike Phillips, formerly of Chet's Taverna in St. Paul.
1/4 loaf crusty bread
1 clove garlic
6 to 10 different heirloom tomatoes
1/2 c. extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for garnish
2 tbsp. plus 2 tsp. cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 c. micro greens or baby greens
20 medium-size basil leaves
Directions
Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Break bread into bite-size pieces, place on a baking sheet and bake until lightly brown, 8 to 12 minutes. Remove from oven, cool slightly, rub with garlic and reserve.
In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, quickly sear all sides of a large tomato, charring the outside without cooking the tomato too much. Cool tomato, then core and seed and puree in a blender.
In a medium bowl, whisk tomato puree with olive oil and cider vinegar, season with salt and pepper to taste and reserve. In a large bowl, toss greens, basil, croutons and 4 to 6 tablespoons of vinaigrette and divide among four plates. Slice (or halve, or quarter) tomatoes, depending upon size, and arrange on the four plates, mixing colors and sizes. Garnish with salt, pepper and a drizzle of olive oil.
ADVERTISEMENT
recent posts
- D'Amico Kitchen checking out of Le Meridien Chambers
- For last-minute shoppers of hard-to-please cooks
- Sunday supper: Corn bread stuffing
- The search for holiday cookie tins
- Best cranberry relish ever
- Thanksgiving facts: calories, turkeys, cranberries and more
- A farmers market Thanksgiving
- (Really) last-minute Thanksgiving shopping options
- Best-of-the-best holiday cookies
- The most brutal restaurant review ever
- Charlie Awards winners announced
- Fitger's alters expansion plans
- Cookie contest: We tested, we tasted, we judged.
- Papaya tree mystery at the White House
- The next James Beard Award winners
- A 24-hour Madison eat-a-thon
- Now that's a pie
- Casting auditions for MasterChef
Post By Category
ADVERTISEMENT
inside the StarTribune
-
425 Portland Av. S.
Minneapolis, MN 55488
(612) 673-4000
- Company
- Subscriber Services
- Website
- Buy Ads
- Store
- Connect with Us
© 2013 StarTribune. All rights reserved.
StarTribune.com is powered by Limelight Networks
Newspaper Subscriptions
eEdition
RSS
Newsletters