Moveable Feasts

11.07.2011

Cranberry-Caramel Upside Down Cake and a Holiday Giveaway!

You'll find this such an easy cake to make for the holidays. And the color is amazing. The cake is light and the sweetness of the brown sugar offsets the tartness of the cranberries. The only suggestion I have is mentioned below in the bench note. The photo of the cake in the cookbook shows juice running down the sides. Very pretty. As you can see, mine didn't do that and it was because I took the cookbook's word for the pan size. Wrong. But still, it tasted wonderful even if my oven was a mess!
Bench note: The minute I added the batter to the cranberries, I suspected a normal cake pan would not be deep enough, so I put some foil under the pan to catch any overflow. Unfortunately, it still spilled over. My suggestion is to use a deeper than normal cake pan. That way, the juices will remain in the bottom and when you turn it out, they will run down the sides of the cake and not all over your oven.

Cranberry-Caramel Upside Down Cake
From The Perfect Finish by Bill Yosses and Melissa Clark

Ingredients:

2/3 cup packed light brown sugar

12 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1 tablespoon unsulphured molasses

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

3 large eggs, room temperature

1 cup sour cream

2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries

Method:

Preheat oven to 375. Grease a 9" cake pan with butter and cover the bottom with parchment paper, cut to size.

In a saucepan, combine the brown sugar, molasses, 4 tablespoons of the melted butter and 1/4 cup water. Bring to a boil, stir and pour into the cake pan.

Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt and set aside.

Beat the eggs and sour cream until well blended. Add the remaining butter and mix, scraping down the sides. Add the flour mixture and beat until smooth.

Add the cranberries to the cake pan, making certain they are evenly distributed and cover the syrup with no gaps. Pour the batter over the cranberries, smooth out with a spatula and bake for 45 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 15, then run a thin knife around the edges and invert the pan onto a serving dish.

Now for the Holiday Giveaway!
I have a bunch of adorable Christmas aprons. Vintage. Such fun! And you can keep them for yourself or share them with friends and family for holiday or hostess gifts. Most are halves, but two are full. Here's a photo of the 10 half aprons (on the right) and the 2 fulls:

I'll pick four winners and each winner will get three aprons. They are in excellent condition, but the taffeta one has a slight pull, barely noticeable. They are vintage, after all. So leave me a comment and if you want a second chance to win, become a follower. I'll draw the names on November 20th.
Be sure to leave an email address if it's not on your website! Sorry, U.S. only. :(

11.05.2011

Thanksgiving Dinner: Roasted Turkey Roulade

Last year I watched The Barefoot Contessa put together a Thanksgiving dinner, the main course being a turkey roulade. There were only three of us that year so I thought I'd try something other than a whole turkey. I couldn't remember what she did about gravy, so I made the one I've been making for years. You can find the recipe HERE (It's worth taking a look as it's partially made the day before, an amazing time saver.). I also served two cranberry sauces; I posted them HERE. Along with the turkey, I made Ina's Rosemary Roasted Potatoes. They were fabulous. I'll post that recipe next week, along with Mashed Rutabega and Crispy Shallots. And for the grand finale, I made my Pumpkin Flan.
After this dinner, there were some happy campers and the leftovers were terrific! I do love Ina, don't you?

Roasted Turkey Roulade
2008, Barefoot Contessa Back to Basics


Ingredients:
3/4 cup large-diced dried figs, stems removed
3/4 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup Calvados or brandy
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups diced onions (2 onions)
1 cup (1/2-inch-diced) celery (3 stalks)
3/4 pound pork sausage, casings removed (sweet and hot mixed)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
3 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted
3 cups herb-seasoned stuffing mix (recommended: Pepperidge Farm)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
1 extra-large egg, beaten
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 whole (2 halves) turkey breast, boned and butterflied (5 pounds)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions:
Place the dried figs and cranberries in a small pan and pour in the Calvados and 1/2 cup water. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, then lower the heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large (12-inch) skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and celery and saute until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, crumbling it into small bits with a fork, and saute, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until cooked and browned. Add the figs and cranberries with the liquid, the chopped rosemary, and pine nuts, and cook for 2 more minutes. Scrape up the brown bits with a wooden spoon.

Place the stuffing mix in a large bowl. Add the sausage mixture, chicken stock, egg, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and stir well. (The stuffing may be prepared ahead and stored in the refrigerator overnight.)

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Place a baking rack on a sheet pan.

Lay the butterflied turkey breast skin side down on a cutting board. Sprinkle the meat with 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper. Spread the stuffing in a 1/2-inch-thick layer over the meat, leaving a half-inch border on all sides. Don't mound the stuffing or the turkey will be difficult to roll. (Place the leftover stuffing in a buttered gratin dish and bake for the last 45 minutes of roasting alongside the turkey.) Starting at 1 end, roll the turkey like a jelly roll and tuck in any stuffing that tries to escape on the sides. Tie the roast firmly with kitchen twine every 2 inches to make a compact cylinder.

Place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down on the rack on the sheet pan. Brush with the melted butter, sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, and roast for 1 3/4 to 2 hours, until an instant-read thermometer registers 150 degrees F in the center. (Test in a few places.) Cover the turkey with aluminum foil and allow it to rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before carving.

11.04.2011

50 Women Game Changers in Food: #22, Amanda Hesser

Amanda grew up in a family where everyone cooked so it was something that came naturally. While in college getting a degree in economics and finance, she realized she still needed food to be part of her life. She took a job at Michaela's Bakery in Cambridge (now called Rialto) and after graduating from college, ended up With a grant from Les Dames d'Escoffier, working in bakeries and restaurants in Germany, Switzerland, Italy and France.

While in France, Amanda worked for Anne Willan (#27 on our list of game changers and the founder of Ecole de Cuisine LaVar), living in her house and helping her write cookbooks. During this time, Hesser's writings began to appear in newspapers and magazines. There was a gardener at Anne's house she befriended which gave her the idea to write her first book, The Cook and The Gardener and she returned to the states and finished the book.

Following publication, Hesser was hired as a food reporter for The New York Times. Since, she has written the award-winning books Cooking for Mr. Latte (really a memoir about her courtship with her husband Tad Friend) and edited the essay collection, Eat, Memory. Then came a New York Times bestseller (which took 5 years to test and write) and the winner of a James Beard award: The Essential New York Times Cookbook, which Merrill Stubbs, chef and food writer, assisted in writing.

During the entire time Amanda and Merrill were cooking and writing the Essential New York Times Cookbook, they had conversations about what was happening on line and how wonderful it would be to crowd source recipes. They decided to do an experiment and create a contest for the best 52 recipes of the year by the week. (Hence the name Food52) Amanda and Merrill have created a real business with the best home chefs across America under the umbrella of Food52. They recently published The Food52 Cookbook.

Amanda and her husband live in Brooklyn with their twins, Walker and Addie.

I've already posted a fabulous Hesser recipe...Lemon Chicken....and had been tempted by a photo of her mac and cheese I'd seen around the same time. This post finally gave me an excuse to make it. Wow. The calories. But it was the best (and simplest) mac and cheese I've ever eaten, especially if you love it crunchy around the edges the way I do. :)

Amanda Hesser's Baking Sheet Mac and Cheese

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons butter
12 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
12 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated
1 pound pasta spirals (or other small shape)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
Salt
2/3 cup whole milk

Method:
Heat oven to 475 degrees. Use one tablespoon butter to thickly grease a 11-by-17-inch rimmed baking sheet. Combine the grated cheeses and set aside 2 heaping cups for topping.

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook for 6 minutes. Drain.
In a large bowl, toss together the pasta, cheeses, cayenne and salt to taste. Spread the mixture in the baking sheet and evenly pour the milk over the surface. Sprinkle the reserved cheese on top, dot with the remaining butter ( I didn't use this extra butter on top...insult to injury) and bake, uncovered, until golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.