Spork or Foon?

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Mixed Berry Compote

Ok, OK, I know we all want to be healthy right now, but would you look at that? And Valentine's Day is a few weeks away, so we all know we're just going to start indulging again, so let's start now. 

Man, I am the worst influence ever. 

I love me some cheesecake. Smooth, creamy, sumptuous. I know that berries are out of season, but I brought them back into season by putting a pinch of all-spice in the compote, making these feel nice and wintery. 

Oh man. Would you look at that? I don't mean to toot my own horn, but wow. My mouth is watering just thinking about the wonders of this cheesecake. 

Obviously, this isn't supposed to happen. It looks more like a souffle than a cheesecake. It still makes me want to faceplant right into this. 

Is it time to break our New Years diets yet? No? Too soon?

Vanilla Bean Cheesecake with Spiced Berry Compote

Vanilla bean Cheesecake Recipe adapted from Joy of Baking

Filling:

32 ounces cream cheese, room temperature(use full fat, not reduced or fat free cream cheese)

1 cup granulated white sugar

3 tablespoons all purpose flour

5 large eggs, room temperature

1/3 cup (80 ml) heavy whipping cream (double cream)

1 tablespoon lemon zest

2 vanilla beans

Crust:

2 cups graham cracker crumbs 

 1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp cinnamon

Grease, or spray with Pam, a 9 inch (23 cm) springform pan. Wrap the outside of the pan with aluminum foil. Place the springform pan on a larger baking pan to catch any leakage while the cheesecake is baking. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (177 degrees C) with rack in center of oven.

For Crust: In a medium sized bowl combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter. Press the crumbs evenly over the bottom and about 1 inch (2.5 cm) up the sides of the springform pan, Cover and refrigerate while you make the filling

For Filling: In bowl of your electric mixer place the cream cheese, sugar, and flour. Beat on medium speed until smooth (about 2 minutes), scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well (about 30 seconds) after each addition.Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the whipping cream, lemon zest, and beat until incorporated. Split open your vanilla beans and scrape out the seeds and guts inside the bean. lRemove the crust from the refrigerator and pour in the filling. Place the cheesecake pan a larger baking pan and place in the oven.

Bake for 15 minutes and then lower the oven temperature to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C) and continue to bake for about another 60 -90 minutesor until firm and only the center of the cheesecake looks a little wet and wobbly. (The baking time can vary due to the differences in ovens, so make sure to check that the cheesecake is firm with only the center being a little wet and wobbly.) Remove from oven and place on a wire rack.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl combine the sour cream, sugar, and vanilla extract. Spread the topping over the warm cheesecake and return to oven to bake for 15 more minutes.  Remove from oven and carefully run a knife or spatula around the inside edge of pan to loosen the cheesecake (helps prevent the surface from cracking as it cools).

Let cool completely before covering with plastic wrap. Refrigerate several hours, preferably overnight. Top with compote

Spiced Berry Compote

1 cup blueberries

1 cup raspberries

1 cup blackberries

1 lemon

Select about 1/2 cup of the a mixture of the berries  and set aside. These will be added raw to the cooked compote; set aside.

Place the remaining berries in  a medium saucepan.

Use a fine grater or a Microplane to zest the lemon. Add 1 teaspoon of the zest to the pan. Squeeze 1 tablespoon of juice from the lemon and add to the pan. Add the sugar and stir to coat the fruit.

Place the pan over medium-high heat and cook, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. By the time the sugar has dissolved, the fruit will have released a lot of juice. Boil for about 4 minutes to reduce the liquid somewhat, then reduce the heat and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the rhubarb is soft. Don’t worry if some of the rhubarb falls apart.

Remove from the heat and stir in the reserved berries. Cool to room temperature, then refrigerate in a covered container until cold. (This makes about 4 cups of compote, but the extra will keep for a couple of weeks and is delicious for breakfast with some greek yogurt.

Get more deliciousness at Almond Cake with Strawberry-Rhubarb Compote Recipe | Leite's Culinaria

 

Sea Urchin (Uni) Pasta

I LOVE UNI. 

Love it. Can drink it with a straw. I know it really freaks some people out, but honestly NOMNOMNOM to Uni.

Jack and I hae been talking about making this dish ever since we saw Anthony Bourdain eat it on No Reservations in the Food Porn episode. Sexy Eric Ripert, Chef extraordinaire of Le Bernadin created this dish that actually isn't on the menu and apparently costs a fortune. 

Since that day, Jack and I swore that we would find Uni and make an uni pasta. A few weeks back, we dined at Marea, a phenomenal seafood restaurant in Manhattan helmed by Chef Michael White, who also had a sea urchin pasta. It may be the single best plate of pasta I have ever eaten. 

The next day, we were online looking for Sea Urchin. Luckily, Citerally, the supermarket around the corner from our apartment, sold it. In we went, and man, did we give those fishmongers (love that word) a run for their money. We had NO IDEA what actually was in those spiny little shells. They told us "Four or five strips of uni." OK, but what's a strip? How much does it weigh. We were informed that each only weight about 1/2 an ounce. 

So we bought 20. Wiped them clean. That's how we do it. 

I was so excited to open up the pretty box they put them in to find this. 

 I was tempted to eat it straight, but I refrained. Jack found a video in Italian of a woman making Uni pasta, so I just followed her directions. Saute lots of garlic, add parsley, add uni, serve. 

Done and done. 

The sauce was rich and creamy and delicious. We topped it with some grilled jumbo shrimp (I wish I could call them prawns. It sounds so much more elegant.) and enjoyed our pasta. 

I must say, though, that I smacked my head and realized how much of an idiot I am, because I have the Le Bernadin cookbook with the recipe for Eric Ripert's Sea Urchin pasta. 

Looks like it's back to the store to wipe them out of urchin once again. 

Sea Urchin Pasta with Grilled Shrimp

serves 4

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons shallots, minced (about 2)
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine
• 1/2 cup chicken stock
• 4 ounces sea urchin (12 to 18 whole urchins)
• 1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Salt and ground black pepper to taste
• 1/2 pound large shrimp
• 1 box bucatini (or other thick pasta)

Directions

Set water in a pot over medium high heat to boil. Sprinkle water with salt. When boiling, cook the pasta to al dente (follow cooking time recommendation on package)

In a 9-inch saute pan over medium-high heat sweat shallots, garlic, hot pepper and oregano in the olive oil. About 2 minutes, until limp. Add wine and chicken stock, reduce this by half. Add sea urchin, cooking for 30 seconds. Whisk in butter, chunk at a time, breaking up urchins as you mix. Add parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add lobster at the last minute. Toss in sauce, and the pour over bucatini. Toss with spaghetti. 

The Perfect Omelette

One thing I love to do when I am watching what I am eating (more than usual), is make unique, healthy omelets. It keeps my meals interesting and keeps me from being bored of any monotonous routines. Because when a food routine gets monotonous, I start thinking about cheeseburgers. And chocolate. And cookies. And pizza. And a bagel. 

Seriously. It has to stop. 

I personally don't like going out to eat for breakfast, because I find that most breakfasts served at restaurants are crap. If you know how to make an omelet at home, why pay $20 to get someone else to make an omelet for you?   Seriously! When did breakfast get to be $20???? 

I adapted this recipe from Ina Garten, because, seriously, I get a kick out of Ina Garten. She makes me feel calm. Paula Deen makes me want to drink butter, Ina Garten makes me want to take a nap in a farmers market. I love listening to her say things in French (like when she says Endive, she says En-deeve) and talk about Jeffrey. 

I've learned a lot from Ina about the art of cooking eggs. And it is an art. Did you know that the folds in a chefs toque represent the 100 ways a chef should know how to make an egg? I'm not kidding!  100 ways! 

The key to omelet making is to keep your stove over medium-low heat and let the eggs cook slowly. Also, beat the eggs very well before putting them in a pan, allowing them to get nice and fluffy.

Herb Omelette adapted from Ina Garten 

• 1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1/2 tablespoon medium chopped fresh chervil
• 3/4 tablespoon thin sliced fresh chives
• 1 extra-large eggs
• 2 extra-large large egg whites
• 2 tablespoons milk
• Pinch kosher salt
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 2 ounces plain goat cheese or cream cheese 

Combine the parsley, chervil and chives in a small bowl and set aside.

Break the eggs into a small bowl, and then add the milk, 2 tablespoons Fines Herbs, salt and pepper and whisk with a fork.

Preheat an 8-inch nonstick saute pan over medium hot heat and swirl the olive oil into the pan. Pour in the egg mixture and swirl it in the pan. For a few seconds, gently stir the egg mixture with a heat resistant rubber spatula (as if you were going to make scrambled eggs) and then swirl the eggs in the pan to make a nice round appearance. Reduce the heat to avoid any color or scorching. Continue cooking for about 1 minute. The eggs will be set on the bottom, but slightly liquid on top.

Flip the omelet, and remove it from the heat. Crumble the goat  or cream cheese over the center of the omelet. Tri-fold the omelet and plate immediately.

 

French Laundry Duck Roulade

Can we just talk for a second about the fact that Jack made this?

Jack. My fiance. The one who used to cook but refuses to cook anymore because he says that I am such a good cook that why should he cook?

The same Jack that, when he cooks for himself, he won't make any extra for me because I won't eat what he makes (it's true. It's pasta or something and I try to avoid pasta unless they are awesome, because I have a slow metabolism). But yet he'll get so mad at me when I ask for a bite because Jack doesn't share food?

Can we just talk about how impressive that is?

This is a dish from the French Laundry Cookbook and it is, in a word, divine. Duck is wrapped with greens, placed in a wonderful broth of  cream, corn and chives and topped with tender mushrooms. 

Jack needs to cook more. 

Duck Roulade - Adapted from The French Laundry Cookbook

Serves 4

• 1 whole duck breast
• Salt
• Black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon allspice
• 4-5 large chard leaves
• 6-10 fresh shiitake mushrooms
• 4 tablespoons butter
• 1/2 cup duck demi-glace
• 1 minced shallot
• 1 tablespoon minced chives 
• 1 tablespoon minced parsley
• 1/2 pound  potatoes
• 1/4 cup cream

1. Blanch the chard or cabbage leaves in a large pot of salty boiling water for 3-4 minutes. Pull them out and plunge them into a large bowl of ice water. Let them cool a few minutes and drain on a clean cloth towel.
2. Make the roulade. Trim the duck breasts of all sinew and skin and veins, then put them between two pieces of wax paper. Gently pound the thicker end of the breast with a meat mallet or empty wine bottle until it is about the same thickness as the skinny end of the breast.
3. Peel and chop the potatoes into large pieces. Boil in lightly salted water. 
4. Trim the edges of the breasts to get a rectangular shape. Generously salt and pepper them, then sprinkle on the allspice.
5. Lay out the cabbage or chard leaves on a cutting board and remove the ribs with a sharp knife.
6. Pull out a piece of plastic wrap about 15-20 inches long and lay it flat on a counter.
7. Lay out the chard leaf flat on another part of the counter. You want pieces large enough to wrap a rolled duck breast in one layer. If your leaves are too small, overlap them. This will make rolling a little harder, but you can still do it.
8. Tightly roll the duck breast lengthwise into a long cylinder. Place it on the chard leaf, then gently roll the leaf around the breast. Make sure it goes all the way around.
9. Pick up the roll gently and place it — seam side down — on the plastic wrap in a spot that is closer to you than the center of the wrap. Tightly roll the plastic wrap around the roulade.
10. To seal, twist one end of the wrap away from you until that end of the roulade is tightly sealed. Twist the opposite end of the plastic wrap toward you. Tie the ends of the wrap together over the center of the roulade. If you want, you can make these roulades several hours in advance and keep them in the fridge.
11. To assemble the dish, make sure your mashed potatoes, scorzonera or parsnips are done. Basically you cook them until soft, mash them with a fork or potato masher, run them through a ricer or food mill if you want a finer texture, then mix in 2 tablespoons butter and the cream. Taste for salt and add if needed. Keep warm on very low heat.
12. Now poach the duck. Get a saute pan with high sides, or a pot large enough to fit the roulades, and put enough water in to submerge them. Bring it to a bare simmer, about 190 degrees. Turn off the heat and drop the roulades in — the water will still be hot enough to poach them. Leave them in the water for 10 minutes.
13. Meanwhile, make the shiitake and sauce. Heat the demi-glace in a small pot until it steams.
14. Get a saute pan hot over high heat. Add the fresh mushrooms and dry-saute them until they release their water, stirring often. When most of the mushrooms’ water is gone, add a pinch of salt, the remaining butter and shallot and saute for 2-3 minutes.
15. Add half the demi-glace and let it boil down to almost a glaze.
16. Remove the roulades from the poaching water and gently take off the plastic wrap. Using your sharpest knife, slice them into stout cylinders. In a shallow bowls, pour in little pools of the remaining demi-glace, then top with a dollop of the mashed scorzonera. Place a piece of the roulade on top.
17. Mix in the parsley and garlic chives into the mushrooms, and place a little on top of the roulade. Serve at once.

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta

This may be one of the most fun dishes to eat. I think anything that gives you an excuse to just tear into it with your hands is worthy of making. Tomatoes are simmer with chickpeas and sprinkled with feta, and then topped with eggs and baked in an oven. 

And then, you feast. no plating. No cutlery. Just your hands, and food. How it was always meant to be. 

This dish is healthy and so incredibly delicious. I honestly don't believe that healthy food has to be boring. You don't need to eat steamed chicken and asparagus every day. You can play around. You can have FLAVOR! Flavor is ok! 

Poached Eggs in Tomato Sauce with Chickpeas and Feta adapted from Bon Appetit

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 medium onion, finely chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 jalapeños, seeded, finely chopped
• 1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained
• 3 teaspoons Hungarian sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, crushed by hand, juices reserved
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup coarsely crumbled feta
• 8 large eggs
• 1 tablespoon chopped flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro
• Warm pita bread

Preparation

Preheat oven to 425°. Heat oil in a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic, and jalapeños; cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 8 minutes. Add chickpeas, paprika, red pepper flakes (optional) and cumin and cook for 2 minutes longer.

 Add crushed tomatoes and their juices. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Sprinkle feta evenly over sauce. Crack eggs one at a time and place over sauce, spacing evenly apart. Transfer skillet to oven and bake until whites are just set but yolks are still runny, 5–8 minutes. Garnish with parsley and cilantro. Serve with pita for dipping.

 

 

Steamed Sole with Butternut Squash Sauce and Rock Shrimp

Happy New Year!  To start the New Year off right, let's start off with a healthy recipe, shall we?

After all of the holiday indulgences, it's time to lighten up with this incredible, so-good-I-can't-believe-it-doesn't-have-cream-or-butter dish.  Harold Dieterle, the winner of Top Chef Season 1 actually won the 1st Top Chef Challenge ever.  The challenge of the episode, titled "Who Deserves to Be Here", was to basically cook a fantastic meal to serve to your peers.  Harold won with this dish - a steamed Thai Snapper atop braised Brussel sprout leaves and a butternut squash puree topped with chanterelle mushrooms and rock shrimp.

I made this dish a few years back (please click here and laugh at the photo) and forgot how good it was.  I revisted it a little bit - changing out the snapper for sole (whenever I get snapper, it is filled with bones. I'm not sure why. I'm not a fishmonger (I love that word, I use it whenever I get the chance), actually found Rock Shrimp (and WOW are they flavorful), and omitted the chanterelle mushrooms, which I can never find fresh. 

This dish is a snap (get it? snap? Snapper?... Anyone?) to throw together and it is so incredibly satisfying. When I say that you won't believe that it is healthy, I'm not kidding. The sauce is rich and thick and bursting with the rich, sweet flavor of butternut squash. 

Steamed Sole adapted from Top Chef Season 1: Episode One

Serves 4

4 fillets Lemon Sole

Sauce:
1 butternut squash
1 cup chicken broth
2 piece garlic
2 shallots

 Vegetables:

1 cup brussels sprouts leaves
2  oz. rock Shrimp
2 teaspoon chives 
2 teaspoon parsley

Extra Virgin Olive Oil 

Kosher Salt and Freshly Ground Black Pepper to taste.

Directions:

Skin and dice butternut squash for 15 minutes at 375°. 

Sweat garlic and shallots in 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-low heat while butternut squash is roasting. When squash is done, add squash meat. Cover with chicken stock and simmer 10 minutes. Let cool and then transfer to a blender and blend until smooth.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Peel brussel sprout leaves (from fresh brussel sprouts) from bulbs. Sweat leaves in 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium low heat until golden brown, add shrimp. Cook 2 minutes. Add parsley and chives.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Season sole with salt and pepper.  Steam sole for 5 minutes. 

Homemade Southern Gravy

OK I know that the holidays are almost over and really, so in my last little bit of indulgence, I give you homemade Southern Gravy. 

Actually, I'm not going to lie. I don't know if this gravy is southern. It's probably not. But I don't care, I'm calling it southern because it sounds so much more homey and delicious. 

Now, I am not Southern. Not by any means. I live in Manhattan, I don't do well in nature situations, I often forget what stars look like, and I haven't smelled fresh air in years. I am a Northern city girl through and through. 

But I will say, I love the South. I love the accents. The people are so friendly (seriously, I sometimes have to remind myself when I am in the South that when someone smiles at me, it is because they are being nice, not because something is wrong with their face.). And the food. Well, the food is just something out of this world. The best pancakes I ever ate were at a Pancake House in South Carolina (near a Piggly Wigglys! Why don't we have fun supermarket names like that!). Tex Mex in Texas (although I think someone once told me never to call a Texan southern. Texans are Texans.) Ham in Virginia. Peach Cobbler in Atlanta. I could go on and on.

I tried my hand at gravy a few weeks back and it was one of those days where I ws making a million things and totally couldn't concentrate on one fully. So when I reached the step to add cornstach, I added baking powder. And I really wondered why the gravy started bubbling furiously and started to rise.  

Wow, I thought, this was some really strong cornstarch. 

After 10 minutes, the gravy wasn't thickening at all, so I checked my cornstarch to make sure it was still good. And then I realized that I put in baking powder. No wonder it started to rise. 

So instead, I just sifted some flour atop the gravy and it thickened up beautifully. 

So rich, creamy and delicious. Would go great with these real southern biscuits. Ya'll. 

Gravy:

• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped shallot
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 2 cups chicken stock
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons water
• 5 teaspoons flour, sifted
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Heat reserved 3 tablespoons fat in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add garlic, and shallot. Saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add wine to skillet. Boil until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 3 minutes. Add  2 cups stock. Bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer to reduce slightly, about 10 minutes.

Add cream to skillet. Mix 2 tablespoons water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth. Whisk into gravy. Continue to simmer until reduced to desired consistency, whisking occasionally, about 5 minutes. Mix in parsley. Season gravy to taste with salt and pepper.

 

 

Chicken Liver Pate` with Riesling Thyme Gelee

I saw this while reading Bon Appetit on a flight to Dallas the day after Thanksgiving and it never left my mind. Chicken Liver Pate with a Riesling Thyme Gelee?

I mean, really.

I'm a huge pate lover, much to the dismay of my waistline. I could shovel it into my mouth as if it was the last thing I was ever going to eat. Pate, Mousse, and chicken liver (like they serve on Passover). It's really disturbing. Nomnomnom. 

The only thing that stinks about making pate from scratch?

Actually having to touch the raw chicken liver. There are just some foods that you don't want to know what it looks like it it's uncooked, natural form.

Like octopus.

So I quickly seared the livers in a pan with thyme, shallots, and calvados and then I blended that thing to kingdom come, dropping in bits of butter and watching the pate get lighter and fluffier. And with every piece of butter I dropped in, I heard my waistline cry. 

But it's the holidays! Don't you love that excuse? (Unless you are Jillian and Bob from Biggest Loser). 

I poured the pate in a serving dish and then went on to make the Riesling gelee (the part that I was most excited about).

I'm not going to lie, whenever I have to use gelatin, I think I'm messing something up. It never "blooms" the way I think it should, but I guess I got it right, because the gelatin set up perfectly. 

And was VERY boozy. Just the way I like it. BOOZE! 

This was a huge hit. People flocked to it. Even non-pate eaters (huh?) found themselves having a taste. Because the flavor is so light and delicate and just wonderful. A huge, huge hit. Make this for your New Years Ever party for one last indulgent hurray for the holidays! Because come Monday, it's all about Jillian and Bob and The Biggest Loser Pentathalon (seriously that thing even scares me and I work out a lot). 

Chicken Liver Mousse with Riesling Thyme Gelee 

Adapted from Bon Appetit

Makes 3 cups

Mousse

• 1 pound chicken livers, cleaned
• 4 cups milk, divided
• 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, divided
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots
• 3 sprigs thyme
• 2 tablespoons Calvados (apple brandy)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Gelée and Toasts

• 1 tablespoon unflavored gelatin
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 3/4 cup sweet (Auslese) Riesling
• Fresh thyme sprigs or leaves (optional)
• 16 1/4"-thick slices white sandwich bread, each cut into 4 triangles
• Melted unsalted butter

• Special equipment

  Small (2–4-oz.) glass jars or bowls

Preparation

Mousse

Mellow the flavor of the chicken livers by placing them in a glass bowl with 2 cups milk. Cover; chill for 2 hours. Drain; discard milk. Return livers to same bowl, add the remaining 2 cups milk, cover, and chill for 2 more hours (or overnight). Drain; discard milk and rinse livers. Pat dry with paper towels.

Set a fine-mesh strainer over a medium bowl; set aside. Melt 2 Tbsp. butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add shallots and thyme and cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are very soft, about 10 minutes. Add livers, increase heat to medium, and cook, turning once, until livers are firm but still pink inside, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from heat and stir in Calvados. Return to heat; cook until Calvados is reduced by half, about 30 seconds. Discard thyme.

Transfer liver mixture to a food processor; add 2 tsp. salt and pepper. Process until smooth. With processor running, add remaining butter by tablespoonfuls until all butter is incorporated. Transfer mousse to prepared strainer. Using a rubber spatula, press mousse through strainer. Rinse and dry strainer, then strain mousse again, discarding solids in strainer. Divide among small jars. Chill until firm, 1–2 hours.

Gelée and Toasts

Place 1/4 cup water in a medium microwave-safe bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand until softened, about 10 minutes. Microwave gelatin mixture until gelatin dissolves and mixture becomes clear, about 30 seconds. Add sugar; stir until dissolved. Stir in wine. Spoon gelée over mousse in jars, forming a 1/4" layer (not all gelée may be used). Top each jar with thyme sprigs or leaves, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until gelée is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep chilled.

Spoon gelée over mousse in jars, forming a 1/4” layer (not all gelée may be used). Top each jar with thyme sprigs or leaves, if desired. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until gelée is set, about 1 hour. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 450°. Arrange bread triangles on a rimmed baking sheet. Brush with melted butter. Bake until golden brown, about 5 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.

Let mousse soften slightly at room temperature for 30 minutes before serving with toasts

 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Cashew Streusel and Toasted Marshmallows

I love this casserole. It is honestly a go-to every Christmas/Thanksgiving/Wednesday snack (ok maybe not Wednesday snack) for me and it is always a huge hit. 

The biggest compliment, I find, is when people say I don't like (insert ingredient here), but I really loved it with this dish. And that is what I typically hear when people eat this dish. Non-sweet potato lovers always find that this dish is not offensively sweet potato casseroley (I really have no idea what that means).  I know that some people don't like that syrupy sweet potato casserole that hits most tables, with the yams from a can topped with big, bulging marshmallows (I love it).  

Maybe it is the fresh sweet potatoes, baked to perfection and creamed with evaporated milk and fall/winter spices. Maybe it's the ooey gooey mini marshmallows that top it. Or the crispy, crunchy, sweet maple cashew streusel that also tops it. Maybe it's the combination of all three- the creamy, the rich, the crunchy, the fluffy, all melding together in one incredible bite of food that you just can't get enough of.

Yeah. That must be it. 

Sweet Potato Casserole with Cashew Streusel and Toasted Marshmallows

Adapted from Saveur

SERVES 8 – 10

• 4 lbs. sweet potatoes (about 5 potatoes)
• 1⁄2 cup evaporated milk
• 1⁄2 cup sugar
• 6 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
• 2 tsp. vanilla extract
• 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1⁄2 tsp. ground allspice
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 3⁄4 cup roasted salted cashews
• 1⁄2 cup light brown sugar
• 3 tbsp. flour
• 2 cups mini marshmallows

Heat oven to 400°. Place sweet potatoes on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet; bake until soft, about 1 1⁄2 hours. Let cool.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°. Peel potatoes; pass them through a food mill into a bowl. Whisk in evaporated milk, sugar, 4 tbsp. of the butter, vanilla extract, salt, allspice, and eggs. Transfer to a 2-qt. oval baking dish.

In a food processor, pulse together cashews, brown sugar, flour, and remaining 2 tbsp. of butter until coarsely ground. Crumble cashew mixture over half of casserole; top other half with marshmallows. Bake until marshmallows are golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Pulled Pork with Pimento Cheese and Jalapenos

This is a great little appetizer for any New Years Eve party. 

Listen. I know a lot of people who don't eat pork for whatever reason, and of course, I absolutely respect that. But for those of us who do, pork is like an idol. All hail pork. 

Two summers ago, Jack and I went to the Big Apple Barbeque down in Madison Square Park, where barbeque joints (I have to call it a joint, right? "Barbeque restaurant" just doesn't sound right) from all over come to serve their foods. Jack and I were schooled in the wonders of mixing pork and pimento cheese. I've never really had pimento cheese (not sure why not - maybe it's more popular in other areas?), but I couldn't stop eating this. Just right on top of plain saltine crackers. I mean, are you serious? 

I felt my life was changed. I needed to make this right away. Enjoy it and love it. Spread the love for all of the world to see. Pork! Cheese! Saltines! 

Ok maybe we won't get excited over Saltines, but I actually really love Saltine crackers. Almost as much as I love toast. Don't judge.

Topped with a little jalapeno pepper for spice, these are an all-out winner. 

Pulled Pork

2 lbs pork butt

2 Tbl chili powder

1 Tbl garlic powder

1 Tbl onion powder

Salt & Pepper

Water

8 oz pimento cheese

2 jalapenos

Saltines

For the Pork

Season and rub pork with spices, salt, and pepper. Put pork into a dutch oven with enough water to cover the pork.  Place on stove over medium high heat. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and cover. Let simmer for 2 hours, turning pork butt occassionally. When done, cool for 1 hour and then ull into bite-sized pieces. Discard liquid. 

Top saltines with a slice of pimento cheese, 1 tbsp pulled pork, and small slice jalapeno. Serve immediately.