Savory Whipped Squash
Serves 8
Ingredients
4 cups roasted or steamed winter Squash (butternut, acorn, pumpkin or other winter variety) See cooking note
2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
2 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
¼ cup heavy cream, half and half or whole milk
Chopped flat leaf parsley for garnish, optional
Coarse salt and ground pepper
In a large nonstick skillet, melt butter over medium. Add shallots and garlic and cook until softened and beginning to caramelize, 8-12 minutes. Stir in thyme and rosemary and cook until fragrant, 1 minute. Add squash and toss to combine. Cook until warmed through. Stir in parsley and Parmesan and season with salt and pepper. Add heavy cream. Pulse with an immersion blender until light and fluffy. Garnish with parsley or other chopped herbs if desired.
Note on peeling & cooking squash:
Cut the bottom and top off with a very sharp knife. Use a good vegetable peeler to take all of the exterior skin off. Cut the vegetables in half and scoop out any seeds in the cavity. Set seeds aside if you choose to roast them. Cut into large 2 inch pieces, shape is not important but you don’t want huge pieces.
Steam: Use your stovetop steamer, microwave steamer, or instant pot, the time will vary. You can check stovetop or microwave after 8 minutes or so by inserting a sharp knife and if it is easy with no force then it is done. Instant pot needs a steaming rack or basket and is 4 minutes on high pressure, 5 minute natural release.
Roasting: You can leave the skin on (remove the seeds) for roasting or peel and cut as in the steaming method. On a roasting pan drizzle a little vegetable oil and place the squash cut side down and roast in a 400 °F oven for 40-60 minutes depending on the size. Check for doneness by inserting a knife, with no force and if it is easy then your squash is done. Remove from oven and scoop out the interior flesh for use.
Sausage and Pear Stuffing
Fills one 9x13 casserole dish
Ingredients
Vegetable cooking spray
4 ounces white country bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes (3 cups)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped celery
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1 Anjou pear, peeled and finely chopped
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons chicken broth (more as needed)
Preheat the oven to 350°. Grease a 9x13 casserole dish with cooking spray.
On a baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons of the oil; season with salt and pepper. Bake for about 10 minutes, until toasted. Transfer the croutons to a bowl.
Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt the butter in the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil. Add the onion and celery and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, garlic and sage and cook, stirring and breaking up the meat, until no trace of pink remains, 5 minutes. Mix the sausage, pear, eggs and broth into the croutons; season with salt and pepper. Let stand for 5 minutes. If stuffing is still dry, add more broth, one tablespoon at a time.
Pack the stuffing into the prepared dish and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden. Transfer to a rack and let stand for 5 minutes. Serve warm. Do not store in the refrigerator until the stuffing has cooled down to room temperature. Before returning to the oven to reheat, pour about ¼ cup of chicken broth over the stuffing to keep it moist.
Quick Dinner Rolls
Makes 24
Adapted from King Arthur Flour
Ingredients
1/2 cup lukewarm water
2 cups warm milk ( 100 - 110°F)
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons sugar
1 tablespoon salt
2 1/2 tablespoons yeast, instant preferred
6 to 7 cups King Arthur Unbleached All-Purpose Flour
Directions
In a large bowl combine the water, milk, butter, sugar, salt and yeast, or the bowl of your stand mixer. Stir well and let sit for 5 minutes, or until you see the yeast begin to bubble.
Add 5 cups of flour and mix by hand or with the paddle attachment until the dough forms a rough, shaggy mass. The dough will not form a ball at this point, but will be just shy of coming together.
Add flour, 1/2 cup at a time and blend with the dough hook until a smooth ball begins to form. Knead by hand for about 10 minutes, or by machine for 4 to 5 minutes until a soft, smooth ball of dough is formed. The dough should feel elastic and slightly tacky to the touch.
Lightly spray your work bowl with cooking spray and place the dough in the bowl. Spritz the top of the dough with spray as well and cover lightly with plastic wrap or a shower cap. Let rise for 20 minutes at room temperature or until the dough is full and puffy.
Gently deflate the dough by pushing into it with a clean hand and pat out to a rough rectangle about 8 inches by 12 inches. Cut the dough into 4 long strips, then cut each strip into 6 portions for a total of 24 dough balls. Shape into round balls, using your cupped hands to roll the dough. Spritz your hands with cooking spray to prevent sticking.
You can place the rolls into any of the following pans, well greased or lined with parchment paper: One half-sheet baking pan or 2 quarter-sheet pans. Two 13" x 9" x 2" pans. Four 8" or 9" round baking pans OR a combination of any of these pans.
After the rolls are in the pans, cover again with your plastic wrap and let rise at room temperature for another 20 to 25 minutes, or until well rounded and full looking. If you are baking now, preheat the oven to 350°F.
Bake the rolls for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and an internal thermometer reads 190°F. You can brush the baked rolls with melted butter if desired. Serve warm, store leftovers in a plastic bag for up to 3 days.
If you want to freeze the unbaked buns, place in the pans as described in step 6 and allow to rise for 10 minutes. Wrap airtight and freeze for up to 4 weeks. To bake, thaw overnight in the fridge, then unwrap and bake as directed.
Cranberry Relish
1 cup whole-berry cranberry sauce
2 Tbs. freshly grated or prepared horseradish
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Slider buns
To make the cranberry relish, in a small bowl, stir together the cranberry sauce, horseradish, lemon juice, cinnamon and cloves. Season with salt and pepper. Let the relish stand at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before using,
GLAZED APPLE HAND PIES
Makes 12
Butter Pastry Dough-
2 ⅓ cup King Arthur all purpose flour
½ teaspoon fine salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces unsalted butter, cold and cut into cubes
2 large eggs, beaten
Combine flour, salt, and baking powder in bowl of a food processor, pulse several times to mix. Add butter and pulse about 8-10 times. Add the eggs and pulse until a dough almost forms a ball Don’t overmix. Empty onto a work surface and press together into a ball. Divide in half and wrap into discs. Chill for 2 hours before rolling.
Apple filling
4-5 medium apples, peeled, cored and cut into 1” dice
Juice from ½ a lemon
2 tablespoons sugar
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the glaze:
½ cup icing sugar
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Directions
Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring almost constantly, until mixture starts to thicken – about 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for another 2 minutes before removing from heat. Transfer to a heatproof bowl and cool to room temperature.
Assembly and cooking:
Preheat the oven to 425°F. Place a rack on the middle shelf. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside until needed.
Roll the dough into a large round that’s about 1/8 of an inch thick. With a large round cutter, cut out about 10 3” rounds. Place rounds on prepared baking sheet. Fill the rounds with two tablespoons of the apple filling, then fold over each and cut a vent in the top of dough. Lightly brush the edges and tops of each pie and crimp the sides together using a small fork.
Bake the pies for 20 to 22 minutes, or until golden brown. While baking make the glaze by whisking icing sugar, zest and juice until smooth. Remove from the oven, and cool for at least 10 minutes before glazing. Serve warm or room temperature.
