Stuffing in a Bundt

“We must find time to stop and thank the people who make a difference in our lives.” John F Kennedy

Although I can roast a gorgeous herb turkey, for me Thanksgiving is all about the sides.  Stuffing and cranberry sauce are personal favorites.  Our family likes stuffing baked inside the bird.  When it comes out, it doesn’t look so pretty.  I saw a picture of stuffing baked inside a Bundt pan and thought I’d try it.  To make it, make your favorite stuffing as usual ( ours was a cornbread, sausage and apple stuffing) and save about 10 cups.  Whisk 4 large eggs in a cup of chicken or turkey broth and mix into your stuffing.  This will be the binder of the ingredients.  If it seems dry, add a little more broth.  Transfer to a generously buttered or oiled Bundt pan and press down with your hands to get a uniform density.  Bake at 350F, middle rack, uncovered,  for 25 minutes.  Invert on a platter and serve cut into slices.  Presentation dilemma solved!  This stuffing will command the attention at your Thanksgiving table, as it should!  This stuffing pleases both sides of the stuffing debate:  it is moist enough to please those who like the stuffing cooked inside the bird yet will appeal to those who swear by stuffing cooked outside the bird.  Great as a leftovers too.

One section of my stuffing broke off and had to be pieced back in, showcasing the importance of really greasing up the Bundt pan before baking the stuffing.  Sorry for the blurry picture!

I made the stuffing in a Bundt a second time with a leek-pecan-sausage-apple white bread stuffing using Uncle Ben’s stuffing mix. I made it a little drier this time.  It did not stick to the pan and was so beautiful on the Thanksgiving buffet table.

Coming out of the oven.

Inverted on the serving platter.

Show time!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Butternut Squash Keugel

A keugel is somewhat like a soufflé with a melt-in-your mouth texture.   It is a pillowy mixture of purée squash and eggs sweetened with a little brown sugar and some spices.  With just 4 main ingredients plus the spices it is so easy to throw together.  I made a version with the spices sprinkled on top as Joy of Kosher recommends and another with the spices mixed in the batter.  I preferred the later version.  Both had a drizzle of maple syrup on top. It can be enjoyed warm or cold and can be made ahead and frozen for up to 2 months.

Roasted Cauliflower and Onion Savory Cake

“Green Eggs and Ham was the story of my life.  I wouldn’t eat a thing when I was a kid, but Dr. Seuss inspired me to try cauliflower!”

Jim Carrey

I have a reputation to live up to.  I was dubbed “The Cauliflower Queen” last year when I seemed to be making a lot of dishes with this cruciferous vegetable.  After a hiatus, I am back!!!  And I wonder if  Jim Carrey could be pursuaded to eat this interesting cauliflower cake?

The inspiration for this cake came from a recipe of Yotam Ottolenghi.  The original was made in a springform pan with boiled cauliflower florets.  I slow roasted the cauliflower with the sweet onion to bring out the flavors and develop some color.  I made mine in a rectangular pan as I was to serve it as an appetizer and wanted to cut it into bite sized pieces.   It  really was more like a dense frittata than a cake.  I added some classic salsa as a dip on the side.  

Roasted Butternut Squash Wedges with Almond~Mint Pesto

 

Butternut squash is a favorite and I love to find new ways to serve it.  I had made this pesto a while back when my garden had a bounty of mint growing and frozen it.  When I saw roasted wedges of acorn squash on Heather Christo Cooks smothered with mint almond pesto, I knew this would be an exciting mariage of flavors to try.   You will have plenty of pesto left over for other uses.  Freeze the pesto in an ice cube tray, then pop the frozen cubes out and store in plastic baggies to create portions of pesto for future use.  My garden still had mint thriving and yours may too!  I used fresh mint leaves for presentation.  This dish is not only packs an explosion of flavor, it is stunning in its colorful splendor. Fabulous fall eating!

Roasted Acorn Squash with Pomegranate Molasses Glaze

This dramatically delicious squash will up the ante on your holiday side dishes.  It is both naughty and nice with its sweetness contrasted with a spicy accompanying dip.  The acorn squash wedges  are very simply oven roasted.  It’s what happens next that takes this dish to a whole other level.  At the time of serving,  it is drizzled with a pomegrante molasses-maple syrup glaze, pomegranate seeds and salty, freshly-toasted pepitas.  As if that wasn’t yummy enough, there is a side of kickin’ hot buttery dip.  The dish steals center stage!

Roasted Kuri Squash Salad with Maple Lime Yogurt Drizzle

 Red kuri squash, known by many names such as potimarron in French, red hubbard squash, onion squash or Japanese squash, is simply delicious.  It is a good source of fiber, vitamins A and C, calcium, riboflavin and beta carotene.  It has a delicate flavor and is dense so it holds up well during roasting and its texture is less fibrous than other squashes and pumpkin.  It was love at first sight when I discovered it recently at the market and it has become my new favorite!

Garlicky Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds

When visiting my Greek best friend, Panorea,  in Toronto last fall, she made these roasted sweet potato rounds.  They were the hit of the meal.   I had never thought to slice sweet potatoes into rounds for roasting and seasoning them with garlic, hot pepper and thyme.  This dish was a revelation.  The spices in the rub make the house smell so good, your mouth will be watering by the time they are ready!  It took a Greek cook to teach this French cook how to really bring out the best in sweet potatoes!  You may never want to eat sweet potatoes any other way again.  Thanks, Penny!

Ginger Orange Cranberry Sauce

When a taste of a dish elicits moans of pleasure and that same reaction goes around the whole table at which one is seated, well, a girl just has to get herself some of what they’re having!  This was a recent experience at a Canadian Thanksgiving feast.  The dish in question that overshadowed every other delicious offering at my friend Panorea’s table?  The cranberry sauce!

Apples-by-Candlelight Tablescape

Just in time for fall entertaining is an inspiration tablescape using apples.  The centerpiece is simple, whimsical with rustic appeal and best of all, it can be created days in advance!

Paperwhite Time

When winter’s chill forces the gardener indoors, I get visions of fragrant clusters of paperwhites dancing in my head!  Paperwhites are the original “just add water ” plant and they are surprisingly easy to grow. As much as I like to slow time down and savor one holiday before thinking of the next, if you like fresh paperwhites blooming for Christmas, now’s the time to start forcing these beauties.