Friendsgiving 2010 Part 2 > The Food

 

On to the best part of Friendsgiving - the food! I've included photos and recipes of some favorite dishes (some new for this year, others served three years in a row). Shrimp cocktail to start, thanks to Whole Foods' special Friday sale for a ridiculous $5.99 a lb! No heat or prep required - naturally, I loved this. 

 

Freshly baked popovers with honey cinnamon butter. I know, talk dirty to me. This was above and away a favorite. I was thrilled to have them turn out well this year, as last year's popovers ended up looking like deflated, sad, wrinkly things. If you have popover tins, (which are a must) I couldn't recommend this recipe more. They come out piping hot, hollow on the inside, eggy, chewy and perfect with a sweetened butter like the honey cinnamon butter I made from All Recipes, or Neiman Marcus' strawberry butter recipe - the original. 

 

Homemade honey cinnamon butter 

 Here's the Neiman Marcus popover recipe that I use (and swear by) - via DallasNews.com. Makes 12:

• 3 1/2 cups milk
• 4 cups all purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 6 eggs (at room temp)

Preheat oven to 450. Warm milk in microwave for 2 minutes, or until warm to the touch. Sift flour, salt and baking powder together in large mixing bowl. Crack eggs into bowl of electric mixer fitted with whisk, and beat on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until foamy and pale in color. Turn down mixer to low and add warm milk.

Gradually add flour mixture and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes. Turn machine off and let batter rest for 1 hour at room temperature. 

Spray popover tin generously with nonstick spray. Fill popover cups almost to the top with batter and bake for 15 minutes at 450 F. Turn down temperature to 375 F and bake for 30 to 35 minutes longer, until popovers are deep golden brown. Serve hot and serve with honey cinnamon butter, recipe here!

*Time saving tip: recipe says to let batter sit for an hour, but having made this several times and needing precious oven space a bit earlier, it's fine to let the batter sit for only 20 minutes. Also, make the butter a few days in advance and scoop with cookie dough scooper into a serving dish so it's ready to go.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese:

 

 

This is one of my favorite recipes and use it all the time. The secret to this recipe is actually cottage cheese, not butter, and I always substitute greek yogurt (1:1) for the sour cream - you can't tell the difference (not one person has ever, I swear)! That's not to say this is light by any means, but it makes me feel less guilty when a few extra handfuls of cheddar cheese mysteriously make its way into the bowl. It's not soupy, but just comfort food at its finest. Crusted, cheesy, golden brown topping included (the best part)!

*Time saving tip: This recipe can be made in full a day in advance and just refrigerated so it can be popped in the oven the day of for one less thing to worry about when guests are over.

 

Balsamic braised brussels sprouts with pancetta:

 

Gone are the days when the mere mention of brussels sprouts is followed by a cringing face. I happen to love them, but this version is hard not to love, what with the salty pancetta, sweet balsamic and CRISPY bread crumbs and onions all in one dish. This was a new recipe, and the only regret I have is not making twice the amount because the platter was scraped clean at the dinner table! The recipe, (adapted via Smitten Kitchen), below.

Balsamic braised brussels sprouts with pancetta and crispy onion and bread crumb topping (phew):

• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup fried onions (I use Trader Joe's gourmet fried onion pieces)
• 2 teaspoons thyme
• 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 pounds medium-sized brussels sprouts, washed and trimmed
• 8 ounces pancetta in small dice (1 1/2 cups)
• 3 tablespoons minced shallots
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock

Heat oven to 350 F. Mix fried onions, bread crumbs and thyme with several drizzles of EVOO in a bowl and then spread across a cookie sheet. Toast in oven until crispy and golden (8 mins). Watch carefully, the onion pieces tend to burn easily. Heat butter and 6 TBS EVOO in a skillet over medium heat.

Add brussels sprouts and diced pancetta to sauté, tossing frequently, about 20 minutes. Brussels sprouts should be softened and pancetta should be crispy. Reduce heat, add shallots and garlic, and sauté about 2 minutes. Increase heat to high, add balsamic vinegar and chicken stock, and reduce, stirring frequently, until sprouts are glazed and tender, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Sprinkle with fried onion and bread crumb topping before serving.

Best stuffing in the world:

Again, I pulled and adapted this stuffing recipe from All Recipes, and it's originally meant to be for a slow cooker. I've tried both ways and preferred the results best using the oven, but that could be because I have an unnatural obsession for all things crispy! The slow cooker option was great to clear up more oven space (see a trend?). You make them the same way, it just will affect how much chicken broth you put in.

• 1 cup butter
• 2 cups chopped onion
• 2 cups chopped celery
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 12 ounces sliced mushrooms
• 12 cups dried bread cubes (combo of sourdough, French and Wonder!)
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 2 1/2 teaspoons fresh sage (If you can do fresh seasonings for all of them, go for it. You can tell the difference)
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 - 4 cups chicken broth, only as needed and to taste
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 lb. sage sausage 

A day in advance, cut combo of bread into cubes and put into oven to toast and dry out, approx. 20 mins at 375 F. Set aside. 

The day of, crumble 1 lb. sausage on a skillet until cooked. Drain liquid. Add butter to melt in the same skillet over medium heat. Cook onion, celery, mushroom, and parsley in butter and sausage, stirring frequently.

Spoon cooked vegetables and sausage over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. Season with poultry seasoning, sage, thyme, marjoram, and salt and pepper. Pour in JUST enough broth to moisten (NOT soak), and mix in eggs.

Transfer mixture to slow cooker, and cover. Cook on High for 45 minutes, then reduce heat to Low, and cook for 4 to 8 hours. Check frequently and if it seems like it's drying out, continue to add a little chicken broth at a time. I've cooked mine in the slow cooker most of the day and just before serving, I cut pieces of butter on the top and put into the oven to broil and toast (watch carefully!) to get my crispy fix.

This concludes the longest post I've ever written. Ever. Hopefully you're hungry. Or you made it. Part 3, the last, of Friendsgiving - coming up!

Update on Sunday, November 21, 2010 by Robin

I forgot to add this great photo of my friend Mike bravely taking over the carving duties (honestly the hardest part). There may or may not have been watching "how-to" YouTube videos on iPhones during this time. 

Comments

[Rhianna]

The table looks awesome and all the food looks soooo yummy. Baked macaroni and cheese is my favorite!

[Jen]

SO bummed I missed out. Everthing looks de-lish!