French Butter Croissants

I’ve chosen to NOT endure the laborious process of making croissants from scratch. I mean, why bother when the internet serves up beautiful light fluffy puffs of buttery goodness without any of the fuss? Get on with it. Visit WilliamsSonoma.com for full or mini-sized croissants. All that is required by you is a baking pan and an overnight thaw. By morning, they’re ready to pop into the oven and “voila”, perfect little pastries. Oh, and if you can’t believe that they’re that good, just ask Oprah.

Classic Bread Dressing with Sage and Thyme

Classic Bread Dressing with Sage and Thyme | Adapted from Cooks Illustrated | Makes 12 to 16 servings

I found this recipe in a newspaper several years ago and noticed that it originated from Cooks Illustrated. If you’re not familiar, that’s the magazine and culinary team that tests and tests recipes until they are perfected. When I scanned the ingredients list, I knew this must be a winner. The fresh herbs are essential. I’ve been making it every year for Thanksgiving, but have also made it to serve with all sorts of pork and poultry dishes throughout fall and winter.

Hear are some helpful tips and hints: This recipe can easily be halved and baked in a 9-by 13-inch baking dish for a smaller crowd. You can substitute three 14-ounce bags of plain, dried bread cubes for the homemade dried bread cubes, but you’ll need to increase the amount of chicken broth to 7 cups. When I serve with pork, I add a handful of pecans and dried cranberries to the halved version.

Ingredients

12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing the dish

4 ribs celery, chopped fine

2 onions, minced

½ cup minced fresh parsley

3 tablespoons minced fresh sage or 2 teaspoons dried

3 tablespoons minced fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram or 1 teaspoon dried

3 pounds high-quality white sandwich bread, cut into ½-inch cubes and dried

5 cups low-sodium chicken broth

4 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons pepper

Method:

1. Adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 400 degrees. Melt the butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add the celery and onions and cook until softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in the parsley, sage, thyme and marjoram and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Transfer to a very large bowl. Tip: You will need a VERY large bowl to handle all the dried bread cubes.

2. Add the dried, cooled bread, broth, eggs, salt and pepper to the vegetables and toss to combine. Turn the mixture into a buttered 10- by 15-inch baking dish.

3. Cover with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove the foil and continue to bake until golden, about 30 minutes longer. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

To make ahead: The stuffing can be assembled in the baking dish, then wrapped tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 24 hours before baking. To bake, let the stuffing stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the plastic wrap and proceed to bake as directed in Step 3.

Cauliflower Soup with Parsley

Cauliflower Soup with Parsley | Adapted from Vegan Italiano, Donna Klein | Makes 6 servings

Everyone who knows me will tell you that I am most definitely not a vegetarian, let alone a vegan. Despite my omnivore tendencies, I can push the meat aside every now and then (lent is my limit so far) and appreciate some fine vegetarian fare. But vegan? That rarely happens. I guess I like butter too much! So when I came across this vegan recipe, I was intrigued with the uncomplicated ingredient list. I decided to put the “simple is better” adage to the test, and the results were yummy- and satisfying. This is a soup that I would happily serve as a first course, or for lunch with a salad and some crusty bread (and butter of course). Note: The 1/4 teaspoon of red pepper flakes created more heat than expected. I suggest starting with 1/8 teaspoon first.

Ingredients

1 large head cauliflower (about 2 pounds), cored and cut into 1/2-inch florets

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste (I recommend 1/8 teaspoon)

4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus a bit for boling water in stockpot

Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Method

1. Bring a medium stockpot filled with salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the cauliflower and cook until just tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Drain well and set aside.

2. Place the oil in the stockpot and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic and red pepper flakes and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute.

3. Reduce the heat to medium-low and add the cauliflower; cook, stirring often, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the broth, salt, and black pepper; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.

5. Working in batches, transfer the soup to a food processor fitted with a knife blade, or to a blender (I use an immersion blender right in the pot). Process until smooth and pureed.

6. Return mixture to the pot and stir in the parsley. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cook over low heat until heated through. Serve hot.

The Best Granola

The Best Granola | Adapted from Feast, by Nigella Lawson | Makes about 2lbs.

Its funny how recipes find you sometimes. This one was right under my nose, but didn’t notice it until my friend Pam came into work one day raving about it. She found it on David Lebovitz’s blog, a blog that I too follow, but for some odd reason rarely cook from. That might change now. This granola is great to have on hand and it stores for up to a month (if it lasts that long). It will have your whole house smelling wonderful. Highly recommended.

Ingredients

5 cups multi-grain flakes or old-fashioned rolled oats

3 cups almonds, coarsely chopped
(I use pre sliced)

1 cup sunflower seeds

3/4 cup untoasted sesame seeds

1/2 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon dried ground ginger

1 teaspoon sea salt

3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce (or another unsweetened fruit puree)

1/3 cup rice syrup

1/4 cup honey

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

Method

Preheat the oven to 300F (150C).

1. In a very large bowl, mix together the flaked grains or oats, almonds, sunflower and sesame seeds, brown sugar, cinnamon, ginger, and salt.

2. In a small saucepan, warm the fruit puree with the rice syrup, honey, and oil.

3. Mix the fruit mixture into the dry ingredients until thoroughly dispersed, then divide and spread the mixture evenly on two baking sheets (the ones with sides, often called jelly roll pans).

4. Bake the granola for about 45 minutes, stirring every ten minutes, until the granola is deep golden brown.

5. Remove from oven, and cool completely.

Store the granola in a large, airtight container. It will keep for up to one month.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts | adapted from EatLiveRun.com | Serves 2-4 as a side dish

I didn’t like brussels sprouts as a child, but now I love them. So when I found this recipe on Pinterest and had to try it. The pressence of molasses in the brown sugar really took the brussels sprouts to another level. I was surprised at how reminiscent the flavors were of Asian cusine. This dish does double duty as a perfect side or a main dish– think salad for lunch (with a glass of Sauvignon Blanc).

Ingredients

12-14 large brussels sprouts (fresh, not frozen)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch of sea salt

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1/4 cup roughly chopped pecans or walnuts, toasted

Method

Slice each brussels sprout very thin until you have a mound of ribbons. Heat the olive oil over medium high heat in a large skillet and saute the garlic for 30 seconds. Add the brussels sprouts and continue sauteing for another 4-5 minutes, until bright green and tender. Add the sea salt and brown sugar and toss together. Finish by adding the toasted nuts.