Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping

Friends of mine introduced me to this dish. I made the praline topping for their sweet potatoes and we all moaned and groaned as we ate it.

The recipe says there won't ever be any leftovers and it's right...this is a great holiday recipe everyone will love.
--------------------------------
Sweet Potato Casserole with Praline Topping
*courtesy of The Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan*

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
6 large dark-orange-fleshed sweet potatoes (about 5 1/2 pounds, scrubbed)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

PRALINE TOPPING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
3/4 cup heavy (whipping) cream
1 1/2 cups pecans, coarsely chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Pierce each potato several times with a fork and place in a baking pan. Bake until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours. Set aside until cool to touch.

2. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and butter until the butter has melted and the mixture is hot but not boiling. Cut the potatoes in half, and scoop the flesh into a large bowl, discarding the skins. Use a potato masher and mash the potatoes. Stir in the milk mixture. Whisk in the eggs and continue whisking until well combined with the potato mixture. Add the brown sugar and stir until thoroughly blended. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking pan, or an 11-inch round oven-to-table casserole. Spread the sweet potato mixture evenly in the casserole. Set aside while making the topping. Increase the oven temperature to 375 degrees.

TO MAKE THE PRALINE TOPPING
a. Melt the butter in a 2-quart saucepan over low heat. Stir in the brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cream, and pecans. Heat to a simmer, and cook, stirring constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is thick, about 5 minutes. If the mixture begins to boil and splatter, turn down the heat to maintain a simmer.

b. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla. Pour the topping evenly over the sweet potatoes, spreading it with a rubber spatula.

3. Bake the casserole until the topping is slightly crusty and set, about 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

Brie and Chive Biscuits

The all-star of biscuits, these little gems are very easy to make and have a stunning flavor. They peal apart like Grands biscuits but the tiny Brie chunks are a delicious surprise.

This makes 16 biscuits, but they went so fast I'd recommend doubling the recipe.

To breeze through this recipe, preheat the oven and then chop, measure, and arrange all of the ingredients ahead of time.
------------------------------
Brie and Chive Biscuits
*courtesy of Real Simple*

Serves 16

Ingredients:
2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for work surface
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
6 ounces Brie, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (the smaller the better), including the rind
2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
3/4 cup buttermilk

Directions:
1. Heat over 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda.

3. Add the butter and, using a pastry blender or your fingers (I highly recommend using your hands for this entire recipe), cut in until crumbly. The flour-butter will be very dry so just make sure all of the butter is broken up and mixed in. Add the Brie and chives and toss to combine. Add the buttermilk and stir just until moistened (do not overmix).

4. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Knead it a few times to bring it together. Gently shape with your hands into a 1-inch-thick disk. Using a 2-inch round cookie cutter (or very small class), cut out 16 biscuits (flouring the cutter and reshaping the scraps as necessary). Place on a prepared baking sheet (I used parchment paper). Bake until golden, 15 to 18 minutes.

Serve warm!

Broccoli and Gruyere Gratin

I made this dish to take to a big Thanksgiving feast this year and people raved about it. It's rich and thick and creamy and hearty and very flavorful.

Though the recipes calls for broccoli, I used broccolini and I think it added something special to the dish.
------------------------------
Broccoli(ni) and Gruyere Gratin
*courtesy of Real Simple*

Serves 8

Ingredients:
2 large bunches broccoli, roughly chopped (or about 12 cups of broccolini)
4 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups whole milk
2 cups grated Gruyere (8 ounces)
kosher salt and black pepper

Directions:
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Fill a large saucepan with 1 inch of water and fit with a steamer basket (or fill a large pot with 1/2 inch of water). Bring to a simmer. Place the broccoli in the steamer basket, cover, and steam until just tender, 3 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes (do NOT let it darken). Whisk in the milk and simmer until slightly thickened, 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in 1 cup of the cheese, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss with the broccoli.

3. Transfer the broccoli mixture to a shallow 3-quart baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining cup of cheese. Bake until bubbling and golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes. Let sit 10 minutes before serving.

TIP for make-ahead: Prepare gratin, but do not bake. Refrigerate in the baking dish for up to 1 day in advance (alternatively, keep the gratin at room temperature for up to 2 hours). To serve, bring to room temperature and bake according to recipe.

Herb Baguette Stuffing

I discovered this recipe last year, courtesy of Real Simple. What makes it so delicious is the use of baguettes instead of typical bread. The crusty, crunchy bread (white or whole wheat) works perfectly to bring this dish together.

I personally prefer a little less parsley and a little more onion. I would also recommend cutting your baguettes up the day before preparing the stuffing and leaving them out until they're super dried out.

Finally, vegan chicken broth makes a lovely substituted for the vegetable broth. I used it this year at Thanksgiving and everyone raved over the flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Vegan Herb-Baguette Stuffing

3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3/4 cup (1 ounce) dried porcini mushrooms, roughly chopped (optional)
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, diced
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 stalks celery, diced
3/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, finely chopped
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 1/2 baguettes, left on the counter overnight to dry and cut into 1/2-inch pieces (10 cups)

In a saucepan, bring the broth and mushrooms (if using) to a boil. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, over medium-low heat, heat the oil or butter. Add the onions, salt, and pepper. Cook for 8 minutes. Add the celery and cook for 7 minutes. Add the parsley and dill.

Heat oven to 375° F.

Place the bread in a large bowl. Add the onion mixture and the broth and mushrooms (if using) and combine. Transfer to a 9-inch square or 11-by-7-inch baking dish or the cavity of the turkey.

Bake the stuffing for 25 minutes. If you prefer a soft stuffing, cover the dish with foil while baking. If you prefer a crusty stuffing, bake uncovered. (You can cover and refrigerate the uncooked stuffing for up to 24 hours. Bake as directed, adding 10 minutes to the baking time.)

Yield: Makes 6 to 8 servings

CALORIES 300 (21% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1g); SUGAR 5g; PROTEIN 9g; CHOLESTEROL 0mg; SODIUM 1,071mg; FIBER 3g; CARBOHYDRATE 50g

Real Simple, NOVEMBER 2006