Is it cold where you are?

Here in Salem, MA, it’s fr-eeeee-zing. Like, freezing freezing. I think we hit 8 degrees last week.

Let me tell you…weather like this makes me want to do one thing, and one thing alone: Cook.

(And winter is the season for feasting, after all, right?)

How do you entertain?

The last few years, I’ve thrown fewer and fewer formal parties. I’ve had my fill with fussy and formal. And while fancy dinners definitely have their place, I find myself doing a lot more impromptu entertaining lately.

You know how it goes. Friends stop by, we get to talking in the kitchen, and before we know it, a few minutes turns into a few hours.

As a result, we keep our freezer and fridge stocked with lots of stuff that makes it easy to whip out a nice spread in no time. Cheese, olives, crackers, pickled veggies, salami, cold beer…you get the idea.

(Want to stop by? The kitchen is open most days after 7!)

Puff pastry is definitely one of those indispensable things on my list of pantry staples. Grab a package or two, pop ‘em in the freezer, then forget about ‘em until you need to feed folks in a flash.

It’s really versatile. I use it to make tarts. I use it to wrap fish and shrimp.

Hands down, though, this turnover recipe is one of my favorite new uses for the stuff.

These little guys are freezer friendly

Make these in advance, wrap them well, and freeze them. They’ll keep happily for about 3 months.

When you’re ready to make them, pop them right from freezer to a 400-degree oven, and you’ll have hot treats in just about 20 minutes.

So, what’s in them?

These turnovers are stuffed with a sweet and savory filling made with tart apples, salty bacon, and sharp cheddar cheese. I could eat the tangy apple & onion filling by itself with a spoon. (Did I just say that out loud?)

The whole business is fragrant with autumn spices (think cinnamon, clove, and cardamom) and sweet maple syrup.

They’d make a perfect addition to a Sunday brunch—or a great late-night snack after a good movie.

Thank you, Pepperidge Farm!

So, recently, Pepperidge Farm hired me to do a little recipe development for them. I’m never one to shy away from a challenge, especially when it involves ingredients I use all the time anyways, like their puff pastry.

You know, this stuff.

You can find it in the freezer aisle of almost any big grocery store. Look for it by the frozen berries and pie crusts.

The good folks at Pepperidge Farm were even kind enough to test my recipe and even do a celebrity photo shoot! (Oooh la la, right?) Take a peek at my recipe on their website.

So let’s whip up a batch, shall we?

New England Harvest Turnovers

For the filling
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chunked up
1/2 a large sweet onion
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup dark brown sugar
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1/4 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground star anise
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch of salt
1 Tbls. maple syrup, grade B

(Yields about 3 cups)

For the turnovers
1/2 lb. thick-cut bacon
1 cup shredded Vermont cheddar cheese
2 sheets Pepperidge Farm puff pastry
flour for dusting
1 egg, beaten

Makes 8 turnovers

Thaw the puff pastry

This will take about a half an hour, maybe a little more, depending on how warm your kitchen is. Unwrap it and set it out on the counter to thaw.

Make the filling (up to 2 days ahead of time)

While the puff pastry is thawing, get your filling cooking. Grab your apples.

Peel ‘em on up.

Cut the apples into small chunks.

Peel and dice your onion.

Put the cut apples and diced onions into a large pot.

Toss in the apple cider vinegar. (I love Bragg brand. It’s so good for you. Learn more about it here.)

Add the cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, nutmeg, star anise, black pepper and brown sugar.

Stir the whole shebang until the apples are coated fairly evenly.

Drizzle in the maple syrup and stir to combine.

I used Grade B syrup from a little farm up in Vermont.

Grade B syrup is deeply flavorful and fantastic for cooking. (As opposed to Grade A, which is more delicately flavored and is perfect for finishing or drizzling on pancakes.)

Set on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally, until the mixture starts to bubble and steam.

Partially cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the apples and onion are tender, stirring occasionally.

While the apple mixture cooks, fry up your bacon.

I used Black Forest bacon from Whole Foods. I can hear you groaning about fancy, gourmet bacon from here…but! It actually costs just about as much as a pound of regular bacon when it’s not on sale at the grocery store. If you’re a bacon lover, it’s a total treat. If you don’t have it, by all means, use your favorite bacon.

Dice it up.

Set the diced bacon in a large pan over medium-high heat.

Fry ’til crisp, remove from the pan with a slotted spoon, drain, and set aside in a small bowl.

Back to the apple mixture. When your 20 minutes is up, uncover the pan.  Increase the heat to medium.  Cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has evaporated.

Remove the saucepan from the heat, transfer the hot mixture to a bowl, and let it cool to room temperature.

Assemble the turnovers

Pre-heat your oven to 400 degrees.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Beat one egg in a small bowl. Set both aside while you put the turnovers together.

Oh, and grate up the cheese and set it aside, as well.

OK. Lightly flour a board.

Unfold one sheet of thawed puff pastry.

Whack it into quarters with a sharp knife.

Grab one square. Position it like this in front of you.

Put about 1/4 cup of the cooled apple/onion mixture on the bottom half of the square. Don’t spread it right to the edges. You’ll see why in a minute.

Top with a little crisped bacon. Aim for about 1 Tablespoon, but don’t make yourself nuts. This isn’t neurochemistry.

(Mmmmm, crispy bacon. Nom, nom, nom…)

Sprinkle with a little cheese. Again, don’t make yourself nuts. Both these things are kind of hard to measure exactly.

Fold the pastry over the filling.

Grab a fork and crimp the edges shut. (This is why you left a little room.)

Your finished turnover should look about like this.

Now, puff pastry is very forgiving. If yours look a little mangled, don’t sweat it. They will be glorious and golden when they come out of the oven. The main thing is to ensure that you have a good seal around the edges. You don’t want the juice from the filling to come out as they bake.

Brush the top of the turnover with beaten egg. If you don’t have a pastry brush, use your (very clean) fingertips.

Set the turnover on your prepared pan.

Last but not least, punch a little X in the top center of the turnover with a sharp knife. This is your steam vent, and will keep your turnovers from exploding if they get overly excited in the oven. (They should be fine, but I like to err on the safe side.)

Repeat with the rest of your ingredients until you’ve used all your puff pastry.

Bake the turnovers

Pop your pan into your pre-heated 400-degree oven. Bake for 20 minutes, or until the pastries have poofed up and are golden brown. When they’re done, yank the pan out of the oven.

Let the pastries cool on the baking sheet on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Stay tuned for exciting news about my cookbook!

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Death by chocolate? Yes, please!

Honestly, I couldn’t think of a better way to go.

This ice cream is easy to make, and gets its luxurious chocolate flavor from a generous amount of cocoa powder, chocolate chips, and chocolate liqueur. It actually really tastes just like frozen chocolate ganache.

Frozen. Chocolate. Ganache.

(For real.)

Breakstone’s sour cream adds a little extra creaminess and tang. The chocolate liqueur keeps the ice cream soft and scoopable right out of the freezer—which makes it a perfect solution for midnight chocolate emergencies.

Vote Hungry Mouse!

OK, so here’s the deal.

This is recipe is part of my entry in the Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers, hosted by Sandra Lee. (Yep, the same folks who hosted last year’s Triple Churned Challenge.)

For the Showdown, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s Triple Churned Sour Cream.)

Check out my appetizer, Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp, and my entree, Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pizza.

Our last challenge? Dessert. With sour cream.

This was a no brainer. Sour cream goes remarkably well with all sorts of sweet ingredients, from chocolate to fruit. Basically, it adds tang and depth.

In honor of my forthcoming cookbook

In honor of my forthcoming cookbook, Slushed, (which is all about how to make alcohol-infused frozen desserts), I figured I’d go where my kung fu is strongest right now: Ice cream.

The participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150).

Enter to win!

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Alrighty, let’s make some ice cream!

Triple Chocolate Ice Cream

2 cups heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
6 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
½ cup Breakstone’s Sour Cream
¼ cup chocolate liqueur

Makes about 1 ½ quarts

Make the chocolate base

Heat the heavy cream and milk in a medium-sized, heavy-bottomed pot until the mixture just starts to steam. Keep an eye on it. Don’t let it even start to simmer.

Remove from the heat and whisk in the cocoa powder and chocolate chips.

Let it sit for five minutes, whisking occasionally, until the chocolate has melted and the mixture is uniform.

Make the custard

Put the egg yolks and sugar in a large bowl. Whisk until smooth.

Slowly ladle the hot chocolate mixture into the egg yolks, whisking constantly to combine.

This is called “tempering.” Basically, you’re raising the temperature of the egg yolks slowly, so they stay liquid (and don’t turn into a scrambled mess).

When you’ve almost all of it, transfer the mixture back to your pot.

Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until the mixture reaches 170 degrees on a candy thermometer. Whatever you do, don’t let the mixture boil.

Strain the mixture into a large bowl to get rid of any tiny bits of cooked egg. (Don’t freak out if you see a few. It happens, and it won’t hurt a thing. That’s why you’re straining it.)

Whisk in the sour cream and chocolate liqueur.

Cool the mixture over an ice bath (fit your bowl into a larger bowl filled with ice, then whisk the mixture), or do what I usually do: Strain the mixture into a large pan, which will disperse the heat really quickly.

Pop the bowl into the fridge to chill it completely, anywhere from 4-6 hours.

Make the ice cream

Process the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Every machine is a little different. Read your instructions so you know how yours works.

For my 2-quart Cuisinart model, that goes a little something like this…

(Waiting is always the hardest part.)

(Yum, right?!?)

Transfer to a container and freeze overnight.

Serving tip

For an over-the-top treat, serve adult sundaes drizzled with warm hot fudge and a shot of Godiva liqueur.

Please vote for me!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win.

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It’s pretty much a given that if it has garlic on it, I’ll eat it.

This vegetarian pizza is no exception.

It gets its rich, mellow flavor from slow-roasted garlic and fresh, baby spinach. Fontina and Parmesan add depth and a little salt. The tangy white sauce balances out the flavors.

Vote Hungry Mouse!

OK, so here’s the deal.

This is my entry in the Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers, hosted by Sandra Lee. . (Yep, the same folks who hosted last year’s Triple Churned Challenge.) Check out my appetizer, Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp.

For the Showdown, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s sour cream.)

I picked pizza because it’s something that’s easy to throw together on a weeknight if you have dough on hand. (And if you don’t, grab a ball at your local market or pizza joint on the way home.) You can get pretty creative with ingredients–and you’re almost always guaranteed to have something you can use on hand.

Don’t believe me? Go take a peek in your fridge and come up with a pizza. (Leave a note in the comments below!) I’m bracing for that artichoke heart, bacon, and broccoli pizza. (Ya know, I’ll bet it would be delicious.)

The participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150).

Enter to win!

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Alrighty, to the ovens!

Roasted Garlic & Spinach Pizza

1 large whole head of garlic
good quality olive oil
½ cup whole milk ricotta
1/4 cup Breakstone’s sour cream
1 ball pizza dough
Fontina cheese, shredded
Parmesan cheese, grated
1 cup fresh baby spinach

Makes 1 large pizza, serves 4-6

Roast the garlic

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Whack the garlic head in half horizontally.

Put it in a small baking dish (paper and all) and drizzle with olive oil.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Roast for 25-40 minutes, until soft, golden brown, and fragrant. Remove from the oven & uncover the pan.

Yank the roasted garlic cloves out of the skin with a fork and put them in a small bowl.

Mash them into a paste in a small dish with a fork.

Strain the oil (that’s pure roasted garlic flavor), pop it in the fridge, and reserve it for another use. (Add to salad dressings, brush bread before toasting, rub a roasting chicken with it, you name it…)

Make the white sauce

Put the ricotta, Breakstone’s sour cream, and roasted garlic in a small dish. Whisk together until uniform. Set aside.

Assemble the pizza

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Roll the pizza dough out on a lightly floured board.

Transfer to an unlined, nonstick pizza pan. Stretch it out with your hands so it covers the whole pan.

Spread the dough evenly with the sour cream & roasted garlic mixture.

Sprinkle with a thin layer of Fontina.

Add a thin layer of baby spinach.

Sprinkle with another thin layer of Fontina. Dust with Parmesan cheese. I tossed on a little freshly cracked pepper, just for good measure. You get the idea. (Pizza is a great canvas. Don’t be afraid to improvise.)

Bake the pizza

Bake the pizza in your preheated, 500-degree oven for 10-12 minutes, until crisp and lightly browned.

Remove from the oven and slide it onto a wooden board. Slice and serve immediately.

Serving tip

Add more protein to this pizza with thinly sliced, leftover roast chicken or par-cooked shrimp. (And a handful of crispy, crumbled bacon couldn’t hurt, either…)

Please vote for The Hungry Mouse!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win.

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I probably shouldn’t admit this, but I could eat these all night.

These shrimp are a little bit sweet and a little bit spicy. Their crisp coconut coating is made with eggs and sour cream, a combination that keeps them ridiculously moist.

Because you butterfly the shrimp, then stand them on end, they also make an impressive opener for a holiday feast.

Serve them as an appetizer, or go nuts and double the recipe to make it a main course.

Vote Hungry Mouse!

OK, so here’s the deal.

This is my entry in the Breakstone’s Battle of the Kitchen Bloggers, hosted by Sandra Lee. (Yep, the same folks who hosted last year’s Triple Churned Challenge.) I’ll have three more posts coming: one for an entree, one for a dessert, and a wrap up.

For the Showdown, Kraft invited me and 2 other bloggers to duke it out. Picture American Idol meets Iron Chef and you’ve kind of got the idea. (Our secret ingredient? Breakstone’s Triple Churned Sour Cream.)

The participating bloggers have a chance to win a cash prize (1^st place is $350, 2^nd place is $250, and 3^rd place is $150).

Enter to win!

As part of the Holiday Showdown, you can enter win a handful of different prizes. If you enter, you’ll have a chance to win a $50 gift card (one winner each week).

You’ll also automatically be entered to win a grand prize of $2,500!

Sound enticing? I thought it might. Click here to enter to win. You can go back and vote and enter every day!

Alrighty, to the ovens!

Sweet & Spicy Coconut Shrimp

1 lb. large shrimp (21/25 count), peeled (leave the tail on), deveined & butterflied
½ cup flour
2 – 3 cups sweetened, flaked coconut
1 Tablespoon chili flakes
1 teaspoon parsley flakes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup Breakstone’s sour cream
2 extra-large eggs

Serves 4-6 as an appetizer

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Set up your dredging station

Toss the flaked coconut, chili flakes, parsley, and kosher salt in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Whisk the sour cream and eggs together in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside.

Put the flour in a medium-sized bowl. Set aside. Your counter should look kinda like this at this point:

Prep the shrimp

Rinse your shrimp and pat them dry with paper towels. If you didn’t buy butterflied shrimp, here’s how to do that.

Grab a shrimp.

With a small, sharp knife, slit the shrimp down its back, cutting about halfway through. (If your shrimp weren’t deveined prior to purchase, you’ll want to yank out the black stuff you see when you make this cut. This is the shrimp’s intestinal track, and you never want to serve it. It’s perfectly edible, but a lot of folks will balk at it.)

And…voila! One butterflied shrimp. Repeat with the rest of the shrimp.

Once you’ve butterflied all your shrimp, grab one by the tail and dip him in the flour. You want to coat all the shrimp except for the tail shell.

Give him a quick shake over the bowl to knock off the excess.

Again, holding him by the tail, dip the floured shrimp into the egg mixture.

Holding him by the tail, drop the coated shrimp in the flaked coconut, and roll him around until he’s completely coated.

When he’s coated in coconut, set him down on your prepared sheet pan, butterflied end down. His tail should curl up and over his body.

Repeat with the rest of the shrimp.

Roast the shrimp

Roast the shrimp in your pre-heated, 425-degree oven for about 15-17 minutes.

When done, yank the pan out of the oven. Cool for 5 minutes on the pan, then serve immediately.

When they’re done, the shrimp will be crisp and lightly browned, on both the top and the bottom.

Serving tips

Now, these are great as is. If you’d like to serve them with a sweet dipping sauce, try warmed apricot preserves. For a more savory sauce, serve with equal parts light soy sauce and grated ginger.

Keep the cooked shrimp for up to one day in the fridge. Honestly, though, they’re best when they’re hot out of the oven.

Enjoy!

Please vote for The Hungry Mouse!

Click here to enter to vote and enter to win.

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I put figs in the same camp as black licorice: People love them—or hate them. There never seems to be a middle ground.

If you’re in the first group, then man-oh-man, are you in for a treat.

Personally, I love figs. (And black licorice, if you’re keeping score.) They’re sweet; they’re earthy. Not to mention, they’re also nutritional powerhouses. Fresh figs are a great source of vitamins B6 and K, manganese, potassium, and fiber.

Ya, ya, I know it’s questionable to call them healthy when they’re drenched in maple syrup…But still.

I think the only thing that would make these better is if they were sprinkled with crispy bits of bacon. (Hmm, now there’s an idea.)

I got on my most recent fig kick when I was testing recipes last month for my cookbook, Slushed. The Whiskey & Fig Gelato I came up with is now a house favorite. This would make an amazing topping.

These little babies are really simple to make. Just find the ripest figs you can. (I used black mission, but you could do this with Turkish, too.) Slice them in half. Drench them with maple syrup. Sprinkle with spices and roast for about 15 minutes.

As the figs heat up, they start to let out their luscious juice. It mingles with the maple syrup and creates a heavenly sauce that’s fragrant with thyme and black pepper.

That’s it.

How can you tell when figs are ripe?

Good question. A ripe fig will feel be soft to the touch—but not too soft. It should feel like a ready-to-eat peach or avocado. You want it to have a little give to the skin and flesh, but not feel mushy.

Figs are one of those fruits that need to be picked when ripe (they won’t continue to ripen after picked, like an avocado). For this reason, be sure you’re happy with the ones you bring home from the market, ’cause they ain’t gonna get any better on your counter.

What do you do with roasted figs?

The short and not-very-helpful answer is: What can’t you do with them?

The longer but still not very precise answer is: Roasted figs work well in both sweet and savory dishes. Here are a handful of ideas.

• Serve as part of a cheese plate with goat cheese, brie, Stilton, briny olives, and a loaf of crusty bread (oh and maybe some creamy roasted garlic for good measure)
• Use to top ice cream—or add to homemade ice cream in the last five minutes of churning
• Toss them into pancake batter
• Spread them on toast
• Nestle between the layers of an autumn spice cake
• Eat them straight out of the bowl. (Let’s face it, they’re delicous!)

You get where I’m going.

This recipe uses 1 lb. of figs and serves about 8 as an app. Scale it up or down to fit your needs.

Alrighty, To the ovens!

Maple Roasted Figs

1 lb. black mission figs (about 28)
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon thyme
Freshly cracked black pepper

Serves about 8 as an appetizer

Prep the figs

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper and set aside.

Grab a fig.

Nip off his stem with a sharp little knife.

Slice him in half and put him on your prepared pan.

Repeat until you’ve assembled a happy little army of sliced figs.

Season the figs

Douse the figs with maple syrup.

Toss gently with your hands to coat. (I do all of this in one pan to save on dishes. You could certainly mix them up in a bowl, if you’d prefer.)

Sprinkle with thyme and freshly cracked black pepper. I only had dried thyme on hand, but by all means, use the fresh herb if you have it.

Roast the figs

Pop the pan into your preheated 375-degree oven. Roast for about 15 minutes, until the juice starts to run and they’re deliciously fragrant. You don’t want to cook them too long or they’ll turn to mush.

Yank the pan out of the oven.

Cool to room temperature on the pan. (The sauce will get thicker as it cools.)

Serve however you like (see above for suggestions). Enjoy!

Storing roasted figs

If you need to keep them, ideally store them covered, in a single layer on a plate. If you don’t have that much room to spare in the fridge, stack them up neatly in a container and scrape all that lovely syrup over them.

One warning about storing them like this. If you’re going for a big aesthetic bang with them, they may get a little squashed like this (but they’ll still be just as delicious).

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