Tasty titles provide holiday ;avor
;is holiday season, serve up something really special for family and friends with
cookbooks that bring out your inner chef. Create something unique and delicious
with the Barefoot Contessa, Ina Garten, in her latest o;erings that reveal the
ingredients and techniques at the heart of her easy yet elegant style. Enjoy a taste
of the South without ever leaving home and let Paula Deen take care of dinner
tonight. Go the traditional route with Betty Crocker—a name you have known
for years—or take a walk on the wild side with Alton Brown. Any way you go,
you’re certain to ;nd meals that will make memories! ;
Alton Brown CORNISH GAME HEN WITH BACON AND ONIONS 4 servings 2 1¼ to 13⁄ 4 pound Cornish game hens Kosher salt, to taste Black pepper freshly ground, to taste 4 rashers thick-sliced bacon cut into ½-inch pieces 24 frozen pearl onions, defrosted
Heat the oven to 500°F. Wrap a brick in aluminum
foil and put it in the oven to heat.
Place a hen, breast side down, on a cutting board. Using scissors or poultry shears,
spatchcock the hen. Season on both sides with salt and pepper. Repeat with the second hen.
Fry the bacon in a 12-inch cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Once crisp, remove the bacon
from the skillet and set aside. Drain all but 1 tablespoon of the fat from the pan. Immediately
add the two birds to the pan, skin side down. Add the onions to the pan around the edges. Top
the birds with the brick and leave on the heat for 5 minutes. Transfer the pan to the oven and
roast for 10 to 15 minutes, until the thigh meat reaches 170°F.
Remove from the oven and rest for 5 minutes before serving with the onions and bacon.
Hardcover from Stewart,
Tabori & Chang available now
Cooking Light
PECAN SPICE
CAKE WITH
MAPLE FROSTING
pans with wax paper; coat
wax paper with cooking
spray. Dust each pan with
1 teaspoon ;our. Weigh
or lightly spoon 9 ounces
;our (about 2 cups) into dry
measuring cups; level with
a knife. Combine 9 ounces
;our, baking soda, and next
4 ingredients, stirring well
with a whisk.
Place 1 cup brown sugar
and ½ cup butter in a large
mixing bowl; beat with a
mixer at medium-high speed
until light and ;uffy (about 3 minutes). Add eggs,
1 at a time, beating well after each addition.
Beat in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add ;our mixture and
buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning
and ending with ;our mixture and beating just
until combined. Fold in 1⁄ 3 cup pecans. Pour
batter into prepared pans.
Bake at 350° for 24 minutes or until a wooden
pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool
in pans 5 minutes on wire racks. Invert cake
layers onto racks; cool completely. Discard
wax paper.
To prepare frosting, place ½ cup brown sugar
and next 4 ingredients in a heavy saucepan
over medium-high heat; bring to a boil, stirring
just until sugar dissolves. Cook, without stirring,
3 minutes. Scrape brown sugar mixture into a
bowl. Add powdered sugar; beat with a mixer
at high speed 2 minutes or until slightly cooled
and thick. Beat in ½ teaspoon vanilla. Place
1 cake layer on a plate; spread with ¾ cup
frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread
remaining frosting over top and sides of cake;
sprinkle with 2 tablespoons pecans. Let cake
stand until frosting is set. Yield: 16 servings.
CALORIES 325; FAT 11. 8 g (sat 5. 7 g, mono 3. 8 g, poly 1. 2 g);
PROTEIN 3. 8 g; CARB 52. 1 g; FIBER 0.8 g; CHOL 64 mg; IRON
1. 5 mg; SODIUM 209 mg; CALC 36 mg
Hardcovers from Oxmoor
House available now
Cake:
2 teaspoons ;our
9 ounces ;our
(about 2 cups)
½ teaspoon baking
soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground
cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground
nutmeg
1 dash of ground cloves
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup butter, softened
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
1⁄ 3 cup chopped pecans, toasted
Frosting:
½ cup packed brown sugar
¼ cup heavy whipping cream
¼ cup maple syrup
1 tablespoon butter
1 dash of salt
2 cups powdered sugar
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons chopped pecans,
toasted
Preheat oven to 350°.
To prepare cake, coat 2 (8-inch) round cake
pans with cooking spray. Line bottoms of
Paula Deen THE ULTIMATE EASY CHOCOLATE-PEANUT FUDGE Salted peanuts, sweetened condensed milk, and chocolate are hard to beat. You won’t be able to stop yourself from poppin’ pieces of this delicious fudge into your mouth! Makes 64 (1-inch pieces) 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 can ( 14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk 2 tablespoons (¼ stick) butter, at room temperature 1 cup salted cocktail peanuts
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 pinch of salt
Grease an 8-inch square baking dish with butter, oil, or cooking spray. Line with waxed paper,
leaving the edges of the waxed paper to hang over all around the edges of the dish.
In a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt the chocolate chips with the milk over medium-low heat. Stir in the butter until completely melted. Stir in the peanuts, vanilla, and salt. Using
a rubber spatula spread the mixture on the bottom of the prepared dish, smoothing the top.
Cover loosely with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ;rm, at least 4 hours. Using a hot, dry
knife, cut into cute little 1-inch squares.
Hardcover from
Simon & Schuster available now
Jacques Pepin
BROCCOLI RABE, HAM,
AND PARMESAN SOUFFLÉ
Serves 6 to 8 as a ;rst course
The Parmesan cheese and bread crumb crust
and topping of this souf;é will be browner
and crunchier when it is prepared in a gratin
dish, making it easier to serve at the table. It
can also be made in a conventional souf;é
dish. Leftover souf;é will rein;ate when
reheated in a 350-degree oven.
10 ounces broccoli rabe, trimmed
½ cup freshly grated
Parmesan cheese
4 tablespoons (½ stick)
unsalted butter
3 tablespoons
all-purpose ;our
1½ cups milk
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly
ground black pepper
3 large eggs, separated
2 large egg whites
4 ounces lean ham, cut
into julienne strips
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Wash the broccoli rabe and transfer it, still
wet, to a skillet. Cook over medium-high heat
for 2 minutes, or until wilted. Remove from
the heat, drain well, and cool.
Coarsely chop the broccoli rabe.
Mix the bread crumbs and 3 tablespoons of the
Parmesan cheese together in a small bowl.
Using 1 teaspoon of the butter, grease the
sides and bottom of a 6-cup gratin dish. Add
half of the bread crumb mixture and shake
the dish until the crumbs coat the sides and
bottom. Set aside.
Melt the remaining 3 tablespoons plus 2
teaspoons butter in a saucepan. Add the ;our,
mixing with a whisk, and cook over medium-high heat for about 30 seconds. Whisk in the
milk, salt, and pepper, bring to a boil, whisking
constantly, and cook, whisking, until the
mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and
whisk in the egg yolks. Add the reserved
broccoli rabe and the ham and mix well.
Beat the 5 egg whites in a large bowl until
;rm but still soft. Fold them into the broccoli
rabe mixture,
along with the
remaining
tablespoon of
cheese.
Pour the souf;é
mixture into the
prepared gratin
dish and sprinkle
the remaining
bread crumb
mixture on top.
Place the dish
on a cookie
sheet and bake
in the center of
the oven for
about 30
minutes, until the souf;é is set and the top
is puffy and brown.
Spoon the souf;é directly from the gratin dish
onto plates and serve immediately. (The
souf;é can be unmolded from the dish by
inverting it onto a plate, if you would prefer to
present it in this way.)
Hardcover from Houghton
Mif;in Harcourt available now
