An Apple Crisp Story

Pie may be the traditional Thanksgiving dessert, but . . . well, I can’t really blame the lack of pie this year entirely on a lack of an oven. Pies are one area of baking where my skills are significantly lacking.

I can barely make pie crust, for starters. It always comes apart on me. But even when I use the prepared stuff from the refrigerator case, I always end up with a soggy bottom (and eh, doesn’t fatty crust just lead to saggy bottoms, anyway?).

Besides, the filling is the good part! So why not ditch the crust entirely, focus almost entirely on the filling, with a bit of streusel on top to keep things texturally interesting?

I adapted this dish from a recipe I turned up on the Food Network site. Still, apple crisp is easy enough to improvise with.

If you are looking for a weeknight dessert, leave the peels on for extra fiber and cut up enough apples to just fit a ramekin or two. Cut back a bit on the butter and sugar — the apples and cinnamon provide a lot of flavor on their own.

But for a Thanksgiving extravaganza, I soaked the apple bits in a few splashes of water and apple cider vinegar (we didn’t have any lemons on hand) as I peeled and sliced eight McIntoshes. I tossed them with some vanilla sugar and granulated sugar, about three tablespoons total. I added a bit of salt (but not enough! I always neglect to add enough salt in my desserts) and a couple spoonfuls of flour. As the crowning touch, I doused the whole bowl in cinnamon (thank goodness for having ground cinnamon again).

I stirred it up and dumped the bowl into a hot skillet that I’d melted a tablespoon of light butter in. As the apples cooked, they released some moisture, but not quite enough to compensate for all the flour. I loosened the juicy sludge with more water, but apple cider would have been better if it was available. You basically want the apples to be coated in a nice, thick sauce.

I cooked the apples over medium heat until they softened. At the last minute, I stirred in a teaspoon of rum extract. Then, I poured them into a shallow baking dish, ready to be topped by the streusel I’d whipped up while they were cooking.

The streusel was just 2/3 cup of oats mixed with 1/3 cup of white sugar, 1/3 cup of flour, cinnamon, and however much salted light butter I could scrape out of my tub after a day of Thanksgiving cooking (not much, I’m afraid). I mushed it all together with my fingers and then sprinkled it on the apples. It might have been optimal to add a pinch of salt to the topping, but of course, I didn’t think about it.

The whole thing then ended up under the grill in our microwave for about 10 minutes. For those Americans out there, in Europe they make these microwaves that have a browning element at the top you can use on its own or in combination with the microwave. I suppose it’s a bit like those fancy microwaves at home that speed-cook and brown your food, but I imagine these are a bit weaker. It’s no broiler, certainly, but it does provide the strange thrill of being told to put a metal grill on your microwave plate.

We gobbled up our apple crisp with delicious scoops of caramel ice cream. It’s really a crowning touch, as it melts down into the dessert.

I’ll get a recipe file for this one going sometime soon.

Our Thanksgiving Meal

Thanksgiving in our Slovak apartment kitchen is a tricky sort of affair. Have you ever had to cook a feast without an oven? And not just any feast, but that major American oven-fest, Thanksgiving?

Naturally, we had to alter the main event a bit. As we had no desire to eat a microwaved turkey, we instead bought some turkey-breast cutlets that could be seared in a pan. Rachael Ray inspired this fast-cooking take on Thanksgiving, of course, having cooked several Thanksgiving-esque 30-minute meals on her show over the years. I fried ours in a mix of olive oil and butter, with a rubbing of paprika and a little salt on the surface of the meat. Paprika gives the meat an especially appetizing color.

I did try to make the turkey a little extra special, though, by soaking it in a brine. Brines may be anathema to turkey purists, but I think a brined bird is a delicious bird. I ate myself sick the first year my grandparents brined their turkey . . . but that’s a different story (and one that involves the only time I’ve ever really truly fainted!) for a less festive occasion. Taking inspiration from a chicken-breast brining guide, I mixed up some salt, sugar and water, then added pretty much the contents of my spice rack — bay leaves, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper.

On a more traditional note, our meal featured Scott’s famous mashed potatoes, made from a recipe cut so many years ago from my copy of Real Simple magazine. However, since this year we celebrated Turkey Day on Scott’s B-Day, I stepped up and made the potatoes. I had to use red potatoes, as we had four to use up before vacation. The mashers perhaps were not as creamy and smooth as when Scott makes them, but then, at least I didn’t burn out anyone’s mixer in the effort. Tee-hee!

Keeping with that traditional note, I whipped up some of what is possibly Scott’s favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal, sausage stuffing. I took a bit of a shortcut and used a boxed mix this year (I usually use unseasoned dry bread cubes in a sack from the store anyway, which really isn’t so far removed from Stove-Top convenience-wise). Mostly I wanted to make sure it would turn out all right cooked on the stovetop and in the microwave, as my experience in homemade stuffing is solely with the baked-in-the-oven sort. Still, I made sure to jazz it up with sautéed onions, celery, and garlic, plus a whole lot of seasoned sausage.

You know, come to think of it, sausage stuffing must not be solely Scott’s favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal. I make a huge dish of it every year for only four or five eaters, and yet I never seem to get any of the leftovers.

Now departing from tradition, this year instead of green bean casserole (which I make largely so I can snack all day on that can of French-fried onions) I decided to try a recipe from a food blog I began frequenting recently via Serious Eats, The Pioneer Woman Cooks. Lovely site, with lots of step-by-step pictures. Anyway, the Pioneer Woman has been posting a series of Thanksgiving recipes, including one for “Spanish” Green Beans. I do enjoy green beans with tomato (I’ve combined them with fresh chopped tomatoes and mayo before as a sort of side-dish salad), so I figured this recipe would be delicious. Unfortunately, I forgot that we would need bacon, so it had to be left out. Next time, next time . . .

The final touch to any Thanksgiving meal is, of course, the gravy. I’ve added apple cider to my gravy in the past, but this year I went the basic route. After frying up all those turkey cutlets, I made a bit of roux in the pan with some extra butter and flour, then I deglazed with some plain old chicken broth (made with cubes, as that’s the only way to go here if you’re not going from scratch). Bring it up to a boil to get it all thickened, and there you go — plain, simple gravy.

And if like me, you find your gravy is not so thick as you’d like after the boil, you can make a slurry by shaking together flour and cold water. Use a strainer when adding it to the gravy to catch any lumps, and then cook the gravy a little longer to get rid of the starchy taste. I never have problems with lumpy gravy using these methods, but if you run into lumps, just strain the whole thing into the gravy boat.

That wraps up the cooking segment of the meal. Without an oven around (anyone noticing some harping here?), we had to buy rolls from the bakery, but hey, with plenty of butter, who cares? Also, since we’ve never seen any of that delightful Thanksgiving staple, Ocean Spray Jellied Cranberry Sauce (you know, the kind molded into a can shape that you slice!), we elected to put out some lingonberry jam from Ikea on the side to take its place. Lingonberries taste an awful lot like cranberries to me, anyway. True, I could have made homemade cranberry sauce as I have in years past, but I point out to you that I’ve never seen cranberries at the store here, either.

Thanksgiving Alert!

Today is Slovak Thanksgiving! Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

OK, so Slovakia doesn’t celebrate Thanksgiving. Today is actually Scott’s birthday, and to celebrate, we are moving American Thanksgiving up a few days.

Happy birthday, Scott!

We’ll be celebrating the real American Thanksgiving (not to be confused with Canadian Thanksgiving, which was last month) in Capri, as we are going to be taking a tour of the Eastern Med (via Southern Italy) to celebrate the holidays as we won’t be making the trek home this year. Too much jet lag plus, well, since we’re in Europe, we need to take advantage of our proximity to all the stuff we want to see over here.

Combined with last weekend’s visit to Krakow and this past week’s deathly illness (i.e., possibly the worst head cold I have ever experienced — I never figured it could knock me out so badly without traveling to my chest as they generally do), posting is and will be a bit lax here.

I will try to get some content up before we go to fill the long, lonely stretch. The Advent Cookie Calendar will start officially on December 2, but I might not be able to post the first recipe pages until the 3rd or 4th, after we are back and unpacked.

I’ll be back in a bit to update this page with a photo of our completed Thanksgiving spread and also to post a separate entry with links to any and all recipes we used this year. Some are traditional to our Thanksgivings (such as those famous Herbed Mashed Potatoes) and some are new this year (such as seared turkey cutlets), but that in itself is traditional for us.

Thanksgiving Menus

Mulling what to serve for the big meal? Or perhaps wondering what category of Thanksgiving dinner is most your style? Check out this blog entry on Thanksgiving menus from Editor’s Picks over on Yahoo Food. Options range from typical traditional and country-style meals to more unusual international and grill-based menus.

Myself, I would pick and choose from several of the lists. The Creamy Cauliflower Purée looks tasty, and I’m all in favor of Turkey a la Carte over the big bird.

Here, we’ll probably be having some even more stripped-down turkey, as in just some cutlets for two. Still, I’ll be trying to make as much as I can convert to being cooked either on the stovetop or in the microwave.

Recipe of the Day: Zesty Hot Holiday Broccoli Dip

Love It: I already love artichoke dip, and broccoli’s pretty good, too. Nice to vary the traditions up a bit to keep things interesting. Oh, and there’s melty cheese involved. Enough said.

Fear It: Miracle Whip. Despite this being a relatively healthy take on dip, there’s no call for replacing real mayo with that sweet slop. I would totally be substituting some reduced-fat mayonnaise.

Teach It: Hey, use the variation as inspiration. Why not try other veggies in that creamy, cheesy base?

Eat It: This sort of appetizer seems best suited to a midcentury-traditional sort of Thanksgiving, where the turkey is accompanied by old standards such as green-bean casserole and Stove Top.

Zesty Hot Holiday Broccoli Dip
Source: Kraft Foods
Yield: 3 cups dip

• 1 cup MIRACLE WHIP Light Dressing
• 1 pkg. (10 oz.) frozen chopped broccoli, thawed, well drained
• 1 jar (2 oz.) diced pimientos, drained
• ½ cup KRAFT 100% Grated Parmesan Cheese
• 1 cup KRAFT 2% Milk Shredded Reduced Fat Mozzarella Cheese, divided
• WHEAT THINS Reduced Fat Baked Snack Crackers

PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Combine dressing, broccoli, pimientos, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese.
SPREAD into 1-quart baking dish or 9-inch pie plate.
BAKE 20 to 25 min. or until heated through. Sprinkle with remaining 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Continue baking 5 min. or until mozzarella cheese is melted. Serve with the crackers.

Notes:

Nutrition Bonus:

Help your friends and family eat right this holiday season. Serve this festive dip at your next party. As a bonus, the cheese provides a good source of calcium.

Diet Exchange:

1-1/2 Starch,1 Fat

Nutritional notes:
Nutrition (per serving) 2 Tbsp. dip and 16 crackers
Calories 170
Total fat 6g
Saturated fat 1.5g
Cholesterol 5mg
Sodium 420mg
Carbohydrate 23g
Dietary fiber 1g
Sugars 4g
Protein 5g
Vitamin A 4%DV
Vitamin C 15%DV
Calcium 15%DV
Iron 8%DV

Download Zesty Hot Holiday Broccoli Dip into MacGourmet.

Thanksgiving Recipe of the Day: Classic Potato Gratin

Note: With Turkey Day coming up, I thought I might steer attention to the online culinary world’s flowering of Thanksgiving-themed recipes for a few weeks.

Love It: I have nothing against mashed potatoes (I love Scott’s labor-of-love Herbed Mashed Potatoes at Thanksgiving each year), but I imagine some people out there might be plagued with gluey slop on the table each year (though I won’t go accusing others of resorting to potato buds on this most sacred food holiday). Here’s an alternative that’s steam-facial free and (yay!) includes cheese.

Fear It: Oh yeah, and cream. Three cups of it.

Teach It: Important! Note the instructions to let the gratin rest after it exits the oven. If you try to serve it right away, your guests’ plates will be awash is scalding-hot cream.

Eat It: You probably don’t need to drown this in any gravy. Though this gratin may be termed “Classic,” I imagine it would best be suited to a more upscale, more nontraditional Thanksgiving spread. This is the recipe for the kind of person who makes the “upscale” sort of green-bean casserole with real mushrooms and onions.

Classic Potato Gratin
Source: Fine Cooking
Yield: 6-8 servings

Try to get a good-quality Gruyère or Emmental, which will be moderately assertive yet mellow and nutty.

• 2 lb. Yukon Gold or russet potatoes, peeled
• 3 cups whipping or heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• Generous pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
• ¾ cup finely shredded Gruyère, Emmental, or Comté

Heat the oven to 400°F. Using a very sharp knife or a mandoline, carefully cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch slices (no thicker).

Put the potatoes in a large heavy-based saucepan and add the cream, salt, pepper, nutmeg, and garlic. Cook the mixture over medium-high heat until the cream is boiling, stirring occasionally (very gently with a rubber spatula so you don’t break up the slices).

When the cream boils, pour the mixture into a 2-1/2- or 3-qt. baking dish. If you don’t want a tender but garlicky surprise mouthful, remove and discard the garlic cloves. Shake the dish a bit to let the slices settle and then sprinkle the surface with the cheese.

Bake in the hot oven until the top is deep golden brown, the cream has thickened, and the potatoes are extremely tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 minutes. Don’t worry if the dish looks too liquidy at this point; it will set up as it cools a bit. Before serving, let the potatoes cool until they’re very warm but not hot (at least 15 minutes) or serve them at room temperature.

Notes:
from Fine Cooking #36, pp. 36-37

Download Classic Potato Gratin from MacGourmet.

QVC Cooking Day

Just a heads up if you’re looking to buy some holiday gifts for one of the cooks in your life — all day on Pennsylvania’s own QVC they’re featuring cookware, appliances, cookbooks, and foodstuffs.

 

That means all the sale prices, all the no-interest installment payment plans, and all the other special offers will be for kitchen stuff today.

 

The featured sale is a nice, powerful KitchenAid food processor that comes in a number of colors for about $130 after rebate (but before shipping and tax), in three payments. Not a bad price for a quality food processor.

 

Scott and I got one of those big turkey fryers they’re featuring today a while back as a gift. It’s a good deal safer than the outdoor kind, and deep-frying is one of the best ways you could cook your holiday turkey. Nice and moist. (Just peel off the skin and there’s no need to worry about excessive fat in the meat.) Five installment payments on that one today.

Happy Thanksgiving (in Canada)!

I bet Scott will be upset when he reads this tomorrow and realizes that, Canada-phile he is, he missed out on celebrating the second Monday in October as anything but Columbus Day.

Columbus Day. Yawn. We never even got a day off from school to make it somewhat worthwhile celebrating Europe’s second “discovery” of America and the nutter who was convinced to his death that he’d landed in Asia.

In celebration of Canada’s great Thanksgiving feast, I present the delicious mashed potatoes recipe Scott makes us every year. We found it in Real Simple a few years back, and it’s become his side-dish specialty.

Don’t forget to put the garlic cloves in the pot to boil with the potatoes. It mellows the flavor, turning the garlic a bit sweeter and softer.

Herbed Mashed Potatoes
Source: Real Simple

• 8 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 1/2″ cubes
• 10 cloves garlic, peeled
• 6 tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 cup milk, at room temperature
• 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt
• ⅓ cup parsley, chives or tarragon, chopped

Place the potatoes in a large saucepan with the garlic and enough lightly salted water to cover. (Can be done to this point up to 4 hours ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Place over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer 15 to 20 minutes or until fork-tender. Drain. Beat with an electric mixer or mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add the butter. Gradually add the milk until the potatoes are fluffy. Blend in the salt and herbs.

Download Herbed Mashed Potatoes into MacGourmet.