Friday Recipes

Here are today's six recipes to get you through the weekend. Enjoy!

PECAN PIE

This comes from Carroll Pellegrinelli, About.com's Desserts/Baking expert. She writes, “I've never really cared for pecan pie because it's typically too sweet. This recipe isn't like that at all. It's just wonderful. Both my mother and mother-in-law love this pie.”

Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Makes One - 9-inch pie

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

4 eggs

1 cup dark brown sugar*

3/4 cup light corn syrup*

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup melted butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 cups pecans, chopped, lightly toasted

9-inch unbaked pie shell

1/3 cup (about 25) nice looking pecan halves

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Beat eggs will in a large bowl. Add brown sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter and vanilla to eggs, mix thoroughly.

Sprinkle chopped pecans in pie shell. Pour egg mixture oven pecans. Arrange pecan halves around edge of filling next to crust for decoration. Bake Pecan Pie on middle rack of oven for 10 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees F and continue baking for 25 to 30 minutes, until set.

Serve Pecan Pie at room temperature.

Notes in the Margin:

* I've made this with light brown sugar and dark corn syrup. The flavor was pretty much the same.

MAPLE ACORN SQUASH

From Essential Eating, A Cookbook by Janie Quinn, via the December, 1005 issue of Publix's GreenWise publication.10 minutes prep time; serves 4

1 acorn squash

4 Tbsp maple syrup or brown sugar, or to taste

2 tsp butter

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Wash and cut squash in half crosswise. Remove seeds. If needed, slice a tiny piece off at the bottom of each half to prevent squash from rolling when placed on a flat surface. Fill a small baking pan with ¼ inch water. Place halves in pan, cut side down. Bake 25 to 35 minutes, or until tender when pierced with tip of a sharp knife. Remove pan from oven and turn squash over. Place 2 Tbsp syrup or sugar and 1 tsp of butter in each squash half. All butter to melt. Serve.

Per serving: 225 calories; 2 g Protein; 49 g carbohydrates; 3 g fiber; 4 g total fat (2 g sat, 1 g mono); 11 mg sodium; vitamins B1 (thiamin) B6, Manganese, A, B3 (niacin), C, Pantothenic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium, zinc

VANILLA CHEESECAKE WITH SALTED CARAMEL

This comes from Tablespoon.com, and begins, “Creamy vanilla cheesecake with a graham cracker crust and drizzled with a dark salted caramel.” Prep Time: 1 hr 30 min; Total Time: 5 hr 30 mini; Servings: 12.

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

Crust:

2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

Cheesecake:

4 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 large eggs

Whipped Cream:

1 cup heavy cream, chilled

3 tablespoons sugar

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Salted Caramel:

3/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup water

1/2 cup whipping cream, warmed

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon sea salt (and more for topping)

Directions

Preheat oven to 325°F.

For the crust: Combine the graham cracker crust, sugar, and butter until well combined. Press into the bottom and up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Bake for 5-7 minutes.

For the cheesecake: Beat cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla until light and fluffy. Add eggs one at a time, beating until blended after each egg. Pour into graham cracker crust. Bake for 50-55 minutes or until center is set.

Let cheesecake cool. Run a knife around the outside of the cheesecake before removing the rim. Refrigerate for at least four hours or overnight if possible.

Once cheesecake has cooled, prepare the whipped cream. For the whipping cream: Whip the heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla until soft peaks form. Spread over the top of the cheesecake.

For the salted caramel: In a large heavy saucepan combine the sugar and water over medium heat stirring constantly. Once mixture starts boiling, DO NOT STIR AT ALL. Continue to boil mixture for 8-12 minutes or until mixture turns a golden brown. Remove from heat. The mixture will continue to brown after removed from heat.

Quickly stir in butter and warmed cream, whisking until smooth. Add vanilla and sea salt and stir until combined. Pour into a container to cool. Caramel should be served at room temperature but stored in the fridge. Caramel will harden when cold.

CROCKPOT VEGETABLE MINESTRONE

Linda Larsen, About.com's Busy Cooks guide, writes, “This hearty recipe has a very complex flavor. One of the more surprising parts of the recipe is that pasta cooks right in the crockpot.”

Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 8 hours; Total Time: 8 hours, 20 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups vegetable broth or stock

4 cups tomato juice

1 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. dried basil leaves

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 carrots, sliced

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 (14 oz.) cans diced tomatoes, undrained

1-1/2 cups uncooked rotini pasta

Parmesan cheese

Preparation:

Mix all ingredients except pasta and cheese in a 4-5 quart crockpot. Cover crockpot and cook on LOW for 7 to 8 hours until vegetables are tender. Stir in pasta. Cover and cook on HIGH setting for 15-25 minutes until pasta is tender. Sprinkle each serving with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. 12 servings

BOBBY'S PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

This comes from Bobby Flay of the Food Network'sBoy Meets Grill.

Total Time: 2 hr 45 min; prep: 20 min; Inactive: 2 hr; Cook: 25 min; Yields about 24 rolls; level: intermediate

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups milk

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for brushing

1/2 cup sugar

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm water

3 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 1/2 teaspoons salt

6 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

Place milk in a small saucepan and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat, stir in the butter and sugar and let cool. Dissolve yeast in warm water and let sit until foamy. Combine milk mixture, eggs, yeast, salt, and 1/2 of the flour in a mixer with the dough attachment and mix until smooth. Add the remaining flour, 1/2 cup at a time, and stir until a smooth ball forms.

Remove from the bowl and knead by hand on a floured surface for about 5 minutes. Place in greased bowl, cover, and let rise in a warm place until doubled in bulk, about 60 to 70 minutes. On a floured surface, punch down the dough and shape into desired shapes. Place on a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Cover again and let rise until doubled, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Preheat the oven 350 degrees F.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown. Remove from the oven and brush with melted butter before serving.

SWEET POTATO & SQUASH GRATIN

This comes from Seattle's Macrina Bakery's monthly email. (Hint: If you're not on their emailing list, I'd advise signing up. They have really great recipes. Go ahead, I'll wait.)

This recipe starts off, “This rich and creamy side dish is a wonderful addition to fall dinners and a must-have at Thanksgiving. We put our twist on classic potatoes au gratin by combining sweet potatoes with roasted chanterelles, delicata squash and chopped walnuts. You can substitute any of your favorite mushroom varieties for the chanterelles.” Makes 8 servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

8 ounces chanterelles, cleaned and sliced into 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large garlic clove, chopped

2 tablespoons fresh thyme, chopped and divided

1 cup heavy cream

1 cup whole milk

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1 1/2 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

1 1/2 pounds delicata squash, peeled and thinly sliced

4 ounces Gruyère cheese, grated

1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Prepare a baking sheet with parchment paper for roasting the mushrooms. Butter a 7x10-inch baking dish or brush it with olive oil.

In a small bowl, toss mushrooms with olive oil, garlic and 1 tablespoon of the thyme. Layer the mushroom mixture evenly on the prepared baking sheet and season with salt and pepper. Roast the mushrooms in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes to reduce the moisture and slightly brown. Set aside and let cool.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine the cream, milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and add in the sweet potatoes and squash. Cover the pan and continue simmering for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover and stir in the Gruyère and mushrooms. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish in an even layer. Top with walnuts and remaining thyme.

Cover with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes until the top is golden brown and cream is reduced.

Let stand for 20 minutes before serving. Enjoy!