Creamy Mashed Potato Casserole with Sage and Fontina

I wanted to test this recipe before suggesting it for Thanksgiving. It’s been in my cooking folder for ages, and so I just went for it, especially because it uses sage and I had some sitting in the fridge.

Recipe from (https://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/mashed-potato-casserole-sage-and-fontina)

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for greasing
• 3 pounds baking potatoes, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche (4 ounces)
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped sage plus 12 sage leaves
• 8 ounces imported Fontina cheese, shredded
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/3 cup plain dry breadcrumbs
• 1/3 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• Olive oil, for frying

How to Make It:
Step 1 Preheat the oven to 400°. Lightly grease a 2- quart shallow baking dish. In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes with enough water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and cook until fork-tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl. Mash the potatoes with 4 tablespoons of the butter, the crème fraîche, parsley and chopped sage. Fold in the Fontina and season with salt and pepper. Spread the potato mixture in the prepared dish in an even layer.

Step 2 In a small bowl, using your fingers, blend the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter with the breadcrumbs and Parmesan until coarse crumbs form. Top the potatoes with the breadcrumb mixture. Bake for about 30 minutes, until golden and crisp on top.

Step 3 Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat 1/4 inch of olive oil over low heat. Add the sage leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 3 minutes. Transfer the sage to paper towels to drain. Scatter the fried sage over the casserole and serve.

Make Ahead The assembled unbaked casserole can be refrigerated overnight.


My notes:
It was good, but not great. I liked the sage, creme fraiche, parsley, and fontina in the mashed potato, but it probably could’ve used more butter. I also liked the crispy breadcrumb topping, which browned nicely. But overall, though this dish would feed a crowd, it wasn’t rich enough for Thanksgiving. I think if I’d added more cheese, butter, and salt honestly, it would’ve been excellent. However, I doubt I’ll make this recipe again for just two people.


Pictures

Blackberry Tahini Yogurt Cake

Introduction:

We had a lot of whole milk yogurt sitting in the fridge past the expiration date, and I decided to make this cake! I’ve been seeing a lot of tahini in desserts lately and frankly I’m not sure I love the trend, but I’m game to try it out a couple times.


Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• Nonstick vegetable oil spray
• ½ teaspoon ground cardamom or cinnamon
• 4 tablespoons plus 1 cup sugar
• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• ½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons finely grated lemon, lime, or orange zest
• 2 cups fresh (or frozen, thawed) blackberries
• ¼ cup tahini

RECIPE PREPARATION

• Preheat oven to 350°. Lightly coat a 9"-diameter cake pan with nonstick spray; line bottom with a parchment paper round. Lightly coat parchment with nonstick spray. Mix cardamom and 2 Tbsp. sugar in a small bowl; set aside.
• Whisk flour, baking powder, 1 cup sugar, and ½ tsp. salt in a large bowl. Make a well in the center; add eggs, yogurt, oil, and citrus zest and whisk to combine. Switch to a wooden spoon or rubber spatula and gradually work in dry ingredients, mixing until smooth. Fold in berries; scrape batter into prepared pan.

• Mix tahini, a pinch of salt, and remaining 2 Tbsp. sugar in another small bowl. Drizzle evenly over batter; sprinkle reserved cardamom sugar over top.
• Bake cake until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 50–60 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in pan. Invert onto a plate, then turn right side up.
• Do Ahead: Cake can be baked 2 days ahead. Store tightly covered at room temperature.

My notes:
I followed the recipe to the tee. I used ground cardamom, and fresh blackberries. The cake came together very quickly! I placed the cake pan on a cookie sheet and I’m glad I did because there was a very small amount of spillover.

I would not make the cake as is again, but I would totally do one of the “riffs”. I’d either use cinnamon instead of cardomom or do half and half. All cardamom had a slight bitter taste to it that I didn’t like. I’d also try almond butter instead of tahini. The tahini and cardamom combo wasn’t my favorite but I could see almond and cinnamon going together smashingly with the lemon scented cake. This could easily be make with blueberries as well. The cake was springy and soft and took about 53 minutes to bake in the oven. Visually, the cake doesn’t look that amazing— maybe my tahini mix was too thin and it spread funny? I’d consider some turbinado or powdered sugar to make it look better--maybe even a crumb topping, coffee cake style. The cake stayed moist for 3-4 days at room temperature.



Picture

Recipe: directly copied from in pursuit of more blog
http://inpursuitofmore.com/2018/03/26/tofu-nut-balls/

and she cites the recipe as inspired by the Moosewood cookbook.

Tofu Nut Balls

~ from the Moosewood Cookbook
1/2 cup uncooked short grain brown rice
1 cup water
2 tbsp soy sauce
250g firm tofu, mashed
1/2 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup fine breadcrumbs
1/2 tsp salt
a little oil for the baking sheet or frying pan
Place the rice and water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower the heat to the lowest possible simmer. Cook until very soft (mushy even) for about 35 to 45 minutes.
You get to choose between sautéing the balls or baking them. If you are baking them, preheat the over to 350ºF and lightly oil a baking sheet. If you are sautéeing, have ready a skillet and a little oil. Place the soy sauce and half the mashed tofu in a blender or food processor, and add about 3/4 of the cooked rice. Blend to a thick paste. Place the remaining tofu in a medium-sized bowl. add the blended mixture, along with the almonds, bread crumbs, salt, and remaining rice. Taste to see if it needs more salt. Using your hands, form the batter into 1-inch balls.
To cook, you can either sauté them in a little hot oil for about 15 minutes OR bake them on a lightly oiled tray for 30 minutes at 350-375 degrees. Serve hot, with your choice of sauce or condiment. These are great cold too! Crumble leftovers onto a green salad or smoosh them in a sandwich.


My notes:
I pressure cooked the short grain brown rice
I ground the almonds up in a food processor-- I bet almond meal would work well here too.
I also ground the breadcrumbs up myself from old bread.
I baked most of them and fried a few. These are delicious fried-- baked is okay.
I think these have great potential to be spiced up a bit more-- flavored tofu, or chili sauce, or herbs. I think I'd toy with the seasoning next time I make it.

Spicy Molasses Cookies

 So I’m renewing my effort to cook my way through all the recipes I’ve saved over the years. This one I saved because I’m always looking for gingery-molasses cookies that have a kick to them, and I’m happy to report that these do!


Recipe (from Bon Apetit)

INGREDIENTS

1¼ cups all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

2 teaspoons ground ginger

1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon ground cloves

1½ teaspoons finely ground black pepper, plus more for sprinkling

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 large egg, room temperature

⅓ cup plus 1 Tbsp. mild-flavored (light) molasses

¾ cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon (or more) milk

Raw sugar (for sprinkling)

PREPARATION

Whisk all-purpose flour, whole wheat flour, baking soda, salt, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and 1½ tsp. pepper in a medium bowl to combine.

Using an electric mixer on medium speed,beat brown sugar and butter in a large bowl until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add egg and beat to incorporate. Add ⅓ cup molasses and mix just to combine. Reduce mixer speed to low and gradually add dry ingredients; beat just until incorporated. Pat dough together and wrap in plastic. Chill until firm, about 1 hour.

Place racks in upper and lower thirds of oven; preheat to 350°. Scoop out level tablespoonfuls of dough and roll between the palms of your hands into smooth balls. Place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets, spacing about 2" apart (you should be able to fit about 12 on each sheet).

Bake cookies, rotating baking sheets top to bottom and back to front halfway through, until just firm around the edges, 9–12 minutes (if you like chewier cookies, bake less, and if a crispier cookie is your thing, bake a little longer). Let cookies cool about 5 minutes on baking sheets, then transfer to wire racks and let cool completely.

Repeat with remaining dough, using fresh parchment paper on baking sheets, as dough is quite sticky.

Whisk powdered sugar, milk, and remaining 1 Tbsp. molasses in a medium bowl until smooth. The glaze should be very thick and glossy but still pourable. If needed, add more milk or water ½-teaspoonful at a time until you get to the right consistency. Drizzle glaze over cookies and sprinkle with raw sugar and more pepper.

Do Ahead: Cookies can be baked and glazed 2 days ahead. Once glaze is set, store airtight at room temperature, or freeze unglazed cookies up to 1 month in resealable plastic bags.


My notes:

I used ground white pepper in place of ground black pepper, mostly because all I have is coursely ground black pepper. I also freshly ground my cloves, and probably erred on the side of extra spice overall.
The dough was quite soft and sticky after being mixed (before the chill), and though the chill helped make it easier to manage, it quickly melted as I handled it.
So naturally it follows that these cookies spread quite a bit in the oven.
I rolled the dough into .5 oz balls, which spread to 3 inch cookies. I really liked this size.
At the 9 minute bake mark, the cookies were crispy on the outside and chewy in the center. Perfect.
These cookies are great unglazed, but need the glaze to look visually appealing. The glaze came together easily and was an orange-y color.
These had a kick! I ate way too many in one setting though, and my mouth became a little numb from all the pepper. 



My pics:



The verdict: I'd totally make these again, as is, or reducing the pepper a bit, just to make them more of a crowd pleaser. I would also consider sneaking in more ginger.

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

I made the broccoli Cheddar Soup from Smitten Kitchen since I basically had all the ingredients lying around.

Recipe: Directly copied from Smitten Kitchen
(https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/09/broccoli-cheddar-soup/)

Broccoli Cheddar Soup

• Servings: 4 to 6
• Time: 45 minutes

Instead of 1 cup half-and-half, you could use 1/2 cup milk + 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/2 cup heavy cream + 1/2 cup additional stock or broth. I like to use both broccoli florets and stems when I cook, and I find that the stems cook up with the best texture and at the same rate as the florets when I peel them first. I did so here.

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 small onion, chopped small
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 cup half-and-half
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 bay leaf
• Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 1/4 pounds broccoli or 4 cups broccoli florets and stems, chopped small
• 1 large carrot (about 6 ounces) or 2 slim ones, chopped tiny (1 cup)
• 8 ounces (about 2 1/2 cups) coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese, plus a pinch extra for garnish

Melt the butter in a large, heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook until tender, about 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and cook until golden, 3 to 4 minutes, then gradually whisk in the half-and-half until smooth. Add the chicken broth, bay leaf, salt and pepper and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Add the broccoli and carrot to the broth mixture and simmer until tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Discard the bay leaf and adjust seasoning if needed, but err on the cautious side with the salt because the cheese will add a bit. Puree the soup to your desired texture — I like mine fairly chunky, just lightly blended — with an immersion blender or in an upright one. Back on the stove, add cheese and whisk until melted, about 1 minute.
Serve in bowls, garnished with a pinch of cheese. We like a hearty slice of grainy toasted bread on the side, for swiping.

My notes: 
I used 12 oz broccoli florets (from a TJ's bag), and then probably 10 oz mushrooms. I pan fried the mushrooms and added half to the soup after the blend but before the addition of the cheese, and used the rest to top the soup.
I used a red onion, and 4-5 cloves of garlic. I also added sliced green onions with the broth.
Instead of half and half, I used 3/4 cup of 2% milk and 1/2 cup-ish of light sour cream.
I used both white and yellow sharp cheddar cheese.
I also added celery seed and some nutmeg as I adjusted the spices.

Delicious!

Scallion sour cream drop biscuits

I had green onions leftover from another recipe, and decided to make these to use some more of them up!

Recipe (from Bon Apetit)

Makes 8 Servings

Active Time: 15 min

Total Time: 30 min

All that sour cream keeps these drop biscuits super moist and tender—they reheat well, even after sitting out for hours (pop back into 350° oven for 5 minutes).

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, cooled, divided
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1½ cups sour cream
• Hungarian hot paprika (for serving)

Recipe Preparation

• Preheat oven to 400°. Whisk flour, baking powder, salt, sugar, and baking soda in a large bowl. Drizzle in 6 Tbsp. butter and mix lightly with your hands just to distribute butter. Make a well in center of bowl and add scallions and sour cream. Mix with a wooden spoon until no dry spots remain and mixture forms a shaggy dough.
• Using 2 spoons, drop ½-cupfuls of dough onto a parchment-lined baking sheet, spacing at least 1½" apart, or into a 12" cast-iron skillet, arranging so sides of biscuits are just touching (you should have 8). Brush tops with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter; sprinkle with paprika. Bake biscuits until tops and bottoms are golden brown on top and bottom, 12–15 minutes.

My notes:
- Comes together really quickly
- Made 10 biscuits
- Used "light" sour cream and still worked
- Even though after 15 minutes of baking the tops were browned, the outer biscuit was still quite tender. Would consider a quick broil to get a crunchier top.
- Would also consider adding chopped green chiles or melding cheddar on top
- excellent on the retoast
- I used the green and white parts of the scallion
- Paprika and even other spices would work well. 


Made again in March 2019.
Still pretty tender, even after 17-19 minutes in oven. I tried the broil, which helped and then I transferred a few to the toaster oven to get a crunchier top. I used smoked paprika, cayenne, and red chili powder. I melted a little pecorino on top— probably wouldn’t do that again.

Made again August 2021. Delicious, honestly, as a soft tender biscuit. I used Guntur Sanaam Chili powder and I measured the sour cream in grams (360). Did not broil this time. 

Pic: