Happy Thanksgiving! Good Luck with the Turkey!

With all the "fun" in the kitchen this week, sometimes it's easy to forget that you need to feed your company breakfast! Don't worry, I've got the best recipe for "Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere!" This is one of my all-time favorite recipes! The best part is that you make it ahead (always smart with company lingering!) and can be successfully doubled for larger crowds! Everyone always loves it! Don't forget to check my Recipes page for other excellent recipes, e.g., The Great After-Thanksgiving Turkey Enchiladas, Gratin Dauphinois, and Boursin Creamed Spinach, just to name a few!

Breakfast Strata with Spinach and Gruyere

Serves 6 (or 12 if doubled)

Ingredients:

8-10, 1/2" slices supermarket French or Italian bread (I always make a few extra.)

5 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

4 medium shallots, minced

1, 10 ounce package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed dry

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup medium-dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc

6 ounces Gruyere cheese, grated (about 1 1/2 cups)

6 large eggs

1 3/4 cups half-and-half

*If doubled, double the ingredients and use a 13"x9" baking dish greased with 1 1/2 tablespoons butter and bake for about 60 minutes.*

Directions:

Adjust the oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 225 degrees. Arrange the bread in a single layer on a large baking sheet and bake until dry and crisp, about 40 minutes, turning the slices over halfway through the drying time. When the bread has cooled, butter the slices on one side with 2 tablespoons of the butter, set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Saute the shallots until fragrant and translucent, about 3 minutes; add the spinach and salt and pepper to taste and cook, stirring occasionally, until combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl; set aside. Add the wine to the skillet, increase the heat to medium-high, and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup, 2-3 minutes; set aside.

Butter an 8" square baking dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon butter; arrange half of the bread slices, buttered-side up in a single layer in the dish. (Don't worry if the bread doesn't completely cover the bottom, it will swell as it sits overnight.)

Sprinkle half of the spinach mixture, then 1/2 cup grated cheese evenly over the bread slices.

Arrange the remaining bread slices in a single layer over the cheese; sprinkle the remaining spinach mixture and another 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the bread. (The remainder of the cheese will be added right before baking.) Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until combined; whisk in the reduced wine, the half-and-half, 1 teaspoon salt, and pepper to taste. Pour the egg mixture evenly over the bread layers; 

cover the surface flush with plastic wrap, weight down with whatever you have in the pantry, and refrigerate overnight.

Remove the dish from the refrigerator and let stand at room temperature 20 minutes. Meanwhile, adjust an oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 325 degrees. Uncover the strata and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup cheese evenly over the surface. Bake until both the edges and the center are puffed and the edges have pulled away slightly from the sides of the dish, 50-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes; serve.

Recipe adapted from The New Best Recipe, from the editors of Cook's Illustrated.

Welcome fall with this Vegetarian Masterpiece

I welcome the drop in temperatures, the changing colors, and the smell of fire pits as fall settles in. I also welcome the change from light summer meals to more cozy and rich cuisine. This recipe for Crispy Polenta Cakes with Wild Mushroom Ragout is one of my absolute favorites! I have been making it for at least twenty years and am still delighted every time! I also find it to be perfect for any vegetarian guest I might be serving. 

You need to make the polenta ahead before spreading it into a buttered 9x9 pan to cool, then refrigerate before cutting into triangles. I usually make the polenta the day before. This makes it easy for a dinner party and allows plenty of time to enjoy your guests! Serve with a lovely salad, baguette, and a simple cheese and fruit for dessert! Tres chic! 

Crispy Polenta Cakes with Wild Mushroom Ragout

Serves 6

Ingredients:

Kosher salt
1 cup (2 oz/60g) coarse polenta (I use Bob's Red Mill yellow corn polenta.)
1/2 cup (2 oz/60g) grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese
4 tablespoons (2 oz/60g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound (450g) mixed fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (Or whatever mushrooms you prefer.)
3 cups (24 Fl oz/725mL) chicken stock (Or vegetarian stock.)
1/2 cup (4 Fl oz/120mL) heavy cream
2 cups (8 oz/225g) all-purpose flour for dusting the polenta
1 cup (8 Fl oz/240mL) olive oil for frying

Directions:

Bring 6 cups (48 Fl oz/1.4L) of water and 1 teaspoon salt to a boil. Lower the heat to medium and slowly add the cornmeal in a shower, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. (Or cook according to package directions.) When done, add the Parmigiano and 2 tablespoons of the butter and mix well. Season with salt and pepper. Immediately spread into a buttered 9x9-inch (23x23cm) pan. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula and refrigerate. Combine the parsley and garlic and chop together until very fine. Reserve.

In a large skillet, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons butter with the 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil over high heat. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and the mushrooms liquid has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove the mushrooms and set aside. Add the chicken stock, cream, garlic, and parsley to the pan and simmer to reduce by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Score the polenta into six 3x4-inch squares. Halve each square diagonally to make 2 triangles. Remove from the pan and toss the polenta triangles carefully in flour to dust them lightly.

Heat 1/2 inch of olive oil in a large, deep frying pan until the oil sizzles and a tiny piece of polenta turns golden on contact, 375 degrees (190 degree C). Add a few of the polenta triangles and cook, turning occasionally, until golden on both sides. Drain on paper towels.

To serve, place 2 hot polenta triangles on each plate. Warm the mushroom ragout and spoon over the polenta. Serve immediately. (A sprig of fresh thyme would be a nice garnish.)

Recipe from Weir Cooking: Recipes from the Wine Country, by Joanne Weir. I love that book and highly recommend!

Pan de Muertos

Halloween is over. Now what? Let me take you to Mexico, for Dia de los Muertos or Day of the Dead. In Mexico, Day of the Dead is celebrated on November 1 (for children and infants) and November 2 (for adults), to honor and celebrate the lives of the dead. These dates correspond to the Catholic, All Saints Day and All Souls Day, brought to Mexico by the Spaniards. However, Day of the Dead has been celebrated for centuries, all the way back to the Aztecs, when it was celebrated for the entire month of August. Day of the Dead is a time to remember the dead, by cleaning their grave sites, adding flowers (particularly marigolds), gathering pictures, favorite foods and drinks of the deceased, and by eating sugar skulls and Pan de Muertos or Bread of the Dead. It may sound morbid, but it isn't. After all, wouldn't it be nice to know that you wouldn't be forgotten?

In honor of the tradition of Day of the Dead, I'm offering an authentic recipe for Pan de Muertos or Bread of the Dead. It is an exotic yeast bread, flavored with a hint of anise, sugar, milk, and eggs. Sometimes other flavors are added, like cinnamon and orange, but it is it's shape that makes it distinctive. Pan de Muertos is traditionally decorated with sugar, two "bone-shaped" pieces of dough, and topped with a skull or tear shape to represent sorrow. Something like this:

Pan de Muertos (Bread of the Dead)

Serves 14-16

Ingredients:

For the dough

1/4 cup butter

1/4 cup milk

1/4 cup warm water

3 cups all-purpose flour

1-1/4 teaspoon active dry yeast
1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon anise seed

1/4 cup white sugar

2 eggs, lightly beaten

2 teaspoons orange zest

For the glaze

1/4 cup white sugar

1/4 cup orange juice

1 tablespoon orange zest

2 tablespoons colored or white sugar

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, mix together the milk and butter until the butter is melted. Remove from the heat and stir in the warm water.

In a large mixing bowl, combine 1 cup of flour, yeast, salt, anise seed, and sugar, blending well. Stir in the warm milk mixture, eggs, and orange zest, mixing until well blended. Slowly add flour, 1 cup at a time to create the dough. Place the dough onto a floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. If the dough is too sticky, add a little more flour.

Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap and set in a warm place. Allow the dough to rise until doubled in size, about 2 hours. Punch the dough down, removing 1 fistful of the dough and set that aside. Take the larger portion of dough and place it on a baking sheet, shaping it into a round dome.

Using the dough you had set aside, shape two small, long bone shapes to be placed on top the dome. Lightly cover the dough with plastic wrap and allow it to double in size, about 1 hour. Bake in a 350 degree pre-heated oven for about 25 to 35 minutes. Remove from the oven and place on wire rack to cool slightly.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, mix together the 1/4 cup of white sugar, orange juice, and orange zest, stirring until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat and brush over the warm bread. Sprinkle with colored or white sugar. 

Recipe adapted from Texas Cooking Online.