T & J are hosting at their lovely new place on November 11th.
Mini cornbread waffles with cranberry sauce and bacon - Z & K
Blissful Salad with Sweet Potatoes - J & K
Waldorf Salad - T & J
Turkey and Chorizo Empanadas - T & J
Pumpkin (Spice Latte) Tiramisu - L & T
Source for cornbread waffles
3/4 cup (100 grams) coarse yellow cornmeal
3/4 cup (100 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon (15 ml) molasses
1 cup (235 ml) buttermilk, well-shaken
4 tablespoons (55 grams) melted unsalted butter
1 large egg
Combine cornmeal, flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bottom of a medium bowl. In a smaller bowl, whisk molasses, butter, buttermilk and egg until combined. Pour into dry ingredients and stir to combine. Let batter rest for 10 minutes. Heat waffle iron according to manufacturer’s instructions; I found a medium heat just fine here.
Brush waffle iron with melted butter or coat with nonstick spray. Drop 1 tablespoon puddles of batter onto iron (several at a time). Cook until lightly browned.
Yield - About 20 six inch empanadas
Prepare empanada dough (see below) and refrigerate.
Using a 12-inch deep skillet over medium heat, drizzle about 1 tablespoon oil and add the diced onions. Saute for about 3-4 minutes and then add the diced red peppers. Continue to sauté until the onions and peppers start to soften, about another 5 minutes and then add the garlic to cook for 30 seconds.
If using ground turkey: Stir the tomato paste into the mixture and then the ground turkey and chorizo. Use a wooden spoon to break up the turkey and chorizo into small pieces. Season with the salt, cumin powder and dried oregano.
Cook the meat until it’s browned and no longer pink, about 15 minutes, stirring thorough to break up any large chunks. Once the meat is cooked through, drain any excess grease.
If using pre-cooked turkey: Stir tomato paste into the mixture and then chorizo. Use wooden spoon to break up chorizo into small pieces. Season with the salt, cumin powder and dried oregano. Once chorizo is cooked, drain any excess grease and add cooked turkey. Taste and add more seasonings if desired. Continue with recipe.
Pour in the white wine, tomato sauce, chopped olives and raisins. Bring the filling to a simmer and then cover. Cook for about 10 minutes or until the filling has thickened. Remove from the heat.
While the filling is thickening, begin to roll out the dough for the empanadas. Remove one rectangle of the dough from the refrigerator Leave the dough you are not using in the refrigerator.
Heat your oven to 400 degrees and have a non-stick cookie sheet ready to go.
On a well floured surface, roll the dough out to about 1/8 to ¼ inch thickness and cut out six inch round circles.
Place three tablespoons filling in the center of each round and fold in half. Use a fork dipped in the egg wash to crimp the empanadas closed. Transfer to the cookie sheet. Continue to with the remaining dough.
Once all the empanadas are filled, brush with egg wash and bake for 20 minutes or until the empanadas are golden brown. Let cool for 10-15 minutes before serving. Makes about 20 six inch empanadas.
Sift flour with salt into a large bowl and blend in butter with your fingertips or a pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse meal with some (roughly pea-size) butter lumps. Beat together egg, water, and vinegar in a small bowl with a fork. Add to flour mixture, stirring with fork until just incorporated. (Mixture will look shaggy.) Turn out mixture onto a lightly floured surface and gather together, then knead gently with heel of your hand once or twice, just enough to bring dough together. Form dough into three flat rectangles and chill them, each wrapped in plastic wrap, at least 1 hour. Dough can be chilled up to 6 hours total.
Yield 10 servings
NOTE: If using yogurt, omit the lemon juice. You may also want to add a little honey to balance the tartness of the yogurt.
3/4 cup mayonnaise (or plain yogurt)
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Large pinch freshly ground black pepper
4 sweet apples, cored and chopped
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups thinly sliced celery
2 cups chopped, slightly toasted walnuts
Stir the apple, celery, grapes, and walnuts into the bowl with the dressing.
For the freshest, crispest salad, make Waldorf salad no more than an hour before serving. Keep refrigerated.
Yield 10 as a side
Prepare the sweet potatoes and shallots: Heat oven to 400°F and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut potatoes in half lengthwise, and then into 1/4-inch half-moon slices. Drizzle or brush parchment lightly with olive oil and sprinkle the oil with salt and pepper. Arrange sweet potato slices in one layer on parchment. Coat lightly with more oil, salt, and pepper.
Place shallot halves on a square of foil and drizzle lightly with olive oil and kosher salt. Tightly seal foil around them into a little packet and place on the baking sheet with potatoes.
Roast potatoes and shallots for 20 minutes, until lightly brown underneath. Flip the pieces and carefully open the foil packet with the shallots. Return the tray to the oven for another 5 to 15 minutes, checking every five minutes until the potatoes are evenly brown and the shallots are tender (remove shallots from oven if they finish first).
Make the dressing: In a blender or food processor, whiz warm shallots with 6 tablespoons olive oil until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed. With the machine running, add dijon mustard and 4.5 tablespoons vinegar, blending until smooth. Season well with salt and pepper, blending again. Taste and adjust with more vinegar, salt, and pepper as needed. If the dressing is very thick, thin with 1 to 2 tablespoons water.
Do ahead: The recipe can be paused here until needed.
To serve: In a large wide bowl or salad plate, toss greens with half the dressing and season with additional salt and pepper. Arrange roasted potatoes over the greens, fanning out slices if you wish. Sprinkle salad with pomegranate and pepitas (if using) and drizzle some of the remaining dressing over, to taste. Once dressed, serve salad right away, with extra dressing on the side.
Source - plus my own adaptations
Yield: 12 Servings
Bring mascarpone cheese to room temperature.
In a medium bowl, combine 1 1/2 cups heavy cream and 1/2 cup granulated sugar until sugar dissolves. Beat at medium speed until soft peaks form. Do not overbeat. In large bowl, beat the mascarpone until softened and smooth, add the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, salt and nutmeg and mix to combine. Fold whipped cream into pumpkin mixture in batches until totally incorporated.
In a medium bowl, whisk the brewed coffee with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar until it’s dissolved. Dip both sides of ladyfingers in the coffee and arrange them in a single layer in a 9X13 inch dish. Spread 1/2 cup of the pumpkin mousse on top. Repeat, ending with a layer of the pumpkin mousse. Cover and refrigerate the tiramisu overnight (minimum 8 hours).
In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the remaining 1 cup of cream with the remaining 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar until soft peaks form. Dollop the whipped cream over the tiramisu, garnish with shaved chocolate and candied ginger and serve.
