Creamed Spinach Potato Gratin

While sitting in a doctor’s office in November, we watched a celebrity cooking show on ABC called “The Chew.”  I had never watched it before, or since.  This was one of the dishes prepared during that episode.  It looked so yummy we had to try it for Thanksgiving.  It was a hit with everyone and though it takes a couple of hours from start to finish, definitely one to keep.

Ingredients:

2 pounds Yukon Gold Potatoes

8 ounces Frozen Spinach, Thawed

1 1/2 cups Whole Milk, warm

1 cup Heavy Cream, warm

1 Onion, Finely chopped

4 Tbsps butter

1/4 cup Flour

1/8 tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg

Dash Hot Sauce

Salt and freshly grated black pepper

1 cup Gruyere, shredded

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F.  Peel the potatoes and slice them thinly, about 1/8 inch thick.  Place them in a bowl filled with cold water to prevent them from browning.

Squeeze small handfuls of spinach to remove as much moisture as possible, then coarsely chop.

In a large heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and stir to combine. Cook the flour mixture for 2-3 minutes, stirring continuously. Slowly pour in the milk and cream and whisk to combine. Continue to cook, stirring continuously, until the sauce begins to thicken (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and season with nutmeg, a few dashes of hot sauce, salt and pepper.

Add in the chopped spinach and stir until combined.

Drain the potatoes well and add them to the pot with the creamed spinach.  Stir everything together being sure the potatoes are not stuck together and everything is evenly coated.  Pour the mixture into a buttered gratin dish and top with gruyere cheese.

Place the gratin dish on a baking sheet and bake for about 1 hour and 15 minutes, until the top is golden brown and the potatoes are cooked through.

Remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 minutes.  Serve warm.

Tips
– If you don’t have frozen spinach you can replace it with sautéed spinach or kale.
– Be sure to slice the potatoes thinly and evenly so that they evenly cook.
– If you make the gratin the day before, fully cook it, let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate overnight. The next day, bring to room temperature and warm in the oven.

Red Velvet Cake

Red Velvet Cake

Red velvet cake was my favorite cake for birthdays when I was growing up.   The origin of the recipe has been attributed to both Adams Extracts of Texas and the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel of New York, but no one knows for sure.   After WWII, every cookbook had a version of red velvet cake. 

The striking difference between the dark red layers and creamy white frosting is beautiful and teases at goodness to come.  Buttermilk adds a rich tangy buttery taste and keeps the cake tender.  The subtle chocolate flavor comes from a little cocoa.  The traditional frosting was a butter roux but is often substituted (shudder) with a cream cheese frosting today. 

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups All-Purpose Unbleached Flour (155 grams)

1 1/4 cups Cake Flour (115 grams)

3 Tbsps Cocoa

1 tsp Baking Soda

1/2 tsp kosher Salt

1 cup Whole Buttermilk, room temperature

1 fluid ounce Red liquid Food Coloring

1 Tbsp White Vinegar

1 tsp Vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups Dark Brown Sugar (310 Grams)

1 stick unsalted Butter, room temperature but not microwaved

2 whole Eggs, room temperature

Directions:

Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter then line the bottom of two round pans with a parchment paper, then butter the paper and set aside.  Parchment paper is not wax paper.  The wax on wax paper will melt making a mess and will not work.  Brown paper from a paper grocery bag can be substituted.
Whisk the flours, cocoa, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl and set aside. Whisk the buttermilk, food coloring, vinegar, and vanilla together in a small bowl and set aside.
Combine the brown sugar and butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and cream on medium speed until lightened in color, 3 minutes. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Return the mixer to medium speed and slowly add the eggs and beat until they are fully incorporated.
With the mixer on low, add the flour mixture in 3 installments, alternating with the buttermilk mixture, beginning and ending with the flour mixture. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl between each installment. Mix on low speed until smooth, 30 to 45 seconds.
Divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans and bake until the cake springs back when pressed or reaches an internal temperature of 205 degrees F, 30 to 35 minutes.
Cool in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, and then remove the cake from the pans and cool completely, about 1 hour.  Placing the cakes in the refrigerator for 30 minutes will make them easier to split and frost. 
Place a cake close to the edge of a table then hold a knife parallel to the table and carefully split the cake in half.  This will make four layers when done.  Place a generous layer of frosting between each to assemble.

Butter Roux Frosting:

1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
1 Tablespoon  Vanilla extract
9 Tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
3 ½ sticks unsalted Butter divided, at room temperature, not microwaved
1 ½ cups superfine Sugar, not powdered sugar, and regular sugar will work.  

Directions:

Make a blond roux by melting ½ stick butter over med low heat with flour. Roux is equal parts flour and fat by weight.  Cook for five minutes or so but do not allow it to brown.  Every recipe I have seen calls for adding flour to milk and whisking, some even acknowledge this will leave flour lumps.  I have never whisked the lumps out.  Making a roux just makes sense to me to eliminate the lumps since you are essentially making béchamel sauce or white gravy.  Whisk constantly as you slowly add the cream and milk. Cook and stir for a few minutes to thicken so it looks like mashed potatoes.  Scrape into a bowl, cover and refrigerate until very cold, at least 2 hours.
Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat until the mixture is very fluffy and the sugar is totally dissolved, about 6 minutes. Add the cold paste, a few tablespoons at a time to the butter mixture and whip until light and fluffy.  Add the vanilla.

Sweet Potato Casserole

Mom often made this for holidays.  The original recipe called for adding 1/2 cup sugar to the sweet potatoes.  I find I prefer to allow the natural sweetness of the sweet potatoes to come through without adding more sugar. 

Ingredients:

3 Large Sweet Potatoes

2 Eggs

1/4 Cup Whole Milk

3 Tbsp Butter

1 tsp Vanilla

Topping:

1/4 Cup Brown Sugar

3 Tbsp Butter

1/2 Cup Coconut

1/2 Cup Pecans-Finely chopped

1/2 Cup Oats-Chopped

Directions:

Peel and cut up sweet potatoes into ½ inch cubes.  Place in a pot with a little water and boil till tender about 20 minutes.  Use as little water as possible without burning and should be mostly dry when done.  Mix the topping while potatoes cook.  Mash potatoes when tender.  Beat eggs; add milk and a large spoon full of hot mashed sweet potatoes.  Add mixture to the mashed potatoes and stir quickly.   This will help prevent the eggs from becoming scrambled eggs in your casserole when they hit the hot potatoes.  Place in open proof dish and sprinkle with topping.  Bake in 350 oven for 20 minutes or topping browns.

Éclair Cake

Mom regularly made this as I was growing up.  It is quick and easy to make and in the days before air conditioning, it was a good desert that didn’t heat up the oven (and house) in summer.

Ingredients:

1 16oz box Graham Crackers

2 packages French Vanilla Instant Pudding

3 cups Milk-whole is richer, 1% will work

1 8oz carton Cool Whip

3 oz Unsweetened Chocolate

3 tsp Karo Syrup

3 tsp Vanilla

4 Tbsp Butter

4 Tbsp Milk

3 cups Powdered Sugar

Directions:

Line a 9x13 pan with graham crackers.  Beat pudding and milk at medium speed 2 minutes.  Fold Cool Whip into pudding and pour half over crackers.  Place another layer of crackers followed by the second half of the pudding and a final layer of crackers.

To make the frosting, slowly melt the chocolate and butter.  Add the Karo, milk, vanilla and powdered sugar, stirring to combine.  Since it will set up when cool, I keep on simmer as I stir. Add milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin as needed.  Pour over the top.  

This is better after it sets a day and the crackers soften some.  Store in refrigerator.

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients:

12 Oz bag  fresh Cranberries

3/4 Cup Orange Juice, high pulp

2/3 Cup Brown Sugar packed

White Sugar as needed up to 1/3 Cup

Orange Zest for garnish

Optional:

1 Apple

1 Pear

Directions:

Rinse and pick through cranberries.  Toss first four ingredients in sauce pan and bring to boil.  Cook until cranberries have popped and sauce has thickened, about 15 minutes.  Keeps well and can be made in advance.  Serve cool, room temperature or hot.  Sprinkle zest on top before serving.

I have made this using a fresh orange as well.  However, sometimes the orange was dry or tasteless and added little so I switched to juice for consistency.  High pulp orange juice will add a little texture to the party as well.  Taste while hot and balance the sugar as needed since orange juices vary.