Eggnog Cheesecake Pie

Makes 8 to 10 servings

 

Crust:

1 cup macadamia nuts, roughly chopped

1 1/2 cups sugar cookies, crumbled

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

 

Filling:

2 (8-ounce) packages cream cheese, at room temperature

2 (8-ounce) packages mascarpone, at room temperature

1 1/3 cups granulated sugar

1 tablespoons pure vanilla extract

1 tablespoon spiced rum

5 large eggs

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

 

Topping:

1 1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoons spiced rum

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar

 

Serving:

Freshly grated nutmeg and Demerara sugar

 

 

  1. Make Crust: Preheat oven to 350ºF. Place macadamia nuts, and sugar cookies in a food processor, Pulse until finely ground, 15 to 20 times. Add salt and nutmeg and pulse to combine, 1 to 2 times. Add butter and process until mixture is evenly moist and hold together when pinched, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Press mixture evenly in the bottom and up the sides of a pie plate. Bake 10 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack ; let cool. Reduce oven to 325ºF.

 

  1. Make Filling: Beat cream cheese, mascarpone, sugar, vanilla, and rum with and electric mixer on medium speed (If you beat at a higher speed it will create more air and you will have cracks in your cheesecake.) with an electric mixer until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in eggs, one at a time. Pour mixture into cooled crust. Bake until just set (the center will be slightly wobbly), 50 to 60 minutes.

 

  1. Make Topping; Combine sour cream, rum, vanilla, and sugar in a bowl. Pour over pie and bake until set, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer pie to a cooling rack and cool to room temperature. Transfer to the refrigerator and chill overnight.

 

 

  1. Just before serving, sprinkle with grated nutmeg and Demerara sugar.

Tavern Ham

Ingredients

  • 1 (6 to 7 pound) fully cooked boneless smoked ham
  • ¼ cup orange marmalade
  • ¼ cup grainy deli mustard
  • ¼ cup light brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Cut off any tough skin from the ham and trim the fat to an even ¼ inch or so.  Score the fat of the ham, but not down to the flesh, in a crisscross pattern all over.  Set the ham, flat side down, on a rack in a roasting pan.  Add 1 cup water and cover the pan with foil.  Roast for 1 hour and 10 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the marmalade, mustard, brown sugar, vinegar, ginger and cloves. Brush the ham with some of the glaze.  Continue to roast, brushing all over with the glaze every 15 minutes, until the ham is browned and crispy all over and the internal temperature reads 140 degrees, about 1 hour and 10 minutes more.  Turn the ham on its side after 45 minutes of glazing and add more water to the pan if it looks like its dried up and burning at any point.  Let rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Perfect Prime Rib

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 pound) boneless rib eye roast, with a fat cap, tied by your butcher
  • 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
  • 1 teaspoon granulated onion
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 /4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce

Directions

  1. An hour before you are ready to cook the roast, remove it from the refrigerator. Put it on a large platter or rimmed sheet pan and rub it all over with the granulated garlic and onion.  Season well with salt and pepper.  Drizzle with the olive oil and Worcestershire sauce and rub that in as well, turning to coat the roast.  Let sit at room temperature for an hour, rolling it around occasionally to make sure it picks up the seasonings.
  2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Put the roast in a roasting pan and roast for 30 to 40 minutes, until the fat on the top of the roast is well browned.  Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees and roast until the internal temperature of the meat is 120 degrees (for medium rare), about 30 to 40 minutes more. Remove from oven and let rest on a cutting board for 30 minutes. The temperature will continue to go up another 10 degrees or so as it rests out of the oven.
  3. Untie the roast, discard the strings and carve into slices.

Lamb Stew with Sherry and Mushrooms

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 slices center-cut bacon
  • 2 pounds lamb stew meat
  • 4 cups button mushrooms, quartered
  • 4 large carrots, cut in chunks
  • 2 small Vidalia or other sweet onions, cut in chunks
  • 5 cloves garlic, smashed
  • 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1/2 cup dry sherry
  • 3 bay leaves
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 3 tablespoons fresh tarragon leaves
  • 1 (10 ounce) bag petit frozen peas
  • Buttered noodles, for serving

Directions

  1. Add the olive oil and bacon to a large pot over medium high heat, Cook the bacon, turning occasionally, until just crisp. Drain the bacon on a paper towel lined plate, then coarsely chop it and set it aside.  Add the lamb to the pot and brown the meat on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. As the pieces brown, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and reserve on a separate plate.
  2. Add the mushrooms, carrots, onions, garlic and bacon to the pot and stir. Sprinkle in the flour. Add the beef stock, sherry, bay leaves and lamb. Add salt and pepper and cover the pot, but leave a vent for the steam to escape. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook until the meat is tender and almost falling apart, about 2 hours.
  3. Add the cream, parsley, tarragon and peas. Simmer until peas are tender, about 8 minutes more.  Serve the stew over buttered noodles.

Bacon Wrapped Trout

Ingredients

  • Two 8-ounce rainbow trout, cleaned and butterflied
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, chives and thyme
  • 1 tablespoon capers, drained and chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • Juice of half a lemon, plus
  • 4 thin lemon slices
  • 4 slices bacon

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Sprinkle the inside and outside of the trout with salt and pepper. Combine 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, the herbs, capers, garlic, lemon juice and some salt and pepper in a small bowl and divide this mixture between the two trout. Fold the trout back onto themselves, lay 2 lemon slices on top of each fish, and then wrap each trout with 2 slices of bacon holding the lemons in place.
  2. Heat a large cast iron skillet over medium high heat and coat lightly with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place the trout, lemon-side up, in the pan and cook for 3 minutes, then place in the oven. Roast until the trout are just cooked, flipping them halfway through the roasting to ensure the bacon is crisp, about 20 to 25 minutes.

Farmer’s Fish Stew

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 4 ounces slab bacon, diced
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 stalks celery, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 clove garlic, chopped
  • 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 cup bottled clam juice
  • 1 quart low sodium chicken broth
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 pound Yukon gold potatoes, cut into
  • 1 inch chunks
  • 12 ounces skinless firm white fish fillets, such as halibut, swordfish or cod
  • 18 small littleneck clams (or manila clams)
  • 8 ounces peeled and deveined medium shrimp
  • 8 ounces bay scallops (or sea scallops, halved)
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • Grilled or toasted country bread slices, for serving

Directions

  1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the bacon.  Cook until the bacon is crisp, then remove to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
  2. Add the onion and celery to the pan and cook with the leftover bacon fat until softened, about 8 minutes. Add the thyme and garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.  Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 1 minute.  Add the bay leaves, clam juice, chicken broth and cream.  Bring to a simmer and add the potatoes.  Cover and simmer until the potatoes are just tender, about 8 to 10 minutes.
  3. Add the fish to the pan, then the clams. Cover the pot and simmer until the clams just begin to open, about 4 minutes.  Drop  the shrimp and scallops in the sauce and cover again.  Simmer until all of the clams have opened (discarding any that haven’t) and the fish, shrimp and scallops are just cooked through, about 4 minutes.  Gently stir in the parsley and serve with grilled or toasted country bread.

Chop Chop In The Pot Roast Chicken

Ingredients

  • 1 (5 pound) roasting chicken
  • 4 large carrots, cut in chunks with tops and bottoms set aside
  • 3 small onions, peeled and cut in wedges, left attached at the root ends
  • 4 stalks celery, cut in chunks
  • 6 sprigs fresh sage
  • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 teaspoons paprika
  • ½ teaspoon granulated garlic
  • ½ teaspoon granulated onion
  • 4 tablespoons softened unsalted butter
  • ½ cup white wine

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Remove the little bag containing the neck, liver and giblet and put those three ingredients in a small pot and cover with water. Add to that small pot the onion skins and tops and bottoms of the carrots that you would otherwise discard when preparing the vegetables. Rinse the inside of the chicken and season with salt and pepper, inside and out.
  2. Rub softened butter all over the chicken and under the skin of the breast. Add a piece of carrot, a piece of onion, a piece of celery and a twig of sage to the cavity of the chicken. Chop the vegetables in big chunks and place them all in the roasting pan. Set the chicken on top of the vegetables in the pan and pour in the wine. Cook for 1 ½ hours to 1 hour and 45 minutes. If you’re not sure it’s done, put a thermometer in the thickest part of the chicken (the thigh) and it should read 165 degrees.
  3. Move the chicken to a cutting board to rest for 10 minutes. Then place on a platter. Remove the vegetables and place them on the platter. Pour the pan juices into a measuring cup, let them settle and spoon off the fat. Pour over the chicken and vegetables.

Divine Chicken Divan

Ingredients

  • 1 large head broccoli, cut into 1 to 2 inch florets, tender stems peeled and cut in ½ inch slices (about 5 cups)
  • Kosher salt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus 1 tablespoon melted, plus more for the casserole
  • 1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
  • 5 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 3 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 1 cup low sodium chicken stock
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • Squeeze of fresh lemon juice, to taste
  • 1 cooked chicken (or left over turkey meat) meat removed and cut in chunks, skin and bones discarded (about 3 to 3 1/2 cups meat)
  • 1 bunch scallions, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 ½ cups grated gruyere
  • ½ cup sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
  • ½ cup grated parmesan
  • 1/4 cup breadcrumbs

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 3 quart shallow casserole dish and bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.  Boil the broccoli until bright green and almost tender (you still want it to have a little bite, it will cook more in the oven).  Cool under cold running water and pat very dry.
  2. In a large saucepan, melt the 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. When the butter is melted, add the sage and let sizzle a minute, then add the flour. Cook and whisk the roux or else it will taste like raw flour, about 3 minutes, without letting it brown. Pour in the sherry and cook to reduce it away, about 1 minute.  Whisk in the stock, milk, cream and nutmeg and season with salt and pepper.  Bring to a simmer and cook, whisking occasionally to get out any lumps, until thickened, about 6 to 7 minutes.  Stir in the scallions and gruyere until the cheese is melted, then remove from heat.
  3. In a large bowl, mix the almonds, chicken and broccoli with the sauce until thoroughly coated. Pour into the prepared casserole dish.  In a small bowl, toss together the parmesan, breadcrumbs and melted butter.  Sprinkle the mixture over the top of the casserole.  Bake until browned and bubbling, about 35 minutes.

Maple Syrup Mustard Glazed Turkey Breast

Ingredients

Brine

  • 2 cups apple cider
  • ½ cup maple syrup
  • ½ bunch fresh thyme sprigs
  • 2 bay leaves
  • ½ cup kosher salt
  • 1 orange, peel removed with a vegetable peeler and then juiced
  • 1 whole bone in, skin on turkey breast (about 5 pounds)

Glaze and Roasting:

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon paprika
  • ½ teaspoon dry mustard
  • ½ teaspoon dried sage
  • ¼ teaspoon granulated garlic
  • ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup maple syrup
  • 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

Directions

  1. For the brine, in a large pot big enough to hold the turkey breast comfortably, combine the cider, maple syrup, thyme, bay leaves, salt, orange peel and juice with 2 quarts water. Bring to just a simmer.  Add 2 quarts ice water (about half ice/half water).  Let come to room temperature.  Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover and refrigerate overnight or all day (about 12 hours).
  2. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Arrange a rack (a V-shaped roasting rack is ideal, but if you don’t have that, any rack is fine.) in a large roasting pan.  Remove turkey from the brine, rinse well and pat dry.  Loosen the skin of the turkey breast with your fingers and rub the butter under the breast.  In a small bowl, stir together the paprika, dry mustard, sage, garlic powder and pepper and rub all over the turkey breast.  Set the turkey on the rack breast side up and roast for 30 minutes.
  3. Meanwhile, in a small bowl, stir together the maple syrup and mustard. After 30 minutes, reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees and brush the turkey with some of the glaze. Continue to roast, basting twice more, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees, about 1 1/2 hours, depending on the size of the breast.  Let the turkey rest on a cutting board for 15 minutes before carving.

Roasted Asparagus with Cheesy Crumbs

Ingredients

  • 2 bunches asparagus (medium thickness), about 2 pound total
  • 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
  • 6 leafy sprigs fresh thyme
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup grated parmesan

Directions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees with a rimmed half sheet pan on the bottom rack. Trim any woody bases from the bottom of the asparagus.
  2. Remove the preheated sheet pan from the oven. Roll the asparagus onto the sheet pan and drizzle with the olive oil.  Add the thyme sprigs and give everything a toss so the asparagus is coated with oil. Make sure the asparagus land in one layer.  Season with salt and pepper.  Roast until asparagus is almost tender, about 12 to 13 minutes.
  3. Give the asparagus a toss and gather them together in an even layer. Switch your oven to broil.  Sprinkle the asparagus with the parmesan and roast on the top rack until the cheese is crisp and crusty and the asparagus are browned and tender, about 1 to 2 minutes, depending on your broiler.