Oyster Stuffing

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Oyster Stuffing

Oyster stuffing. I don’t know that you’ll find a dish more unanimously found on Thanksgiving tables here on the Eastern Shore. After a quick web search, it turns out it’s common in many other parts of the country as well – but especially down south around the Gulf, and up north around New England.

It’s basically a homemade stuffing – composed of dry bread cubes, sauteed onions and herbs, chicken stock, and fresh oysters. Some people used canned or smoked oysters – but, I can’t justify using those. Ever. Ain’t nobody got time for that! The oysters plump up in the stuffing, and release their delicious briny juices – adding a ton of flavor to the stuffing, and the bread just soaks it all right up! I loved the addition of nutmeg and clove too, it really made it taste like Thanksgiving.

This was actually my first time making this dish (hey, I am a “come here” after all!) and as I mixed it up before putting it in the casserole dish, I thought it wasn’t going to be something I enjoyed…as it wasn’t much to look at. But when it came out of the oven, and the top was nice and brown – I couldn’t wait to dig in! If you’re looking for something special to add to your Thanksgiving Day table, which is a cut above the standard cornbread stuffing (or my favorite, even though I’m ashamed to admit it – Stove Top!) get yourself a pint of oysters from the seafood market and make this stuffing. Maybe it will become a tradition for your family, as it has for so many others here on the Eastern Shore and elsewhere, on Turkey Day!

Oyster Stuffing

6 cups 1/2-inch cubed French bread
3 slices bacon, cut into small pieces
3 Tbsp butter, melted,
1/2 red onion, finely diced
2 ribs celery, finely diced
3/4 pint shucked oysters, liquid reserved
1/2 cup chicken stock
2 Tbsp. madeira or port
3 Tbsp. fresh parsley, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1/4 tsp hot sauce
pinch ground nutmeg
small pinch ground cloves
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Heat oven to 250 degrees. Arrange bread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake, stirring occasionally, until dried but not browned, about 15 minutes. Let cool.

Put bacon into a 12″ skillet; cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until crisp and its fat has rendered, about 10 minutes. Add butter and heat. Add onions and celery, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes. Add reserved liquid from oysters, stock, madeira or port, parsley, thyme, sage, hot sauce, nutmeg, cloves, and salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat and cook, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Scrape the mixture into a large bowl and stir in the bread cubes and oysters. Set aside to allow the flavors to come together for 10 minutes.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Transfer mixture to a buttered 2-qt. oval baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 30 minutes, remove foil, drizzle with remaining butter, and continue baking until golden brown and crusty, about 15 minutes more. Serve immediately.

Source: adapted from Saveur, October 2008

Cranberry Curd Bars

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Cranberry Curd Bars with Walnut-Shortbread Crust

Whenever I see those first bags of fresh cranberries popping up in stores I can’t help but get excited. I instinctively buy a bag, never knowing what I’ll do with them..and over the years it’s forced me to try something new. There’s been the obvious culprit – homemade cranberry sauce. But also a refreshing cranberry sorbet, these killer cranberry brown butter shortbread bars, and these delicious cranberry-orange muffins. So in keeping with tradition, here is another cranberry favorite…

My old friend from high school, Becky,  had tagged me in a post from TheKitchn about these cranberry curd bars. They had a walnut shortbread crust, which I found most intriguing – so I was pretty sure that I was going to make them. Then my good friend Shawnda mentioned something about it, and posted these, giving me the swift-kick-in-the-butt I needed to get into the kitchen and make my own.

I think these are probably my favorite cranberry confection that I’ve made to date. The walnuts in the shortbread crust add such an unexpected richness and complexity of flavor. And the cranberry curd is tart and fresh, but has plenty of sweetness to balance it all out. Will probably be making these again before the cranberries are all gone, maybe trying a little orange juice instead of lemon. A new family favorite for sure!

Cranberry Curd Bars

1 cup walnut pieces
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cupunsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon pieces

For the curd:
12 ounces (about 3 cups) fresh or frozen cranberries
1/2 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar
4 large eggs
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons lemon juice (from 1/2 of a lemon)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoon pieces
Powdered sugar for dusting

Line a 9×13 baking pan with a sheet of aluminum foil. Spray lightly with baking spray. Set aside.

To make the crust, place the nuts in the bowl of a food processor and coarsely grind, about 15 one-second pulses. Add the flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt, and pulse until finely ground, about 10 additional one-second pulses. Sprinkle the chunks of butter over the top of the flour-nut mix and pulse until the mixture holds together when compressed in your palm, another 20-25 one-second pulses. Press the crust mix into the baking dish, making it as even as possible. Freeze for 30 minutes.

Pre-heat the oven to 350°F. Remove the crust from the freezer and bake for 20-25 minutes, until beginning to color around the edges.

While the crust is baking, prepare the cranberry curd:

Place the cranberries and water in a medium-sized sauce pot over medium-high heat and stir. Continue cooking and stirring occasionally until all the cranberries have popped and become mushy, about 5 minutes. Pour them into a fine-meshed strainer set over a medium-sized mixing bowl and press the cranberry puree through using a spatula. Allow the puree to cool to room temperature. Discard the cranberry skins and clean the strainer for use in the next step.

To the bowl with the cranberry puree, add the sugar, eggs and yolks, lemon juice and salt (reserving the butter for now). Stir thoroughly until the mixture is even.

Return the cranberry mixture to the saucepan and set the burner to medium. Stir the curd continuously, making sure to scrape the bottom and corners of the pan. Cook until the curd starts to thicken, coats the back of a spoon, and registers about 150° on an instant-read thermometer (there’s some wiggle-room, so don’t fret about being exact). This should take 10-12 minutes.

Remove the pan from the heat and add the butter all at once. Stir until the butter has completely melted, then pour the curd through the strainer into a clean bowl.

Pour the warm cranberry curd onto the walnut crust. Bake at 350° for 10-15 minutes, until the curd has set but still jiggles slightly in the center. Cool completely and refrigerate before cutting.

To cut the squares, lift them from the pan using the aluminum foil as handles. Trim off the sides to make even edges if desired. Dust the tops of the bars with powdered sugar just before serving and use a sharp knife to cut them into squares.

Keep refrigerated.

Source: barely adapted from TheKitchn 

Buttermilk-Chive Mashed Potatoes

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Buttermilk-Chive Mashed Potatoes

Have you guys started giving any thought to Thanksgiving yet? If not you need to get on it, it’s right around the corner! We usually keep things pretty traditional around here – roasted turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce…you know the routine. But I like to make all those traditional things just a little bit more special on Turkey Day, if I can.

I found myself with some dwindling chives outside and an-almost-gone-container of buttermilk last week when I made my favorite all-beef meatloaf, so I thought I’d mix them into mashed potatoes to make them a little more fancy. The slight tang from the buttermilk and the mild onion flavor from the chives were just perfect in the creamy mashed potatoes – making them delicious enough to eat plain, but not too overpowering that a spot of gravy on them wouldn’t be a welcome addition as well.

I’m hoping to get another couple of Thanksgiving day favorites up before the big day, so keep checking back for more yummy ideas for your Holiday table.

Buttermilk-Chive Mashed Potatoes

2 lbs. russet potatoes, peeled and cut into quarters
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 cup buttermilk
2 Tbsp half-and-half
4 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup chives, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

Put the potatoes in a large pot. Add the 2 salt and enough water to cover the potatoes. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until the potatoes are tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off heat, drain well in a colander, and return to hot pan to evaporate some more moisture.

In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine the buttermilk, half-and-half, and butter. Heat until just warm and set aside.

Using a potato masher, ricer, or the lowest speed on your stand mixer to mash the potatoes well. Slowly add in the buttermilk mixture, continuing to mash and combine until the potatoes are smooth and creamy. Stir in the chives and season with salt and pepper. Transfer the potatoes to serving bowl and serve immediately.

This serves 4, but can easily be doubled or tripled to accommodate a larger crowd.

Hot Ham & Cheese Sliders

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Ham & Cheese Sliders

These sliders. They’re one of the easiest things to put together, and also one of the most delicious – two things that usually don’t go hand in hand. I first made them for Andrew’s birthday party the year before last – the Dr. Seuss party. Everyone gobbled them up, and raved about them…so I knew I was onto something very good.

We’ve been making them since. Sometimes I make homemade dinner rolls, and sometimes I pick up a package of King’s Hawaiian rolls at the store and call it a night. Then it’s just a matter of assembling the deli ham and cheese on the buns, then drizzling them in this delicious sauce…that’s hard not to site there and eat with a spoon. Bake in the oven for a few minutes to melt the cheese, and voila! I usually pair with a simple side like potato salad or sweet potato fries for an easy meal.

For lunch, dinner, or even as a munchie for game day – these sliders are always a winner that is sure to please everyone! 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

12 dinner rolls
18 slices deli ham
6 slices Swiss cheese

For the sauce:
5 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp onion, finely minced
1 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
3 tsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1/4 tsp kosher salt
poppy seeds

Slice dinner rolls in half. Pile 1 1/2 pieces of ham onto the bottom of each bun, along with 1/2 piece of Swiss cheese and then top with the other half of the bun. Place in 2 quart baking dish. Repeat with remaining rolls.

To prepare the sauce, heat the butter, brown sugar, mustard, Worcestershire, onion, and salt in a small sauce pan, whisking until smooth and melted.

Drizzle glaze over sandwiches and sprinkle with poppy seeds.

Cover pan with foil and bake at 350 for 10-15 minutes, until the cheese has melted.

Serve warm.

Source: adapted from Confections of a Foodie Bride