NEW ENGLAND (ABRIDGED VERSION FOR SNOW DAY)
BABY SPINACH SALAD
1 # baby spinach
5 slices lean bacon, chopped fine
2 tablespoons minced shallot
½ cup cider vinegar
½ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt and pepper
10 oz. mushrooms, sliced thin
3 slices bacon, cooked until crisp, drained and crumbled
2 scallions, minced
2 hard-boiled eggs, chopped
4-6 oz. Crumbled bleu cheese
2 tomatoes, in sixths
¼ small red onion, sliced into thin half rounds
1. 1 pound fresh young spinach, coarse stems discarded and leaves washed well and
spun dry
2. In a large skillet, cook bacon over moderate heat, turning it, until it is crisp, transfer
it to paper towel lined plate to drain, and discard all but 2 tablespoons of the fat.
3. In the remaining fat, cook the shallot for 1 minute.
4. Add the vinegar, sugar, mustard, oil, and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Bring to a boil, pour over spinach and toss.
6. Serve sprinkled with the bacon and other optional toppings.
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NEW ENGLAND CLAM CHOWDER
1 tablespoon butter
1 cup leeks, cleaned and sliced
1 cup celery, cleaned and diced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
¾ pound potatoes, peeled and finely diced
2 (14-ounce) cans chicken broth
1 (10-ounce) can clams, undrained
2 (8-ounce) bottles clam juice
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 whole bay leaf
2 ounces chopped bacon
¼ cup heavy cream
½ cup sliced green onions
1. In a stockpot, heat the butter over medium heat and sauté the leeks, celery, and
thyme for about 1 minute. Sprinkle over the flour and stir until well coated. Add the
potatoes, chicken broth, clams, clam juice, pepper and bay leaf. Simmer until the
soup thickens, about 35 minutes.
2. While soup is simmering, heat a medium nonstick skillet over high heat and dry sauté
(with no oil or butter) the bacon until crisped.
3. Once soup has thickened, add the cream and remove bay leaf. Stir until well blended
and remove from heat; be careful not to let boil. Garnish with green onions and
crisped bacon. Serve immediately.
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POT ROAST WITH GRAVY
1 (10 to 12 #) chuck roast, tied tight to a 4-inch diameter
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 kernels fresh garlic, smashed
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon pure ground black pepper
1 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon onion salt
5 large red bliss potatoes, cubed
12 small carrots
2 onions
1 stalk celery
1. Preheat oven to 275.
2. Place roast in a pan and season with tomato paste, garlic, bay leaves, pepper, salt and
onion salt.
3. Put 1 1/2-inche of water in the bottom of the pan.
4. Surround the roast with 1/2-inch cubes or stew cuts of fresh vegetables.
5. Cover the roast pan with another interlocking roast pan of the same size and roast
for 2 hours.
6. Then turn over and cook for another 2 to 2 1/2 hours.
*Gravy:
10 ounces flour
1. Separate the vegetables from the natural gravy stock.
2. Pour the stock into a heavy gauge pot. Scrape the bottom of the roast pan and add to
stock. You should have about 3 quarts of stock, if not add bouillon broth.
3. Simmer and skim off the fat, then put 1 1/2 pints of the stock in a pan and add flour
and whip until smooth.
4. Gradually add this slurry to the simmering stock until a smooth thickness is
achieved.
5. Add the roasted vegetables to the gravy.
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MASHED POTATOES
6 pounds Yukon gold potatoes, whole with skin
2-3 cups milk – heavy cream
4 oz. unsalted butter, softened
4 oz. truffle oil/butter, softened
Salt and pepper to taste
8 cloves roasted garlic optional
1. Place potatoes in a medium pot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil, heat to a
simmer. Add a generous pinch of salt and continue to simmer until potatoes are fork
tender, about 20 minutes.
2. When potatoes are done, drain and return potatoes to pot to dry slightly. Run
potatoes through food mill or potato ricer into pot.
3. Heat milk in saucepan. Add hot milk to potatoes, over heat, until smooth. Add
butter and heat until finely textured and fluffy. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
BOSTON BROWN BREAD
2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
¼ cup unsulfured molasses
2 cups buttermilk
1 cup raisins
¾ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1. Preheat oven to 350 and grease and flour a loaf pan, 9 ¼ x 5 ¼ x 2 ¾ inches,
knocking out excess flour.
2. In a large bowl whisk together dry ingredients.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients until just combined.
4. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in middle of oven until a tester comes out
clean, about 1 hour.
5. Cool bread in pan on a rack for 5 minutes. Turn loaf out onto rack and cool
completely before slicing.
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APPLE PIE
For the dough:
2 ½ cups flour
½ cup stone ground cornmeal
3 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
8 ounces unsalted butter, divided, diced
3 tablespoons apple juice concentrate
2 tablespoons cold water
For the filling:
2 apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar
1 pinch grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons butter
1 cup blueberries
1 teaspoon flour
1 ½ cups pound cake, cubed
1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water
½ teaspoon sugar
Heat oven to 400F.
1. In a food processor, combine flour, cornmeal, sugar, and salt. Pulse to combine.
Place dry ingredients in a mixing bowl and put the bowl into the refrigerator.
2. Remove ½ stick of butter from the refrigerator and allow it to come to room
temperature.
3. In a food processor, add the ½ stick of butter to the flour mixture. Pulse until the fat
completely disappears.
4. Add the remaining 1 ½ sticks butter in separate batches. Pulse until flour mixture
resembles the size of a pea.
5. Combine the apple juice concentrate and the cold water. Using a spray bottle, spritz
the dough with the apple juice mixture while folding the mixture with a spatula.
6. After about three tablespoons of the liquid, check the dough for consistency. It
should hold together when compressed but remain relatively dry to the touch. If it
does not bind, add a little more water. Remove from the processor and form the
dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in parchment paper and rest in refrigerator for 20
minutes.
7. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add apples to the pan and toss for 2
minutes.
8. Add the balsamic vinegar and continue to toss for 30 seconds. Add sugar and cook
until the pears have softened. Add the nutmeg, cinnamon, and the butter and melt
slowly. Fold in the blueberries. Remove from heat. Sprinkle on the flour and
combine well. Allow to cool to room temperature.
9. Place dough on a floured piece of parchment and roll out to a ¼” thick disk.
10. Transfer to a baking sheet. Place cubed pound cake in the middle of the dough,
leaving a 3” margin of crust on all sides.
11. Spoon filling over the cake cubes and top the apples with 1 ounce of cubed butter.
12. Lift excess crust onto filling and repeat in a clockwise fashion until a top lip has
formed around the edge of the whole tart.
13. Brush the tart with the egg wash and sprinkle the crust with the sugar.
14. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until the filling begins to bubble and the crust is golden
brown.
15. Remove from the sheet pan immediately and cool on pie rack.
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MAPLE WALNUT SAUCE FOR SUNDAES
½ cup Grade B maple syrup
¼ cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
½ cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
½ cup pecans, chopped coarse and toasted lightly
1. In a 2-quart heavy saucepan combine maple syrup, sugar, salt and cream and cook
mixture over moderately low heat, stirring and washing down any sugar is dissolved.
2. Boil mixture over moderate heat, undisturbed, until thickened and a candy
thermometer registers 220.
3. Stir in butter and pecans, stirring until butter is melted, and cool sauce until warm.
Sauce keeps, covered and chilled, 1 week.
4. Serve sauce warm over ice cream. Accompaniment; vanilla ice cream and whipped
cream.
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