Mashed Potatoes with Caramelized Garlic

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3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 head garlic (3 inches wide)
3 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 1/2 cups whole milk
4 T unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon white pepper

Preheat oven to 425°. Wrap each potato in foil, then prick potatoes through foil several times with a fork. Cut off and discard 1/2 inch from top of garlic head, exposing cloves. Put garlic on a double layer of foil, then drizzle with 1 tablespoon oil and sprinkle with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Twist foil tightly to enclose. Roast potatoes and garlic on rack in upper third of oven until tender, 1 to 1 1/4 hours.

Unwrap garlic and cool to warm, then squeeze cloves into a large bowl and mash well with a fork. Heat milk, butter, white pepper, and 1 1/4 teaspoons salt in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until butter is melted. While milk mixture heats, unwrap baked potatoes and force through ricer into bowl with garlic. Pour in hot milk mixture and gently stir with a large heatproof rubber spatula until combined.

Note: Because of modifications to the original recipe, we ended up with too much liquid. I've adjusted the amounts to what should work, but add a little at a time, just in case.

Sweet Potato Casserole

(source)

3 cups firmly packed unseasoned mashed sweet potatoes (about 3 pounds) (see note)
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 teaspoons finely grated orange zest
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg or 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Butter a 2-quart casserole and set aside.
2. Combine all ingredients in a large mixing bowl, beating until smooth. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust as needed.
3. Scoop into the casserole, spreading to the edge and roughing the surface. Bake uncovered on the middle oven shelf for about 45 minutes or until tipped with brown.

Note: Wash potatoes and pierce with a fork, roast on a cookie sheet at 400° for 1 hour. Cool to room temperature, peel, then mash until light and fluffy.

We used an immersion blender to mash and combine ingredients simultaneously. This recipe had a lovely orange flavor, and was only lightly sweet.

Apple Ginger Pie Filling

(source)

Fills one 9 1/2" pie

3 pounds Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 tablespoons minced crystallized ginger
2 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon apple pie spice

Bake at 400 for one hour.

Note: I was skeptical that there was enough bourbon in this recipe to be noticeable, but it played off the ginger really nicely. We made up our own apple pie spice combination.

Crème Fraîche Gelato

Makes about 5 cups
Source: Molto Gusto: Easy Italian Cooking by Mario Batali and Mark Ladner

2 cups milk
½ cup sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1¾ cups (14 ounces) crème fraîche (see note)
½ teaspoon salt

Combine the milk, sugar and corn syrup in a medium saucepan and heat over medium heat, stirring, until the sugar is dissolved and the temperature registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Pour the mixture into a heatproof bowl and chill over an ice bath, stirring occasionally, until cold.

Using an immersion blender or a whisk, mix the crème fraîche and salt into the milk mixture. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into another bowl or container, cover and refrigerate for at least six hours or, preferably, overnight. Whisk the crème fraîche mixture until smooth. Freeze the gelato in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions. Transfer to an airtight container and freeze one hour before serving.

Note: For homemade crème fraîche, combine four parts heavy cream with one part buttermilk (~1 1/3 c and 1/3 c, respectively) in a covered container and let it stand at a cool room temperature (65 to 70 degrees) for 24 to 36 hours, until it thickens and sours slightly. Stir it well and refrigerate. It'll keep for one week.

Salted Butter Caramel Ice Cream

(source)

One generous quart

For the praline:

• ½ cup (100 gr) sugar
• ¾ teaspoon sea salt

For the ice cream custard:

• 2 cups whole milk, divided
• 1½ cups (300 gr) sugar
• 4 tablespoons salted butter
• scant ½ teaspoon sea salt
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 5 large egg yolks
• ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

1. To make the caramel praline, spread the ½ cup of sugar in an even layer in a medium-sized, unlined heavy duty saucepan. Line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or oil lightly.

2. Heat the sugar over moderate heat until the edges begin to melt. Use a heatproof utensil to gently stir the liquefied sugar from the bottom and edges towards the center, stirring, until all the sugar is dissolved. (Or most of it—there may be some lumps, which will melt later.)

Continue to cook stirring infrequently until the caramel starts smoking and begins to smell like it’s just about to burn. It won’t take long.

3. Sprinkle in the salt without stirring, then pour the caramel onto the prepared baking sheet and lift up the baking sheet immediately, tilting and swirling it almost vertically to encourage the caramel to form as thin a layer as possible. Set aside to harden and cool.

4. To make the ice cream, make an ice bath by filling a large bowl about a third full with ice cubes and adding a cup or so of water so they’re floating. Nest a smaller metal bowl (at least 2 quarts/liters) over the ice, pour 1 cup (250 ml) of the milk into the inner bowl, and rest a mesh strainer on top of it.

5. Spread 1½ cups sugar in the saucepan in an even layer. Cook over moderate heat, until caramelized, using the same method described in Step #2.

6. Once caramelized, remove from heat and stir in the butter and salt, until butter is melted, then gradually whisk in the cream, stirring as you go.

The caramel may harden and seize, but return it to the heat and continue to stir over low heat until any hard caramel is melted. Stir in 1 cup of the milk.

7. Whisk the yolks in a small bowl and gradually pour some of the warm caramel mixture over the yolks, stirring constantly. Scrape the warmed yolks back into the saucepan and cook the custard using a heatproof utensil, stirring constantly (scraping the bottom as you stir) until the mixture thickens. If using an instant-read thermometer, it should read 160-170 F.

8. Pour the custard through the strainer into the milk set over the ice bath, add the vanilla, then stir frequently until the mixture is cooled down. Refrigerate at least 8 hours or until thoroughly chilled.

9. Freeze the mixture in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

10. While the ice cream is churning, crumble the hardened caramel praline into very little bits. Once your caramel ice cream is churned, quickly stir in the crushed caramel, then chill in the freezer until firm.

Note: As the ice cream sits, the little bits of caramel may liquefy and get runny and gooey, which is what they’re intended to do.

Pie Crust Victory!

NOTES: We used the Betty Crocker crust recipe and a lefse board with a muslin cover. It rolled out PERFECTLY, and was still flaky three days later.

Pizzelle

6 eggs

3 1/2 c flour

1 1/2 c sugar

1 c margarine, melted (do not substitute oil)

4 tsp baking powder

2 tbls anise extract (1 fl oz bottle)

Beat eggs, add sugar gradually. Beat until smooth.

Add cooled margarine and anise.

Sift flour and baking powder. Blend into egg mixture until smooth. Dough will be sticky enough to be dropped by spoon.

Bake in pizzelle maker. Makes approximately 60. "Can use vanilla instead of anise, but I've never tried it."

SOURCE: Jan Antinozzi (who was also gracious enough to lend her pizzelle iron)