Chef's Notes Plus

A Special Recipe for Your New Year Celebration

You may already have a New Year food tradition: black-eyed peas? Noodles? Lentils? But because this year is less than typical, you may be in the mood to try something new. If, like most of us, you have no special plans for the day, you might be looking for a […]

Side Dishes

Apple Sage Dressing

Use this recipe as a stuffing for your turkey or a dressing you can bake separately. Additions like browned sausage, smoked ham, or pecans are natural variations for a hearty option.

Desserts

Apple Strudel

Makes 6 servings Strudels are known for their paper-thin, flaky crust, which takes some patience, but is worth the effort. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be strudel-ing all of your favorite fillings. You can even use this dough with savory fillings, like seared mushrooms and goat cheese. […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Be This Year’s Best Guest with These Recipes

One of the biggest challenges for dinner guests on Thanksgiving is choosing a dish to bring along that won’t take up precious oven space for reheating. It’s too risky! That’s why we always choose something that can be served cold, or better yet, at room temperature. Here are some of […]

Main Dishes, Pantry

Chestnut-Cocoa Rotolo Sheets

Makes 1 1/4 lb dough Use this pasta dough in our recipe for Rolled Pasta with Pumpkin and Chestnut. Ingredients 12 oz (2 1/2 cups) all-purpose or tipo 00 flour 4 oz (1 cup) chestnut flour 6 tablespoons cocoa powder 5 medium eggs Directions Combine the flour, cocoa powder, and […]

Cakes, Desserts

Chocolate Sabayon Torte

Makes one 8-inch torte Tortes usually require some planning. You can bake the cake layers in advance and keep them well wrapped in the refrigerator or freezer. Simple syrup and soft ganache also hold well, so that you can make them when you have time. But, the sabayon filling must […]

Appetizers, Hors D’oeuvre, and Snacks

Chorizo-Stuffed Mushrooms

Makes 8 servings To make a savory filling for stuffed mushrooms, sausage and ham are added to the chopped stems, along with onions and garlic. The mushrooms are then topped with breadcrumbs or a combination of grated cheese and crumbs. For even cooking, quickly sauté the mushroom caps in olive […]

Chef's Notes Plus

Christmas Brittle

Where I grew up in New Jersey, there was a local candy shop that sold macadamia nut brittle that was a prized possession in my house. It was, as you can expect, expensive as kids candy went, and my parents/Santa only got it once a year to sneak into our […]

Main Dishes

Classic Lasagna Bolognese

Makes 6 to 8 servings Many variations on lasagna may be found all over Italy. If you go toward the south of Italy, you will see cooks using ricotta instead of béchamel. This is the classic lasagna Bolognese; try this version and you won’t be disappointed. If you want your […]