APPLE WALNUT STUFFED PORK ROAST
8 servings, prep 25 min., cook 1 hr.
Ingredients
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 apple - peeled, cored, and chopped
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 5 cups dry bread crumbs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions
• Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
• Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the apple, onion, celery, and walnuts, and cook 5 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Mix in the applesauce, water, and breadcrumbs. Cook and stir until the readcrumbs have absorbed the liquid. Season with cinnamon, kosher salt, cloves, nutmeg, and ginger.
• Unroll the pork roast, and place in a baking dish. Spoon the stuffing mixture over the roast. Arrange any excess stuffing around the roast. Roll the roast so that the fatty side is on top, and tie with kitchen twine.
• Bake 45 to 50 minutes in the preheated oven, to an internal temperature of 145 degrees.
POTATO LATKES
10 to 12 latkes, prep 20 min., cook 35 min.
Ingredients
• 2 pounds russet potatoes
• 1 small yellow onion
• 3 tablespoons matzo meal
• 1 large egg, lightly beaten
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs, such as chives or parsley, for garnish
• Sour cream, for serving
• Spiced Apple-Pear Sauce, for serving
Directions
• Peel the potatoes and shred them in a food processor fitted with the shredding blade; transfer the potatoes to a large bowl as the food processor fills up. Repeat with the onion. Transfer the onion to the bowl with the potatoes and stir in the matzo meal, egg, baking powder and salt.
• Fill a large skillet with 1/2 inch oil. Heat over medium-high heat until the oil is very hot but not smoking. To test if the oil is hot enough, drop a small piece of potato into the oil; if the potato sizzles steadily, the oil is ready.
• Working in batches, scoop the potato mixture by 1/4-cupfuls and add them carefully to the skillet, flattening each latke slightly with a spatula. Fry, turning the latkes once, until golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Drain on paper towels. Remove any loose bits of potato mixture between batches with a slotted spoon.
• Serve the latkes immediately, or keep them warm in a 200 degree oven. Garnish with fresh herbs and serve with sour cream and Spiced Apple-Pear Sauce.
• Cook’s Note: If you need to fry a lot of latkes, it’s best to make multiple batches rather than one double batch. The longer the mixture sits, the wetter it becomes, which makes the latkes fall apart more easily as they cook.
Spiced Apple Pear Sauce
• 3 McIntosh apples, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2- inch pieces
• 3 ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 6 cinnamon sticks
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sugar
Spiced Apple-Pear Sauce:
• Combine the apples, pears, lemon juice, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, 1 tablespoon sugar and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook until the apples and pears are very soft but still a bit chunky, 15 to 20 minutes. Taste the mixture and add the remaining tablespoon of sugar if desired.
• Remove the sauce from the heat and stir a few times until the sauce is well combined with small chunks. Cool to room temperature. Remove the cinnamon sticks and serve. (For a smoother sauce, remove from heat, remove the cinnamon sticks and then whisk the mixture until smooth before cooling.)
• Cook’s Note: This recipe can be prepared several days in advance and refrigerated in an airtight container. Let it stand at room temperature for a few hours before serving.
GRANDMA’S CORN PUDDING
8 servings, prep 10 min., cook 1 hr.
Ingredients
• 5 eggs
• 1/3 cup butter, melted
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 4 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn
• 2 (14.75 ounce) cans cream-style corn
Directions
• Preheat oven to 400 Degrees F. Grease a 2 quart casserole dish
• In a large bowl, lightly beat eggs. Add melted butter, sugar, and milk. Whisk in cornstarch. Stir in corn and creamed corn. Blend well. Pour mixture into prepared casserole dish.
• Bake for 1 hour
BACON-WRAPPED DATES WITH STUFFED BLUE CHEESE
32 appetizers, prep 20 min, cook 40 min.
Ingredients
• 1 pound sliced bacon, cut in half
• 1 pound pitted dates
• 4 ounces blue cheese
Directions
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Slice dates in half, and open them up. Pinch off pieces of blue cheese, and place them into the center of the dates. Close the halves of the dates, and wrap a halfslice of bacon around the outside. Secure each one with a toothpick. Arrange in a baking dish or on a baking sheet with sides to catch any grease.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes in the preheated oven, or until the bacon is crisp. Turn dates over after the first 20 minutes for even cooking.
