A tricky dish to do in volume, and hence, I tend to forget to make it at the restaurant, but it is easy for the home cook. An obvious friend to bacon and eggs, these lacy cakes are also good with almost any roasted meat or bird. The sweet-salty flavor and crispy texture is irresistible and appeals to those not usually fond of sweet potatoes. These hash browns are also very pretty made with a combination of starchy, yellow sweet potatoes and a little bit of orange yam. (Don't use all yams; by themselves they form a wet, dense mass, not a lacy cake. They don't have enough starch to stick together and form a crust. They do, on the other hand, try to stick to the pan.)
This is the best shoofly pie I’ve eaten, and believe me, I’ve tried many. Some versions are dry and soft; others are quite gooey and moist. This one falls somewhere in between, and is thick and unabashedly pleasing. Shoofly is authentic American pie that comes to us from the Pennsylvania Amish and Mennonites and the Pennsylvania Dutch; we should be grateful to them forever.
This red wine jelly emphasizes both color and flavor. A grown-up dessert, it is tart and sophisticated due to the inclusion of red wine, nicely rounded out by brandy. The whipped cream is a good counterpoint to the austerity of the jelly.
Cooking watery or fibrous root vegetables like celery roots, turnips, carrots, rutabagas, and beets with a little white rice ensures that they will be exceptionally creamy and have a very pure flavor.
Adapted from A New Way to Cook by Sally Schneider (Artisan, 2001). Copyright 2001, Sally Schneider.
With this stuffing you could skip the turkey. Yes, it's a long list of ingredients, but this is a winner. Our old friend Herman Merkin mastered this mix. He brought it to our first married Thanksgiving. We've been making it ever since.
These are wonderfully messy shrimp that were meant to be eaten with fingers, chopsticks or forks. Since this stir fry is so good cold on a salad of mixed greens, I've provided for leftovers in the recipe.
If you'd like, you can eat this salad with both fingers and forks. The long, trough-shaped Romaine leaves hold neatly cup dressing and nuts. Asparagus were always finger food. Their aphrodisiac qualities are obvious. Prepare all the ingredients ahead of time. Dress the salad just before eating.
This is taken from a letter Dickens wrote in 1847 where he gave his recipe for punch. This is a strong punch. Serve it in small quantities.