Easy Hollandaise Sauce

Luscious, lemony, creamy, dreamy Hollandaise sauce. My family requires it Christmas morning for their Eggs Benedict. It elevates any dish to festive status. Serve over roasted asparagus, or broccoli. Spooned on top of poached salmon or steak garnished with crab.

Easy Hollandaise Sauce

3 egg yolks
dash of cayenne or hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon mustard powder
1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice + more to taste
pinch of salt and pepper
10 Tablespoons unsalted butter

Place egg, cayenne, mustard, 1 T. of lemon juice, salt and pepper in a blender and mix on low speed until combined.
In a saucepan, heat butter until melted and hot, but not brown.
With the blender running on high, slowly add melted butter in a stream until fully combined. Taste and add more lemon juice if desired.

Twice Baked Sweet Potato

Great with a salad for lunch or as a side for dinner.

Twice Baked Sweet Potaoes

3 sweet potatoes, scrubbed

1/4 cup goat cheese

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

3 roasted garlic cloves, mashed (optional)

1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves

3 slices apple wood bacon, cooked and chopped

1 Tablespoon sour cream

1 Tablespoon green onion, finely chopped

salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tablespoon butter, divided

Preheat oven to 375F.

Prick sweet potatoes all over with a knife. Cook potatoes in microwave on high for 2-3 minutes (this will quicken the cooking time in oven).

Place potatoes on a foil lined baking pan and cook about 40 minutes in the oven. (If using garlic, it can be roasted at the same time)

When potatoes are cooked and tender, take out of oven and slice in half.

Scoop out most of the flesh, leaving about 1/4 inch to keep potato skin edge firm.

In a bowl combine potato flesh, goat cheese, thyme, bacon, sour cream, green onion, salt and pepper, and garlic if using.

Spoon back into skins and dot with butter.

Bake an additional 20 minutes.

Tuna Salad in Apple Cups

With fresh fall apples this makes a hearty, healthy lunch. This recipe is taken from Simply Delicious the Costco Way.

Tuna Salad in Apple Cups

1 6 ounce can tuna (packed in water), drained
1 Tablespoon honey mustard
2-3 Tablespoons mayo (or Vegenaise)
1/3 cup diced celery
2 Tablespoons diced red onion
2-3 apples
1 lemon
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place tuna in a bowl and stir in mustard, mayo, celery and onion. Set aside.
Slice off the top quarter of each apple. Cut a slice from the bottom, so they stand level.
Rub the cut apple, as well as the slices, with lemon to keep from browning, set aside on paper towel to dry.
Core the apple and discard. With a spoon, carefully carve out the inside of the apples, continue to scoop out flesh, working toward the skin, leaving about 1/2 inch edge.
Dice the apple trimmings and add to the tuna mixture. Add salt and pepper and mix well.
Fill each apple with the salad mixture and cap with the stemmed apple tops.
Serve immediately.
Note: Bake says this would be good with a Bartlett or Asian Pear. Also with the addition of walnuts.

Pumpkin Ginger Mousse Cups

Pumpkin Ginger Mousse Cups

1 cup whipping cream
1-15 ounce can organic pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 Tablespoon maple syrup
8 ounces cream cheese, at room temp
8 ounces ginger snaps ( I used Trader Joe's gluten free), crushed

Beat whip cream until it forms soft peaks. Set aside in fridge.
Mix together pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, brown sugar, vanilla and maple syrup until combined. With a mixer, add cream cheese and beat until well blended.
Gently fold in whipped cream.

Place 3 Tablespoons of ginger snaps into individual serving sups.
Top with pumpkin mixture.
Crumble more ginger snaps on top.
Garnish with more whipped cream or ginger snap cookie.

Roasted Rosemary Cashews

It is Thanksgiving day and football is on, nuts are the perfect snack. This recipe was created by the Union Square Cafe in New York.

Roasted Rosemary Cashews

1 1/4 pound cashew nuts

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

2 teaspoon brown sugar

2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 Tablespoon melted butter

Preheat oven to 375F.

Place nuts on an ungreased baking sheet for 10 minutes, and bake until warmed throughout.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, salt and melted butter.

Toss nuts into bowl and coat evenly.

Serve warm.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Luckily, this sauce lasts for days and can be made ahead for Thanksgiving and put aside in the fridge. There are many recipes calling for a variety of spices and nuts but Bake loves this one. Along with turkey on Thanksgiving and sandwiches that follow, this cranberry sauce is also good over yogurt for a breakfast change.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

1 package (12 ounces) fresh cranberries

1 cup sugar

1 cup fresh orange juice

1 Tablespoon orange zest

Place cranberries, sugar and orange juice in a saucepan over high heat until mixture comes to a boil.

Lower heat and simmer until cranberries start to pop. Cook about 10-15 minutes. 

Remove from heat and add orange zest.

Pureed Carrots with Raspberry Rim

This is one of our families favorite side dishes for Thanksgiving. Along with turkey, it works well with roast chicken or pork tenderloin.

Pureed Carrots with Raspberry Rim

I use to make a raspberry sauce but found it quicker to use a seedless raspberry jam.

2 pounds carrots, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon plus 1 Tablespoon sea salt
1 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 Tablespoons butter, divided
1 Tablespoon sherry
1-2 Tablespoons cream
pepper, to taste
4 ounces raspberry jam

In a medium size pot, combine carrots, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1 Tablespoon brown sugar, and 1 Tablespoon of butter. Add water to cover carrots and heat to a boil, cook until carrots are tender.
Drain carrots and puree in food processor with 1 Tablespoon butter, sherry, cream and 1 Tablespoon sea salt.
Mound pureed carrots in the middle of serving dish. Rim the dish with raspberry jam.