by Diane Morgan
from The New Thanksgiving Table
(Chronicle Books, 2009)
Makes 12 popovers

You’re probably reading this recipe and thinking—how could I possibly pull off popovers at Thanksgiving? The trick is to have the popover batter made, the butter melted, and the pan ready. As soon after the turkey comes out of the oven the muffin tin gets heated, buttered, and the hazelnut popovers go in. The burst of heat makes them puff and crisp—with a golden, nutty exterior and a soft, hollow interior. These popovers are divine.

convert Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and finely ground
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
1 1/4 cups milk
3 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tablespoon snipped fresh chives
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Method
1. In a medium bowl, or preferably a 4-cup glass measuring cup, combine the flour, hazelnuts, pepper, and salt. Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth. Whisk in the eggs and then add the parsley and chives. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the butter. Let the batter stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes or up to 2 hours. Whisk before using.

2. Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 450°F (230°C). Have ready a standard 12-cup muffin pan, preferably nonstick.

3. Place the muffin pan in the oven for about 10 minutes until hot. Remove the hot muffin pan from the oven. Using a pastry brush, generously brush the muffin cups with the remaining 3 tablespoons butter. Divide the batter equally among the muffin cups. Without opening the oven door at any time, bake the popovers for 15 minutes. Reduce the oven to 350°F (175°C) and continue to bake the popovers for 7 to 10 minutes longer until puffy and golden brown. Turn the popovers out of the pan, loosening them with the edge of a paring knife, if necessary. Serve immediately.

Do Ahead: The popover batter can be made up to 2 hours in advance. The popovers are best when baked right before serving.

Recipe © 2008 Diane Morgan. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

To make the stuffing, you’ll need to dry the bread. Spread the bread cubes out onto 2 large baking sheets and dry in a 300°F (150°C) oven for 30 to 60 minutes. Let the bread cool before using in the stuffing.

convert Ingredients
1 pound bacon, cut crosswise into 1/4 inch strips
6 medium onions, sliced thin (about 7 cups)
1 teaspoon table salt
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch cubes (about 2 cups)
1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped fine
3 tablespoons minced fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 pounds high-quality white sandwich bread, cut into
3/4-inch cubes (about 12 cups)
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth
3 large eggs, lightly beaten

Method
1. Cook the bacon in a large skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat until crisp and browned, about 12 minutes. Remove the bacon from the pan with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels. Discard all but 3 tablespoons of the rendered bacon fat.

2. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon of the salt. Cook the onions until golden in color, making sure to stir occasionally and scrape the sides and bottom of the pan, about 20 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium and continue to cook, stirring more often to prevent burning, until the onions are deep golden brown, another 5 minutes. Add the apples and continue to cook another 5 minutes. Transfer the contents of the pan to a large bowl.

3. Add the parsley, sage, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and the pepper to the bowl and mix to combine. Add the bread cubes.

4. Whisk the broth and eggs together in a small bowl. Pour the mixture over the bread cubes. Gently toss to distribute the ingredients. Once the stuffing is evenly coated, use it with your favorite roast turkey recipe.

Recipe © 2009 by the Editors at America’s Test Kitchen. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

I grew up baking a version of this holiday classic of cranberry-orange pecan bread using canned orange juice concentrate. When it came time to develop a recipe for Grand Central Bakery, we updated the family favorite by replacing the concentrate with freshly squeezed orange juice and plenty of zest. The result is a a pecan bread with more subtle orange flavor that allows the tartness of the cranberries to shine through.

convert Ingredients
3 1/2 cups (1 pound, 1 1/2 ounces) all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/4 cups (15 3/4 ounces) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (6 fluid ounces) vegetable oil or canola oil
3 large eggs
1 1/4 cups (10 fluid ounces) buttermilk
Zest and juice from one large orange (about 1 1/2 tablespoons zest plus 1/4 cup juice)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 3/4 cups cranberries, fresh or frozen
1/2 cup (1 3/4 ounces) pecans, lightly toasted and coarsely chopped

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Lightly grease and flour two 9 by 5-inch loaf pans.

2. Measure the flour, salt, and baking soda into a bowl and whisk to combine.

3. Using a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat the sugar and oil on medium-high speed until thoroughly combined; the mixture will look sandy.

4. Crack the eggs into a liquid measuring cup and whisk together. With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour in the eggs. Increase to medium speed and continue to mix for 2 minutes more. Mix the wet ingredients, then alternate additions of the dry ingredients and the wet ingredients.

5. Whisk together the buttermilk, orange zest, and juice, and vanilla. Add one-third of the dry ingredients and incorporate on low speed, then increase the speed to medium. Mix for 1 minute. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix briefly to incorporate, then turn the speed down to low. Add half of the remaining dry ingredients, and incorporate before increasing the speed to medium for 1 minute. Repeat with the remaining buttermilk mixture and the remaining dry ingredients. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

6. Fold the cranberries and pecans into the batter by hand, scrape the sides of the bowl, and then divide the batter evenly between the prepared pans. Each should be slightly more than half full.

7. Bake the cranberry-orange pecan bread for 60 to 75 minutes, rotating the pans every 20 minutes or so. The loaves will be golden brown with cracked tops, and a skewer inserted in the center should come out clean.

Recipe © 2009 Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Bread pudding is normally found in the dessert chapter of a cookbook. When I was a baker, I arranged my baking schedule so that these bread puddings were still warm when the lunch crowd arrived. But there always seemed to be more customers asking for bread pudding early in the day. Not one to stand in the way of people who enjoy dessert for breakfast, I started baking the bread pudding earlier and earlier, until it wound up in the breakfast pastry lineup as bread pudding muffins. Since Grand Central bread pudding is baked in muffin cups and tastes quite a bit like French toast, this seems fitting. If you can’t think about bread pudding before noon, don’t hesitate to bake this for dessert. Finish it with a boozy hard sauce or fresh berries mixed with a bit of sugar to draw out their juices.

convert Ingredients
1 pound crusty artisan white bread
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
6 eggs
3/4 cup (5 1/4 ounces) granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) heavy cream
1 1/2 cups (12 fluid ounces) milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting

Method
1. Slice the bread and cut it into 1-inch cubes. Put it in a large bowl and toss it with the cinnamon.

2. Make the custard by whisking the eggs, sugar, cream, milk, and vanilla together until well combined. Pour the custard over the bread. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°F (160°C). Line a standard-size 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, or generously grease with butter.

4. Scoop a heaping 1/2 cup of the bread pudding mixture into each of the 12 muffin cups; each one should be nicely mounded. Top off each bread pudding with any remaining custard.

5. Bake for 45 minutes, rotating the muffin tin halfway through the baking time. The bread puddings should be lightly golden brown on top. Dust them with confectioners’ sugar while they’re still warm.

Recipe © 2009 Piper Davis and Ellen Jackson. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.

Pretzels are one of the world’s oldest snacks. Great-grandfather Herman ate them in Germany as a boy and here in America as an adult. It was natural that they would find their way into the Berghoff bar. Traditionally, shaped pretzel dough is briefly boiled in water, just like bagels, before being baked. This brief boiling gives both pretzels and bagels shiny crusts and a very chewy texture. I omitted the step of boiling the shaped dough when I developed our pretzel recipe for the home kitchen, so this pretzel is easy to shape and bake. It has a nice soft crust, easy to bite, easy to chew. The pretzel is best baked and eaten on the same day. Pretzels are fun for kids and grown-ups alike to shape. We recommend eating these pretzels with any Berghoff beer or a frosty mug of Berghoff Root Beer.

convert Ingredients
4 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
One (1/4-ounce) package (2 1/4 teaspoons) instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 1/2 cups warm water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 large egg yolk, lightly beaten
1 large egg white, well beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Pretzel (coarse) salt, as needed

Method
1. Preheat the oven to 450°F (230°C) Do not use a convection oven for this recipe.

Make the pretzel dough in a mixer
1. In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and stir to mix; add the water, butter, and egg yolk, and mix on low until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

2. Fit the mixer with the dough hook and knead the dough at the lowest speed until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding some or all of the remaining flour as needed. Cover with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with cooking spray and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Make the pretzel dough by hand
1. In a 4-quart bowl, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and whisk to mix; add the water, butter, and egg yolk and, using a large spoon, stir until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl.

2. Remove the spoon and, using your hands, knead the dough right in the bowl until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 8 minutes, adding some or all of the remaining flour as needed. Cover with plastic wrap lightly sprayed with cooking spray and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.

Make the pretzel dough in a food processor
1. In the work bowl of a large-capacity (14-cup) food processor fitted with the plastic dough blade, combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt, and pulse to mix. Add the water, butter, and egg yolk, and pulse until the dough pulls away from the side of the bowl and forms a cohesive mass. Add additional flour as needed through the feed tube.

Shape the pretzels
1. Turn out the pretzel dough on a lightly floured board and knead briefly, about 1 minute. Cut the dough into twelve equal-size pieces. Roll out each dough piece into a 24-inch-long rope. Make a U shape with the rope. Holding the ends of the rope, cross them over each other and press the ends down onto the bottom of the U to seal, forming a “pretzel shape.” For small pretzels, cut the dough into 24 equal-size pieces. Roll out each dough piece into a 12-inch-long rope and shape the pretzels as directed.

2. Gently place each pretzel on a parchment paper–lined baking sheet (two pans). Brush the tops lightly with the egg white mixture. Sprinkle each pretzel with 1/2 teaspoon of coarse salt, or to taste. Bake in the preheated oven for 14 to 16 minutes, or until the pretzels browned and firm. Transfer to a cooling rack and let cool for 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Variations:
Cheese Pretzels: Add 2 cups (8 ounces) of grated white Cheddar cheese to the dry ingredients and proceed with the recipe. Or add 1 cup (4 ounces) of grated Parmesan cheese  to the flour and proceed with the recipe, then sprinkle a second cup of grated Parmesan (4 ounces) on the egg white–brushed pretzels before baking.

Caraway Pretzels: Add 4 teaspoons of caraway seeds to the flour and proceed with the recipe. Top the pretzels with 1/2 cup of coarse salt before baking.

Bacon Pretzels: Add 1/2 cup of bacon bits (from a jar or package) to the flour and proceed with the recipe. Sprinkle the pretzels with kosher salt as needed and 1/4 cup of bacon bits before baking.

Chocolate Chip Pretzels: Increase the butter to 1/2 cup and the sugar to 1/3 cup, and prepare the dough according to the recipe. Add 1 cup of chocolate chips to the finished dough, kneading only long enough to incorporate the chips. Dust the baked pretzels with 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar.

Cinnamon-Raisin Pretzels: Increase the butter to 1/2 cup and the sugar to 1/2 cup, and add 2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon. Prepare the dough according to the recipe. Add 1/2 cup of dark raisins to the finished dough,pr cut in half, kneading only long enough to incorporate. Dust the baked pretzels well with 1 1/2 cups of confectioners’ sugar.

Mini-Pretzels: Make half-size versions of any of the above by dividing the dough into 24 equal-size pieces and rolling into 12-inch-long ropes. Then proceed with the rest of the recipe as directed.

Recipe © 2009 Carlyn A. Berghoff. All rights reserved.
© 2009 Leite’s Culinaria, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of use.