Corn Casserole

(Modified from Good News Café recipe)

POLENTA
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups cornmeal polenta
6 cups water

CHEDDAR CHEESE SAUCE
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
½ teaspoon salt
2 cups milk
½ cup heavy cream
2 teaspoons hot sauce or 1 jalapeno, minced (I used 2 teaspoons Sriracha chili sauce)
2 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese

CASSEROLE
2 jars salsa verde (I used Ortega brand)
4 cups fresh corn, cut from the husk (I used frozen sweet corn)
1 bunch scallions, cleaned and sliced thinly
12 6-inch baked corn tortillas – I baked them, but not for long enough because they didn’t get crisp
Garnish suggestion – guacamole and chopped fresh tomato

1. Layer half the salsa verde on the bottom of a 9x13 pan.
2. To make polenta, follow the directions on the polenta package! This recipe called for “quick cook” polenta but I couldn’t find. The recipe on the back of the Bob’s mill polenta package said to cook for 30 minutes, but I wanted it soft, so cooked for about 5 minutes. I boiled the water, then added the garlic, thyme, parsley and salt, then gradually added the polenta. I stirred for about 5 minutes until it was the consistency I wanted.
3. Chop scallions and put in bowl. Cook corn – if fresh, blanch corn quickly. Frozen corn I boiled for 6 minutes. Drain corn and toss with scallions.
4. Make cheese sauce.Melt butter in large saucepan. Stir in the flour and salt and whisk while it gets a little browned. Add milk and cream and stir over low heat until thick and bubbly. Stir in grated cheese until thoroughly melted. Add hot sauce or jalepeno.
5. Spread half of cheese sauce over polenta.
6. Cover with corn and scallions
7. Cover with corn tortillas.
8. Cover with remaining salsa verde.
9. Cover with remaining cheese sauce.
10. Bake at 400 until bubbly hot, about 20 minutes if starting from room temperature.

Mexican Pizza (2 Ways)

Pizza with black beans, tomatoes, corn and avocado

Basic Pizza Dough recipe - see Pesto Pizza, September 2009
http://casseroleclub.blogspot.com/2009/09/pesto-pizza.html

Prepare pizza dough - you'll need to plan time to let it rise. I've found that letting it rise on the pizza pan after you stretch it out makes the dough have a really nice texture (an additional 30 minutes once it's stretched out.)

Top with:
1/3 can drained black beans
1/3 cup cooked corn (I used frozen)
2/3 can of diced tomatoes, strained (14.5 oz can)
4 oz freshly grated seriously sharp cheddar
4 oz freshly grated pepper jack cheese
Bake pizza on lowest rack in oven for about 10-12 minutes (500-525 degrees, the hotter the better)
Avocado – chop and add after pizza is baked.

Pizza with Mole sauce

Basic Pizza Dough recipe - see Pesto Pizza, September 2009
http://casseroleclub.blogspot.com/2009/09/pesto-pizza.html

Top with 1/4 recipe mole sauce
Mole sauce from Michele’s enchilada recipe – I left the sauce with tomato chunks:
http://casseroleclub.blogspot.com/2009/05/cheese-enchiladas-with-mole-sauce.html
Top with:
4 oz freshly grated seriously sharp cheddar
4 oz freshly grated pepper jack cheese
Bake pizza on lowest rack in oven for about 10-12 minutes (500-525 degrees, the hotter the better)

SPINACH SALAD

Baby spinach
Pear(s), cored and sliced
Gorgonzola or bleu cheese, crumbled
Spiced pecans
Lemon vinaigrette

SPICED PECANS

5 oz Pecans, toasted
½ cup Brown sugar
½ cup Sugar
1 ½ tsp Cayenne (I only added 1 tsp and they were pretty mild)
1 ½ tsp Cinnamon
1 Egg whites
2 Tablespoons Soy sauce (I used low sodium)
1. Mix dry ingredients.
2. Mix egg white and soy sauce and add half of dry ingredients to form slurry. Coat the pecans with the slurry and bake on parchment at 300 degrees for 5-10 minutes. Let the nuts cool and coat in the remaining dry ingredients. (Toss in a big bowl to coat)

LEMON VINAIGRETTE

½ cup Fresh lemon juice
¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Kosher salt
½ tsp ground black pepper (or to taste)
1 Tablespoon sugar

1. Mix lemon juice, salt, pepper and sugar.
2. Gradually whisk in olive oil.

Sweet Potato Casserole

I make this as a side dish for holidays. To make it into more of a main course, I put all the ingredients inside crepes. This is a made up recipe from a relative, so I’m trying to estimate the ingredient amounts.

SWEET POTATO:
Bake 2 pounds of sweet potatoes at 400 degrees for at least an hour. I rinse sweet potatoes and stick all over with a fork. Then cover a pan with foil, then the potatoes. Make sure they are fully cooked – a knife goes easily through. When they cool slightly, remove skins and mash with:

1 Tablespoon Butter
2 Tablespoons heavy cream or half and half
½ tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp cloves
¼ tsp allspice
1 tsp baking powder.

PEAR PUREE:
1 peeled and diced pear – ripe is good
1 Tablespoon OJ
Splash Peachtree schnapps (did not have so I used grand marnier)
Simmer until pears are super soft. Then puree in blender until smooth.
You could skip this step and just buy pureed pear (baby food), though it won’t taste quite as good!

CANDIED PECANS
Toast pecan halves in oven – make more than you will need because some break.
Sprinkle powdered sugar on top of waxed paper (I use a strainer to sift it on.)
Put pecans, brown sugar and a little Chambord in a skillet and heat over medium heat, stirring constantly. The sugar will melt and caramelize. When there isn’t much liquid left, place nuts on waxed paper to cool (in sugar). They need to be separated or they will stick together. It’s fine if they get coated in powdered sugar.

Also need crumbled gorgonzola cheese.

1 Butter a 9-10 inch Pyrex pie plate.
2. Layer half the sweet potato, the pear puree, sprinkle on some gorgonzola, then cover with the remaining sweet potato. Can make this ahead of time.
3. Before baking, I add the candied pecans, lined up across the top.
4. Bake for about half an hour at 350 degrees. Maybe need to bake a little longer if starting from refrigerator temperature.

DESSERT CREPES

Delphin Gomes

INGREDIENTS:

1 CUP all purpose flour
2 TABLESPOONS sugar
1 CUP milk
2 eggs
1/3 CUP water
2 TABLESPOONS butter, melted and cooled a bit
FLAVOR OF CHOICE (GRAND MARNIER) 1 TABLESPOON, OPTIONAL
1 TEASPOON vanilla

PROCESS:

1. Combine flour and sugar in a large bowl.
2. Add eggs and half the milk and whisk the batter until combined. Do not overmix.
3. Add remaining milk and vanilla (and flavor) and whisk together.
4. Add water and whisk.
5. Add butter.
6. Let sit at least 1 hour before using. Can refrigerate overnight.
7. If you mix using this technique, you will not have lumps.
8. This recipe makes nine or ten 10-inch crepes.

9. Heat crepe pan over medium heat. Brush lightly with butter. Ladle batter onto pan and hold and turn pan at an angle so batter coats it in a thin layer. Cook until slightly browned, then flip and cook the other side briefly – just to get a little color. Crepe should be thin and delicate, but not lacy and crunchy – if lacy, use more batter for the next one. You may need to adjust the temperature and batter amount to find the right balance.

10. Stack crepes on aluminum foil – they can be reheated in the oven or even microwaved briefly. They can be frozen too.