Fall Picnic Recipes

• Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins
  
• Cream of Pumpkin Soup
  
• Green Onion-Parmesan Popovers
  
• Grilled Turkey Cuban Sandwiches
  
• Rustic Porcini Onion Stuffing
  

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Cream of Pumpkin Soup

Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

3 Tbsp. butter
1 large onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 to ¼ tsp. crushed red pepper
1 14-oz. cans chicken broth
½ cup uncooked orzo or wild rice
1 ½ cups half-and-half, light cream, or milk
1 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 15-oz can pumpkin
Cracked black pepper (optional)

Instructions:

In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in crushed red pepper; cook for 1 minute. Add broth; bring to boiling. Stir in orzo or rice. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, about 10 minutes for orzo or 40 minutes for wild rice until orzo or rice is tender.In a screw-top jar combine half-and-half and flour. Cover; shake well to combine. Stir into orzo mixture; cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Stir in pumpkin; heat through. Transfer to an insulated container. Sprinkle each serving with cracked black pepper. Makes 6 to 8 side-dish servings.

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Green Onion-Parmesan Popovers

These popovers are like individual Yorkshire puddings. To make a dozen large popovers, just double the recipe and use two pans.

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup plus 1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
8 large eggs, room temperature
2 2/3 cups whole milk, room temperature
3 large green onions, finely chopped
2 2/3 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375°F. Brush twelve 1/3-cup (standard) nonstick muffin cups or six 1-cup (large) nonstick muffin cups with 3 tablespoons melted butter; dust with 2/3 cup cheese. Beat eggs to blend in large bowl. Beat in milk and green onions, then remaining 1/2 cup melted butter. Blend flour, salt, and remaining 1/2 cup cheese in medium bowl; gradually whisk into egg mixture (some small lumps may remain).Divide batter among muffin cups. Bake popovers without opening oven until puffed and crusty brown, about 38 minutes for small and 48 minutes for large; turn out of pan and serve hot.

Makes 12 small or 6 large.

Source: Bon Appetit Magazine - Menus, December 2005
Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes

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Grilled Turkey Cuban Sandwiches

You don't need a panini machine to make these; use the low-tech method of weighting the sandwiches with a baking pan filled with canned goods. If you're making just one or two sandwiches at a time, you can cook them in a skillet and top them with another skillet weighted with cans.

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise, divided
1 tablespoon hot chili sauce (such as Sriracha)
1/3 cup (packed) finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 tablespoons minced shallot
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 1-pound loaf ciabatta bread, ends trimmed, bread cut crosswise into 6 pieces (each about 5x3 inches), each halved horizontally
12 deli slices Swiss cheese
1 pound thinly sliced Black Forest ham
6 1/4-inch-thick slices cooked turkey breast
6 tablespoons (about) butter

Instructions:

Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise and chili sauce in small bowl. Mix 1/2 cup mayonnaise, mint, and next 4 ingredients in another small bowl. Spread chili mayonnaise over cut sides of bread. Top each bottom half of bread with 1 cheese slice, ham slices, and 1 turkey slice. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Spoon mint mayonnaise over turkey. Top with remaining cheese and top halves of bread. Working in batches, melt 2 tablespoons butter in large griddle over medium heat. Add 3 sandwiches; top with piece of foil. Place 13x9x2-inch metal pan atop sandwiches. Fill pan with 6 to 8 pounds of canned goods and cook until bread is golden brown, about 4 minutes. Remove pan with weights and foil. Transfer sandwiches to work surface. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in griddle. Turn sandwiches over onto griddle. Replace foil and pan with weights. Continue cooking until cheese melts and sandwiches are golden brown on second side, about 4 minutes. Repeat with remaining butter and sandwiches. Cut in half; serve.

Makes 6.

Source: Bon Appetit Magazine - Every-Night Cooking, November 2005

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Rustic Porcini Onion Stuffing

Unlike many stuffings, which are cooked inside the turkey and/or include chicken broth, this wild mushroom version is completely vegetarian. Packed with the robust essence of dried porcini, it will win the approval of everyone at the table.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 (1-lb) Pullman or round loaves, torn into 1-inch pieces (20 cups)
1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter plus additional for greasing dish
4 1/2 cups boiling-hot water
2 oz dried porcini mushrooms (sometimes called cèpes; 54 g)
10 oz fresh white mushrooms, cut into 1/2-inch wedges (3 cups)
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/2 inch thick
4 large shallots, quartered
2 celery ribs, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2 medium carrots, halved lengthwise, then sliced crosswise 1/4 inch thick
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2 1/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions:

Put oven racks in upper and lower thirds of oven and preheat oven to 350°F. Spread bread in 2 large shallow baking pans and bake in upper and lower thirds of oven, stirring occasionally and switching position of pans halfway through baking, until dry, 20 to 25 minutes total. Transfer bread to a large bowl. Increase oven temperature to 450°F and butter a 13- by 9-inch baking dish (3-quart capacity). Pour boiling-hot water over porcini and soak 20 minutes, then drain in a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl, squeezing porcini and reserving soaking liquid. Rinse porcini under cold water to remove any grit, then squeeze out excess water and coarsely chop. While porcini soak, heat butter (1 stick) in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderately high heat until foam subsides, then cook white mushrooms, onion, and shallots, stirring occasionally, until golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Add celery, carrots, garlic, and porcini and cook, stirring, 5 minutes. Stir in thyme, sage, parsley, salt, and pepper, then add vegetables to bread, tossing to combine. Add 1 cup reserved porcini-soaking liquid to skillet and deglaze by boiling over high heat, stirring and scraping up brown bits, 1 minute. Add remaining soaking liquid and salt and pepper to taste and pour over bread mixture, tossing to coat evenly. Spread stuffing in baking dish and cover tightly with buttered foil (buttered side down), then bake in upper third of oven until heated through, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake stuffing until top is browned, 10 to 15 minutes more.

Cooks' notes:• Stuffing can be assembled (but not baked) 2 days ahead and chilled, covered.• Stuffing can be baked 6 hours ahead and kept, uncovered, at room temperature. Reheat, uncovered, in a 350°F oven (with sweet-potato brûlee, if making) until hot, about 30 minutes (test center with a wooden pick for warmth).

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

Source: Gourmet Magazine - Menus, November 2005

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