Food & Drink

The turkey is broken into its primal cuts, which allows the meat to cook more evenly—in half the time! The meat turns out perfectly cooked, classically flavored, golden brown, and delicious every time—with far less babysitting than a whole turkey. This method frees up the oven sooner, plus the carcass can be simmering into stock for the gravy ahead of time. The post Classic Turkey in Pieces appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Canned or refrigerated prepared beets make quick work of this robust salad. The sweet-and-sour dressing gets texture and richness from pumpkin seeds mixed with honey and vinegar. To keep the salad tasting bright and fresh, be generous with the honey and vinegar. Letting the shallots rest for a few minutes after dressing mellows their bite. The post Beet and Pumpkin Seed Salad appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Crumbles are not Italian, but I have learned to love them because they are very Italian in spirit—fresh fruit and a simple topping come together to create a homey dessert everyone will love. The trick to making a crisp, clumpy topping is to squeeze the clumps a little. The post Apple Cranberry Crumble appeared first on Connecticut Public.

When it comes to apple pie, the more fruit the merrier. Only, the more apples you pile into the dish, the more likely you are to end up with a big gap between the crust, which sets early in the baking, and the filling, which softens and shrinks by the time the pie is done. The answer, in a technique I adapted from Cook’s Illustrated magazine, is to pre-cook the apples just a bit to “set” their shape. The result is a pie that’s good enough for a bake-off: tall, beautifully domed, and filled to the very top with juicy apples. The post Blue Ribbon Deep Dish Apple Pie appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Why do we eat turkey only on Thanksgiving?? If it’s prepared properly, turkey can be delicious and easy for any dinner party. This turkey roulade is actually better if you assemble it in advance because the flavors—prosciutto, fennel seeds, garlic, fresh sage, and rosemary—all permeate the turkey. This is classic comfort food with the volume turned up. The post Tuscan Turkey Roulade appeared first on Connecticut Public.

This robust salad is modeled on one from Alon Shaya's cookbook, “Shaya.” We prefer to make our own candied pecans because they taste better than store-bought; they can be made a day to two in advance and stored in an airtight container at room temperature. If you don't have or can't find Aleppo pepper, substitute ½ teaspoon sweet paprika mixed with ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper for the spiced nuts, then sprinkle the finished salad with an additional pinch or two of sweet paprika. To season the dressing, Shaya uses pink peppercorns, which have a subtle pepperiness and sweet, floral flavor that complement the other ingredients. If you can't them, we found that 1 tablespoon fennel seed, lightly crushed, works nicely instead. The post Apple-Fennel Salad with Candied Pecans appeared first on Connecticut Public.

These rolls are best served the day they are baked. For ease they can be made in the morning, then reheated in 350°F oven for 10 minutes just before serving. The seed-butter mixture can be prepared up to three days ahead and refrigerated. Just be sure to pull it out an hour before using to bring it to room temperature. The post Pumpkin Seed Rolls appeared first on Connecticut Public.

For these smashed potatoes, you can replace the bacon with merguez. You can use breakfast sausage. Or no meat at all. The post Smashed Potatoes with Bacon, Cheddar, and Greens appeared first on Connecticut Public.

We love pumpkin pie, but we don’t love how dense and cloying they can be. We wanted a lighter, fresher take with a pronounced pumpkin flavor. Canned pumpkin puree was a great place to start, but we intensified the flavor by giving it a quick sauté with dark brown sugar. This simmers off excess moisture and lends caramel flavors to the mixture. Deglazing the pan with bourbon added a complexity we loved, but an equal amount of orange juice worked well, too. Crème fraîche gave the filling tang and richness that other dairy products couldn’t match. The post Pumpkin Tart with Honey-Orange Whipped Cream appeared first on Connecticut Public.

My maternal grandfather, Giovanni, loved frittatas, and this one was his favorite. We had chickens growing up, so eggs were always available, and braided onions were always hanging in the […] The post Prosciutto and Onion Frittata appeared first on Connecticut Public.

This was a favorite salad at my restaurant Felidia, that Chef Fortunato Nicotra would always make. It was one of our best-selling salads, and it became part of our family […] The post Kale Salad with Avocado and Pistachios appeared first on Connecticut Public.

I am often asked, “My family loves chicken; how can I make it differently tonight?” Well, this is a little more complex recipe for chicken, full of surprises and flavor. […] The post Chicken Rollatini with Provola and Artichokes appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Zeppole di San Giuseppe are usually made to honor St. Joseph on his feast day of March 19, which is when Father’s Day is celebrated in Italy. “Zeppole” can refer […] The post St. Joseph’s Zeppole appeared first on Connecticut Public.

My grandmother used the differing temperatures and textures of boiled potatoes, beans, and vegetables to bring salads to life. I loved her approach, and try to bring it to all […] The post Warm Escarole Salad with Cannellini Beans and Mackerel appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Beef rollatini was not a dish I often ate growing up. Beef was scarce, and this was not a style of cooking my grandma often used, but I learned to […] The post Beef Rollatini appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 3¼ hours (20 minutes active), plus resting Servings: 8 to 10 The trickiest part of roasting a turkey often is the pileup at the oven. Casseroles, dinner […] The post Two-Hour Turkey appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 1½ hours (30 minutes active), plus cooling Servings: 10 To update Britain’s sticky toffee pudding—a steamed, too-often bland dessert hidden under a gluey, cloying syrup—we worked backward, […] The post Sticky Toffee Pudding appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 1½ hours (30 minutes active), plus cooling Servings: 2 to 4 This recipe for scalloped potatoes is designed to be easily scaled up to serve as many […] The post Scalloped Potatoes appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 2 hours (1 hour active) Servings: 8 to 10 its flavor is quite mild, we use a trio of bold ingredients—mushrooms, rosemary and black pepper—to bring depth […] The post Porcini-Rubbed Beef Tenderloin with Roasted Portobello Mushrooms appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Jessica Costantini, a participant of Milk Street’s My Family Recipe, has fond memories of her maternal grandmother’s Christmas popovers. Popovers, which are believed to have originated in New England, have […] The post Popovers with Beef in Cream Sauce appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 45 minutes Servings: 4 These simple mashed potatoes are silky-smooth and rich, no heavy cream required. To achieve this, we simmer the potatoes in milk, allowing them […] The post Milk-Simmered Mashed Potatoes appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 3 1/2 hours (30 minutes active) Servings: 8 Let’s face it, stuffing is basically a flavorful sponge to soak up gravy and any stray melting butter that […] The post Easy-Bake Herbed Stuffing appeared first on Connecticut Public.

Start to finish: 2 hours (1 hour active), plus cooling Makes one 9-inch double crust pie This pie is “doubled” both inside and out. The tender, flaky double crust envelops […] The post Double-Crust Apple Pie appeared first on Connecticut Public.