Aida Mollenkamp

8/14/2019 Aida Mollenkamp

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All Star Celebrity Chef Thanksgiving

AIDA MOLLENKAMP

I definitely like to incorporate seasonal ingredients. The mushroom fennel bread pudding reallyallows you to use any mushrooms that are seasonal. Any time you add fall herbs to anything you'remaking, be it a roast or a soup, it really puts the exclamation on the fact that it's that season. I reallylike using sage and thyme through the fall and really underlying my dishes with those herbs.-- AIDA MOLLENKAMP ofAsk Aida.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Spiced Maple Sauce

Ingredients:2/3 cup roughly chopped pecans3 pounds sweet potatoes, cut into large dice2 tablespoons vegetable oilSalt and freshly ground black pepper4 tablespoons unsalted butter3 tablespoons maple syrup1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Heat oven to 450 degrees F and arrange rack in the middle.

While oven heats, place pecans on a baking sheet to toast until they smell nutty and are slightlydarker, about 5 minutes (watch carefully). Remove from oven and set aside.

Place sweet potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with oil. Season well with salt and pepper, and toss tocoat. Roast until golden brown and tender when pierced with a knife, about 40 to 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it foams, stir in maple syrupand cayenne and let cook briefly, about 1 minute. Serve sweet potatoes with a drizzle of maplebutter and a scattering of pecans.


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Double Apple Sidecar

Ingredients:

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice2 tablespoons apple cider

2 tablespoons orange-flavored liqueur (recommended: Cointreau)8 to 9 tablespoons apple brandy, less or more if desiredIce

Combine all the ingredients in a shaker. Shake for a few seconds then pour into glasses over ice.Serve immediately.

Mushroom and Fennel Bread Pudding

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter3/4 cup coarsely chopped white onion12 ounces coarsely chopped cremini mushrooms (about 4 cups)2 cups coarsely chopped fennel (from 1 medium bulb)2/3 cup finely chopped celery (from 2 medium stalks)2 cups heavy cream1 cup low-sodium chicken broth4 large eggs12 ounces ciabatta or other country-style bread, medium dice (about 8 cups)1 cup coarsely grated aged pecorino (about 3 ounces), such as Gran Pecorino (not PecorinoRomano)

1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh Italian parsley1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh sage leaves

Melt butter in a large frying pan over medium heat. When butter foams, add onion, season well withkosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Add mushrooms,fennel, celery, and season well with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and cook untilsoftened and mushroom juices have reduced, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Remove fromheat and let cool slightly in pan, at least 10 minutes.

Heat the oven to 375F and arrange a rack in the middle. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish withbutter and set aside. Whisk together cream, chicken broth, and eggs in a large bowl until smooth.

Add bread, cooled vegetables, cheese, and herbs to cream mixture, and stir until bread is well coated.Season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper, then turn into the prepared baking dish.Allow bread to soak until well saturated, at least 15 minutes.Meanwhile, bring about 10 cups water to a simmer over high heat in a large pot.

Once bread has soaked and water is simmering, set the baking dish in a large roasting pan and addenough hot water to reach halfway up the sides of the baking dish. Bake until custard is set and topis lightly browned, about 50 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.


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Brown Butterscotch PieFor the Basic Pie Dough:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon granulated sugar8 tablespoons cold unsalted butter (1 stick), cut into small pieces4 to 5 tablespoons ice water

Combine flour, salt, and sugar in a large bowl and stir briefly until mixture is aerated. Using a pastryblender or your fingers, cut butter into dry ingredients until it is in pea-size pieces that are slightlyyellow in color, about 4 to 5 minutes.

Drizzle in 4 tablespoons ice water and mix just until dough comes together. (Add the last tablespoonof ice water if necessary, but do not overwork the dough or it will become tough.)

Shape dough into a flat disk, cover in plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, then use inthe pie or tart recipe of your choice. The dough can be made and baked up to a day ahead of time.

If youre running short on time, you can make this dough in a food processor. Combine allingredients except the ice water and pulse until the butter is in pea-size pieces. Drizzle in 3tablespoons ice water and pulse again. Add more ice water if the dough seems too dry, shape into adisk, wrap, and refrigerate.

For the Pie:1 recipe Basic Pie Dough, refrigerated1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise and scraped, seeds reserved (or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)2 cups whole milk

1 cup heavy cream4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar9 large egg yolks3 tablespoons cornstarch

Heat oven to 350F. Lightly flour a work surface and roll the dough out into a round approximately10 inches in diameter and 1/4-inch thick. Line a 9-inch, deep-dish pie plate with the dough and trimoff excess. Pierce the base of the crust with a fork, line with a piece of parchment paper, and fillwith pie weights or dried beans.

Bake until it starts to set, about 10 minutes. Remove the pie weights and parchment paper, andcontinue to bake until dry and slightly brown, another 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from oven andkeep oven at 350F.

Combine vanilla bean and seeds (or vanilla extract, if using) with whole milk and heavy cream in amedium saucepan, and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Once simmering, remove fromheat.


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Meanwhile, in a medium pot over medium heat, melt butter and add 1/2 cup of the dark brownsugar. Mix briefly and cook until mixture bubbles and there is a toasted smell (the butter should bebrown but not burnt), about 5 minutes. Carefully whisk in hot milk mixture and remove from heatto cool slightly, about 5 minutes.

Whisk together 1/4 cup dark brown sugar with egg yolks and cornstarch until it is well blended andwhisk leaves a trail when lifted out of mixture, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl and, whiskingconstantly, slowly pour in 1/3 of milk base to egg yolks until well combined. Add egg mixture backto remaining milk and return the pot to stovetop over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly,until mixture coats back of a spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside. (If custard filling is donebefore crust is ready, place in a clean bowl and set over an ice water bath to cool.)

Fill parbaked pie crust with the butterscotch mixture and bake until edges are set and middle stillmoves slightly, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack until roomtemperature. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Drain potatoes and return pot to heat. Add remaining butter and melt over medium heat. Peel and

slice banana and add potatoes to the pot. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and a few dasheshot sauce. Mash potatoes and banana to combine, adjust seasoning. Top the meat with the potatoes.Cover potatoes with cheese and set in oven. Bake to melt cheese, 5 minutes.

Whisk together 1/4 cup dark brown sugar with egg yolks and cornstarch until it is well blended andwhisk leaves a trail when lifted out of mixture, about 3 minutes. Scrape down bowl and, whiskingconstantly, slowly pour in 1/3 of milk base to egg yolks until well combined. Add egg mixture backto remaining milk and return the pot to stovetop over medium-low heat. Cook, whisking constantly,until mixture coats back of a spoon, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside. (If custard filling is donebefore crust is ready, place in a clean bowl and set over an ice water bath to cool.)

Fill parbaked pie crust with the butterscotch mixture and bake until edges are set and middle stillmoves slightly, about 25 minutes. Remove from oven and set on a cooling rack until roomtemperature. Serve at room temperature or cold.

Pecan and Salt Caramel Cheesecake

For the crust:

1 1/4 cups graham cracker crumbs4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted3 tablespoons granulated sugar

For the cheesecake:

2 pounds (4 [8 -ounce] packages) cream cheese1 cup granulated sugar1 large egg yolk3 whole large eggs1 teaspoon vanilla extract


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For the caramel:

1 cup granulated sugar4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)1/2 cup heavy cream1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

1 large pinch sea salt

For the crust:Heat the oven to 325F and arrange the rack in the middle. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9-inchspringform pan; set aside. Mix together the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar in a mediumbowl until thoroughly combined. Evenly press the mixture into the bottom of prepared springformpan; set aside.

For the cheesecake:

Combine cream cheese and sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and mix over medium speeduntil light, airy, and smooth. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing completely after each addition. Addthe vanilla extract and mix until blended.

Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into thecake comes out clean and the center of the cheesecake is just set, about 40 minutes. Turn off theoven, leave door slightly ajar, and let cheesecake cool completely.

For the caramel:

Stir together sugar and 1 tablespoon water in a small saucepan. Place over medium-high heat andbring to a boil. Let boil until amber in color, about 3 minutes. Immediately add butter and stir toincorporate. Remove from heat, add cream, and mix well. Set aside and let cool to roomtemperature.

Assembly:Pour the caramel over the cooled cheesecake then scatter the pecan pieces and sea salt over the top.

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