Simple Cooking

The single most vivid taste memory I associate with Thanksgiving is the flavor of crisp turkey skin. I almost always get first dibs on the wing tips and sneak into the kitchen to peel off the crispiest pieces of golden, salt-and-peppery cracklin’s before the carvers go to work. The intensity of flavor means it doesn’t take a lot of skins to satisfy my craving, but by the end of the meal, I usually find myself yearning for just one more piece. This corn bread is designed to take the pressure off that yearning, substituting the smoky, salty flavor of crackly bacon for the turkey skin. However, I often make a variation of this, buying a half-pound of chicken or turkey skins from the butcher, laying them out on a sheet pan, seasoning them with salt and pepper, and baking at 350°F until they render their fat and become very crisp and crumbly, just like bacon. The use of sugar, honey, buttermilk, lots of corn kernels, and polenta-grind cornmeal (rather than the usual finely ground cornmeal) gives this bread moisture, texture, and sweet yet tart flavor bursts. The bacon (or cracklings) on the top is the final payoff, complementing any Thanksgiving dinner or re-creating Thanksgiving flavor memories throughout the year. I have an ongoing love affair with good corn bread. By good I mean moist and sweet, with crunch and texture. This recipe is my favorite, and it is the best corn bread I have ever made or eaten. Corn bread falls into the category of quick breads, since it is leavened by baking powder (see information on chemical leavening). Even though this book is not about chemically leavened quick breads, I couldn’t resist adding it to the collection because, frankly, I just don’t think it gets any better than this.

My students often ask me to teach them how to make a cinnamon bun as good as the ones they get at the mall from Cinnabon and other franchise shops. For my money, this version makes a cinnamon bun that outperforms all the malls. But those of us who grew up in eastern Pennsylvania have a soft spot in our hearts for sticky buns, such as the ones originating from the Pennsylvania Dutch countryside. Frankly, everyone in the United States seems to have a favorite regional version, whether it is a cinnamon bun glazed with a sweet, white-sugar fondant or a sticky bun with a caramel glaze. Regardless of side issues, such as white versus caramel glazes, the type of nut (usually walnuts versus pecans), or with or without raisins, the real key to this kind of comfort food is a soft, light, tender, slightly sweet dough baked just right. This formula falls in the enriched, not the rich, dough category because the fat content is slightly under 20 percent. I’ve made versions of sweet dough that do indeed contain up to 50 percent fat, but then why eat the buns? You might as well strap them right onto your hips, since that’s where they will end up (or, as one of my customers used to say, “They call them sticky buns because they stick to your buns!”). Between the shortening, eggs, sugar, and milk, there are plenty of enrichments to tenderize this dough without additional fat. However, if you do want to make a more decadent version of cinnamon or sticky buns, try the formula for Middle-Class Brioche on page 127.

You’ll be transported back to Grandma’s kitchen when you smell this homey dish as it cooks. The leftovers are excellent for sandwiches and recipes calling for cooked lean beef, such as Vegetable Beef Soup (page 68).

A delicately sweet reduction of red wine, mushrooms, tomato sauce, and herbs crowns tender beef slices.

Add a touch of Provence by applying a rub of thyme, marjoram, rosemary, and sage to sirloin steak.

Even though this fancy-sounding stew (pronounced boor-gen-YUN or boor-ge-NYON) takes a while to prepare, it’s well worth the time. Packed with beef and vegetables, it’s a complete meal in a bowl.

If you’re wondering what to do with leftover holiday turkey, use it in this one-pot dish for the perfect post-holiday meal.

This steak fits right into your schedule—it can marinate for as little as 30 minutes or as long as 8 hours—and it is equally good whether cooked on the stovetop, grilled, or broiled. Rice and Vegetable Pilaf (page 252) goes well with it.

Sweet and mildly spicy roasted onions take steak to a new flavor level. Make a double batch of the onions (you can cover and refrigerate the extras for up to four days) and serve half with pork chops, such as Pork Chops with Herb Rub (page 196) or on open-face roast beef sandwiches. The steak needs to marinate for 8 hours, so be sure to plan accordingly.

When you’ve had enough sandwiches made of leftover turkey, try this colorful stir-fry.

Reducing the liquid for this dish yields an intensely flavored sauce, so a little is all you need.

Pineapple juice adds a taste of Hawaii to the slightly sweet yet spicy marinade in this dish, and chili garlic sauce adds a bit of Asian flair. Be sure to allow time to marinate the steak for 8 to 24 hours. The recipe makes enough for you to serve grilled steak tonight and have some left for Pacific Rim Steak Salad with Sweet-and-Sour Dressing (page 94) later in the week.

These flavorful patties are a leaner version of the breakfast staple. Serve them with Pancakes (page 290) or Blueberry Muffins (page 285).

Yogurt in meat loaf? Plain yogurt not only provides potassium but also is a great way to keep meat loaf moist.

With this recipe, you season and bake a turkey tenderloin, then make a sauce—all in one dish. It’s a great entrée to serve when you’re in a hurry and even greater when you’re the one cleaning up.

Full of healthy ingredients, this wonderfully comforting almond-topped casserole will wow even spinach-phobes.

Preparation of this entrée is very fast paced, so have your side dishes ready before you begin cooking it. Mixed salad greens topped with Cider Vinaigrette (page 96) and Rice and Vegetable Pilaf (page 252) make good accompaniments.