Cooker’s Pot

You’ll Need:

4 or 5 medium sweet potatoes
1/2 cup pineapple preserves
2 tablespoons butter

Procedure:

Boil sweet potatoes in their jackets until tender, about 25 minutes. Let cool, then peel and cut into 1/2 inch thick slices. In a large skillet, melt pineapple preserves and butter; add sweet potatoes to skillet. Cook gently; tossing lightly until sweet potatoes are glazed.

You’ll Need:

1 large (6 ounce) or 2 small packages apricot gelatin
2 cups boiling water
1 (20 ounce) can crushed pineapple
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1 (15 ounce) can apricot halves, drained and chopped
1/2 cup walnuts
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped topping, thawed
Additional chopped walnuts (optional)

Procedure:

In a bowl, dissolve gelatin in water. Drain pineapple, reserving juice. Add pineapple to gelatin and set aside. In a mixing bowl, beat cream cheese and pineapple juice until smooth. Stir in gelatin mixture; chill until partially set, stirring occasionally. Stir in apricots and walnuts, fold in whipped topping. Pour into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch dish. Sprinkle with walnuts if desired. Chill until firm.

You’ll Need:

3/4 pound dried apricots
1 (9 ounce) can apricot nectar
3/4 cup water
3 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
3/8 cup light brown sugar, packed
4 tablespoons butter or margarine, melted
1 1/2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
1/2 cup pecan halves

Procedure:

Place apricots in a medium saucepan and cover with apricot nectar and water. Let stand 1 hour for fruit to soften. Place over moderate heat and simmer, uncovered, until apricots are very tender, about 40 minutes. Cool and drain well, reserving the liquid. Scrub sweet potatoes or yams. Place on baking sheet and bake at 400 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until tender when pierced with a fork. Cool; peel and cut into lengthwise slices about 1/4-inch thick. Lightly grease an 11 x 7-inch shallow baking dish. Arrange a layer of sweet potatoes or yams in the dish. Cover with a layer of apricots. Repeat, alternating layers of potatoes and apricots. Sprinkle top with brown sugar. In a small bowl, mix 1/2 cup reserved apricot liquid with melted butter or margarine, orange juice and orange rind. Pour mixture over the layers. May be covered and refrigerated for 2 days. Before baking, bring to room temperature. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F for 40 minutes, basting occasionally with liquid in bottom of dish. Remove from oven and place pecan halves on top. Return to oven and bake until casserole is bubbling and top is well-glazed, about 5 to 10 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting.

Makes 12 to 14 servings.

You’ll Need:

2 cans creamed corn
9 slices dry bread
3 eggs, beaten
1 onion, chopped
1 cup milk
Salt and pepper
1 teaspoon sage

Procedure:

Combine all ingredients. Bake at 350 degrees F about 30 minutes or until firm in the center and browned on top.

You’ll Need:

1 cooked ham, half or whole
Ground cloves, to taste
1/2 cup brown sugar
Maraschino cherries
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 apple
Pineapple rings

Procedure:

Place cooked ham in pan. Rub in 1 tablespoon brown sugar and sprinkle with cloves. Pare and cut apple in eighths, place around and over ham. Sprinkle brown sugar over apples. Decorate with pineapple rings and maraschino cherries. Cover and bake for about 1 hour at 350 degrees F; baste frequently.

You’ll Need:

1 whole turkey (14-pound) with giblets
1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste
12 cups Cornbread Dressing
3/4 cup bourbon
1/4 cup Dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard
1/4 cup brown sugar, packed
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon vegetable oil - preferably canola oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
3 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken stock, defatted
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled
3 sprigs fresh parsley
3 sprigs thyme
7 black peppercorns
1 cup water
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard or spicy brown mustard
1 teaspoon brown sugar

Procedure:

A glaze of bourbon and mustard is sweetened with brown sugar and is rubbed under and brushed over the turkey skin to infuse the roasting meat with a subtle richness. Estimated Cooking Time: 5 hours 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Place a lightly oiled rack on the bottom of a large roasting pan. Lightly oil a baking dish. Remove giblets and neck from turkey cavity and reserve for the stock. (Discard the liver.) Remove any visible fat from the turkey. Rinse it inside and out with cold water and pat dry. Season the cavity with salt and pepper. Spoon about half of the Corn Bread Stuffing into the turkey and neck cavities, securing the neck cavity with a skewer. Transfer the remaining stuffing to the prepared baking dish, cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate. For the bourbon-and-mustard glaze, stir together in a small bowl one-third of the bourbon, the first amount of mustard and the first amount of brown sugar. With your fingers, separate turkey skin from the breast meat, taking care not to tear the skin or pierce the meat. Rub about half the glaze under the skin onto the breast meat; set aside the remaining glaze. Season the bird with salt and pepper. Tie the drumsticks together and tuck wing tips behind the back. Place the bird, breast-side up, in the prepared roasting pan. Cover with lightly oiled aluminum foil and roast for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the foil, brush the turkey all over with some of the reserved glaze and baste with pan juices. Continue roasting, uncovered, 1 1/2 to 2 hours longer, brushing with glaze and basting from time to time. The turkey is done when a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 180 degrees F (82 degrees C) and registers 165 degrees F (74 degrees C) when inserted into the stuffing. To make giblet stock: While the turkey is roasting, heat oil over medium-high heat in a medium-sized saucepan. Add the giblets, neck, onions and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 to 15 minutes, or until well browned. Add chicken stock, garlic, parsley, thyme, peppercorns and water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve. (The original recipe yields about 2 1/2 cups stock.) Chill until ready to use. Skim off fat. To make gravy: When the turkey is done, transfer it to a carving board. Scoop the stuffing into a serving bowl, cover and keep warm. Place the dish of extra stuffing in the oven to heat. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 15 to 30 minutes before carving. Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan through a strainer into a small bowl, then chill in the freezer so that the fat can be skimmed off. Add the remaining bourbon to the roasting pan and cook, stirring and scraping up any brown bits, for about 1 minute. Strain into a medium saucepan. Add the giblet stock and bring to a simmer. Skim off fat from the chilled pan juices before adding to the pan. In a small bowl, dissolve cornstarch in 1/4 cup water (per original recipe); slowly add to the simmering sauce, whisking until slightly thickened. Stir in the second amount of mustard and second amount of brown sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings. Remove string from turkey and carve, discarding skin. Serve with gravy and stuffing.

Servings: 10

You’ll Need:

4 pounds sweet potatoes or yams
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup bourbon
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon apple pie spice
1/3 cup chopped pecans

Procedure:

Scrub the potatoes. Cook covered in boiling salted water to cover in a large saucepan about 35 minutes or until tender. Drain; cool slightly, then peel. Mash potatoes in large bowl. Add butter, bourbon, orange juice, brown sugar, salt and apple pie spice; beat until fluffy-smooth. Spoon into a buttered 6-cup baking dish. Sprinkle nuts around edge. Bake at 350 degrees F for 45 minutes or until lightly browned.

You’ll Need:

2 medium pie pumpkins (about 3 pounds each)
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
6 cups cubed crustless day-old bread
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup raisins

Procedure:

Wash pumpkins; cut off tops and discard. Scoop out seeds and loose fibers (save seeds for another use if desired). In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, milk, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg. Stir in the bread cubes, pineapple, walnuts and raisins. Spoon into pumpkin shells. Place on a greased 15 x 10 x 1-inch jellyroll pan. Loosely cover tops with foil. Bake at 350 degrees F for 1 1/4 hours. Uncover; bake 15-30 minutes longer or until pumpkin is soft and a knife inserted near the center of bread pudding comes out clean. To serve, scoop bread pudding and cooked pumpkin into dessert dishes.

Yield: 6-8 servings.

You’ll Need:

3/4 pound medium carrots, peeled
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
1 tablespoon brown sugar, packed
Dash of salt

Procedure:

Cut carrots in half, both crosswise and lengthwise. Cook carrots in a medium saucepan, covered, in a small amount of boiling water 8-10 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain well; remove from pan. In the same saucepan combine butter or margarine, brown sugar, and salt. Stir over medium heat until combined. Add carrots. Cook, uncovered, about 2 minutes or till glazed, stirring frequently. Season to taste with pepper.

Makes 4 servings.

You’ll Need:

1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup honey
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 (9-inch) pie shell, unbaked
Real whipped cream

Procedure:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Over low to medium heat, cook butter in a saucepan, watching closely but not stirring, until golden brown, abut 5 to 8 minutes. Do not burn. Pour browned butter into bowl and set aside. In food processor, blend corn syrup, honey, sugar, eggs, vanilla extract and salt until smooth. Add browned butter; blend again. Add pecans and process with just a few quick on-off-pulses. Pour mixture into pie shell. Bake at 435 degrees F for 10 minutes; lower heat to 325 degrees F; bake another 40 minutes. NOTE: center of pie will still seem a bit liquid when removed from oven; it sets up further as it cools. Let cool completely. Serve with a generous topping of real whipped cream.