Roasted Pear & Apple Sauce Pg 192

When I was in the middle of peeling 6 pounds of fruit I was wondering if it was going to be worth it. My grandkids were visiting and would be perfectly fine with a jar of store bought applesauce. I was unable to find Ina’s choice of Macoun or Empire apples so I picked the kind my grandma always used and that was Golden Delicious. So it was probably sweeter than what Ina makes even with the lemon & orange juice/zest. I baked it in a covered roasting pan.

I used the whisk and the apples fell apart and the pears stayed chunky just like Ina said they would. I used our Vietnamese cinnamon & this applesauce turned out absolutely delicious. The kids loved it and asked for more.
I served it with stew and corn muffins but the next time I think I’ll make a pork roast. Try this one…even with all the peeling---you’ll be glad you did and your house will smell wonderful!

Onion & Fennel Soup Gratin Pg 57

Ina has another winner here! Over the years, I have probably tried 10 different onion soup recipes and this is the best by far. Maybe the sherry, brandy AND white wine have something to do with it, but I'm sure it's just the addition of the fennel. This was easy to make, but does require some time. By the time you caramelize the onions and fennel, simmer after each addition of spirits, broth and seasonings, this soup took about 90 minutes to make, but it's well worth the time. Ina says to remove the crusts from the bread, but that's my favorite part, so I disobeyed. Also, 6 oz of Gruyere wasn't enough for the whole recipe (we are cheese lovers). If you have a well stocked liquor cabinet - go for it. This was so good to have on hand during the blizzard.

Sliders Pg 141 & New York Egg Cream Pg 230

These were made in the middle of a St. Louis "Blizzard" so I had a couple of substitutions. I used the broil pan inside rather than the Weber outside & unlike brave KM, I didn't go outside & scrape off ice and snow to get Thyme--instead I used our shop's dried Thyme. Also, I used freeze-dried garlic in place of fresh. I reconstituted it in the olive oil the recipe called for & it worked fine. I did wonder about adding olive oil to a 80/20 beef blend but that plus the Dijon seemed to bind it together. These little sliders were tasty---the thyme, garlic & Dijon gave them good flavor. Ina knows her stuff & I will make them again.

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New York Egg Cream
Finding the "Fox's U-Bet" was the most difficult part of this recipe. I tried several local grocers plus made a few calls---no luck, so I ordered it online (around $11 with shipping!). Then Liz ended up finding it right here in St. Louis for less than $4, so Recipe Gals check with her for location or just ask at comments & we'll respond. U-Bet has great chocolate flavor.
Since this doesn't have eggs or cream I'm not sure why it is called "Egg Cream"...must be a New York thing. I used club-soda & stirred with a fork just like Ina suggested. I actually had more foam on top when finished but lost some by the time the picture was taken.
These were great & would I make them again? U-BET!----probably when the grandkids are around. They are easy enough for kids to make & it would be fun.

Chipotle & Rosemary Roasted Nuts Pg 35

We really enjoyed these nuts. They are sweet, salty and spicy - a very good combination. They were very easy to make. The hardest part was chopping up the rosemary. They would be great to whip up for the Super Bowl, or any other get-together. Also, they would make nice Christmas gifts. I only used half of the salt called for in the recipe. The recipe calls for unsalted cashews, the ones I had were salted. If you're not a lover of hot and spicy, just cut back on the chipotle, or replace it with chili powder. The recipe says to serve them warm or cool completely and store in an airtight container. When warm, they are soft and kind of mushy, so we liked them better cooled which made them a little more crunchy.

I took some of the nuts to work to share with co-workers and while having lunch I added some to my salad. This turned out to be another good use for these tasty morsels.