I love a nutty little nibble with cocktails, and I have developed many versions over the years.  These almonds are a riff on my Lemon Garlic Cashews, with a nod to the Bourbon Rosemary Pecans.   Whip up a batch of Fresh Citrus Margaritas and get ready to celebrate!

Look for raw, blanched almonds (with no brown skin) in the bulk bins or a Middle Eastern section or grocery.  I don’t like too much spice, but if you do feel free to add a bit of cayenne.

Tequila Chili Almonds

¼ cup fresh lime juice

1 Tablespoon tequila

1 teaspoon mild chili powder

¼ teaspoon cumin

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

3 cups raw, blanched almonds

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil (preferably non-stick) or parchment paper.

Mix together the lime juice, tequila, chili powder, cumin and 1 Tablespoon salt in a measuring jug.  Place the almonds in a bowl and pour over the lime juice.  Stir to coat the almonds and leave them to soak for 30 minutes, stirring a few times.  Scrape the sides of the bowl to make sure the chili powder gets onto the nuts.

Spread the nuts in one layer on the prepared baking sheet and sprinkle the remaining 1 Tablespoon kosher salt evenly over them.  Bake for 15 – 20 minutes until a nice amber brown color.  Stir the nuts every 5 minutes, flipping them over and spreading them out evenly again.  Watch the last bit of cooking carefully, as these can burn quickly.  The nuts may feel a bit soft when you remove them from the oven, but they will crisp up. Cool on the pan.

The nuts will keep for a week in an airtight container.

Makes 3 cups

Tender, tangy and subtly sweet. These delicious little pillows are perfect for Spring.  The ricotta makes the cookies tender and adds a little tang, and the gentle hint of citrus in these cakey cookies is enhanced by the sweet citrus glaze.  With a little work, I think you could shape the dough into an egg shape for Easter, and can of course tint the glaze.

Citrus Ricotta Cookies

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups white sugar

2 eggs

15 ounces ricotta cheese

Zest and juice of one medium orange

Zest and juice of one lemon

Zest and juice of one lime

4 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

Glaze:

1 cup confectioners’ sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.  Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then add the ricotta cheese and beat until smooth.  Add the citrus zest and ¼ cup of the combined citrus juices.  Combine the flour, baking powder and baking soda and beat into the ricotta mixture. Drop by rounded spoonfuls (I use a cookie scoop) onto the prepared cookie sheet, leaving a little space between each cookie. You’ll need to cool the cookie sheets and repeat for four batches.

Bake the cookies for 8 to 10 minutes until puffed and browned around the edges.  Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the Glaze:

Sift the confectioners’ sugar into a small bowl and slowly whisk in enough of the remaining mixed citrus juice (about ¼ cup) to make a glaze, or frosting.  These cookies are delicious with a thick layer of frosting or a thin, sweet glaze.

Makes 48 cookies

I love a simple dish with a little something special.  This is such an easy weeknight dinner, with the smoky flavor of bacon, the bright color and fresh bite of spinach and a creamy sauce that is surprisingly simple.  I prefer to use regular spinach, not the baby spinach sold in the salad section, which I find really ticky to cut into pieces and remove stems.  I love the big, hearty tunnels of rigatoni, but any tubular pasta will work.

Creamy Spinach and Bacon Rigatoni

1 pound rigatoni pasta

6 strips of bacon

1 bunch of fresh spinach leaves

Clove of garlic, minced

1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta

Salt and pepper

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

½ cup of grated parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to the boil and cook the rigatoni according to the instructions on the package.

While the water is boiling and the pasta is cooking, cut the bacon into small pieces and cook it in a large sauté pan on high heat until crispy.  Meanwhile, rinse the spinach leaves, leaving a bit of water clinging to them. Remove the stems and roughly chop the leaves into manageable pieces.  They don’t need to be miniscule, but you don’t want long strands in the finished dish.

When the bacon is crispy, remove it with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate to drain.  Reduce the heat to medium and give the bacon grease a couple of minutes to cool down.  Add the garlic and cook for just a minute before dropping in the spinach.  Be careful as the water from the spinach will cause some spitting.  Stir to coat it all in the oil, cover the pan and cook for about three minutes until the spinach is bright green and wilted.  Add the ricotta and stir until it is smooth and creamy.  Generously salt and pepper the dish, and stir in the nutmeg.

Your pasta should be ready by now.  Dip out 1 cup of the pasta cooking water, then drain the rigatoni in a colander.  Add the rigatoni to the ricotta sauce and stir to coat well. Drop in the bacon pieces and add about ½ cup of the pasta water and stir to loosen up the sauce and coat the pasta.  Use more pasta water if you need Sprinkle the parmesan cheese over the top.

Serves 6

Muffins are the easiest bread to whip up.  No yeast, not kneading, no rising.  I love sweet muffins for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and I have certainly had muffins that are less sweet and more savory, but I really wanted to develop something straight up savory.

I have many recipes for sweet muffins that use applesauce or fruit purée to make them moist, and it occurred to me that a puréed onion would have the same effect.  It also makes the batter tangy and unique.  I add a crunchy walnuts and creamy goat cheese with a hit of fresh herbs to make these little packages full of surprises.  These are perfect with a bowl of soup or chili, slathered with butter, melting into its nooks and crannies. Savory muffins would also be a twist at brunch, alongside sausage, grits or a ham.

Walnut, Goat Cheese and Herb Muffins

You can substitute oregano or sage for the marjoram if you prefer, or use a combo of soft, leafy herbs. You can make these in mini-muffin pans.

1 medium yellow onion (to make 1 cup purée)

10 Tablespoons butter, melted and cooled

2 eggs

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 ½ teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Several grinds of fresh black pepper

4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled

2 teaspoons chopped fresh marjoram

1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 375°.  Grease a 12-cup muffin tin.

Peel the onion and cut it into chunks and purée it in a food processor or strong blender until smooth (I use a mini-processor). You should have 1 cup of purée.

Whisk the cooled, melted butter and eggs together in a large bowl.  Add the onion purée and stir to combine.  Stir in the flour, baking powder salt and pepper until just moist.  Add the goat cheese, marjoram and walnuts and stir until just combined.  Don’t overwork the batter; just stir until everything is mixed.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups, filling them about two-thirds full.  Bake for 25 – 20 minutes until golden and browned around the edges and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

The muffins will keep in an airtight container for a day, but are best served warm.  Loosely wrap them in foil and reheat in a warm oven.

Makes 12

Glazed carrots are a classic French preparation.  But I don’t always think about.  Not that it’s difficult, but frankly, I tend to use carrots as an afterthought, raw as a snack, chopped with celery and onions, or simply roasted.  But rarely as a stand-alone star.  Which is a shame, because beautiful, richly colored carrots are a taste treat.  Add a bourbon spiked, cane syrup sweet glaze and the humble carrot becomes a stellar addition to your plate.

I see these rainbow colored trimmed carrots more frequently, and they certainly up the wow factor, but regular orange trimmed carrots work beautifully.  You can also peel plain carrots and cut them on the bias into evenly sized chunks.  Whichever you use, make sure they are roughly the same size so they cook evenly.

Cane Syrup and Bourbon Glazed Carrots

12 ounces trimmed carrots

1 Tablespoon butter

1 Tablespoon cane syrup (or maple syrup)

1 Tablespoon bourbon

½ cup water

Salt

Choose a medium sized skillet, and cut a round of parchment paper to fit inside as a cover. Cut a small hole of slit in the center of the parchment to vent steam.

Melt the butter in the skillet, then add the carrots and gently stir to coat.  Add the cane syrup and bourbon and stir again.  Pour in the water, bring it to a boil and reduce the heat to a simmer.  Cover the carrots with the parchment round, pressing it down around the edges of the pan.  Cook until the carrots are tender, removing the paper once to stir the carrots, then replacing it. This should take 15 minutes or so, depending on the size of your carrots.

When the carrots are tender, remove the paper and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid is evaporated leaving a shiny glaze on the carrots.  Sprinkle with salt and serve immediately.

Serves 4

It’s nice to have a really hearty, hot dip as part of the spread when the ravenous football hordes are hungry. This is a jazzed up version of a classic sausage dip recipe, with warm, winter flavor.  Zesty Italian sausage with the bite of fennel is paired with woodsy sage and creamy, nutty fontina cheese, with a little kick of salty Parmesan to round it out.  Don’t skimp on the sage, as it really sets the tone for this dip.  Serve with hearty crackers, chips or toasted bread rounds, and maybe a knife for spreading should someone prefer to be dainty.

Italian Sausage Dip with Fontina and Sage

1 pound sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

2 cloves garlic

1 generous handful sage leaves, finely chopped

8 ounces cream cheese

4 ounces fontina cheese. grated

8 ounces sour cream

1 ounce parmesan cheese, grated

Break the sausage into small pieces and cook in large sauté pan over medium heat. Use a sturdy spatula or wooden spoon to break the meat up into very small pieces, almost crumbs.  Remember you will be eating this as a dip or spread and big chunks are too hard to eat.  Cook until the sausage is no longer pink.  Put the garlic cloves through a garlic press (or very finely mince them) into the pan, stir and cook for another minute.  Sprinkle half the chopped sage over the sausage and stir until wilted. Drain any excess fat from the pan.  Cut the cream cheese into small cubes and add to the sausage, stirring until it melts.  Add the fontina and stir until the cheese begins to melt and become creamy.  Stir in the sour cream and the remaining sage and cook over medium heat until everything is melted, smooth and bubbly.  Sprinkle over the parmesan cheese and stir.

Transfer the dip to an oven safe baker and serve immediately, or the dip can be cooled and refrigerated overnight at this point.  When ready to serve, heat the dip in a 350° oven until hot through and bubbly, stirring a few times. Serve with crackers, bread rounds or corn chips.

Serves 8 -1 0, can be doubled

These nuts are another cocktail party recipe.  Yes, they are perfect for nibbling at a cocktail party, but I really say this because I picked up the idea at a cocktail party.  Some ladies and I were standing around with our drinks, nibbling on a bowl of glazed pecans and chatting about various flavored nut recipes.  One of the ladies remarked that her grandmother always made “these peanuts that she boiled in sugar syrup.” As is my wont, I asked for details.  She didn’t know anything more, just that her grandmother used to fix up a huge kettle of peanuts boiling in sugar and
water.

These ideas stick with me, long after the party is over. I experimented occasionally over the years, overthinking the idea as it turns out, until I got it right.  Raw peanuts simply boiled in sugar syrup.  These little gems are not as sweet as you might think, and the salt adds a nice balance to each bite.  The peanut flavor really shines through.  They will keep in an airtight container for quite a while, so they make a great little gift.  But put a bowl on the bar, and your guests will gobble them up.  I’ll admit, I made a batch on a Thursday to photograph over the weekend, and they were all gone before the camera came out.

Sugared Peanuts

Raw peanuts are the key.  Ready-roasted ones will not soak up the syrup.  Look for them in the bulk section of a health food store or market. 

2 cups water

2 cups granulated sugar

4 cups raw peanuts

Salt

Preheat the oven to 350°.  Line 2 rimmed baking sheets completely with non-stick foil, or foil greased with a light coat of oil.

Stir the water and sugar together is a large, high-sided saucepan.  You want plenty of room for the peanuts, so you can stir them around and avoid the pot boiling over. Bring the syrup to a boil over high heat, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Stir in the peanuts and cook in the syrup, stirring frequently, until the peanuts absorb the syrup.  This may take 20 – 30 minutes.  As the process comes to the end, and almost all the syrup is absorbed, stir constantly to prevent scorching.  When there is only a little syrup left in the pan, put the prepared baking sheets by the stove and very quickly transfer the peanuts to the pans using a slotted spoon.  Shake the spoon to let any remaining syrup drip off. Keep the pot on the heat, being carefully of the really hot syrup.  If you take it off the heat, and the peanut syrup will immediately seize up and granulate. Spread the peanuts out in one layer on the first pan, trying to prevent many from clumping up. You largely want individual nuts, not peanut brittle.  Sprinkle a little table salt over the peanuts and place in the oven.  Repeat with the remaining baking sheet.  Bake the nuts for 10 – 12 minutes, until they are lightly golden.  Rotate the trays between racks at 5 minutes so the bottom pan doesn’t burn.

Cool the nuts on the baking pans.  You can break up any clumps with your fingers.

Makes 4 cups

I always think it’s nice to start off the Thanksgiving celebrations with a special cocktail and a few nibbles.  It sets a convivial mood and keeps everyone occupied while the last touches of the meal are being tended too.  Frankly, I like to have everyone’s hands busy while I am trying to get the food on the table so they stay out of my way!

This lovely little tipple is redolent of fall, with a hint of woodsy rosemary and sweet juicy pear.  I love to have the rosemary simple syrup around to sweeten other cocktails or a cup of tea, so make whole batch. The elderflower liqueur is optional, but adds a secret floral undertone that really brightens the drink.  I love this as a sophisticated martini, but you could also up the amount of simple syrup and serve it over ice topped with soda as a long drink.  And increase the amounts as much as needed to serve your guests.

Rosemary Pear Martini

For one drink:

1 Tablespoon rosemary simple syrup*

2 Tablespoons pear vodka (such as Absolut Pear)

½ Tablespoon St. Germain Elderflower Liqueur

½  cup pear juice (such as Ceres or Looza)

Place all the ingredients over a handful of ice in a shaker or pitcher.  Shake or stir well.  Strain into a martini glass.

For a pitcher:

¼ cup plus 2 Tablespoons rosemary simple syrup

¾ cup pear vodka

3 Tablespoons St. Germain Liqueur

3 cups pear juice

Place all the ingredients in a pitcher over ice.  Stir well, then strain into martini glasses.

Makes 6 drinks

*Rosemary Simple Syrup

In a medium saucepan, stir together 1 cup sugar and one cup water.  Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve, and drop in a handful of rosemary stalks.  Stir to submerge the rosemary and boil for 3 minutes until the sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat, cover the pan, and leave to cool.  The syrup can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks.

Makes 1 cup

Gravy is essential to a Thanksgiving turkey, but only if it is good gravy.  And what makes gravy good is delicious drippings from a beautifully roasted bird. Many gravy methods involve making it right in the pan the turkey was cooked in, to scrape up all the bits and juices.  And that’s great.  But I realized some years ago that trying to do this while my family stands around the kitchen impatiently waiting for their food is impractical.  So I now make a rich gravy base the day before, and stir in the lovely juices when the bird has cooked.  Bacon grease, caramelized onions and a bit of bourbon add flavor to the base, but don’t worry if it seems a little bland at first.  Whisking in the juices brings everything together in a gorgeous golden gravy.  The onions may make your gravy look a bit lumpy, but the flavor is brilliant.

Make-Ahead Gravy for your Turkey

2 Tablespoons bacon grease or oil

2 cups finely diced onion (from about 1 ½ onions)

2 Tablespoons bourbon

2 Tablespoons butter

4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups turkey or chicken stock

Drippings from your turkey, skimmed of fat

Salt and pepper to taste

Pick out a medium sized, heavy-bottomed sauce pan, and make a paper lid for stewing the onions by cutting out a circle from a piece of parchment or waxed paper that will fit tightly over the surface of the onions. This is called a cartouche, by the way.  Melt the bacon drippings in the saucepan and add the onions before the grease gets too hot.  Sauté gently over medium until the onions are soft and translucent, stirring frequently.  Don’t let the onions scorch or brown.  Add the bourbon and cook, stirring, until it is almost all evaporated.  Turn the heat to low. Place the parchment paper circle over the top of the onion pressing directly on the surface.  Cook the onions until soft and caramelized and golden brown, removing the paper once or twice and stirring, replacing the paper lid, about 20 minutes.

When the onions are lovely and golden, add the butter and stir until it is melted.  Sprinkle over the flour and stir to coat the onions.  Cook for about three minutes, then begin slowly whisking in the stock.  Continue whisking until your gravy base is quite thick. It will thin out when you add the turkey drippings.  The base may look and taste a bit bland now, but that will be fixed when we add the drippings.  At this point, you can cool the gravy base, cover and refrigerate overnight.

When ready to serve, reheat the gravy over low heat, stirring to heat it through.  Skim the fat from your turkey drippings, either by letting the juices settle and skimming off the fat the collects on the top, or use a nifty gravy separator if you’ve got one.  Slowly whisk the drippings from your roasted turkey into the gravy base, tasting as you go, until you have a nice, rich taste.  You don’t want to pour in all the juices and thin the gravy out too much.  Cook the gravy, whisking constantly, to thicken it up as needed.  Taste before adding any salt, as the turkey drippings may be quite salty.  Add pepper to taste if you’d like.

I love cooking with pumpkin, so Halloween and the dawn of autumn present all sorts of opportunities in the kitchen.  I have always been obsessed with sweet pumpkin dishes, but I have been expanding my repertoire to savory ideas as well.

Working with fresh pumpkin is not difficult, you just need to be careful and use a good, sturdy knife.  The texture of freshly grated pumpkin is a world away from the standard canned puree.  If you have a half or a wedge of pumpkin leftover, brush it with olive oil and roast it after you’ve made the cornbread.  Scoop out the soft puree and use it to make soup or jazz up mashed potatoes.  You can even freeze it for later.  I love the garlic notes in this, but if it is not your thing, leave it out.  And a generous grinding of black pepper adds real pep.  This cornbread is delicious with a bowl of soup or chili, toasted and spread with butter.

Pumpkin Cornbread

2 -3 pound pie pumpkin, to make 11 ounces grated flesh

5 Tablespoons butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

¾ cups yellow cornmeal

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon nutmeg

1 cup milk

1 cup milk

2 eggs

1 clove garlic, pressed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Using a big, sturdy, sharp knife, cut the pumpkin in half and scoop out all the seeds and fibrous center. Cut one pumpkin half into wedges and carefully cut away the skin.  Cut the flesh into chunks and grate it in the food processor or using a large box grater.  If you use a food processor and the grated strands are very long, run a knife through them to cutthe strands down to size. Weigh out the flesh, and cut and grate more pieces to reach 11 ounces.

Place one Tablespoon butter in a 9-inch round baking dish and place it in the oven.

In a large bowl, toss the flour, cornmeal, baking powder, sugar, salt, pepper and nutmeg together with a fork.  Add the grated pumpkin and tossto coat. Make a well in the center and add the milk, butter and eggs.  Stir with fork to mix well.  Put the garlic clove through a garlic press, then stir the batter to make sure it is evenly distributed.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and use a pastry brush to spread the melted butter up and around the sides of the pan.  Quickly scrape the batter into the dish and return to the oven.  Cook for 20 – 25 minutes until puffed, firm and golden and a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm from baking or toasted.

Serves 6 – 8