Winter Warmer

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Roasted Butternut Squash Dip

Terrific with toasted baguette slices or pita chips, this creamy, sweet-savory dip can be prepared up to three days in advance. Refrigerate in a microwave-safe container, then reheat in a microwave on HIGH for one to two minutes or just until warmed.
Yield

4 cups (serving size: 1/4 cup)
Ingredients

* 1 (2-pound) butternut squash
* 1 small Walla Walla or other sweet onion, trimmed and quartered
* 4 garlic cloves, unpeeled
* 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
* 2 tablespoons crème fraîche or whole sour cream
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
* 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

Cut squash in half lengthwise; discard seeds and membrane. Brush cut sides of squash halves, cut sides of onion quarters, and garlic cloves with oil. Arrange squash halves, cut sides down, on a jelly-roll pan; arrange onion quarters and garlic cloves on pan. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until tender. Cool slightly. Peel squash. Squeeze garlic cloves to extract pulp.

Place squash, onion, and garlic pulp in a food processor; process until smooth. Add crème fraîche and remaining ingredients; process to combine. Serve warm.


Spinach-Pear Salad with Mustard Vinaigrette



A fresh salad featuring ripe fall pears is a welcome addition table. Save time by using packaged, prewashed spinach. Prepare and refrigerate the vinaigrette up to two days ahead, and shave and refrigerate the cheese up to one day ahead.
Yield

12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup salad and about 1 teaspoon cheese)
Ingredients

* 2 Bosc pears, cored and thinly sliced
* 1 (6-ounce) package fresh baby spinach
* 3 tablespoons water
* 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 5 teaspoons extravirgin olive oil
* 1 1/2 teaspoons stone-ground mustard
* 3/4 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
* 1/4 cup (1 ounce) shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

Combine pear slices and spinach in a large bowl. Combine water and the next 6 ingredients (through pepper), stirring with a whisk. Drizzle vinaigrette over salad, and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with cheese.



Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy



This turkey is a pleasure to offer on your table. It's incredibly moist and flavorful. Brining is an overnight process, so if you're using a frozen turkey, be sure to thaw it well in advance. Choose turkey-sized plastic oven bags for brining the turkey. Use two bags to prevent brine from leaking, and place the turkey in a large stockpot as another precaution.
Yield

12 servings (serving size: 6 ounces turkey and 3 tablespoons gravy)
Ingredients

* Brine:
* 8 cups apple cider
* 2/3 cup kosher salt
* 2/3 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
* 1 tablespoon whole allspice, coarsely crushed
* 8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
* 6 whole cloves
* 2 bay leaves
* 1 (12-pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
* 2 oranges, quartered
* 6 cups ice
*

Remaining ingredients:
* 4 garlic cloves
* 4 sage leaves
* 4 thyme sprigs
* 4 parsley sprigs
* 1 onion, quartered
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
* 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
* 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
* Savory Herb Gravy

Preparation

To prepare brine, combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool completely.

Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for Savory Herb Gravy. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Stuff body cavity with orange quarters. Place a turkey-sized oven bag inside a second bag to form a double thickness. Place bags in a large stockpot. Place turkey inside inner bag. Add cider mixture and ice. Secure bags with several twist ties. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 500º.

Remove turkey from bags, and discard brine, orange quarters, and bags. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, onion, and broth in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place roasting rack in pan. Arrange turkey, breast side down, on roasting rack. Brush turkey back with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 500º for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350º.

Remove turkey from oven. Carefully turn turkey over (breast side up) using tongs. Brush turkey breast with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 350º for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 170º (make sure not to touch bone). (Shield the turkey with foil if it browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Reserve pan drippings for Savory Herb Gravy. Discard skin before serving; serve with gravy.


Herbed Bread Stuffing with Mushrooms and Sausage



Making your own bread cubes is easy and yields delicious results. You can prepare the toasted bread cubes two to three days before ; store at room temperature in a zip-top plastic bag. If there's space in the oven, bake the stuffing while the turkey roasts. Otherwise, bake it in the morning, and reheat it while the turkey stands.
Yield

12 servings (serving size: about 1 cup)
Ingredients

* 1 1/2 pounds peasant-style white bread
* 4 (4-ounce) links sweet turkey Italian sausage
* 2 teaspoons butter
* 1 pound cremini mushrooms, quartered
* Cooking spray
* 2 cups chopped onion
* 1 1/4 cups chopped carrot
* 1 1/4 cups chopped celery
* 1/2 cup minced fresh parsley
* 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
* 1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
* 1/2 teaspoon salt
* 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
* 2 large eggs
* 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Trim crust from bread. Cut bread into 1 1/2-inch cubes. Arrange bread cubes in a single layer on 2 jelly-roll pans. Bake at 400° for 10 minutes or until toasted.

Reduce oven temperature to 350°.

Cook sausage in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat 10 minutes, browning on all sides. Remove from pan; cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Melt butter in skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms; sauté 4 minutes. Combine bread cubes, sausage, and mushrooms in a large bowl.

Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add onion, carrot, and celery; sauté 5 minutes or until lightly browned. Add parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper; sauté 1 minute. Add to bread mixture. Combine eggs and broth, stirring with a whisk. Add to bread mixture; toss to coat. Spoon into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until browned.



Brown Sugar-Glazed Sweet Potato Wedges



Make this tasty side dish up to two days ahead, and store, covered, in the refrigerator. Reheat at 350°, covered, for 20 minutes or until heated through; if desired, finish the dish under the broiler to recrisp the edges of the potato.
Yield

12 servings (serving size: 2/3 cup)
Ingredients

* 1/4 cup unsalted butter
* 3/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
* 1/4 cup water
* 1 teaspoon salt
* 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
* 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
* 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
* 4 pounds sweet potatoes, peeled, cut in half crosswise, and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
* Cooking spray

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add sugar, water, salt, nutmeg, ginger, and cinnamon; bring to a simmer. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Discard cinnamon stick. Combine sugar mixture and potato wedges in a large bowl; toss well to coat. Arrange potato mixture on a large jelly-roll pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 400° for 40 minutes or until tender, stirring after 20 minutes.



Pecan Pie with Spiked Cream



Brown rice syrup is a sweetener with a soft, delicate flavor. It is sold in jars in the baking section of large supermarkets or health-food stores. You can substitute dark corn syrup in its place. You can make and freeze the unbaked crust up to a week ahead; bake the pie up to a day in advance, and refrigerate. Remove it from the refrigerator about an hour before you plan to serve it.
Yield

10 servings (serving size: 1 wedge and about 1 tablespoon topping)
Ingredients

* Crust:
* 1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
* 3 tablespoons ice water
* 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
* 2 tablespoons powdered sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
*

Filling:
* 1 cup brown rice syrup or dark corn syrup
* 1/4 cup maple syrup
* 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 2 large eggs
* 1 large egg white
* 1/2 cup pecan halves
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*

Topping:
* 2/3 cup frozen fat-free whipped topping, thawed
* 1 tablespoon bourbon

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare crust, lightly spoon 1 cup flour into a dry measuring cup, and level with a knife. Combine 1/4 cup flour, ice water, and lemon juice, stirring with a whisk until well blended to form a slurry. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, powdered sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a large bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add slurry; toss with a fork until flour mixture is moist.

Gently press mixture into a 4-inch circle on 2 sheets of overlapping heavy-duty plastic wrap; cover with 2 additional sheets of overlapping plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered, into a 12-inch circle. Freeze dough 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can easily be removed.

Remove dough from freezer. Remove top 2 sheets of plastic wrap; let the dough stand 1 minute or until pliable. Fit dough, plastic wrap side up, into a 9-inch pie plate, allowing dough to extend over edge. Remove remaining plastic wrap. Press dough into bottom and up sides of pie plate. Fold edges under; flute. Bake at 350° for 8 minutes. Cool on a wire rack.

To prepare filling, place syrup and next 5 ingredients (through egg white) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended. Stir in pecans and vanilla. Pour filling into prepared crust. Bake at 350° for 50 minutes or until edges puff and center is set (shield edges of piecrust with foil if crust gets too brown). Cool on a wire rack.

To prepare the topping, combine the whipped topping and bourbon until blended. Serve with pie.