By Kathy Martin
Knight Ridder Newspapers
(KRT)
Half-scratch, semi-homemade, shortcut cuisine - it's the hot concept these days on supermarket aisles and cookbook shelves alike.
It's not a new idea, of course; whose mother didn't build a casserole from cream of mushroom soup? But the proliferation of quality convenience products means that culinary shortcuts can take you places it's worth going these days.
We've scoured books and magazines and cooked more sweet potatoes than we care to recall to come up with a menu of dishes you could feel proud to serve for Thanksgiving.
The brie and figs are scrumptious; the cranberry relish sings; the rosemary corn bread is ethereal; the sweet potatoes are exotic yet comforting; the black-bottom pie is divine. We could go on and on.
No matter which dishes you choose for your table, the hardest part will be not telling your guests how easy they were to make.
SHRIMP & SAUCE
Buy cooked and peeled shrimp (¼ pound per person) and pair it with:
Peach-Mustard Sauce: Stir together 2/3 cup peach preserves, 3 tablespoons spicy brown mustard (like Gulden's) and 1 teaspoon hot pepper sauce. Makes a scant cup, about 6 servings.
Key Lime Sauce: Stir together ¾ cup mayonnaise, ¼ cup Dijon mustard, 3 tablespoons Key lime juice and 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground pepper. Makes 1 ¼ cups, about 8 servings.
CRUDITES & DIP
Pick up a platter of raw vegetables and add:
Herbed Artichoke Dip: Put a 6-ounce jar of marinated artichoke hearts and half its liquid, 6 ounces garlic and herb cream cheese (like Boursin) and ¼ teaspoon lemon pepper in a food processor or blender. Process till smooth. Makes 1 ¼ cups, about 8 servings.
CRACKERS & SPREAD
Serve purchased toast rounds or fancy crackers with:
Smoked Oyster Spread: Put a drained, 3 ¾-ounce can smoked oysters, 8 ounces softened cream cheese, ¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce in a food processor or blender. Process until smooth. Makes 1 ¼ cups, about 8 servings.
Garlic Figs and Brie: Stir together 8 ounces fig spread, 1 tablespoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar. Slice a (12- to 14-ounce) round of brie in half horizontally. Place the bottom half in an oven-proof serving dish; spread on half the fig mixture. Put top half of brie on top and spread with remaining fig mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Serve hot. Makes 12 servings.
CRANBERRY-DRIED CHERRY RELISH
Pour a 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, a 5-ounce bag of dried cherries, ¾ cup sugar and ½ teaspoon cardamom into a food processor. Coarsely chop a third of an unpeeled lemon and add. Pulse until finely chopped. Refrigerate at least a day before serving. Makes 2 cups.
ROSEMARY CORN BREAD
Put 2 eggs, 8 ounces sour cream and a drained 11-ounce can of corn kernels in a food processor. Pulse till the corn is chopped. Add 2 (8 ½- to 10-ounce) packages corn bread mix and 1 tablespoon dried rosemary. Pulse just till combined. Bake in a greased 9-by-13-inch pan at 400 degrees for 25 minutes, till golden. Makes 12 servings.
GINGERY FIVE-SPICE SWEET POTATOES
Drain a 40-ounce can of cut sweet potatoes and put them in a food processor. Combine 1 cup thawed apple juice concentrate, half a stick of butter (cut up), ¼ cup ground or minced fresh (not dried) ginger and ½ teaspoon five-spice powder in a 2-cup glass measure. Microwave on high till the butter melts. Add to sweet potatoes and process till smooth. Transfer to a 1 ½-quart casserole and microwave till hot. Makes 6 to 8 servings.
APPLE-BACON BROCCOLI
Microwave ½ cup chopped, ready-to-serve bacon in a 2 ½-quart uncovered casserole until crisp, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to paper towels. Put 2 (14-ounce) bags frozen baby broccoli florets, ½ cup chopped dried apple, 2 tablespoons dried chopped onion and ½ to 1 teaspoon salt in the casserole; toss. Microwave, covered, on high 8 to 10 minutes, stopping twice to stir, till broccoli is just done. Toss with bacon. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
SLOW-COOKED TURKEY BREAST WITH BARLEY-WILD RICE PILAF
Spread 2/3 cup uncooked wild rice and 2/3 uncooked pearl barley in the bottom of a 5-quart slow cooker. Add a (-½-ounce) container dried mushrooms, cutting up the big pieces. Pour on a (10 ¾-ounce) can condensed French onion soup and -2/3 cup liquid (water, broth and/or white wine). Top with 2 (2- to 2 ½-pound) skinless, bone-in, turkey breast haves. Season meat with salt and pepper. Cover slow cooker and cook on low for 4-½ to 5 hours. Makes 8 to 10 servings.
The pecan pumpkin butter adds richness and complexity to the first pie. As for the second pie - it's out of this world.
PUMPKIN-PECAN PIE
Fit a refrigerated pie crust into an 9-inch pie pan; flute the edges. Whisk together ¾ cup light cream, 3 large eggs, a pinch of salt and a 13 ½ ounce jar Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter (see shopping notes). Pour into the pie pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Makes 8 servings.
BLACK-BOTTOM ESPRESSO WALNUT PIE
Fit a refrigerated pie crust into an 9-inch pie pan; flute the edges. Spread ½ cup chocolate chips and 1 ½ cups walnut pieces on the bottom. Whisk together a 19-ounce jar butterscotch dessert topping, 3 large eggs, ½ cup dark brown sugar and 2 tablespoons instant espresso powder dissolved in 2 tablespoons brandy, rum or water. Pour into pie crust and bake 45 to 50 minutes at 375 degrees. Makes 8 servings.
SHOPPING NOTES
Here's help finding ingredients:
Dried cherries: Amport brand, supermarket produce aisle.
Corn bread mix: We used Aunt Jemima; Jiffy brand is sweeter, Martha White "Cotton Pickin" Cornbread mix is less sweet (use three 6-ounce packets).
Five-spice powder: Some supermarkets and gourmet shops, any Asian grocery.
Ground fresh ginger: Spice World brand (4-ounce jar), supermarket produce aisle.
Baby broccoli florets: Birds Eye brand.
French onion soup: Campbell's.
Dried mushrooms: Kirsch brand, supermarket canned-vegetable aisle.
Fig spread: Gourmet and natural foods markets.
Muirhead Pecan Pumpkin Butter: Williams-Sonoma, muirheadfoods.com.
SOURCES:
"Almost From Scratch," by Andrew Schloss (Simon & Schuster, $25): peach-mustard sauce, herbed artichoke dip, garlic figs and brie, black bottom espresso walnut pie, apple-bacon broccoli (adapted).
"Desperation Entertaining," by Beverly Mills and Alicia Ross (Workman, $14.95): smoked oyster spread.
"More Low Carb Meals in Minutes," by Linda Gassenheimer (Bay, $18.95): Key lime sauce.
Real Simple magazine, November 2003: rosemary corn bread (adapted), pecan-pumpkin pie.
"The Best American Recipes 2002-2003," by Fran McCullough (Houghton Mifflin, $26): cranberry-dried cherry relish (adapted).
© 2003, The Miami Herald.
Distributed by Knight Ridder/Tribune Information Services.
