Elm Creek Quilts [13] The Quilter's Kitchen (11 page)

To make the omelet:
Place the eggs, parsley, and Tabasco in a bowl and mix well. Reheat the skillet over medium-high heat and when it is hot, add the butter. When the butter has melted, add the egg mixture and gently swirl the pan until the eggs just begin to set. Add the filling and heat for 1 minute. Slide a large spatula under half the omelet and fold it over. Gently press down and remove the omelet from the skillet. Cut into eight slices and serve immediately.

Glazed Ham Cooked in Beer and Brown Sugar

Serves 10 to 12

One 12-to 16-pound fully cooked Jones Ham, trimmed of as much fat as possible

For the glaze:

1½ cups dark brown sugar, loosely packed

1½ cups apricot preserves

½ cup Dijon mustard

Two 12-ounce bottles dark beer

Place the ham in a large stockpot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and cook for 1½ hours.

Prepare the glaze:
While the ham is cooking, put all the ingredients in a small bowl and combine well (you can do this up to 1 week ahead of time).

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Transfer the ham, fat side up, to a cutting board, and using a very sharp knife, make a diamond pattern in the skin. Pack the glaze into the pattern’s crevices and brush on the skin. Place it in a roasting pan big enough to fit the ham snugly. Pour the beer around the ham. Bake until the crust is deeply browned and crackly, about 45 minutes, basting every 10 minutes with the beer. If the beer evaporates, add water, about 1 cup at a time. Allow the ham to rest for 10 minutes before serving. Remove the glaze from the bottom of the pan and transfer to a small bowl. Serve with lots of different mustards and the glaze on the side.

Apricots with Yogurt and Ginger Sauce

Serves 6

3 cups water

²
/
₃
cup sugar

6 ounces dried apricots

Quarter-size piece of fresh gingerroot

Strips of peel from 1 lemon

¹
/
₃
to ½ cup whole-milk or Greek yogurt

Place the water, sugar, apricots, gingerroot, and lemon in a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. When the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes, reduce the heat to low and simmer until the apricots have plumped, about 30 minutes. Remove the apricots to a shallow bowl and return the pot to the stove. Boil until thickened, syrupy, and reduced by about half, about 8 minutes. Pour the syrup over the apricots, cover, and refrigerate at least 2 hours and up to 2 days. Discard the lemon strips before serving.

Serve the apricots with a dollop of yogurt and a drizzle of the ginger syrup.

Broiled Grapefruit

Serves 6

3 large grapefruits, halved

¼ cup light brown sugar

Mint leaves, for garnish

Preheat the broiler.

Place the grapefruits, cut side up, on a large baking sheet. Sprinkle with the brown sugar and transfer to the broiler. Broil until the top is browned and bubbling, about 5 minutes. Set aside for 3 to 4 minutes and serve, garnished with mint leaves.

Cranberry-Orange Coffee Cake

Yield: about 24 pieces

For the cake:

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup sour cream

2½ cups fresh or frozen whole cranberries

For the topping:

¾ cup light brown sugar, loosely packed

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

4 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and sliced

Grated zest of one orange

½ cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter and lightly flour a 9 x 13-inch pan.

To make the cake:
Place the butter and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle and beat until creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, add the eggs one at a time, the vanilla, and the orange juice concentrate and beat after each addition.

Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the sour cream and mix until smooth. Spread in the prepared pan and top with the cranberries.

To make the topping:
Place the brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a small mixing bowl and toss to combine. Add the butter, in pieces, and mix until crumbly. Add the orange zest and walnuts and mix well. Sprinkle the topping over the cranberries.

Transfer to the oven and bake until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Summer’s Smoothie

Serves 4

2 overripe bananas, cut in 4 pieces each

1 cup fresh raspberries or blueberries

1 cup fresh strawberries

2 cups low-fat plain yogurt

1 cup orange juice

1 cup ice cubes

Place the bananas and berries in a blender or the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and process until almost smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and process until smooth. Serve immediately or refrigerate up to 1 hour.

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A special thank you to Sally Sampson who created the recipes for this book. Sally Sampson is the author or coauthor of numerous cookbooks, including the James Beard Award–nominated
The $50 Dinner Party, Throw Me A Bone
(with Cooper Gillespie), and
The Olives Table
(with Todd English). She has contributed to
Self, Bon Appétit, Food & Wine, The Boston Globe, Boston
magazine, and
The Boston Phoenix
. She lives with her family in Watertown, Massachusetts.

More of Sally’s delicious recipes can be found in these fine cookbooks:

Recipe of the Week: Ice Cream

Recipe of the Week: Burgers

Recipe of the Week: Cookies

Recipe of the Week: Kabobs

From Warehouse to Your House

Party Dips!

Souped Up!

Throw Me a Bone
(with Cooper Gillespie)

Party Nuts!

The Occidental Tourist
(with Stan Frankenthaler)

The Bake Sale Cookbook

The Olives Dessert Table
(with Todd English)

The $50 Dinner Party

The Figs Table
(with Todd English)

The Olives Table
(with Todd English)

The Diet Workshop’s Recipes for Healthy Living

Chic Simple Cooking

Recipes from the Night Kitchen