Caramelized Onion Sourdough Biscuits

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 small to medium onion, peeled and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup cold unsalted butter
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh chives, chopped
1 cup sourdough starter, unfed

Combine the butter, onion, and sugar in a pan set over medium-low heat.  Cook the onions, covered, for about 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes; they should be nicely caramelized.  Transfer the onions to a bowl; cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until well-chilled, at least 3 hours.

Heat the oven to 425°F.  Grease or line a baking sheet with parchment.

Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Work the butter into the flour until the mixture is unevenly crumbly.

Toss in the chives and caramelized onions.

Cut in the starter until the dough becomes cohesive.  Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and use a bench knife or bowl scraper to fold it over on itself five or six times, until it comes together.

Pat the dough into a 1-inch thick disk.  Use a sharp 2 1/2-inch biscuit cutter to cut rounds.  Pat the scraps together, and cut additional biscuits.  

Bake the biscuits for 15 to 18 minutes, until they're just turning golden.

Remove the biscuits from the oven, and serve warm with a little bit of butter.


Makes 8 2 1/2-inch biscuits.

From King Arthur Flour

Cream of Chicken Soup

4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 to 2 leeks (white part only), sliced very finely
1 1/4 cups chicken stock
1 1/4 cups milk
2 bay leaves
1 garlic clove, peeled
1/2 pound chicken breast or thigh meat, sliced
1 tablespoon flour
Pinch of salt
Pinch of ground mace
1 egg yolk
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Put 2 tablespoons of the butter in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, melt it, and in it cook the leeks gently until soft.  Meanwhile, put the stock and milk in another saucepan with the bay leaves, garlic, and chicken.  Bring to the boil, turn down the heat, and simmer until the chicken is just tender.  

When the leeks are soft, stir the flour into the leek mixture and cook on low heat, stirring, for a few minutes.  Remove the chicken from the saucepan and set aside.  Pour the milk mixture onto the floury leeks, stirring.  Bring to just below the boil, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, shred or finely chop the chicken.  Add the chicken to the leek and milk mixture, and then add salt and mace.  Continue cooking over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes.  Add the remaining 2 tablespoons butter and continue cooking for another 5 minutes.  If the soup appears to be getting too thick, add additional milk as necessary to thin.  

Using a blender or hand blender, puree the soup.  Rinse out the saucepan, then push the pureed soup through a strainer back into the pan.  Put back on the heat, stirring until hot.  Mix the egg yolk and cream together, and, with the pan off the heat, stir into the soup.


Serves 2.

From How to Eat by Nigella Lawson

Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese with Garlic Bread Crumbs

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs

1/2 stick unsalted butter
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon dry mustard
1 pound macaroni
2 pounds extra-sharp Cheddar, grated
4 tablespoons chipotle chiles in adobo, pureed

Heat butter and oil in a 10-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat until foam subsides, then cook garlic and bread crumbs, stirring, until crumbs are golden.  Transfer to paper towels to drain and season with salt.

Heat oven to 350 F.  Melt butter in a 3- to 4-quart saucepan over moderate heat, then add flour and cook, whisking, 1 minute.  Gradually whisk in milk, cream, and mustard and simmer, whisking occasionally, 3 minutes.

Cook macaroni in a 6- to 7-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender.  Drain in a colander and transfer to a large bowl.  Stir in white sauce, cheese, chipotles, and salt to taste.  Fill a 3-quart shallow casserole dish with macaroni mixture.  Sprinkle with bread crumbs.  Bake in middle of oven for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

(Macaroni and cheese may be made 2 days ahead, put into casserole, cooled completely, and chilled, covered.  Do not add bread crumbs until ready to bake.  Baking may take longer than 30 minutes.)


Serves 8 to 10.

From Gourmet

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream

5 tablespoons butter
2 1/2 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 6 cups)
2 cups chopped leeks (white and pale green parts only)
1/2 cup chopped peeled carrot
1/2 cup chopped celery or celery root
2 small Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried sage leaves
5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 cups apple cider
2/3 cup sour cream
1/2 cup whipping cream
Chopped fresh chives

Melt butter in a heavy, large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add squash, leeks, carrot, and celery or celery root; saute until slightly softened, about 15 minutes.  Mix in apples, thyme, and sage.  Add stock and 1 cup cider and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low.  Cover and simmer until apples are tender, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.  Cool slightly.

Working in batches, puree soup in blender.  Return soup to pan.  Boil remaining 1/2 cup cider in a heavy small saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 5 minutes.  Cool.  Place sour cream in a small bowl.  Whisk in reduced cider.  (Soup and cider cream can be made 1 day ahead.  Cover separately and refrigerate.)

Bring soup to simmer.  Mix in whipping cream.  Ladle soup into bowls.  Drizzle with cider cream.  Top with chives.


Serves 8.

From Bon Appetit

Sausage-Stuffed Acorn Squash

2 small acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds and center fiber scooped out

2 tablespoons butter

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 large onion, diced

1 pound chicken sausage, diced

1 cup fresh white breadcrumbs

1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth

1/2 teaspoon pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup molasses or maple syrup

Heat oven to 375°F.  Melt 1 tablespoon butter and brush on insides of squash halves.  Place squash cut-sides-up on a baking sheet.  Cover the squash with foil and bake for 45 minutes. 

Meanwhile, melt remaining tablespoon butter in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and onions; sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add sausage and cook until lightly browned. Mix in breadcrumbs, broth, pepper and salt.  Add additional seasoning to taste.

Remove squash halves from oven, and mound sausage mixture in center of each.  Brush sausage mixture and squash with molasses or maple syrup. Replace in oven and bake for 15 minutes, or until squash is cooked through.

Serves 4.

From Bon Appetit, with many changes

Dijon and Cognac Beef Stew

4 tablespoons butter

1 large onion, finely diced
3 shallots, chopped
1 to 1 1/2 pounds beef chuck, in 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons flour
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup Cognac
2 cups unsalted beef stock
1/4 to 1/2 cup Dijon mustard
4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into half-moon slices

3 to 4 large yellow potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 pound mushrooms, stemmed, cleaned and quartered

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a Dutch oven or a large heavy pot over medium-low heat.  Add onion and shallots. Cook until softened but not browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to transfer to a large bowl.

Add 2 more tablespoons butter to the pan. Dust beef cubes with flour, and season lightly with salt and more generously with pepper. Shake off excess flour, and place half the cubes in the pan. Cook over medium-high heat until well browned, almost crusty, on all sides, then transfer to the bowl with onions. Repeat with remaining beef.

Add Cognac to the empty pan, and cook, stirring, until the bottom is deglazed and any crusted-on bits come loose. Add stock and Dijon mustard. Whisk to blend, then return meat and onion mixture to pan. Lower heat, cover pan partway, and simmer gently until meat is very tender, about 1 1/4 hours.

Add carrots, and continue simmering for 20 minutes. Add the potatoes and cook for another 20 minutes, or until both carrots and potatoes are tender.  

As the stew cooks, heat 2 tablespoons butter in medium skillet over medium-high heat, and sauté mushrooms until browned and tender. When carrots and potatoes are tender, stir mushrooms into stew. Simmer 5 minutes, then taste, and adjust seasoning. Serve hot.

Serves 4.

From Regina Schrambling in the New York Times, via Smitten Kitchen, with a few changes

Root Soup

9 ounces carrots, peeled and chopped
9 ounces sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped
9 ounces parsnips, peeled and chopped
9 ounces celery root, peeled and chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds, toasted in a dry pan until darkened and aromatic
1/2 to 1 teaspoon crushed dried chili
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 ounce butter
5 ounces red onions, peeled and chopped
1 large leek, cleaned, trimmed, and chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Balsamic reduction:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon dark molasses

Heat the oven to 375°F.  Set half the carrots aside and put the rest of the carrots, the sweet potatoes, parsnips, and celery root in a baking pan.  Add the spices, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the oil and shake the pan until the vegetables are coated with oil.  Place in the middle of the oven for up to 45 minutes, checking and turning from time to time until the vegetables are soft and browned.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining tablespoon of oil and the butter in a large pan with a lid.  Add the onions and cook on a gentle heat until translucent, about 5 minutes.

Add the remaining carrots and the leek to the onions.  Cover the pan and cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure the vegetables do not burn or stick to the pan. If the mixture becomes too watery, uncover the pan until all the liquid has evaporated.  

Add 6 or 7 cups of water, the roast vegetables, and plenty of salt to the pan.  Simmer for a further 10 minutes.  Remove from the heat and leave to cool a little, then whiz in a blender until smooth.  

While soup is cooking, make the balsamic reduction:
Combine the vinegar and molasses in a small saucepan.  Bring to a simmer over medium heat; cook, stirring occasionally, until the amount is reduced by about half and the mixture is maple-syrup consistency, about 8 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl.  Cover and refrigerate; the mixture will continue to thicken as it cools. Drizzle each serving of soup with a swirl of the balsamic reduction.

Serves 4.


From Sophie Conran's Soups and Stews, with minor changes