The Best Casserole Cookbook Ever (75 page)

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teaspoon ground cloves

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teaspoon ground nutmeg

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cup blanched almonds

FOR THE TOPPING:

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cup all-purpose flour

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granulated cup sugar

3 teaspoon baking powder

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cup (1 stick) butter, melted

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cup light cream or half-and-half

Whipped cream for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 425°F. Butter a 2-quart casserole.
   
2. Put the tomatoes in a saucepan, cover with water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove from the heat and drain in a colander.
   
3. In a large bowl, combine the tomatoes, brown sugar, tapioca, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, raisins, the 3 tablespoons butter, salt, cloves, and nutmeg. Mix well and transfer to the casserole dish. Sprinkle with the almonds.
   
4. To make the topping: In a medium bowl, stir together the topping ingredients to make a stiff, biscuit-like dough. Scoop out the dough to make small mounds on the tomato mixture.
   
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tomato filling is bubbly and the topping is lightly browned. Serve warm or at room temperature with whipped cream.
   

Talk about stretching the idea of casseroles; this is really different! You bake the dough in a casserole and then shape it into delicious balls—perfect as an after-dinner holiday treat.

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2 large eggs

1 cup packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons dark rum

1 cup sweetened shredded or flaked coconut

1 cup finely chopped walnuts or almonds

1 cup snipped pitted dates

Granulated sugar for coating the cookies

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
   
2. In a large bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs, sugar, and rum until fluffy. Stir in the coconut, walnuts, and dates. Transfer to an ungreased 2-quart casserole.
   
3. Bake for 35 minutes. Remove from oven and, while hot, stir well with a wooden spoon. Cool and shape into 1-inch balls, and roll in granulated sugar.
   

Last summer our son, Greg, gifted me with a bowlful of huckleberries from his country home in Missouri. So I made this dessert. This buckle has a cake-like texture with berries folded into the batter, and more berries spooned on top of it. Then the berries are covered with a crispy topping.

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4 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

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cup sugar

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

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teaspoons baking powder

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teaspoon salt

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cup milk

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cups fresh huckleberries or blueberries

FOR THE TOPPING:

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cup sugar

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cup all-purpose flour

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teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons butter, softened

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 1-quart oven-totable casserole.
   
2. In a large bowl, cream the 4 tablespoons butter and the sugar together with an electric mixer until smooth. Beat in the egg and vanilla and continue beating until light. In a medium bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture, and stir in the milk. Beat until light and fluffy.
   
3. Stir half the berries into the batter and transfer the mixture to the prepared casserole. Top with the remaining berries.
   
4. To make the topping: In a small bowl, blend together all of the topping ingredients to make a crumbly mixture. Sprinkle evenly over the berries.
   
5. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the center of the buckle is cooked through and a wooden skewer inserted into the topping comes out clean. Serve warm or at room temperature.
   

We often confuse sweet potatoes and yams. Sweet potatoes are the pale, creamy tubers we often mistake for the deeper-hued yams. For this recipe, Jamaicans traditionally use some of each. If all you have is one or the other, either will be fine in this recipe. Coconut milk, spices, vanilla, and rum transform the sweet potatoes (and yams) into a silky, spicy pudding. It would be perfect for any special meal between Thanksgiving and New Years’. This makes a very substantial dessert. Just be careful not to overbake it, or it will behave like an overbaked custard and separate.

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2 tablespoons butter, plus extra for the dish

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pounds sweet potatoes, yams, or a combination, peeled and cut into
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-inch dice (about 4 cups)

1 can (14 ounces) unsweetened coconut milk

1 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground allspice

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

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teaspoon ground ginger

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teaspoons vanilla extract

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teaspoon salt

1 cup packed light or dark brown sugar

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cup raisins

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cup all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons Jamaican rum

Whipped cream for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 325°F. Butter a shallow 2
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   -quart casserole.
   
2. Put the sweet potatoes and/ or yams in a blender or a food processor with the steel blade in place with the coconut milk, cream, cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, vanilla, and salt. Process until pureed.
   
3. Transfer to a large bowl and mix in the brown sugar, raisins, flour, and rum. Transfer to the prepared casserole dish and dot with the 2 tablespoons butter.
   
4. Bake for 1
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   hours, or until set and a knife inserted near the center comes out clean. Serve warm, or cooled and chilled, with whipped cream.
   

In this French dessert, the fruit (usually cherries) is traditionally baked with a light batter on top and served warm. In this recipe, however, the fruit bakes on top of the batter.

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2 tablespoons butter

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cup all-purpose flour

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teaspoon salt

2 large eggs

2 tablespoons sour cream

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cup apple cider or milk

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

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cup sugar

2
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to 3 cups mixed fruit in any combination, including sliced pears, apples, bananas, and peaches; halved and pitted apricots and plums; strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and pitted cherries

2 tablespoons dark rum or fruit-flavored liqueur

Whipping cream for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Put the butter in a 1-quart soufflé dish and place into the oven as it preheats. When the butter is melted, spread it evenly over the dish.
   
2. In a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt, eggs, sour cream, apple cider or milk, and lemon zest. In another medium bowl, combine the sugar, fruit, and rum.
   
3. Pour the batter into the hot, buttered soufflé dish and top with the fruit mixture. Bake, uncovered, for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the batter is puffed and the top is lightly browned. Serve hot with whipped cream.
   

This has a cake-like top and a fudgy pudding layer on the bottom. It’s best served the day it is made, while the top is still moist.

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1
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cups granulated sugar, divided

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

Dash of salt

7 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder, divided

4 tablespoons butter, melted

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cup milk

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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cup packed light or dark brown sugar

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cups cold strong coff ee

Powdered sugar for dusting

Whipped cream or ice cream for serving (optional)

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat an 8- or 9-inch square baking dish with cooking spray.
   
2. In a large bowl, combine
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   cup of the granulated sugar, the flour, baking powder, salt, and 3 tablespoons of the cocoa.
   
3. In a small bowl, combine the butter, milk, and vanilla and add to the dry ingredients. Mix until just blended, and pour into the prepared baking dish.
   
4. Scatter over the top of the pudding, without first mixing, the brown sugar and the remaining
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   cup granulated sugar and 4 tablespoons cocoa. Pour the cold coffee over the pudding.
   
5. Bake for 40 minutes, or until puffy and the cake is cooked through and a wooden skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out dry. Cool completely, but do not chill. Dust with powdered sugar, and serve with whipped cream or ice cream, if desired.
   

When this bakes, it separates into two layers and becomes a sponge cake-topped custard, which is why it’s sometimes called a “pudding cake.” It’s so easy to make and the ingredients are simple, but it’s a perfectly refreshing dessert.

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2 tablespoons butter at room temperature, plus extra for the dish

1 cup sugar

3 large eggs, separated

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cup all-purpose flour

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teaspoon salt

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cup fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon grated lemon zest

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cups half-and-half or whole milk

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 1-quart casserole.
   
2. In a medium bowl, with an electric mixer, beat the 2 tablespoons butter, the sugar, and egg yolks until light. Add the flour, salt, lemon juice, and lemon zest. Mix in the half-and-half or milk. In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until soft peaks form. With a rubber spatula, fold the beaten whites into the egg yolk mixture.
   
3. Pour the batter into the casserole and place the casserole in a larger pan. Pour boiling water to a depth of 1 inch in the pan. Bake, uncovered, for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
   

According to Scandinavian tradition, a whole almond is placed into the center of this pudding on Christmas Eve, and the person who gets the almond will enjoy good luck all year. If there are young children in the family, the person with the almond gets to play Santa and distribute gifts from under the tree.

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cups undiluted evaporated milk or light cream

2 large eggs

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cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

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teaspoon ground cinnamon

Dash of salt

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cups cooked medium-grain rice

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cup raisins

Whipped cream or ice cream for serving

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1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 1-quart casserole.
   
2. Mix the milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, salt, rice, and raisins in a large bowl. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole.
   
3. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until the center is set. Serve with whipped cream or ice cream.
   

Culinarily speaking, a buckle is an old American term for a single-layer cake made with fruit. For this recipe, you’ll need to peel some peaches. The traditional way to peel a peach is to dip it in boiling water (see the Note below). But today there are razor-sharp peelers that do a nice job, and you won’t have to wash a pan.