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Christmas Cookies
These Christmas Cookies are buttery, tender, and ready for icing. A tried-and-true family favorite, this is THE cookie that Santa wants on his cookie plate! Continue reading “Christmas Cookies” » LEGGI TUTTO
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Pecan Meringue Cookies
These light and sweet meringue cookies are made with just three ingredients: egg whites, sugar, and pecans. Great for Christmas or for a Passover or Easter treat! Start them the night before and let them cool slowly in the oven until morning.
Photography Credit: Sally Vargas
Pecan Meringue cookies are a classic cookie to make for holiday gatherings, especially Easter! Called Easter Cookies or Resurrection Cookies, they’re made with whipped egg whites, sugar, and pecans.
The tradition is to put them into a hot oven the night before Easter, turn off the heat, and go to bed. The next morning you wake up to sweet, light clouds of meringue cookie pecan fluffiness.
They’re crisp on the outside and meltingly light on the inside, and so easy to make!
Video! How to Make Pecan Meringue CookiesThe Ingredients for Pecan Meringue Cookies
There are only 3 main ingredients in these meringue cookies:
Egg whites
Sugar
Pecans
We also add a pinch of salt and a little vinegar to help stabilize the meringue cookies so they hold their shape.How to make pecan meringue cookies
Before you start, you’ll want to make sure that your mixer bowl and whisk are spotlessly clean. Separate your egg whites and let them sit at room temperature for a while (about 30 minutes), and toast and chop your pecans.
Add a pinch of salt to the egg whites in the mixer bowl and mix on medium speed until the egg whites foam up to soft peaks.
Slowly add the sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time, allowing for the sugar to dissolve in the egg whites before adding more. Add a teaspoon of vinegar and beat the meringue on high speed until it is glossy and has stiff peaks.
Gently fold in the chopped pecans. Don’t over-mix or you’ll deflate the meringue.
Drop spoonfuls of meringue onto a lined baking sheet. You can also pipe them using a star tip, but I find that the chopped nuts can interfere a bit with the piping so I prefer to just drop them by spoonfuls.
Bake for 25 minutes at 250°F, then turn off the heat and keep the cookies in the oven (without peaking!) for another 2 to 3 hours, or overnight.
Tips for meringue cookie success
Making meringue cookies is fairly straightforward, but keep the following in mind:
Whenever whipping egg whites, make sure that your equipment is squeaky clean! Even the smallest amount of residual fat in the bowl may keep the egg whites from whipping properly. Also make sure that there are no bits of egg yolk in your egg whites. Use a piece of egg shell to fish any out if you see them.
Humidity is not your friend. If it’s a rainy or humid day, the meringue cookies may not crisp up well. If that’s the case you may need to bake them longer.
Are the cookies browning? Lower the heat. Every oven is calibrated a little bit differently. The heat should be high enough to set the cookie, but not so high that the meringue browns. If you see it starting to brown, lower the temp by 25°F.
Still a little gooey inside? Let them sit out for a while (assuming low humidity). Or bake them a little longer.From the editors of Simply Recipes
How to Store Meringue Cookies
To store at room temperature: Seal the meringues tightly in a container, separating layers with parchment or waxed paper. Putting a silica gel packet in there to absorb excess moisture can’t hurt. The meringues should keep 2 weeks, possibly longer.
To freeze meringues: Pack them in a rigid, airtight container in layers separated with parchment or waxed paper. Store up to a month; thaw on the counter.
Fun Variations on These Cookies!
Add 1 teaspoon extract: Try vanilla, lemon, peppermint, or almond.
Switch up the nuts: Pistachios, walnuts, or almonds work well. Use toasted nuts for the best flavor.
Swap out the nuts: Use chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, coconut flakes, or even crushed Corn Flakes instead.
Tint the cookies: Add a drop or two of food coloring added in the last minute of whipping.
Make chocolate meringues: Sift 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder over the beaten meringues at the beginning of Step 5 and fold together when you add the pecans.
What to Do With Your Leftover Egg Yolks
Love Meringue? Try These Recipes!Updated December 4, 2020 : We added a new video to help you make the best meringue cookies ever! Enjoy!
Pecan Meringue Cookies Recipe
Notes on working with egg whites. Eggs are easiest to separate when they are cold, and they fluff up the best in the oven when they start at room temperature. So separate the eggs when you take them out of the fridge, then let the whites sit for a while (30 min or so) to take the chill off before beating them.
Make sure that all bowls, hands, and utensils that might touch the eggs are clean and free from oils.Ingredients
1 cup (100 g) whole pecans, preferably lightly roasted for 8-10 min at 250°F (120°C)
3 egg whites
Pinch salt
3/4 cup (150 g) sugar
1 teaspoon vinegarMethod
1 Preheat oven to 300°F (150°C).
2 Break pecans into small pieces: Place pecans in zipper baggie and beat them with a wooden spoon or roll over them with a rolling pin to break them into small pieces. Set aside.
3 Beat the egg whites to soft peaks: Put egg whites into a spotlessly clean standup mixer bowl. Add the salt. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks start to become visible and the egg white bubbles are very small and uniform, about 2 to 3 minutes.4 Slowly add sugar as you continue whipping: Increase the speed to medium-high, and slowly add the sugar, a couple tablespoons at a time, to the egg whites. Continue to whip the eggs and sugar for a few minutes.
Then add the vinegar to the bowl. Increase speed to high and whip the egg whites until they fluff up and become glossy, and stiff peaks form when the whisk is lifted, 4-5 minutes.5 Fold in pecan pieces: Using a rubber spatula, gently fold in the pecan pieces.
6 Drop by teaspoons onto a cookie sheets that have been lined with parchment paper or a silicone mat.
7 Bake: Put the cookies sheet in the 300°F (150°C) oven, close the door and lower the heat to 250°F (120°C). Bake them for 25 minutes at 250°F (120°C), then turn the oven OFF. Leave them in the oven for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. When they are ready they’ll be crisp on the outside, and light and airy on the inside.
If they are a little marshmallowy or chewy on the inside, just let them dry out for a few more hours.Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!
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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
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Ham and White Bean Soup
Hearty Ham and Bean Soup, perfect for cold winter days! White beans, ham shanks, onions, celery, carrots, garlic, Tabasco, and herbs make this delicious ham and bean soup a cool weather classic.
Photography Credit: Elise Bauer
When the weather turns cold, and all you want to do is stay cozy and warm, the best thing to do is to make a big pot of hearty soup. On days like these, nothing is more comforting than this ham and white bean soup. (Well, maybe some fuzzy woolen slippers, but you can’t eat those!)
Video! How to Make Ham and Bean SoupThe Best Ham and Bean Soup
This ham and bean soup is one of my favorite recipes on the website, and one that my father has been making for the family for decades. He makes a big batch (doubles this one) and because it just gets better as the days go by, we’ll enjoy it for dinner one night and then for lunch for several days afterward.
Why is it that some stews and soups improve the next day? I think it’s because the flavors from the beans, ham, and vegetables have time to blend. The starch from the beans settles more into the broth making the soup thicker and more stew-like too.Ham shanks vs. ham hocks
This recipe uses smoked ham shanks or ham hocks to create the rich broth for the soup. Ham shanks tend to have more meat on them (the photos of the soup show meat from a ham shank).
Think of the hock as the pig’s “ankle”, right above the feet. The shanks are below the shoulder (front) or the ham (rear leg).
I recommend using shanks for this recipe if you have a choice. If you use ham hocks and you would like a meaty soup, you may want to add some chopped ham steak to the soup.From the editors of Simply Recipes
What to Serve with Bean Soup
A hunk of crusty, buttered bread would make a great accompaniment to a bowl of this soup. You might also go for some garlic bread, cornbread, or buttermilk biscuits.
How to Store and Freeze this Soup
This soup will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days, and the flavor even improves! You can also freeze it in individual containers for up to three months. Thaw overnight and reheat, or reheat straight from the freezer over low heat.
More Great Bean Soups!Updated December 3, 2020 : We added a new video to help you make the best soup ever. Enjoy!
Ham and White Bean Soup Recipe
Use ham shanks rather than hocks if you would like a meaty soup.
Ingredients
1 pound (2 1/2 cups) dry white beans, like cannellini or Great Northern
2 quarts of water
2-3 pounds smoked ham shanks or ham hocks
2 teaspoons Herbes de Provence, or Italian seasoning
1 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onions (about 1 small onion)
1 cup chopped celery (about 2-3 ribs)
2/3 cup chopped carrots (about 1 medium carrot)
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
Tabasco sauce
Salt and pepper
Fresh parsleyMethod
1 Soak the dry beans: Fill a pot large enough to hold the beans with water and bring to a boil. Turn off the heat, add the beans and soak for about 2 hours. Drain the water.
2 Simmer the ham: While the beans are soaking in step 1, put the ham shanks or ham hocks in a separate large pot and cover them with 2 quarts of water. Add the herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning. Warm on high heat until the water comes to a simmer, then lower the heat, partially cover and maintain the simmer for about an hour.
3 Sauté the onions: Heat olive oil in a small sauté pan on medium high heat. Add the chopped onions and cook until translucent, about 5 to 6 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook a minute more.
4 Add vegetables and beans to the ham broth: Once the ham hocks or shanks have been simmering for an hour, add the drained soaked beans from step 1, the cooked onions and garlic, and the chopped celery and carrots.
5 Simmer the soup: Cook for another 40 minutes or so, uncovered, until the vegetables are soft and the ham meat easily pulls away from the bone. Remove the ham bones from the soup and pull off any meat and return it to the soup. Discard the bones.
6 Season to taste: Add several drops of Tabasco to taste. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve with a pinch of chopped fresh parsley.Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you!
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Elise Bauer
Elise Bauer is the founder of Simply Recipes. Elise launched Simply Recipes in 2003 as a way to keep track of her family’s recipes, and along the way grew it into one of the most popular cooking websites in the world. Elise is dedicated to helping home cooks be successful in the kitchen. Elise is a graduate of Stanford University, and lives in Sacramento, California.
More from Elise LEGGI TUTTO - in Recipes
Celebrate the Holidays With Puerto Rican Coquito!
The holiday season is here and we’re celebrating with Coquito, a creamy Puerto Rican holiday cocktail the whole family will love (yes, you can make it non-alcoholic). Whether you’re a traditionalist or love your Coquito with a twist, let’s welcome this festive season with an extra-special treat. Continue reading “Celebrate the Holidays With Puerto Rican Coquito!” » LEGGI TUTTO
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Turkey Chili (with Leftover Turkey)
Method
1 Sauté the vegetables: In a large, 8-quart, thick-bottom pot, heat the olive oil on medium high heat. Add the onions and green peppers and cook, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and cook, stirring, for a minute or two more. Add a bit more olive oil if needed.2 Add the remaining chili ingredients: Add tomatoes, tomato paste, stock, kidney beans, oregano, salt, pepper, and cooked turkey meat. Bring mixture to a simmer and reduce heat to low. Simmer, partially covered, for an hour.
3 Taste and season: Salt to taste. Add sugar to taste if needed to balance the acidity of the tomatoes.
The chili may be made in 2 days in advance, or frozen for 2 months.
4 Serve with toppings: Serve with shredded cheddar cheese, chopped red onion, and or sour cream. Serve alone, over rice, or with cornbread.Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you! LEGGI TUTTO
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Slow Roasted Pork Shoulder with Apple Gravy
The pork shoulder should be marinated in the rub overnight or up to two days.
Ingredients
For the spice rub:
2 tablespoons packed, fresh thyme leaves, lightly chopped, or 1 tablespoons dried thyme
2 tablespoons fresh rosemary leaves, lightly chopped
1 tablespoon fennel seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons black peppercorns
2 teaspoons Kosher salt
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
Extra virgin olive oil (optional)
For the pork shoulder roast:
4 to 5 pounds (1.8 to 2.2 kg) boneless pork shoulder, sinew and excess fat (beyond 1/4 inch) trimmed
4 medium good cooking apples, such as Fuji or Jonagold
1 medium yellow onion
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper, to taste
1/2 cup (120 ml) dry white wine (can sub water)
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Freshly ground black pepperMethod
1 Make the spice rub: Put the fennel seeds, peppercorns, thyme and rosemary leaves, garlic and 2 teaspoons salt into a spice grinder or coffee grinder and grind to a paste. (Alternatively, you can pound the mixture with a mortar and pestle.)
Transfer the mixture into a bowl and stir in 2 tablespoons olive oil.
2 Marinate roast overnight in spice rub: Rub the mixture evenly all over the pork shoulder. If the roast is tied, untie it to rub the inside with the rub mixture as well, then retie it.
Wrap the roast tightly in plastic wrap to hold the rub against the skin and marinate overnight (or up to two days).3 Prep apples and onions: Peel, halve, and core the apples. Cut each apple half into about 4 wedges. Peel the onions. Cut in half from tip to root. Trim the root and tip. Cut each onion half into about 12 thin wedges.
Put the onions and the apples together in a bowl, toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, and season with a little salt and pepper.4 Preheat the oven to 450°F (232°C).
5 Place roast on bed of apples and onions: Place the apples and onions in the bottom of a roasting pan or Dutch oven with a cover. Place the marinated pork shoulder on top of the apples and onions.6 Roast: Roast uncovered for 30 minutes. Turn the oven heat down to 325°F and add the wine. Cover the roasting pan and slow roast for 2 1/2 to 3 hours until the pork shoulder is falling apart tender and pulls apart easily when probed with a fork.
7 Make sauce: Transfer the pork shoulder to a serving plate and cover with foil to keep warm. Put the apples and onions into a blender. Add about 1/2 cup water and the mustard and purée.
Check the texture, and add water until you get the desired thickness for the gravy. Press through a sieve for a silky smooth textured gravy. Check the seasoning and correct to taste.8 Serve: Cut the roast into pieces and serve with the apple gravy. Leftovers will keep refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen for 3 months.
Hello! All photos and content are copyright protected. Please do not use our photos without prior written permission. Thank you! LEGGI TUTTO
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Southern Cornbread
This classic, savory Southern cornbread is just begging for a bowl of chili or a plate of ribs. Made with all cornmeal, straight buttermilk, and no added sugar (like it should be!) in a cast iron skillet, this cornbread is an easy dinner side dish.
Anytime you put the words “Southern” in front of a dish, it’s likely to stir up controversy, and cornbread is no exception. It seems like every person I’ve ever known from the South has their favorite way of making homemade cornbread, and every way is different.
What Makes a Southern Cornbread
The thing that distinguishes Southern cornbread from, say Yankee cornbread, or any other cornbread one is likely to eat outside of the southern states, is that it is savory, not sweet, and it is made mostly with cornmeal.
Northern cornbreads tend to be more cake-like, on the sweet side, with a finer crumb due to more flour in the mixture. Southern cornbread is flavored with bacon grease, and cooked in a cast iron skillet, a perfect side for barbecues, or chili. It also tends to be rather crumbly.A Cornbread Experiment
With this cornbread recipe, we experimented both with all cornmeal, and with just three-quarters cornmeal and one-quarter flour. We also experimented with including or leaving out an egg.
Result: Either way works! Though the version with some of the cornmeal swapped out with flour, and including an egg, holds together better and is a little more tender.About this Cornbread Recipe
If you are new to making southern cornbread, take note of the following:
Sugar is optional
Whether to include sugar or not in a southern cornbread recipe is an issue for debate. We’ve included as an option a tablespoon which just intensifies the flavor of the cornmeal; it doesn’t make the cornbread sweet.
The choice is yours as to whether or not to include it. (See this excellent article from Serious Eats on why traditional southern cornbread does not include sugar.)
“All cornmeal” versus “cornmeal and flour”
You can either use all cornmeal or a combination of cornmeal and flour to make this cornbread. If you go the all cornmeal route, note that the result will likely be very, very crumbly. That’s just how the Southern cornbread crumbles. If you would like cornbread with a little more structure, I recommend using a combination of cornmeal and flour.
Why use bacon drippings and butter
You’ll notice there are both bacon drippings and butter in this cornbread recipe. The butter adds needed richness to the bread itself, and the bacon drippings help brown the crust, keep it from sticking to the skillet, and add a lovely bacon flavor to the bread.
Make cornbread in a cast iron skillet
Finally, the method that works best with using a well-seasoned cast iron skillet is to preheat the skillet with the fat and then add the batter to the hot skillet. This helps brown the crust and with the pan already hot, the cornbread cooks more quickly.
Need to season your cast iron pan? Check out this guide to seasoning cast iron.
To our fine readers from our Southern states, how do you like your cornbread? Please let us know in the comments.From the editors of Simply Recipes
Leftover Cornbread
Cornbread will keep at room temperature for a day or two. After that, it tastes stale.
Can you freeze cornbread? Yes, for up to two months if you wrap it well, though because it’s very crumbly, it’s best to freeze it only if you plan to use it as crumbs, or in cornbread dressing.
Speaking of, leftover cornbread is excellent in cornbread stuffing.
Try These Other Cornbread Recipes, Too!Updated November 6, 2020 : Some readers were noticing a metallic flavor in the cornbread, so we tinkered with the amount of baking soda to make sure this recipe was perfect. Updated ingredient amounts are reflected in the recipe.
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Creamed Corn
Make the most of sweet corn season by serving up this creamed corn at your next backyard BBQ. This dish also freezes beautiful and can be made with frozen corn (hello, Thanksgiving side dish!).
Photography Credit: Sally Vargas
Creamed corn is summer’s comfort food.
The starchy residue that lies beneath the kernels thickens the corn, and in this version, cream seals the deal. Even summer has its cool and rainy days, but a warm bowl of these sweet golden kernels can cheer you while you wait for the sun to come out.
VIDEO! How to Make Creamed CornFRESH VS. FROZEN CORN
In corn season, fresh corn is always optimal, and it really is the sweetest, most irresistible choice. You can also extract corn milk, a sweet starchy liquid, from the cobs of fresh corn. Corn that is fresh off the cob has a creamy, succulent quality that announces summer is here!
Having said that, you could substitute frozen corn, especially if you want to make this for a fall holiday (hello, Thanksgiving!) when corn is not in season.
Unfortunately, you can’t extract corn milk from frozen kernels. To mimic the creaminess of corn milk using frozen corn, try pureeing a small amount (about 1/3 cup of the kernels) in a blender to release some of the starch, and stir it into the corn.MAKE-AHEAD CREAMED CORN
Once made, creamed corn can be stored in the refrigerator for at least three days. It can also be frozen for up to three months.
HOW TO SERVE THIS SIDE DISH
When corn is abundant, you could serve creamed corn with any warm weather meal as a side dish, but it’s not just for summer.
It would also be a good addition to your Thanksgiving table, especially since it can be made ahead of time with frozen corn.
By itself it is pure heaven, but you could vary it by adding some spicy jalapeños or chopped poblano peppers; other additions that come to mind are chopped basil, sliced cherry tomatoes, and cooked bacon crumbles.
For a creamed corn casserole, add a little extra liquid (cream or water,) sprinkle a little cheddar or Parmesan on top, and bake in a 375ºF oven until brown and bubbly.
NEED MORE CORN RECIPES?Updated November 5, 2020 : We added a video and gave this recipe an overhaul to make it even more amazing. Apologies to those of you who loved the original, but we think you’ll like this updated version even better. Give it a try and let us know what you think!
Creamed Corn Recipe
Ingredients
6 ears corn, shucked (4 to 5 cups)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons finely chopped shallots or yellow onions
3/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup half and half
Chopped fresh parsley, chives, or tarragon (for garnish)Method
1 Remove the corn kernels: Set an ear of corn on a cutting board, and working from the thick to the narrow end, cut off 2 rows of kernels. Turn and cut off 2 or 3 more rows. Continue in this way until all the kernels are off all the cobs.
Alternatively, use a corn scraper. Set the cobs on a rimmed baking sheet to keep the kernels from flying all over the place when you remove the kernels.2 Scrape the cob to release the creamy milk: After you have removed the kernels, hold one cob over the pile of corn on the cutting board or baking sheet, and use the back of the knife to rub across it, going back and forth, to release the pulpy corn milk. Repeat with all the ears. The starchy liquid of the corn milk adds creaminess to the kernels.
3 Cook the corn: In a large skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the shallots or onions and cook, stirring often, for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the shallots soften but are not brown. Add the corn, corn milk, salt, pepper, and half and half.
Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the kernels are tender and the corn looks creamy and slightly thickened. If it seems dry, stir in more cream or water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if you like.4 Serve the corn: Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot, garnished with chopped herbs.
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