arts&life

continued from page 44

ROASTED ROOT VEGETABLES
WITH BALSAMIC DRIZZLE
Peel — or don’t! No need to peel the
veggies, just wash them well. The peel
gives the vegetables a rustic look.

Vegetables:
1 pound parsnips peeled and cut into
1-inch chunks
1 pound carrots
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, cut into
1-inch chunks
1 pound sweet potatoes or rutabagas
¼ cup olive oil
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
Kosher salt and pepper to taste
Garnish:
Balsamic glaze — available at many
supermarkets and gourmet groceries

Preheat oven to 450°F. (convection if
possible — this makes all the oven racks
cook at the same heat).
Toss all the ingredients together in a
large bowl. Line 2 rimmed baking sheets
with parchment or foil. Spread vegeta-
bles in one layer and roast the vegetables
in oven (if you don’t have a convection
or you have two ovens, make one pan
of vegetables per oven. If you have one
oven, switch pan positions halfway
through roasting) 20-30 minutes or until
the vegetables are tender. Combine the
vegetables and adjust salt and pepper to
taste. Serve warm or at room tempera-
ture. After arranging in a serving platter
(better than a bowl) drizzle with balsam-
ic vinegar. Makes 8 or more servings.
(May be made earlier in the day.)

MAPLE, CINNAMON AND BROWN SUGAR
-GLAZED ACORN SQUASH WEDGES
A fine sprinkling of brown sugar makes
these irresistible. The recipe is easy, but
cutting the squash takes a little extra
effort. Serve these hot or at room tem-
perature.

3 medium acorn squash
Olive oil for brushing on squash
Ground cinnamon to taste
¼ cup brown sugar (light or dark)
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
Real maple syrup to drizzle, to taste

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Spray a
rimmed baking sheet with nonstick
cooking spray or line with parchment or
foil. Set aside.
Cut the squash in half (though the
stem). This is not always so easy to do
since the squash can be very hard — go
slowly and carefully or ask a strong
person to help. Use a spoon to light-
ly scrape the strings and seeds out of
the squash. Place the halves cut-side

46

November 15 • 2018

jn

BROWN SUGAR PUMPKIN FLAN
My family is Brazilian, so we make and
eat a lot of flan, with its sugary gold-
en-caramel layer. This harvest version
is made with pumpkin puree ( from a
can!) To make this non-dairy, I’ve used
coconut cream with fabulous results.

down and cut each half into 4 wedges.
Arrange the squash skin-side down on
the baking sheet. Brush the wedges with
olive oil. Sprinkle the cinnamon and
brown sugar evenly over and season
with salt and pepper to taste.
Roast the squash for 30-40 minutes,
or until the squash is tender. Serve with
maple syrup drizzled over. (Thicker
rings require longer cooking at a lower
heat.) Makes 8 or more servings.

HOT AND SWEET ROAST BRUSSELS
SPROUTS WITH ALMONDS AND HONEY
3 pounds Brussels sprouts, ends
trimmed and halved lengthwise (don’t
trim outer leaves)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. kosher salt
1 tsp ground black pepper
2-3 tsp. sriracha sauce (to taste)
Garnish:
2 Tbsp. honey
3 Tbsp. toasted almonds or pine nuts
¼ cup chopped cilantro, optional

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a
rimmed baking sheet with aluminum
foil or parchment.
Trim the bottoms off and slice
sprouts lengthwise.

In a large bowl, toss together all
ingredients (except garnish).
Transfer to baking sheet and roast
until tender and caramelized, about 30
minutes. Transfer back to the bowl and
add honey, almonds and cilantro (if
using). Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

MY FAVORITE
CRANBERRY-RASPBERRY SAUCE
1 12-ounce bag fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
¼ cup fresh orange juice
1 tsp. grated orange zest or peel
12 ounces (1 pint) fresh or frozen
raspberries

Combine cranberries, sugar, juice
and zest in a large saucepan over medi-
um-high heat. Bring to boil, stirring
until sugar dissolves. Reduce heat and
cook over medium heat until liquid
is reduced and berries burst, stirring
occasionally, about 12 minutes. Cool.
Stir in the raspberries. Transfer sauce
to bowl; chill until cold.
Cranberry sauce can be prepared
up to 2 days ahead. Cover and keep
chilled until ready to serve. Makes 8 or
more servings.

Caramel:
1½ cups sugar
Flan:
2½ cups half-and-half
6 whole large eggs
1 cup brown sugar
1 (15-ounce) can solid-pack pumpkin
(not pie filling)
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 Tbsp. minced fresh gingerroot
(optional)
½ tsp. ground cloves
½ tsp. ground nutmeg
2 Tbsp. cornstarch, dissolved in 2 Tbsp.
water

Preheat oven to 350°F. Place a souffle
dish, tube pan, large loaf pan or a deep
pie pan into a larger pan. Add enough
hot water to come ½-inch up the side of
the pan. Place in the oven to heat while
you continue the recipe.
Make caramel: Cook sugar in a small
saucepan over moderate heat and, with-
out stirring, let it begin to melt (it will
melt around the edges first). Continue
to cook, stirring with a tablespoon, until
sugar melts into golden caramel. Remove
the baking dish (leave the water) from
the oven. Pour the caramel into the bak-
ing dish. Tilt the dish to allow the cara-
mel to coat the bottom.
Make flan: Bring half-and-half to a
simmer in a large saucepan over medi-
um heat.
Whisk together eggs and sugar in a
large bowl. Whisk in pumpkin, spices,
and dissolved cornstarch until com-
bined well. Add hot half-and-half slowly,
whisking all the while (pouring the hot
liquid in all at once will partially cook
the eggs — not good).
Pour the mixture over caramel in dish.
Place the baking dish back in the water
(bain-marie) and cook until flan is gold-
en and a knife inserted in center comes
out clean, about 1¼ hours (or more if the
baking dish is deep). Remove dish from
water bath and cool completely. Chill
flan, covered, until cold or overnight.
To serve, run a thin knife around the
baking pan or dish to loosen. Invert
quickly over a large rimmed platter (so
the caramel will not drip over the edge).
The flan will fall onto the serving platter
(move the dish around until you hear the
flan fall onto the platter). Makes 12 or
more servings. ■

