Fried Mozzarella

Yield Makes 40

Ingredients
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 large eggs
1 cup panko or plain dried breadcrumbs
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 pound bocconcini (bite-size fresh mozzarella balls)
2 cups vegetable oil
Tomato sauce, for serving

Directions
Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place flour in a bowl. In another bowl, beat eggs. In a third bowl, combine panko with thyme. Season each with salt and pepper. Working with 2 bocconcini at a time, dredge in flour, shaking off excess, coat in egg, and roll in breadcrumbs, pressing gently to adhere.
In a small saucepan, heat vegetable oil over medium-high until pinch of breadcrumbs sizzles and floats to the top when added. Fry bocconcini, 4 at a time, until golden brown, turning occasionally, 2 minutes per batch. With a slotted spoon, transfer balls to paper towels to drain and season with salt. Keep warm in oven and repeat with remaining bocconcini. Serve with tomato sauce for dipping.

Sausage-Cheddar Balls

Ingredients
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 cups grated cheddar (1/2 pound)
1 pound bulk breakfast sausage
1/2 large yellow onion, grated on large holes of a box grater
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, and baking powder. Add cheddar and toss to coat. Add sausage, onion, and butter. With your hands, mix until well combined and roll mixture into 1-inch balls. Place balls, 1/2 inch apart, on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake until balls are golden and cooked through, 25 minutes. Serve warm.

Mini Deep-Dish Pizzas

Ingredients
Olive oil, for muffin pan
All-purpose flour, for rolling
1/2 pound homemade or store-bought pizza dough, in 6 pieces
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)
1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
Desired toppings, such as cooked vegetables, pineapple and ham, or pepperoni

Directions
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush 6 standard muffin cups with oil. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out each dough piece to a 6-inch round. Fill each cup with 1 round, gently pressing dough into bottom and sides of cup. Season with salt and pepper.
Sprinkle each dough cup with 1 tablespoon each cheese and tomato. Add desired toppings and another tablespoon each cheese and tomato. Bake until dough is golden brown and crisp, 12 minutes. Let cool 2 minutes before removing from cups.

Strawberry Torte

Ingredients Unsalted butter, for pan
8 extra-large eggs, room temperature, separated
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cup cake flour (not self-rising)
2 teaspoons sifted baking powder
1 pint heavy cream
2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar, plus more for work towel
1 quart strawberries, washed, dried, and hulls removed
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line a rimmed 15-by-10-by-1-inch jelly roll pan with parchment paper; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat egg yolks and sugar together until light in color, about 1 minute; stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Add cake flour and baking powder; stir until well combined.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites until stiff peaks form. Gently fold into flour mixture.
Pour cake batter in prepared pan and spread evenly with a spatula or the back of a spoon. Transfer baking sheet to oven and bake until cake springs back when touched, about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, set 6 strawberries aside for garnish. Thinly slice remaining strawberries. Place heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; beat on medium speed. Slowly add remaining teaspoon vanilla and 2 tablespoons confectioners' sugar. Continue beating until soft peaks form. Set half of the whipped cream aside. Gently fold sliced strawberries into remaining half; set aside.
Lay a clean kitchen towel flat on a work surface with one of the short ends facing you. Generously sprinkle dish towel with confectioners' sugar. Flip cake onto towel, remove baking sheet, and peel off parchment paper. Using the dish towel, roll cake away from you; let cool.
Unroll cake. Evenly spread strawberry whipped-cream mixture over surface of the cake and re-roll. Transfer cake to a serving plate and evenly spread top and sides of cake with reserved whipped cream. Cut reserved whole strawberries in half lengthwise and place on top of cake for garnish.

Leftover Turkey Enchiladas

Ingredients
3-4 cups leftover turkey, shredded
1 large can green or red enchilada sauce
1 package taco seasoning
1 cup of sour cream
1/3 cup green onions, chopped
2 cups shredded Mexican cheese blend

Directions

Put 1 cup of cheese and 1/2 can of enchilada sauce aside, and mix all other ingredients together. Spoon into corn tortillas or flour if your family prefers those. Place them in a large baking pan like tacos, lying on their side. Sprinkle remaining cheese over the enchiladas. Pour the other half can of enchilada sauce over the top. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for half an hour or until they are done.

Bacon, Egg, and Toast Cups

Ingredients
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
8 slices white or whole-wheat sandwich bread
6 slices bacon
6 large eggs
Coarse salt and ground pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lightly butter 6 standard muffin cups. With a rolling pin, flatten bread slices slightly and, with a 4 1/4-inch cookie cutter, cut into 8 rounds. Cut each round in half, then press 2 halves into each muffin cup, overlapping slightly and making sure bread comes up to edge of cup. Use extra bread to patch any gaps. Brush bread with remaining butter.
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium, until almost crisp, 4 minutes, flipping once. (It will continue to cook in the oven.) Lay 1 bacon slice in each bread cup and crack an egg over each. Season with salt and pepper. Bake until egg whites are just set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a small knife around cups to loosen toasts. Serve immediately.

Cook's Note

Standard muffin pans come in 6- or 12-cup size; if baking 6 items in a 12-cup pan, Leave empty space in between. Nonstick pans are nice but not essential. Beware of very thin pans, which often lead to burning. Place pans on a baking sheet to make them easier to get in and out of the oven.

Pumpkin-Pecan Treat

Yield Makes one 11-inch round tart
Ingredients


For the Crust
All-purpose flour, for work surface
1/2 recipe Pate Brisee
1 egg white, lightly beaten
For the Filling:
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt
For the Topping
3/4 cup light-brown sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Pinch of coarse salt
4 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small cubes and chilled
1 1/2 cups pecan halves
Sweetened whipped cream, for serving

Directions

1. Make the crust: On a lightly floured work surface, roll pate brisee into a 14-inch round. With a dry pastry brush, sweep off excess flour; fit dough into an 11-inch-round tart pan with a removable bottom. Fold edges toward center to reinforce; press into sides of tart pan. Prick bottom of tart shell all over with the tines of a fork. Cover with plastic wrap; chill tart shell until firm, about 30 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Uncover and line chilled tart shell with parchment and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Transfer to oven and bake until crust is set in pan, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove weights and parchment and continue baking until bottom of crust is lightly browned, about 10 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Brush crust with egg white and let stand 5 minutes.

3. Increase oven temperature to 425 degrees.

4. Make the filling: In a large bowl, whisk together pumpkin, condensed milk, eggs, cinnamon, and salt. Pour filling into cooled tart shell; transfer to oven and bake until slightly set, about 15 minutes.

5. Make the topping: Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and salt; using a pastry blender or your hands, mix in butter until mixture is crumbly. Add pecan halves and mix to combine.  

6. Remove tart from oven and reduce temperature to 350 degrees. Sprinkle topping over filling and return tart to oven; bake until topping is dark golden-brown and center is bubbling slightly, 35 to 40 minutes. Let cool. Serve with whipped cream.