Midwest Living November/December 2014 Recipes
Scandinavian cookies, creamy dips and roasted meats from three Midwest chefs are among the recipes in our November/December 2014 issue.
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Lingonberry Hearts
A "window" on the top of these cookies shows off the jam inside, but if you're feeling lazy, just sandwich the preserves between two solid cookies. They'll taste just as good.
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Scandinavian Brownies
These ultrarich, nutty bars are a great addition to your brownie repertoire.
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Porchetta
Allow us to introduce you to fennel pollen. This favorite of pros has hints of licorice and citrus. Find it in specialty stores or online, then use it to flavor pork belly.
Serve Salsa Verde over potatoes or with porchetta.
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Cucumber-Feta Dip
A garnish of pomegranate seeds and mint gives spark to this refreshing dip; it's a healthy choice you'll be glad to have in your recipe box year-round. Serve with pita chips, crisp breadsticks or vegetables.
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Cornbread and Sweet Potato Bread Pudding with Coconut Sauce
Any plain corn bread will work in this cozy recipe from chef Edward Lee.
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Brown-Butter Kringler
In Denmark, the golden kringle (pretzel) is an old guild symbol that often hangs outside bakeries. Our sweet version uses browned butter for deeper, nutty flavor.
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Cornish Game Hens with Root Vegetable Hash
A marinade made of rosemary, orange juice and sorghum (a syrup that is stronger tasting than honey but less bitter than molasses) infuses the dish with sweetness and color. Chef Edward Lee swears by sorghum's flavor, but if you can't find it, molasses works.
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Waffle Cookies
These cookies are best eaten the same day, but if you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container and then crisp them up again in a 350° oven for 3 minutes.
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Orange-Saffron Stamp Cookies
Saffron threads are the stamens of crocus flowers, and without a doubt, they're a splurge. (A tiny jar costs about $10.) There isn't a good substitute, so we reserve saffron for recipes like these soft, citrusy cookies, where its flavor and color shine.
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Vin Brulé
If you like, garnish cups of chef Gerard Craft's Italian mulled wine with thin orange slices or pretty curls of orange peel. This recipe multiplies easily and can be made ahead and reheated before serving.
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Herb-Crusted Rack of Lamb
With its short cook time, this Mediterranean-inspired roast leaves plenty of time (and space in the oven) for preparing side dishes. The recipe comes from chef Anne Kearney.
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Tosca Diamonds
These cookies are extremely rich, so cut them into small bars. We love the indulgent flourish of the caramel sauce, but the cookies are delicious without it.
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Sweet Potato Hummus
Our healthy south-of-the-border hummus has sweet potato for silky smoothness, chipotle peppers for smoky heat and pepitas (pumpkin seeds) for crunch. If you like, kick up the heat by swirling some of the adobo sauce from the can of chipotles on top of the dip.
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Tuscan Kale with Brown Butter, Pecans and Golden Raisins
The recipe makes more than enough of chef Anne Kearney's Spiced Pecans for this dish. Not to worry. They're fantastic for snacking or sprinkling on salad. Tuscan kale, sometimes called dinosaur or lacinato kale, has darker, smoother leaves than curly kale. It also has a more tender texture.
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Crispy Gingerbread
This festively spiced recipe (with a hint of orange zest) makes thin, crunchy cookies that work well for gingerbread houses, edible place cards and ornaments.
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Creamy Crab Rangoon Dip with Wonton Chips
The chips are easy and definitely add to the dip's appeal, but rice crackers, sugar snap peas, celery sticks and baby bok choy leaves all make good Asian-inspired dippers.
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Bourbon-Ginger Glazed Carrots
The carrots from chef Edward Lee's cookbook Smoke and Pickles are sweet, buttery—and, yes, boozy.
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Blueberry-Almond Fika Toasts
Wild blueberries thrive in Sweden, where fika refers to a midday break for coffee—often accompanied by a treat like these biscotti-style cookies. Like biscotti, these coffee-spice flavor cookies bake twice to crisp thoroughly—perfect for dipping in hot drinks.
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Triple B Dip
Roasting beets isn't hard, but you can save time by substituting refrigerated roasted beets. Just start the recipe on Step 3. Serve the dip with sliced apples, celery sticks or toasted baguette slices.
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Triple-Almond Haystack Wreath
Almond butter and extract, plus slivered nuts, flavor a sweet- and-salty, no-bake cookie that looks like woven straw ornaments. Make a big wreath to slice at parties or small ones for gifts. Or just drop haystack-style mounds.
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Cardamom-Rye Cookies
We used this rich, nutty-tasting whole-grain dough for iced picture-frame cookies, but the cookies taste great uniced, too.
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Creole Ravigote Dressing
It's time to retire your cocktail sauce. Chef Anne Kearney's slurp-worthy twist on a classic French condiment is outstanding with cold boiled shrimp. It does have a lot of ingredients—typical of ravigote—but the method is easy. You'll be rewarded with an empty dish at the end of the party.
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Hazelnut Macaroons
We love these simple, subtle drop cookies plain, but if you want to dress them up, dip the bottoms of the cooled cookies in melted bittersweet chocolate.
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