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EASTON, Conn. - Sure, getting together with family and friends is an important part of Thanksgiving in Easton, but let's be honest, it all comes down to the food.
There is one special thing that is a must-have when it comes to any holiday at the Lynch household: my mom's famous dill batter loaf. Every since we were children, we would salivate at the simple thought of just one piece of that warm, buttery goodness.
Dill bread is a family staple. It has become such a family tradition that when my mom decides not to bake a loaf for a family dinner, the entire holiday feels ruined. My brother, sister and I pout and complain about it all dinner long, even now as adults.
I know that my family isn't the only ones who have a holiday favorite, so I asked the owner's of the Olde Blue Bird Inn and Sherwood Farms, two Easton landmarks, to share some of their favorite holiday recipes while I share my mother's recipe. Hopefully you can make some new traditions at home during the holidays.
Mom's Famous Dill Batter Loaf
Mix together in a large mixer bowl:
1 pkg. of active dry yeast
1/4 cup sifted all purpose flour
1/4 tsp. baking soda
2 tablespoon of sugar
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon dried minced onion or grated onion
1 tablespoon dill seed or dill weed
Combine and gradually add to the yeast mixture:
1-2 tablespoons butter (softened)
1/4 cup warm water
Beat 2 minutes at medium speed. scraping bowl occasionally:
Add:
1 cup like warm large curd cottage cheese
1 lightly beaten egg
1/2 cup sifted all purpose flour
Beat at high speed 2 minutes--then beat in to make a stiff batter:
1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour
Cover and let rise until double. Stir down & transfer to a well-greased 1 1/2 quart oven-proof bowl. Cover and let rise double in bulk.
Bake in a preheated oven of 350 degrees 35 to 40 minutes
Top with melted butter. Serve warm
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Tom Sherwood, owner and farmer at Sherwood Farm on Sport Hill Road, has been compiling hundreds of healthy and delicious recipes in hopes of creating a Sherwood Farm cookbook in the near future. Sherwood sent us over several recipes for our readers to share:
Cranberry Pear Relish
1 orange
3 large pears
12 oz. cranberries (3 1/2 cups)
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. allspice
Grate 1 tsp. zest from the orange and squeeze 1/3 cup of juice. Add enough water to make a 1/2 cup of liquid. Peel, core and coarsely chop pears.
In a medium saucepan, combine the zest and orange juice mixture, pears, cranberries, brown sugar and spices.
Over high heat, bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the fruit is tender and the mixture has thickened..
Just cool and serve.
Creamed Cauliflower
1 medium head cauliflower (broken into florets)
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
1 cup half-and-half cream
1 tablespoon of butter
Minced fresh parsley
Place cauliflower in a saucepan; add 1 inch of water and 1 tablespoon of salt. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 6 to 7 minutes or until crisp and tender. Drain.
Grease the bottom and the sides of a 2-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of bread crumbs. Add cauliflower and pour cream over top. Add a dollop of butter and sprinkle with butter remaining salt and bread crumbs.
Bake it, uncovered, at 350-degrees for 20 to 25 minutes or until cauliflower is tender.
Garnish with parsley.
Sausage Stuffing
1 stick of butter
3 cups diced onions
3 cups diced celery
3 cups sweet sausage
14 to 16 oz of herb stuffing (Pepperidge farm recommended)
2 table spoons black pepper
1 table spoon poultry seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
3 cups turkey broth
Prepare your sausage, if it's in a casing it needs to be removed (sausage should be ground or broken up into small chunks). In a large frying pan, melt butter over medium heat. Sauté onions and celery for five minutes. Add sausage and brown. Once sausage is brown, add seasoning, salt and pepper and stir.
In a large bowl add dry stuffing, sausage mix and vegetables to stuffing and mix. Add two cups of turkey brother to mix.
The stuffing can now be placed into the turkey or placed in a casserole dish and baked in the oven for 30 minutes at 350 degrees.
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The Olde Blue Bird Inn on Black Rock Turnpike has been keeping its famous home cooked recipes a secret for over 90 years. While they didnt want to say too much, new owner Ewa Pogorzelski did give us the recipe for the Apple Crisp dessert.
Olde Blue Bird Inn Famous Apple Crisp
Ingredients:
12 Granny Smith Apples, peeled and diced
1 stick of butter
3 cups of flour
2 cups of sugar
½ cup of brown sugar
2 tspns of cinnamon
Preheat the oven to 350-degrees. Place diced apples in the bottom of a baking pan.
Combine butter, flour, sugar, brown sugar and cinnamon in a separate bowl with fingers until they are mixed together. Sprinkle mixture evenly over the apples and cover with aluminum foil.
Place in the oven for 45 minutes. Then remove the aluminum foil and place back into the oven for 10 minutes or until the top of a golden brown.
Let sit for several minutes to cool. Serve alone or with ice cream.
Are you going to try any of these recipes? Let us know how they came out by leaving a comment below.
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