Cubes and Squares

Thanksgiving is just eight days away. It's stuffing time! Those bread cubes of delight are a Thanksgiving staple. And it's not that hard to make the bread cubes yourself!

As for a song, I thought about cubes. Nothing. Then I thought about squares and remembered "Dewey Square" played by Charlie Parker.

BREAD CUBES FOR STUFFING

2 French bread baguettes, cut into ½ inch cubes (about 6 cups)

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning

1 teaspoon sage

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Place bread cubes on a large baking pan with low sides—a jelly roll pan works.
3. Sprinkle poultry seasoning, sage and black pepper over the cubes.
4. Toss the cubes with your hands to coat them with the spices.
5. Turn oven down to 250 degrees.  Put pan in oven and bake for 10 minutes.
6. Remove from oven and toss the cubes with a large spoon.  Return to oven and bake for 10 minutes longer.  If the cubes are toasted thoroughly, turn the oven off and let them continue to bake for 10 minutes.
7. Remove from oven.  Let the cubes completely cool before putting them in a sealable plastic bag to save them for future use.  Put in the freezer to store.

Raspberry Swirl: Groovin' High

I have never successfully made a non-chocolate cheesecake--until now!

This is the silkiest, smoothest, creamiest cheesecake I've ever tasted!  The raspberry swirl gives it just the right sweet yet tart spark to offset the tang of the cream cheese and sour cream.

With this being a swirl cheesecake, I thought about how twirling and swirling around the dance floor make me dizzy, which led me to think of Dizzy Gillespie the great trumpeter!

So here's "Groovin' High" by Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie.


RASPBERRY SWIRL CHEESECAKE

CRUST
1 cup Oreo cookies, crushed
1/4 cup pecans, chopped
1/4 cup butter, melted

CAKE
2 - 8-ounce packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
1 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 eggs, whisked

RASPBERRY SWIRL IN
1 cup frozen raspberries

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line a springform pan with parchment paper on the bottom and the sides.

In a small bowl combine Oreos, pecans, and butter.  Press Oreo mixture evenly on the bottom of the springform pan.

Bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool on a wire rack.

In a large bowl beat together on low speed cream cheese, sour cream, sugar, flour, and vanilla.  Whip eggs in.

Pour evenly into springform pan.

In a small saucepan heat raspberries over medium high heat, stirring constantly until raspberries are broken down.  Remove from heat and strain through a fine mesh sieve.  Drop the liquid in spoonfuls onto the cheesecake.  With a butter knife, swirl the raspberry liquid into the cheesecake.

Bake for 50 minutes.  Center will still be jelly-like.  Let cool in the pan on a wire rack for 30 minutes.  Remove springform pan sides.  Put on a cutting board and freeze for 4 hours.  Remove 10 minutes before serving.

Parker House Rolls and Lover Man

Homemade rolls are the best, aren't they?  My mom and I made this family roll recipe recently.  They are our family recipe for Parker House Rolls.

The first rendition I ever heard of "Lover Man" was played by Charlie Parker, the great jazz saxophonist.  I loved it!  So the music-food connection today is Parker House Rolls to Charlie Parker.

I have to include in this blog, though, the haunting interpretation of "Lover Man" sung by Billie Holiday.  So for today, you get two for one!  How great is that?!

CHASTON PARKER HOUSE ROLLS

1 cup butter

2 cups milk

2/3 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 eggs

1/3 cup warm water

5 teaspoons yeast

1 teaspoon salt

8 cups flour

In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/3 cup warm water, and yeast.  Stir.  Set aside until it gets frothy.

Put butter in microwave until almost melted, not hot.  In a saucepan, warm up the milk slightly.  Do not boil or even let get hot.

In a large bowl combine melted butter, milk, and 2/3 cup sugar.

Add eggs and beat until smooth.

Add 3 ½ cups of flour to the milk mixture.  Beat on low until dough is stretchy. 

Add yeast mixture.  Beat on low until smooth.

Add remaining 2 cups of flour and beat with mixer until dough is stretchy.  Stir in remaining 2 ½ cups of flour until smooth.  Dough is quite moist.  If too tacky to handle, add ½ cup flour.  Knead in and shape dough into a ball, scraping loose dough off sides of the bowl.

Put a piece of waxed paper over the bowl then place a clean, dry cloth over the waxed paper.  Set bowl in a warm place.  Let rise until double. 

Divide dough in half.  On a lightly floured surface, roll dough to 1/4-inch thickness.  Using a round cookie cutter cut circles out of dough.  Fold in half, pinching once at rounded edge.  Place on greased cookie sheet, not touching but close to each other.

Let rise about 45-60 minutes.  Bake at 350 degrees on middle rack for 8-10 minutes.