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Here is a great recipe created with puff pastry. My friend Erica over at the Crumby Kitchen inspired this recipe. A couple of weeks ago she made a drink using a hollowed out apple as the drink utensil. I loved the concept, but being a non-drinker, I wondered what I could create with a the same vessel.

Begin by scooping out a couple of Honeycrisp apples. I use a small biscuit cutter to get a clean circle then cut through the apple with a thin knife.


Cut a strip of puff pastry at the fold.  Cut a crown pattern cut in half. Lightly butter the dough then cover with a mixture of 2 tablespoons brown sugar and 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon depending on your tastes.


Roll into a cinnamon roll and place in a small cupcake pan and place the apples in an individual cast iron pan.

Place both the cupcake pan and apples in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15 minutes. Remove and carefully remove the pastry and place it in the apple center.


Bake for five more minutes.

Top with  salted caramel sauce and…

This is a recipe that has developed over the years. It is not really a casserole, or souffle, but almost a mousse in texture. Very light and fluffy.
Begin by peeling and chopping 4 pounds sweet potatoes, then place the chunks in a large pot. Cover with water, bringing the pot to a boil. Cook until the chunks start to fall apart. Cook until almost a mush in consistency.

 Drain, then transfer the potatoes to the bowl of your stand mixer. Add 1/4 of heavy cream, cover, then whip on high for several minutes. If you forget to cover, plan on spending several hours cleaning the walls, floors ceilings, you get the idea.
Add 1/2 stick butter
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ginger
A pinch of cloves.
Whip 3 more minutes.

Pour mixture into a casserole dish and sprinkle 1/4 cup of brown sugar mixed with 1/4 cinnamon on top.
Bake one hour at 250 degrees.
Increase temperature to 325 degrees and bake 30 minutes more.

Once a year, the store where I work, cracks a large wheel of cheese. They make a big deal over watching our cheese expert, Micha, cut up the wheel. I always get a chunk of cheese, but also several pieces of the rind. The rind is perfect for infusing that great cheese flavor into many dishes. What's also cool, is you can rinse the rind and freeze to use again.


For mashed potatoes, I start with 4 pounds of Russets that are chunked and boiled in water. To the water I add three chunks of rind, and three cloves of garlic. I don't add any salt because the cheese will add a lot as the potatoes boil. Don't worry if the water gets very cloudy, it's just that cheesy goodness flavoring the pot. Cook until the potatoes are fork tender. Remove the rind and then add the potatoes to the bowl of a stand mixer. Add 1/4 cup of heavy cream, half a stick of butter and two tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese. Whip until light and fluffy.
Put in large bowl and top with fresh parsley.

Enj…