In their latestventure, authors Wendy Howard Goldberg and Bridget Moynahan created The Blue Bloods Cookbook,a tome dedicated to over 100 recipes inspired by the hit TV drama, Blue Bloods. Here, Goldberg and Moynahan exclusively compiled a recipe from each sectionof their book to create the perfect home-cooked meal for fall. It's enough to break out your most coveted decor and invite your girlfriends over because after all, who doesn't love a great dinner party?
1) Hors D'oeuvre – Pigs in a Blanket (serves 4 to 6)
One 8-ounce can crescent dinner rolls
24 co*cktail wieners
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Grease a baking sheet.
- Unroll the crescent dinner roll dough. Separate the dough into 8 triangles. Cut each triangle into 3 smaller triangles.
- Lay 1 wiener along the base of a dough triangle. Roll it up, pressing to ensure the dough sticks to itself. Repeat with the rest of the co*cktail wieners, and arrange the rolls on the prepared baking sheet.
- Bake for 7 to 8 minutes, or until deep golden brown. Remove and serve warm with a ramekin of ketchup, sweet-and-sour sauce, or mustard. Or all three!
2) Soup – Split Pea (serves 4-6)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 cup chopped ham
1 ham bone or smoked ham hock
One 16-ounce package green split peas
1 large bay leaf
3 sprigs fresh thyme
Dash of ground allspice
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- In a 6-quart or larger pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion, carrot, and ham and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion and ham begin to brown.
- Add the ham bone and 8 cups cold water. Add the split peas, bay leaf, thyme, allspice, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the peas are entirely soft and falling apart, about 2½ hours.
- Remove and discard the ham bone, bay leaf, and thyme sprigs. Taste the soup and add additional salt and pepper as necessary. Serve hot.
3) Main Course– Crown Roast of Lamb (serves 6 to 8)
ROAST
One 4-pound crown roast (two 2-pound racks of ribs, chine cracked, tied, and ribs Frenched by the butcher—12 to 16 ribs)
1⁄4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 garlic cloves, minced
1⁄4 cup chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
SAUCE
2tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 large shallots, minced
1⁄4 cup good-quality red wine
2 large sprigs fresh thyme
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into 2 pats Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- Make the roast: Coat the roast all over with the olive oil. In a small bowl, mix the garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper until completely combined. Pat the rub all over the lamb. Cover the exposed bones with aluminum foil.
- Roast the lamb for about30 minutes, or until the internal temperature registers130°F on an instant-read thermometer. Remove, reserve the panjuices, and tentwith aluminum foil. Let the roast rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
- While the roast is resting, make the sauce: Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Add theshallots and sauté until they are soft and pick up some color. Add the red wine,thyme, and the reserved pan juices from the roast. Bring to a
boil and cook untilthickened to the consistency of syrup, about 8 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Whisk inthe cold butter, one pat at a time. Taste and season with
salt and pepper as needed.
- Transfer the sauce to a sauceboat. Transfer the roast to a serving platter and removethe aluminum foil covering the bones. Place the stuffing or vegetables inthe center of the roast and serve with the sauce.
4)Side–Sweet Brussels Sprouts (serves 4 to 6)
2 pounds Brussels sprouts, cleaned and trimmed
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1⁄4cup pure maple syrup
1⁄2lemon
- Fill a large bowl with half ice and half cold water. Bring a large pot of at least 6 cups water to boil over high heat. Salt the water heavily and add the Brussels sprouts. Boil the sprouts for 3 minutes, then transfer to the ice water bath. When they are cool, cut the Brussels sprouts in half lengthwise.
- In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil. Add the Brussels sprouts and sear, cut-side down, for 3 to 5 minutes. They should just begin to char, but not be burnt; watch them carefully. (Depending on the size of the skillet, you may need to work in batches.)
- Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a clean bowl. Add the butter and maple syrup to the pan and stir while the butter melts. As soon as the butter has melted, return the Brussels sprouts to the pan and toss to coat.
- Transfer the Brussels sprouts to a serving dish and drizzle any syrup left in thepan over them. Squeeze the lemon over top and serve warm.
5) Side–Persimmons with Pomegranate (serves 4)
2 cups peeled and diced fresh persimmon
2 cups pomegranate seeds
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- In a large bowl, combine all the ingredients and stir to mix. Refrigerate for 10 minutes or up to 1 hour before serving.
6)Side–Roasted Potatoes (serves 4 to 6)
1⁄3 cup olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves (from about 2 large sprigs)
Juice of 1 small lemon
1 garlic clove, minced
2 pounds small red potatoes, scrubbed
1⁄4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese, or more as desired
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a large bowl, combine the olive oil, salt and pepper to taste, rosemary, lemon juice, and garlic. Whisk to thoroughly mix.
- Cut the potatoes in half (quarter if large) and add to the bowl. Toss to completely coat the potatoes.
- Arrange the potatoes, cut-side up, on a wire rack, set on a baking sheet. (If you don't have a rack, roast the potatoes on the baking sheet, turning them twice during the cooking.)
- Roast the potatoes for 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and sprinkle with the Parmesan. Return to the oven and roast for 15 minutes more, or until the cut surfaces begin to brown and a knife easily penetrates a potato. Serve hot.
7)Dessert–Apple Pie (serves 4 to 6)
2 frozen pie crust sheets, defrosted
3⁄4 cup sugar
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1⁄8 teaspoon salt
1⁄2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Dash of ground cloves
1 large Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 large Cortland apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 large McIntosh apples, peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
1⁄2 lemon
EGG WASH AND FINISHING
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1 tablespoon sugar
- Preheat the oven to 450°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch glass pie plate with one of the pie crust sheets.
- In a large bowl, sift together the sugar, flour, salt, nutmeg, and cloves. Whisk together until thoroughly combined. Add the apple slices to the bowl and toss.
- Fill the lined pie plate with the apple slices, arrangingthem as compactly as possible.Depending on the size of the apples you've used, you may have some left over.
- Spread the butter pieces evenly over the apples. Squeeze thelemon over the apples, being careful to catch and discard the seeds.
- Center the second crust on top of the pie. Press the edgesof the top and bottom crust together, then use a fork to make a uniform pattern all the way around the edge.Trim any extra crust around the edge of the pie. Slice three slits in the top to allow steam to escape.
- Wrap the edge of the pie crust with a wide strip of aluminum foil to prevent the edges from burning. Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce the oven temperature to350°F and bake for35 minutes more.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and cream for theegg wash. Remove the pie from the oven and remove the foil. Brush the top of the piewith the eggwash, sprinkle the sugar over the top, and bake for 15 minutesmore.
- Transfer the pie to a wire rack and let cool for at least 10 minutes before serving.
