With Christmas week upon us, it is the perfect time to warm the soul and body with cozy recipes like French onion soup this season.
Chef, restaurateur and cookbook author Brooke Williamson joined "Good Morning America" on Monday to share warm and cozy recipes perfect for the holiday season and the long stretch of winter.
The must-try recipes from Williamson, author of "Sun-Kissed Cooking: Vegetables Front & Center," include everything from French onion soup to artichoke and crab dip toasts.
Read below for ingredients and directions to try Williamson's dishes in your own kitchen.
Ingredients
Serves 4
3 tbsp unsalted butter
3 tbsp olive oil
4 large yellow onions, thinly sliced
12 oz crimini mushrooms, quartered
1 tablespoon Kosher salt
freshly cracked black pepper
4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves removed and roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup dry white wine
2 cups mushroom stock
2 cups beef stock
1 bay leaf
1 tsp sherry vinegar
4 baguette slices, toasted
1½ cups grated Gruyère cheese
Directions
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, melt the butter with one tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions with a tablespoon of kosher salt and cook slowly, stirring often, until deeply caramelized, soft, and jammy, about 35–45 minutes. Once caramelized, keep warm over low heat.
While the onions cook, heat a large skillet over high heat with a few tablespoons of olive oil until shimmering. Add the quartered mushrooms in a single layer, leaving them undisturbed for 2-3 min. Once browned on one side, toss and continue cooking until well caramelized. Season with salt and pepper, tossing briefly to coat.
Add the seared mushrooms and fresh thyme to the pot with the caramelized onions. Stir in the garlic and cook just until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Deglaze with the white wine, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, and reduce the liquid by half. Add the mushroom stock, beef stock, and bay leaf. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20–25 minutes. Finish with sherry vinegar, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper, and remove the bay leaf.
Preheat the broiler. Ladle the soup into oven-safe bowls, top each with toasted crostini, and generously cover with grated Gruyère. Broil until the cheese is melted, bubbling, and lightly browned.
Takeaway Tips:
Cook the onions slowly until they are deeply caramelized, dark, and jammy. This is where the soup’s sweetness and depth come from.
Sear the mushrooms in a very hot pan without crowding and season only after browning so they develop a rich crust instead of steaming.
Season at each stage: onions, mushrooms, and broth so the soup tastes balanced.
Serves 4
Ingredients
Dressing:
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 small shallot, minced
2 tablespoons pumpkin seed oil
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
1 teaspoon whole-grain mustard
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Squash:
2 acorn squash (about 11/4 pounds each), halved through the stem and seeded
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
2 tablespoons shiro (white) miso paste
Big pinch of finely chopped fresh sage
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into a dozen or so pieces
1 teaspoon flaky sea salt, like Maldon, for serving
Fried sage:
1/4 cup neutral oil, like canola
12 large fresh sage leaves
1/2 teaspoon flaky sea salt, like Maldo
Directions
Make the Dressing
Put the vinegar and shallot in a small bowl and let them hang out for a few minutes to soften the shallot’s sharpness. Whisk in the pumpkin seed oil, maple syrup, mustard, pumpkin seeds, and salt and set aside.
Roast the Squash
Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a large baking dish with parchment paper.
Slice a little bit off the rounded side of the squash halves, just so they can sit upright without rocking.
Put the squash in the prepared baking dish, cut-side up, brush or rub the flesh side with the olive oil, and season with the kosher salt and pepper.
Stir together the maple syrup, miso, and sage in a small bowl and pour the mixture into the squash cavities. Put the butter into the cavities, too, dividing it evenly. Roast, basting the squash with the butter mixture a few times as it cooks, until the flesh of the squash is soft and brown at the edges, 55 to 65 minutes.
Fry the Sage
Ten minutes or so before the squash is done, heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat until hot but not smoking. Add half the sage leaves and fry until crisp (they’ll stop bubbling when they’re done), 15 to 30 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the fried sage leaves to paper towels to drain. Immediately sprinkle with flaky salt and set aside. Repeat to fry the remaining sage.
Serve the Dish
Remove the squash from the oven and let it cool slightly, then halve each piece through the stem. Transfer to a serving platter, cut-side up, and spoon any buttery goodness left in the baking dish over the top. Give the dressing a quick whisk, then spoon it over the squash, garnish with the fried sage and some flaky salt, and serve.
Takeaway Tips:
Fry the sage in small batches and salt it immediately after frying so it stays crisp.
Let the minced shallot sit in the balsamic vinegar before adding the other dressing ingredients to create a more balanced vinaigrette.
Roast the squash cut-side up and baste it a few times so the miso maple butter reduces into the squash instead of running off.
Pumpkin seeds and nutty pumpkin seed oil accentuate the earthy squash flavor.
Makes 8 loaded toasts
Ingredients
Dip:
1 (14-ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 (8-ounce) package cream cheese, at room temp
1 cup shredded Jack cheese
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
11/2 teaspoons kosher salt, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes
3 garlic cloves, grated on a microplane
2 scallions, thinly sliced
Handful of fresh parsley, chopped
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
8 ounces lump crabmeat, picked over for shells
For the toasts:
8 slices of good crusty bread (about 1 inch thick)
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pinch of freshly ground black pepper
4 small radishes, thinly sliced (a mandoline helps), soaked in ice water for 15 minutes,& drained
2 scallions, thinly sliced on an angle
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Flaky sea salt, like Maldon
A few lemon wedges, for serving
Directions
Make the dip:
Combine the artichoke hearts, cream cheese, Jack cheese, mayonnaise, Parmesan, Worcestershire, salt, pepper, chile flakes, garlic, scallions, parsley, and lemon zest in a large bowl and stir well. Add the crab and fold it in gently to keep the chunks nice and big. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (The dip will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 day.)
Make the toasts
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Put the bread on a large baking sheet, drizzle each slice with olive oil, and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake, flipping each slice halfway through, until they’re lightly toasted, about 8 minutes.
Remove from the oven and top the toasts generously with the dip (seriously, don’t be shy). Return them to the oven and bake, rotating the baking sheet once halfway through, until the dip is bubbling and the top is browned in spots, about 20 minutes. (If you’d like more color, give it a minute or two under the broiler.) Let the toasts cool slightly (that dip is lava-hot!).
Meanwhile, put the radishes, scallions, lemon juice, a splash of olive oil, and a sprinkle of flaky salt in a small bowl and toss to combine. Top the warm toasts with the radish mixture and serve with lemon wedges on the side.
Takeaway Tips:
Go heavy on the artichokes and use the best and most neutrally flavored jarred or canned hearts, no vinegar or dried herbs.
Make sure the cream cheese is fully at room temperature before mixing so the dip stays smooth rather than lumpy.
Fold in the crab gently at the very end to keep large, tender pieces intact instead of shredding them into the dip.
Yields 12 puff pockets
Ingredients
For the short ribs:
2lbs boneless beef short ribs
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
2 tablespoons neutral oil
1 yellow onion, diced
2 carrots, diced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 inch knob of fresh ginger, sliced
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 whole clove
1 cup dry red wine
2 cups beef stock
3 sprigs fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
For the chutney:
1 scotch bonnet or habanero chili, seeds removed and finely minced
2 large shallots, finely minced
1 tablespoon neutral oil
1 teaspoon ground allspice
½ teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
2 ripe pears, peeled and diced
½ cup apple juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon whole grain mustard
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
Zest of ½ orange
Kosher salt
For the puff pockets:
2 10x10 sheets puff pastry
1 egg, beaten
2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325°F and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
Season the short ribs with a generous amount of salt and pepper. Heat the neutral oil in a heavy-bottom high-sided pot oven over medium-high heat and brown the short ribs on every side until deeply browned. Remove and set aside.
In the same pot, add the onion, carrot, and garlic and cook until lightly caramelized. Add the ginger and all the spices and toast for a moment or two until fragrant. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the pot, and reduce by half. Then add the beef stock, thyme, and bay leaf. Using tongs, add the ribs back into the pot along with their juices, and bring to a simmer. Cover and place into the preheated oven. Braise for around 2½ to 3 hours, or until the beef is tender enough to shred.
Once the beef has been removed from the oven, increase the heat to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Shred the beef while it is still warm and set aside. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh sieve and pour it back into the pot. Bring to a simmer over medium heat until it reduces, slightly thickens and the flavor intensifies. Spoon enough of the reduced braising liquid over the shredded beef to moisten. Taste and adjust seasoning, as needed. Allow the shredded beef mixture to cool.
While the beef is cooling, make the chutney. In a saucepan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the chili and shallots, sweating until softened and fragrant without browning. Stir in the spices and ginger, then add the diced pears, apple juice, apple cider vinegar, whole grain mustard, light brown sugar, and orange zest. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the pears have broken down and the mixture is thick and glossy, about 20–25 minutes. Season with a pinch of salt and let cool.
Lightly dust a work surface with flour and roll out each puff pastry sheet just enough to thin it slightly and even out the edges. Dock the surface all over with a fork and cut each sheet into six equal 4-inch squares.
Spoon a small mound of the cooled spiced beef mixture, about 2 tablespoons, onto one half of each square, then fold over into a triangle, pressing the edges firmly to seal and crimping the edges with a fork. Brush each triangle with egg wash and sprinkle with toasted sesame seeds. Arrange the pastries evenly spaced on the prepared baking sheets, and bake for 18–22 minutes, until puffed and golden brown.
Serve warm puff pockets alongside a small bowl of the scotch bonnet–ginger–pear chutney for dipping or spooning on top.
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