There are numerous ways to make that American favorite, mashed potatoes, even better.

A topping of butter-sauteed lobster might be the most exciting preparation for a special occasion. It’s a perennial favorite at Ocean Prime, a fine steak and seafood restaurant with 12 locations from coast to coast.

We obtained the recipe from Chef Brian Hinshaw of Ocean Prime (thanks)! and adjusted it as noted, starting with much more lobster topping. With our family of foodies, you can’t start a war over who didn’t get enough lobster!

We also used Yukon Gold potatoes, which are renowned for their creamy, buttery flesh. Whatever potato you choose, plan on 1/2 pound of raw potatoes per adult.

You’ll also need a stand or hand-held electric mixer, with a wire whip attachment. If you don’t have a whip attachment, see if you can buy a set to fit your mixer; they’re very useful attachments. Otherwise, use the regular beaters and then whip the potatoes to smoothness with a whisk.

Or better yet, since Christmas is coming, ask Santa for a stand mixer with all the attachments.
 
 
RECIPE: LOBSTER MASHED POTATOES

This recipe preparation actually makes whipped or pureéd potatoes. The difference: Mashed potatoes can be made with any texture, from lumpy to pureé. Whipping the potatoes adds air volume, and whipping them into smoothness is a pureé.

Ingredients For A Crowd

 
For The Lobster Topping

For 12 ounces of mashed potatoes, you’ll need:

 
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*Peppercorns are the fruit of a vine, Piper nigrum. White pepper is a conventional peppercorn with the black husk removed. While much of the piperine—the compound that gives pungency to the peppercorn—is in the husk, French chefs of yore chose to remove it to avoid black specks in pure white dishes like white sauces and puréed potatoes. Frankly, we like the specks and the extra flavor from the husk and use black peppercorns universally. Here are the different types of pepper, including pink peppercorns, green peppercorns and dozens of others, none of which is Piper nigrum.
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Preparation

[2] We purchased cooked lobster meat (photo © Celtic Crab Products).

[3] Frozen-cooked lobster meat is less expensive (photo © GCastd).

[4] We love fresh herbs, so added extra chopped chives and some parsley (photo © A Way To Garden).

2. PEEL the potatoes; then cut them in half and slice them into 1/2 inch pieces (if using Idaho russets, you can just halve the potatoes). Place in pot and cover with cold water and a pinch of salt.

3. BRING the pot to a boil, then immediately turn it down to simmer. Never boil potatoes; they will become waterlogged. Cook until fork tender.

4. DRAIN the potatoes in a colander, then put them back in the hot pot for 3 minutes to steam (dry out). This allows the cream and butter to be absorbed into the flesh. While the potatoes are steaming…

5. HEAT the butter and cream in a small pan until the butter has melted. Add the potatoes to the mixing bowl and whip for 30 seconds; then add 3/4 of the butter mixture and continue to whip—slowly at first, then add the salt and pepper and increase the speed to whip more air (volume) into the potatoes. Use the remaining butter mixture only if needed. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

6. SERVE the mashed potatoes in a dish, topped with lobster meat and extra. Garnish with the chives and more paprika as desired.
 
 
MORE SPECIAL MASHED POTATO RECIPES

 
Plus some food fun, mashed potatoes with a cup of coffee: Mashed Potato Donuts.
 
 
THE DIFFERENT TYPE OF POTATOES

How many different types of potatoes are there? Thousands, worldwide; but check out the dozens of varieties you can find in the U.S.
 
 

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[1] ‘Nduja is traditionally used as a bread spread (photo © Real Food Toronto).

[2] For a fancier presentation, turn it into bruschetta (photo © Great British Chefs).

[3] It melts into pasta sauce or on a pizza; or you can sprinkle it as a garnish (a cloud of ricotta tempers the heat; photo © Bestia | LA).

[4] Artisan ‘nduja looks like this (photo © ‘Nduja Artisans).

[5] You can find ‘nduja sold in jars (photo © Just So Italian.

‘Nduja (pronounced in-doo-ya), is a spicy—some say fiery—pork spread from the Calabria region of Italy. Think of it as spreadable hot soppressata or pepperoni with the texture of pâté-like texture.

It is typically made with pork shoulder, belly, and jowl, as well as tripe, roasted chiles, and spices. It is loosely based on the French andouille sausage, developed in the 13th century by the Angevins, from the area of Anjou in western France.

It is typically made with parts of the pig such as the shoulder, belly, and jowl, as well as roasted hot peppers and a mixture of spices. Nduja has a characteristic fiery taste. It is a Calabrian variation of salami, loosely based on the French andouille introduced in the 13th century by the Angevins.

Finally, North American producers of Italian-style salume like La Quercia began to make it. ‘Nduja Artisans in Chicago, which sells online, is the latest American producer we know of.

Over the last couple of years, creative chefs discovered it and found ways to use it. While ‘nduja still has limited distribution nationwide, you can find it in Italian specialty stores including Eataly, in some Whole Foods Markets, and of course, online.

You can use ‘nduja in any meal of the day. We hope it turns into a foodie trend sooner rather than later.

> September 7th is National Salami Day.

> January 16th is International Hot and Spicy Food Day.
 
 
‘NDUJA HISTORY

Most historians believe that ‘nduja was created as a poor man’s version of andouille sausage, which arrived in the area at the time Napoleon conquered Naples in 1806.

The folks in the town of Spilinga, in western Calabria (the toe of the boot of southern Italy), made a version with pork fat, ground lung, kidneys, scraps from the head, other trimmings, and some skin, and spiced it with fiery local chilies.

The ground meat was stuffed into a casing (pig intestine) and then smoked, yielding a very robust-flavored salume. Some ’nduja is aged, for even more flavor.

What About The Name?

It looks and sounds unusual (when we first saw it in print, we thought it was an African food).

It’s actually derived from the French word, andouille (on-DWEE), which means sausage.
 
 
WAYS TO SERVE ‘NDUJA

‘Nduja has traditionally been served with slices of bread or hearty cheeses. It can spice up just about anything. Because of its high-fat content, it melts into sauces and pizzas.

Consider it:

 
Check out these recipes from Great British Chefs: ‘nduja with clams and squid ink, with grilled salmon, Eggs In Purgatory, even ‘nduja fritters!

Wrapped in plastic, ‘nduja lasts for months in the fridge. In our home, it need only last for a week.
 
 
THE ‘NDUJA FESTIVAL

Outside of Calabria, ‘nduja is perhaps the best-known food. Calabrians are so proud of it that they’ve been holding an annual ‘Nduja Festival since 1975. It takes place in Spilinga, on August 8th.

Attendees can taste ‘nduja in numerous ways, surrounded by folk music and traditional entertainments around Monte Poro (Spilinga).

If you decide that ‘nduja is your new favorite food, you may want to book a trip!
 
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*There are different regional styles of soppressata. Here are the different varieties.

†Salume has been Americanized to salami, the term for spiced ground meat, usually pork, stuffed into a casing and cured.
 
 

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Sophisticated cooks know how to make magic with compound butters.

Many casual cooks discovered the joy of strawberry butter at restaurant brunches, and learned how easy it is to make at home (here’s more about compound butter, also called flavored butter and finishing butter).

Epicurean Butter is a terrific line that makes anyone an instantly-better cook. But before we get to it, a seasonal message:

Now that it’s holiday season, go for holiday flavors: brandy, cranberry, hazelnut, pecan, pumpkin spice, sage, and so on. We have a variety of recipe variations below, but we’ll start with one that few people can resist: Cranberry Orange Butter.
 
COMPOUND BUTTER: SWEET OR SAVORY

Sweet compound butters are delicious on breakfast foods: bagels, muffins, toast, pancakes, waffles etc. They also are delicious on crackers or biscuits for snacks or with a tea break.

Savory compound butters are used to give flavor to proteins and vegetables, and to make quick pan sauces.

All compound butters can be made in advance and kept in the fridge, rolled into a log and covered with plastic wrap. This is what professional chefs do. When they’re needed, you simply cut off what you need.

The following recipe, by Baked Bree, was sent to us by Go Bold With Butter.

Also check out Bree’s Cranberry Walnut Pie, another seasonal treat.
 
RECIPE: CRANBERRY COMPOUND BUTTER

You can make this ahead and store in an airtight container in refrigerator for up to 1 week, or in the freezer for up to 1 month.
Make extra to bring to family and friends.

You can also make our version, Cranberry Maple Butter, with maple syrup. The recipe is with the variations below.

Ingredients

 
Preparation

[1] Cranberry butter, a sweet spread for the holidays. [2] Use the leftover cranberries to create eye-catching flower vases and tea candle holders (both photos courtesy Baked Bree).

2. TRANSFER to a small serving bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Bring to room temperature before serving.
 
Variations

 
MORE FLAVORED BUTTER RECIPES

[3] Epicurean Butter: We have several different flavors in our fridge right now. [4] Organic Cocoa Coconut Butter won the top prize in its category at this year’s Fancy Food Show (photos courtesy Deli Market News). [5] Beyond sophisticated uses, simply spread savory compound butter on bread and vegetables (photo courtesy Kraft).

TOP PICK: EPICUREAN BUTTER

We have long been enamored of Epicurean Butter, a line of compound butters created by a professional chef for the home cook.

The flavors cater to both classic and contemporary cuisine, with butters in savory and sweet flavors.

The home cook is now empowered to finish and present meals like a fine chef, just by taking the lid off the tub of butter. People who think they have modest cooking talents should not be surprised to hear applause at the table—just by adding a pat to a grilled protein or making a quick pan sauce simpy by deglazing the pan.

Not to mention, serving the butters as gourmet bread spreads.

The company makes an assortment of flavors:

 
A few of these makes a great gift for a cook.
 
Yummy With The Bread Basket Or A Glass Of Wine

In addition to topping savory foods, savory compound butters can be used as a bread spread at the dinner table or with drinks.

We especially enjoy serving them as an easy hors d’oeuvre with aperitifs, spread on thin slices of baguette or fancy crackers and topped with a garnish (capers, chopped fresh herbs, olive or peppadew half, etc.).

You can pre-spread the bread or crackers and serve them on a tray; or place the butter(s) in a ramekin in the middle of the bread/crackers and let people spread their own.

that finishing and compound butters are what often take a normal at-home meal up to restaurant quality. Available in 3.5 oz. tubs and some in the newly introduced 1 oz. single-serve packets, these butters are all rBST-free

Head to EpicureanButter.com for more information.

The Idaho Potato Commission develops many delicious potato recipes, incorporating trending food flavors into conventional preparations (harissa, sriracha), as well as new concepts like this one:

French fries as a salad garnish.

“The crisp flavors of a Greek salad harmonize effortlessly with seasoned fries, while a cool, tangy tzatziki sauce extends the Mediterranean theme,” they say.

The fries themselves are more Greek than “French”: They’re seasoned with Greek spices.

For a bit of food fun, here’s the recipe.
 
 
RECIPE: GREEK SALAD WITH GREEK “FRENCH” FRIES & TZATZIKI SAUCE

Ingredients
 
For The Fries

 
For The Salad Dressing

 
For The Salad

 
For The Tzatziki Sauce

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F. In a large bowl, toss together all the french fry ingredients. Place the fries on a baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes, flipping once halfway through cooking. Meanwhile…

2. MAKE the salad dressing: Combine all salad dressing ingredients in a bowl.

3. COMBINE the salad ingredients in a large bowl, pour on the dressing and toss. Cover and place in the fridge while fries finish baking.

4. COMBINE the tzatziki sauce ingredients.

[2] Classic Greek Salad from The Maiden Lane Restaurant | NYC).

[3] Creative plating from Stix Restaurant | NYC.

[4] Very creative plating: a vertical Greek Salad from Death Ave | NYC.

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Here’s the current selection of dozens of bundt pan designs. [1] Classic bundt served with bourbon pecan sauce (photo courtesy Spice Islands). [2] Pumpkin cake in the Elegant Party Bundt pan. [3] Gingerbread Cake in the Elegant Party Bundt. [5] Orange Bourbon Cake in the Heritage Bundt Pan ( (photos [3], [4] and [5] courtesy King Arthur Flour).[4] Red Velvet cake in the Stained Glass Bundt (photo courtesy Nordicware). [6] Maple Leaf Pan for cakelets or muffins (photo courtesy Nordicware)

Although a classic bundt pan (photo [1] is always lovely, Nordicware, inventor of the bundt pan, produces many elegant bundt pan designs, plus charming seasonal designs. We can’t help ourselves: Every couple of years, we buy another one.

This year it’s the Turkey Bundt Pan (how could we resist). Last year it was the Elegant Party Bundt (photo [2]): The flutes are narrower, creating smaller slices with no fuss. We’ve come to prefer it to the Classic Bundt Pan.

Fall themes include:

 
We looked at the entire selection, and found these styles to be fall-appropriate, including Chanukah and Christmas:

 
HOLIDAY BUNDT RECIPES

These recipes are from King Arthur Flour, the source for the finest baking ingredients and recipes.

Be sure to read the tips from customers who have made the recipes (scroll to the bottom of each page).

 
In the words of The Great British Baking Show: Ready, Set, Bake!

RECIPE: GINGERBREAD BUNDT CAKE

This recipe from King Arthur Flour fills a 10- or 12-cup bundt pan.

Ingredients For The Cake

 
Ingredients For The Glaze

 
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*Blend your own: 2-1/2 teaspoons ginger, 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon cloves and 1/2 teaspoon allspice.
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Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 10- to 12-cup bundt pan.

2. WHISK together the flour, gingerbread spice, salt, baking soda and baking powder in a large bowl. Set aside.

3. BEAT beat together the butter and sugar in a separate bowl, until fluffy.

4. ADD the eggs one at a time, beating well and scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl after each addition. Stir in the molasses.

5. ADD the flour mixture in three additions alternately with the water, starting and ending with the flour. Mix just until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top.

7. MAKE the glaze by stirring together the water spice and sugar. Set aside.

8. REMOVE the cake from the oven, cool it in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a rack. Brush the cake with the glaze, and allow it to cool completely before serving.

It started with a special cake pan, the Kugelhopf, from Vienna; but let’s begin a century later, with the modern bundt pan.

The History Of The Bundt Pan

The Bundt pan was created in 1950 by H. David Dahlquist, the founder of Minneapolis-based Nordic Ware, a manufacturer of kitchenware products. He did so at the request of Rose Joshua and Fannie Schanfield, members of the Minneapolis chapter of Hadassah, a Jewish women’s service organization.

According to an article in the Fall 2005 issue of Generations, the newsletter of the Jewish Historical Society of the Upper Midwest, Fannie remembers a Hadassah luncheon when Rose lamented the quality of light and fluffy American-style cakes, and longed for the rich, dense cakes of her European childhood. These, however, required a special type of of pan—one with a hole in the center that allowed heat to penetrate heavy cake batter from all sides.

With this type of form, a heavier batter could be baked without leaving under-baked dough in the center. Fannie’s husband arranged a meeting with Dahlquist, and Rose joined her to show Rose’s mother’s ceramic kugelhopf cake pan. This became the prototype for the Bundt pan (a contemporary aluminum version of the kugelhopf is shown in the photo at the right).

Dahlquist modified the design by introducing folds in the fluted edges, and fashioned the pan out of aluminum. Some months later, a dozen Nordic Ware factory “seconds” were delivered to Hadassah member Mary Juster’s home, and Hadassah sold the pans to members for $4.00 each.
 
The History Of The Kugelhopf

The original kugelhopf, a Viennese specialty, is a sweet yeast-bread similar to brioche and panettone; the traditional version usually contains yeast, raisins or currants and is topped by a snowy layer of powdered sugar. It was a favorite of the Austrian princess Marie Antoinette (yes, that Marie Antoinette).

Over the years, denser cakes were baked in the same fluted molds. The original molds were earthenware; later molds were made of glass or metal. The name kugelhopf derives from the German word Kugel, meaning round or ball (“Kugelkopf,” with a “k,” means “spherical head”), although the actual kugelhopf somewhat resembles a pleated hat like a turban or toque.

How The Bundt Got Its Name

[7] The Kugelhopf [8] became the Bundt, [9] which engendered many different designs, like this Vintage Star limited edition (photos [7] and [9] courtesy Nordicware, photo [8] courtesy King Arthur Flour.

In 1960, the Good Housekeeping Cookbook showed a pound cake baked in a Bundt pan; that feature turned the Bundt into the number-one selling cake pan in America. But it was the 1966 Pillsbury Bake-Off, where the Tunnel of Fudge Cake recipe baked in a Bundt won second place, that launched America’s love for Bundt cakes.

While many Americans spell Bundt with a capital “B,” which is the correct German spelling, for the sake of consistency with English names (e.g. angel food cake, apple pie), we’ve decided to use the small “b.” The exception is with recipe names, e.g. Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake.
 
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†In the 1903 Milwaukee Settlement Cookbook, “Bundt form” is found on page 319 in the following text (under BUNDT KUCHEN, No. 2): “Grease Bundt form (a heavy round fluted pan with tube in center) well, and flour lightly. Cream butter and sugar well, add beaten yolks and beat, then the raised mixture and the rest of the flour, and lastly the beaten whites. Pour in pan, let rise until very light, and bake until well done and brown in a moderately hot oven, about forty-five minutes.” (Read details of the Settlement Cookbook source material). The Settlement Cookbook, first published in 1901 in Milwaukee to raise funds for the Settlement House for immigrants, is considered to be the most successful fund-raising cookbook in American history. It is still in print; the 1976 edition was named to the James Beard Cookbook Hall of Fame.