Slow Cooker_ The Best Cookbook Ever - Diane Phillips [138]
Tomato, Corn, and Yellow Squash with Dill Butter
A no-brainer never tasted so delicious. This combination of cherry tomatoes, fresh corn cut off the cob, yellow squash, and dill butter is a terrific side dish for almost any entrée, and the creamy corn gives a sweet and crunchy texture to the dish. If you can’t find decent fresh corn (in the dead of winter in Minnesota), you can use frozen corn that has been defrosted, but add it during the last hour of cooking time.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
6 cups fresh corn kernels (6 to 8 medium ears)
2 cups cherry tomatoes
4 yellow squash, cut into ½-inch pieces
combine all the ingredients in the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1½ to 2 hours, until the corn and tomatoes are tender.
serve from the slow cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Ultimate Creamed Corn
A favorite recipe from my Thanksgiving Dinner classes, this corn is simple but incredibly delicious. The corn may be made the day before and refrigerated before cooking.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup milk
1½ cups heavy cream
Three 16-ounce packages frozen corn, defrosted
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
coat the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker with nonstick cooking spray or line it with a slow-cooker liner according to the manufacturer’s directions.
whisk the butter, flour, salt, sugar, and milk in a mixing bowl until smooth. Add to the slow-cooker insert and stir in the cream and corn. Sprinkle the cheese over the top. Cover and cook on high for 2½ to 3 hours, until the corn is thick and bubbling.
serve the corn from the cooker set on warm.
serves 8
Corn on the Cob, Slow Cooked
A big problem at any barbecue is having enough corn on the cob for everyone, and keeping it warm. This recipe is the solution. Foil-wrapped corn bathes in flavored butter and keeps warm in the slow cooker until you are ready to serve it.
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon sweet paprika
6 to 8 large ears fresh corn, shucked and silks removed
mix the butter, salt, pepper, and paprika in a small bowl. Break each ear of corn in half and place each half on a square of aluminum foil that is 1-inch larger than the ears. Spread 2 teaspoons of the butter on each ear of corn and wrap the corn in the foil.
place the ears in the slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 1 to 2 hours, until the corn feels tender when the ear is squeezed.
serve the corn from the cooker set on warm.
serves 6–8
Chapter 10
Something Saucy and Spicy Going On
Sauces cooked in the slow cooker take on a smooth, rounded flavor, due to their long, slow simmering. Not only savory sauces but also sweet sauces, such as pumpkin butter, applesauce, chutney, and berry jam, are great choices for slow cooking. The cooker is also ideal for keeping sauces warm at a constant temperature for serving, especially gravies and sauces for those holiday meals that can seem so hectic for many hosts.
Sausage Gravy
When my daughter attended college in the South, I became a connoisseur of sausage gravy and would try it at most of the breakfast places while visiting. I decided that the quality of the gravy definitely depended on the quality of the sausage, so make sure to use a good-quality sausage when you make this. Keep it warm in the slow cooker when serving biscuits and eggs for breakfast. It’s a real crowd pleaser!
3 pounds bulk pork sausage (Jimmy Dean is a good brand)
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 cups chicken broth
4 cups milk
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
cook the sausage in a large skillet over high heat until it is no longer pink. Transfer it to the insert of a 5- to 7-quart slow cooker.