A new month means a new Sally's Baking Challenge recipe is live! This month we're making no-bake pumpkin cheesecake, a recipe you can easily scale down into smaller servings (see note above the recipe). It's smooth and creamy with a crunchy gingersnap cookie crust that provides the best textural contrast to the fluffy mousse-like filling. The dessert sets up in the refrigerator, making it a convenient make-ahead option this fall season.
The quickest oven roasted asparagus method is very high heat + olive oil. Find the fattest spears you can to make this recipe.
Fastest way to roast asparagus
Pre-heating the baking sheet in a high-heat oven at 500F and plenty of olive oil can cook perfect asparagus in 10 minutes in the oven. This recipe works best with fat spears (1/2″ or thicker).
Keywordasparagus, buddabowl, buddha bowl, vegetables
Prep Time1minute
Cook Time10minutes
Servings4people
Calories84kcal
AuthorJaden
Ingredients
1bunchasparagusabout 1 1/2 pounds - 2 pounds
2tablespoonolive oil
salt & freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Arrange the rack to the lowest position in the oven. Place a baking sheet into the oven to pre-heat. Heat oven to 500F.
Trim the tough ends of the asparagus. If the asparagus is thicker than 3/4", run a vegetable peeler down the thickest half of the stalk to expose the tender, lighter colored stalk.
With oven gloves, carefully remove the hot baking sheet and add in the asparagus. Drizzle on olive oil and shake the pan to distribute the oil evenly. Return to oven and roast 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
These Homemade Pierogies are full of creamy goodness. You can make a bunch in a relatively short amount of time, and they’re super satisfyingly yummy! Pierogies are a Central and Eastern European version of a dumpling. They may be small, but they’re super filling. Serve them as an appetizer, a snack, or even a main...
Do you love bobbin’ along for some crispy Red Robin onion rings? If you’ve ever been to Red Robin, you’ll already know that the burgers are just as amazing as their side dishes. However, it might be the case that you aren’t always able to fly out for a quick fix. Don’t worry, we are going to teach you how to create homemade Red Robin Onion rings. We’ll talk you through exactly what you need.
How To Make Red Robin Onion Rings
There are a few steps to making these delicious savory circles. The key is to be organized in your approach. To get a really crispy coating you will need to assemble a little production line. It’s a three-stage process. Whilst it is a little time consuming once you get going, you’ll find a flow. The key to this recipe is ensuring that each Red Robin onion ring gets a nice even coating, so they will all look perfect.
To make this recipe you are going to need three bowls, and a heavy bottomed pan. capable of holding a decent quantity of oil.
Part of the appeal of Red Robin onion rings is that they are crispy and slightly salty on the outside. Once you crunch your way through the outer casing, you’ll find deliciously sweet and soft onion within.
Recipe by Laura RittermanCourse: SidesCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy
Servings
4
servings
Prep time
10
minutes
Cooking time
5
minutes
Calories
420
kcal
Bring these delicious Red Robin onion rings into your kitchen today. We’ve combined the freshest ingredients to make these delicious sides.
Ingredients
2 Large onions
4 ½ oz white flour
A large pinch of salt
A large pinch of ground black pepper
8fl ozwhole milk
2 eggs
2ozbreadcrumbs
3-4 cups of Oil for frying
Directions
Take a heavy bottomed, high sided pan and add your oil. Place on a medium/high heat.
Whilst you are waiting for the oil to heat, prepare the rest of your ingredients. Remove the skins from the onions and cut them into half inch rings horizontally.
Assemble your production line. Assemble three bowls. In your first bowl mix the flour, salt and pepper. In your second bowl beat the eggs and the milk together. In the third bowl place your breadcrumbs
Once the oil is nearly up to temperature, take a single ring of onion. Throw it into the bowl of flour and give it a little flip so that it is covered all over.
Remove from the bowl of flour, shaking off any excess and then drop into the bowl of egg and milk.
Lift it out and then drop it into the bowl of breadcrumbs. Give it a shake and toss to ensure it is evenly coated then transfer to a wire rack to have a little rest.
Repeat this process for all of the onion rings. By this point the oil should be really hot.
In batches drop the onion rings carefully, and one by one, into the pan. Cook for 2 minutes or until golden and then flip the onion rings to fry for a further minute.
Using a sieve or slotted spoon, remove the onion rings and place on a wire rack to drain slightly before dishing them up.
Notes
For a really crispy crumb we normally use panko breadcrumbs. But if you can’t find any or can’t get hold of them there are other solutions. You can use oatmeal to create a crispy crust or even crushed up tortilla chips. If you have any bread lying around, if you give it a blitz in a food processor you should be able to get a fairly fine crumb.
We find that the bigger the onions, the easier the Red Robin onion rings are to make. For You will get more rings out of a larger onion. If you only have small onions you can still make this recipe, they will just be bitesize, but they should taste exactly the same.
If you don’t want to get your hands messy you can dredge the onion rings on your coating production line using a pair of tongs or pincers. You may find that where you have held the rings has a little ‘bare’ spot. Just rotate the ring whilst it is in the egg mixture to stop this.
When deep frying it can be difficult to know when your oil is hot without using a thermometer. If you put your rings in too early you will end up with soft batter, and a really dirty pan that is full of bits. A failsafe solution is to use a wooden spoon to tell if you have the right temperature. Submerge the spoon in the oil. If it bubbles vigorously, the oil is hot enough to fry your onion rings.
If you aren’t a fan of frying then don’t worry. You can make onion rings in the oven. Just combine your breadcrumbs with two tablespoons of oil, and then make them in exactly the same way. Once they are all resting on the rack, back for around 30 minutes in a 390-degree Fahrenheit oven until they are golden brown.
To get a perfect result it is important that you do not overcrowd the pan. By adding too many at once you will find that the rings will tend to stick together. Also, it will lower the temperature of the oil, leading to soggy onion rings. Cook your rings in batches. If you need to make a lot, keep cooked onion rings warm in the oven whilst you make the next batch.
Conclusion
Well that was easy? Red Robin onion rings go great with lots of dishes. They are a great and eye-catching side dish for a summer barbecue, or even on their own as a snack. However you serve them we hope that you enjoy them. If you have given this recipe ago and really liked it, leave a comment below. We love hearing from you.
Is there anything nicer than pulled pork? We absolutely love it when its ready and we can shred it into juicy mouthfuls with a couple of forks. It’s a really versatile dish. You can have it in sandwiches, stir fries, but never on its own.
This got us asking the question just what to serve with pulled pork? Fortunately, we came up with some ideas and we are going to share them with you in this article. Forks at the ready?
What to Serve With Pulled Pork
1. Collard Greens
If you are going to eat southern style meat, you are going to want some southern style vegetables to accompany it. It doesn’t get much more southern than Collar Greens. A really great way to serve these is with fried bacon, onions and garlic.
Crisp the bacon in pan first then remove it. Add a chopped onion and a couple of cloves of garlic and toss in the remaining bacon fat. Add your greens and wait for them to wilt down. Add a cupful of chicken stock and some diced chili pepper, stir and add your bacon. Pork on pork. Nice
2. Coleslaw
Coleslaw is a really simple dish to make. It has vinegary elements and the raw white cabbage and onion in the recipe are both slightly acidic, which really cuts through the fatty richness of the pork.
Let’s be honest, pulled pork isn’t particularly slimming so something that vaguely resembles salad would make the ideal accompaniment. Especially when it tastes as good as this.
3. Cucumber and Tomato Salad
If you’ve read what we have just said above you may realize we are trying to keep it light where we can. Pulled pork can be a little heavy, so why not lighten your load with a fresh and breezy summer salad. It’s super simple to make.
Dice a cucumber and three or four large tomatoes, add a finely sliced red onion and bathe the lot with a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and red wine vinegar. To make it really fresh tasting add some chopped basil, mint or parsley.
4. Fruit salad
In a similar vein to the above, may we suggest a nice fruit salad. Serving fruit with pork is nothing new. Have you never had it with apple sauce? This is the same principle, just fresher. You can use any fruit you like with a fruit salad. One of our favorites is diced strawberries, apples, watermelon and mandarin. If you want a bit of zesty bite add the juice of one lemon or lime mixed with honey
5. French Fries
Ok we thought we’d give you a break from healthy and light salads. Sometimes you’ll want to indulge in a real guilty pleasure. We love making French fries. Just slice you’re your potatoes into really thin batons and give them a long soak to get rid of the starch.
If you like them naked just drain them, apt them dry and deep fry them in oil. If you want to add some flavorings; combine a teaspoon of cumin with a pinch of salt and pepper then add a pinch of chili powder to a bowl.
Add a good splash of oil and then stir until you have a really thin paste. Toss your fries around in the bowl until they are coated and then bake for 25 minutes, turning half way through.
So, as we’ve said Pulled pork is a little bit ‘country’. If you want to have a real country table then chunks of cornbread are the way to go. Corn goes really well with pulled pork. Mouthfuls of deeply golden yellow savory bread with crisp and soft pork. Amazing.
Cornbread is really easy to make. If you have pancake mix, some cornmeal and a few other household staples you should be good to go. You’ll need about 45 minutes to whip up a batch of cornbread. So, if quick and simple is what you are looking for then this dish would be ideal.
7. Corn Fritters
Well if you’re going for pulled pork then you might as well go the whole hog (pun intended). Corn fritters are like little crunchy balls of naughtiness. Adults and kids alike will wolf these down. Essentially these are pancakes with an additional extra. Of course, it is corn.
The best bit about sweetcorn fritters is that you can make them ahead of time, up to two days in fact. Or alternatively if you really want to be ahead of the game you can freeze them and reheat them at a later date. If you have run out of pulled pork by then, not to worry as they make an ideal snack to eat all on their own.
Specifically, honey butter biscuits. These light and soft dough balls are just perfect for mopping up any left-over juices or sauce from the meat. As bread dishes go this has to be one of the easiest, no messing about with yeast or even eggs. The raising agent is baking powder. Pork can get a little salty, but fans of Chinese food will know that the best way to offset that is with something sticky and sweet.
9. Onion and Tomato Curtido Salad
Alright enough carbs (don’t worry we’ll come back to them). We’ve cheated a little as tomato is actually a fruit and we’ve already said fruit salad. But the onions make it savory. If you like salsa then this might very well be the dish for you. It basically has all the flavors of salsa, but is a super chunky version. You will need some red onions some tomatoes and some cilantro.
What makes this dish super special, and more importantly ideal for pork, is that it is rather acidic. The onions are pickled in lime juice. Eventually they turn soft as the structure of the onion breaks down. This is an ideal make ahead dish as it tastes better the day after you have prepared it. Our guilty pleasure is mopping up the left-over juice of the salad. Delicious
10. Pasta Salad
We told you that we would be back to carbs… Well this is a halfway house as it is a salad and just a little filling all in one dish. This dish would be especially useful if you’ve not got quite enough pork as it can be used to supplement any shortcomings.
It’s not just pasta, in the dish you have crunchy peppers and onions, the bite of celery and a sweet and sharp dressing. Oh, and don’t forget a couple of hard-boiled eggs just in case. Pasta salad is a great example of what goes with pulled pork.
11. Green Salad
If you want to absolutely minimize any calories then you are going to have to go light. And we mean really light. What is lighter than a plate full of leaves? Aside from the health benefits, a nice green leafy salad will brighten your plate.
If you want to make it slightly less bland you can consider adding some grated hard cheese and maybe some breadcrumbs or croutons. We love to give it some bite with a red wine vinaigrette dressing and maybe a handful of finely sliced red onions.
12. Potato Salad
Pork and potato always work together. This isn’t a million miles away from the macaroni salad to be honest, so if you are lacking in the pasta department, but you have potatoes this would be ideal. This is another that is super easy to make ahead.
Maybe a little mayonnaise might be needed to create something slightly less dry, but you can add whatever you like to make it sing. We love a spoonful of spicy relish and chopped eggs and peppers in ours.
13. Beans
Pork and beans. Sometimes you need to indulge your inner cowboy and this pairing has been going for years. Baked beans are fairly rich, even more so if you decide that you want them slightly sweeter. You can bring out different notes depending on what you like. A dash of vinegar paired with a spoonful of syrup or molasses can make them sweet and sour all at the same time. You won’t be hungry if you pair pork and beans.
14. Rice Pilaf
Rice is a very neutral tasting ingredient. Some might say that it’s a little boring. We consider it more of a blank canvas which is perfect for painting with flavors. You can go spicy, sweet or leave it a lot more subtle in order to make your pork shine.
There are so many options. We find a Moroccan style with pomegranate seeds and a few chopped raisins provides more than enough interest, without being boring.
15. Corn Salsa
Well some might call it succotash… We think corn salsa sounds much classier. By combining beans with chopped pepper and more than a hint of sweetcorn you’ll find a dish that is super in texture, colour and taste.
It keeps well, one of our favorite things to do with leftovers is combine hunks of pulled pork with spoonful’s of succotash, all wrapped up in a burrito and baked in the oven until just the other side of warm.
With any luck you will never need to wonder what to serve with pulled pork ever again. With these options whether you want light and flavorful or substantial and hearty, there should be something to suit you. If you make pulled pork regularly, I’d love to know what you serve yours with. Why not leave a comment and I’ll see if I can update my list?
Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie is a dulce de leche cheesecake layered with toasted pecans and a pecan pie filling, all topped and baked with more pecans. If you love pecans, try my Pecan Pie Recipe for another delicious dessert.
What is Dulce de Leche?
Dulce de leche is added to the cheesecake in this recipe, but what is it? It is a rich and creamy sauce that is sweet like caramel and butterscotch but is made with sweetened milk, rather than sugar. There is some science behind the caramelization of the milk (Maillard reaction) that causes the browning, but I used a canned dulce de leche for this recipe, so I didn’t have to worry about that!
Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie Recipe
There are four parts that go together so well in this dessert–the toasted pecans, the crust, the pecan pie filling, and the cheesecake filling.
Toasted Pecans (full recipe below)
Pecan halves
Crust Ingredients
Graham crackers
Butter
Pecan Pie Filling
Eggs
Light corn syrup
Light brown sugar
Vanilla extract
Cornmeal
Kosher salt
Cheesecake Filling
Cream cheese
Egg
Vanilla extract
Kosher salt
Dulce de leche
Toasted Pecans
The first thing you will want to do for this Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie Recipe is to toast the pecans. Toasted pecans add a nuttier flavor and crunchier texture to the dessert. To toast the pecans, preheat the oven to 325°F and roughly chop the pecan halves.
Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet and bake them for 5-6 minutes. Remove them from the oven and let them cool completely (about 30 minutes). You can leave the oven at 325°F; that is the temperature you will be baking the pie.
How to Make the Crust
If possible, make your own crust. The store-bought crusts are okay, but they just aren’t up to par with the homemade ones. To make the graham cracker crust, you could buy the graham cracker crumbs or crush about 10 graham crackers.
If you have to crush your own crackers, add them to a food processor and process until you have a fine crumb. You could also use a rolling pin to roll over the cookies that are in sealed plastic baggies to get them into fine crumbs. A hammer also works, but just gentle taps!
Combine the crushed crackers and melted butter in a medium bowl until the mixture is combined. When mixing together the ingredients (with a fork), make sure every single graham cracker crumb is coated in butter. The butter acts as the binding agent, so when you see recipes that have piles of graham crackers left on the plate, it is usually because they were not coated with butter.
Press the crust into a 9-inch springform using your hand or the bottom of a glass to get the crust flattened across the bottom of the pan. Set that aside as you make the fillings.
Pecan Pie Filling
After the crust is made and the toasted pecans have cooled down, make the pecan pie filling for this Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie. To make the filling, first, get out a large bowl and whisk the eggs. Then, add the corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cornmeal, and salt and whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth. Set this aside and in a small, separate bowl, reserve 3 tablespoons of the filling to be used for the topping.
How to Make the Dulce de Leche Cheesecake Filling
This is where the dulce de leche (candy made of milk) comes into the recipe. To prepare this filling, use a stand mixer with a paddle attachment. First, beat the cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and salt on medium speed for about a minute, or until smooth. Then, add the dulce de leche and beat for one more minute.
Assembling the Dulce de Leche Pecan Pie
Once the parts of this dessert are ready to go, it’s time to get it layered and baked!
First, pour the cheesecake filling into the springform pan, over the prepared crust.
Next, evenly sprinkle 2 cups of the cooled, toasted pecans over the cream cheese mixture. Save the 1 1/2 cups of remaining pecans for the topping.
Then, spoon the pecan pie filling over the pecans.
Remember the 3 tablespoons of reserved pecan pie filling you set aside? Add the rest of the toasted pecans (1 1/2 cups) to that bowl to coat them.
Arrange the coated pecans on top of the pie.
Bake the pie for 40-45 minutes, or until the middle is set and slightly puffed up.
Finally, let the pie cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before serving. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator.
Roughly chop the pecan halves. Spread the chopped pecans on a baking sheet. Bake them for 5-6 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Remove from the oven and let them cool completely (about 30 minutes).
Crust
Add 6 tablespoons of the melted butter to the graham cracker crumbs and, using a fork, mix well. You want every crumb coated in the butter as this will be the glue that holds it together.
Pour the graham cracker crumbs into a 9-inch springform pan. Pat them flat with your hand and then use a kitchen glass to press flatter. Start at the center, working out to the edges of the pan.
Pecan Pie Filling
Whisk the eggs in a large bowl. Add the corn syrup, brown sugar, vanilla, cornmeal, and salt, whisking until smooth. Set aside, reserving 3 tablespoons of this mixture in a separate small bowl.
Cheesecake Filling
In the bowl of your stand mixer with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, egg, vanilla, and salt on medium speed for about 1 minute, or until smooth.
Add the dulce de leche and beat for 1 more minute.
Assembly
Pour the cheesecake filling into the prepared crust.
Evenly sprinkle 2 cups of the toasted pecans over the cream cheese mixture. (The remaining 1 1/2 cups of pecans will be used as a topping.)
Spoon the pecan pie filling over the pecans.
Add the 1 1/2 cups of reserved toasted pecans to the 3 tablespoons reserved pecan pie filling.
Arrange the coated pecans on top of the pie. Bake for 40-45 minutes, or until the middle is set and slightly puffed.
Cool on a wire rack for 2-3 hours before serving.
OPTIONAL: Drizzle any remaining Dulce de Leche over top of pie before serving.
