This one could be a candidate for Confessions of a Locavore. Local it ain’t, and neither is it particularly healthy. It is, however, highly seasonal, in that I only eat it on or around Thanksgiving. And it’s really, really good. I don’t know where the recipe originated, but it’s a staple of my husband’s family’s Thanksgivings, hosted by his Aunt Mary. No matter what else I have on my plate, I always make sure there’s plenty of room for creamed spinach.

It’s one of those dishes where I might be happier not knowing what was in it. But as Mary writes in the family cookbook, “Don’t worry about the ingredients, just enjoy.” That said, here’s what the ingredients look like before the spinach goes in:

Yes, it’s just what it looks like. Eggs, mayo, cheese, cream of mushroom soup, onions, and water chestnuts. When I add the spinach to this mix it almost disappears, making something that’s more spinach-flavored cheesy goo than anything else. But the water chestnuts are important, mind you – the delicate crispness they provide is a big part of the appeal, and helps give the (misleading) impression of lightness. I particularly love eating this stuff on a soft, sweet bread like challah, so it’s all soft-textured except for the slight crunch.

I try to offset the guilt of buying canned mushroom soup by getting the “Healthy Request” version. Not as salty, and doesn’t have MSG. I know I could make bechamel sauce instead, but then it wouldn’t be the real creamed spinach. Like making tater tot casserole with  fresh grated potatoes. Just wrong. You gotta love this for what it is.

Aunt Mary’s Creamed Spinach

• 2 packages frozen spinach
• 1 cup mayonnaise
• 1 cup grated cheddar
• 1 can water chestnuts, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 can cream of mushroom soup (I prefer the stuff without MSG, but follow your bliss)
• 2 eggs

Heat up the spinach in the microwave and squeeze most of the water out. Combine it with everything else in a large bowl, then scrape it all into a gratin dish or roasting pan. Top with breadcrumbs if you like, but it’s not necessary. Bake uncovered at 350° for 45 minutes, until it puffs up a bit and turns golden on the edges. Serve as a side dish with roasted poultry, or with eggs for breakfast, or spread on crackers, or spooned directly out of the fridge. Whatever works. Enjoy!

For some unknown reason, I had never tasted tarte Tatin until recently, and it was a revelation. I like apple pie, but often find it a bit bland. Tarte Tatin is not at all bland: the apples are soaked with caramel, chewy around the edges, and the crust has a wonderful shatteringly crisp quality that I’ve never encountered in a regular fruit pie. As soon as I tasted it, I vowed that I would try making one myself.

The basic concept really isn’t too complicated, and there seems to be some flexibility, based on the difference between the various recipes I looked up. The foundation is a caramel sauce made with sugar and butter, the apples are laid on the caramel, and pie crust is laid on the apples before baking, then the whole thing is turned upside down before serving. I found variations involving cooking the caramel in a separate pan, then mixing it with the apples, but I went with an approach of cooking the butter, sugar and apples together in a skillet, without stirring, until the sauce caramelized with the juice from the fruit.

Another simple variation is whether to use puff pastry or pie dough. I had some pastry in the fridge, but I felt more inclined to a simple crust, so I just mixed up a single-crust amount of my usual recipe, based on the Joy of Cooking’s Pie Dough Cockaigne.

This is a great example of the kind of food that you should really get other people to make for you, just so you don’t have to see how much butter really goes into it. Between the crust and the filling, this had nearly one and a half sticks of butter! But it’s so good that it’s worth turning a blind eye to the calories. And besides, it’s full of apples, so it’s good for you!

I’m obviously going to need more practice making these – my first attempt was delicious, but not very beautiful. Guess we’ll have to have another one…

Tarte Tatin

adapted from Baking: From My Home to Yours by Dorie Greenspan and On Rue Tatin by Susan Herrmann Loomis

pie dough:

• 1 cup unbleached white flour
• 4 Tbsp butter
• pinch of salt
• cold water (about 1/3 cup?)

tart filling:

• 1 stick unsalted butter
• about 5 apples (I used Braeburns, but any flavorful, firm apple would do)
• 3/4 cup white sugar

Preheat the oven to 400º.

Mix up the pie dough, roll into a disk and set aside (you can refrigerate it if you’re working ahead).

Melt the butter in a heavy skillet. Sprinkle the sugar over the butter, remove from the heat, then arrange the apples in the pan, as snugly and artistically as possible. Put the pan back over medium or medium-low heat. The sugar and butter will bubble up around the apples. Keep an eye on it as it cooks, it will eventually turn a dark caramel color. This took me about half an hour (Dorie says 15 minutes, Susan says an hour, so I just split the difference). Don’t stir.

Lay the crust over the apples and tuck in the edges. Into the oven with it.

Bake 30-40 minutes, until the crust is crisp and golden. Then, without hurting yourself or anyone else, place a large plate over the top of the skillet and invert it. I spilled quite a bit of caramel doing this – I think I need to use a different pan. Rearrange the apples if they became mussed – you may need to scrape some out of the pan.

Make sure to give the tart a few minutes to cool, otherwise the hot caramel may cause injuries. Serve with unsweetened whipped cream (or creme fraiche if you can get it).

If you’re looking at the picture above, rubbing your eyes and thinking “why on earth does that look like a plate of potato chips with an egg on top?” then read on. What can I say, the Parsis made me do it. Or one particular Parsi cookbook author, anyway. For those who don’t know (as I did not), Parsis are Zoroastrian Persians who emigrated to India. Their cuisine has a great deal in common with Indian cooking, but retains certain unique qualities – including a serious attachment to potato chips.

I bought a copy of Niloufer Ichaporia King’s book My Bombay Kitchen some time ago, and was utterly delighted when I discovered the little drawing of the “Parsi food pyramid,” with the base layer consisting entirely of potato chips (the top two layers are ginger and garlic). These are my kind of people! According to King, potato “wafers” and eggs are both beloved of the Parsi people, and this recipe brings them together, along with cilantro and hot chiles, in a ridiculous, yet sublime, dish. We had it for breakfast, with cafe au lait, but it could be a quick supper with a bit of salad and a beer. Depending on your ability to pretend that potato chips are real food.

Wafer Par Ida (Potato Chips and Eggs)

adapted from My Bombay Kitchen by Niloufer Ichaporia King

• 1 Tbsp butter
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1/2 tsp ginger, minced
• 1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed
• 2 green serrano chiles, minced
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 4 handfuls salted potato chips from a newly opened bag
• 2-4 eggs
• 1 Tbsp water

Melt the butter in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Add the garlic, ginger and chiles and saute until wonderfully fragrant. Stir in the cilantro, then crumble in the potato chips by hand. Stir it all up, make nests in the mixture for however many eggs you’ll be adding, then break in the eggs. Pour a little water around the edges, then cover the pan. Cook until the eggs are just set, then scoop it all out onto plates. Try not to giggle too much while you eat it.