green bean casserole

You know the one: it has green beans, Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup, canned crispy onions and a dash of soy sauce.

It's become a dish so enshrined by nostalgia that the actual merits of the dish are irrelevant: Like stuffing and mashed potatoes, it's part of an ensemble that people expect at winter holiday meals.

In 1955, a young home economist named Dorcas Reilly, who had graduated from Philadelphia's Drexel Institute of Technology, developed the recipe. For her it was a regular day at the office at the Campbell Soup Co. in Camden, N.J. There was no light-bulb moment, no way to predict that her modest dish was to become the most-requested recipe in Campbell's 138-year history.

In those days, Reilly says, she worked with a team of home economists creating new ways to use condensed soup, a commodity that had been around for decades. The team in the test kitchen created recipes that appeared in cookbooks, seasonal news releases and on labels. The home economists would taste each other's creations and assign them a rating from one to four.

As she remembers, the green bean casserole was fine just as it was and was one of the recipes most sought-after because it had so few ingredients that it could actually be printed on a soup label.

The casserole recipe also went out on the Associated Press wire and became a hit - modern but homey.

Green Bean Casserole
1 can Campbell's Cream of Mushroom soup

cup milk

1 teaspoon soy sauce

dash ground black pepper

2 (9-ounce) packages of thawed frozen green beans; or 2 (16-ounce) cans of green beans, drained; or about 1 and one-half pounds of cooked fresh green beans

1 cups French's Original French Fried Onions

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine soup, milk, soy sauce, pepper, beans and two-thirds cup onions in a 1 and one-half quart baking dish; stir until blended. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until hot. Stir. Sprinkle with remaining onions. Bake five minutes or until onions are golden. Serves 6.
lt and pepper to taste

1 cup grated white cheddar cheese

3 cups sliced assorted wild mushrooms (such as portabella, shiitake, oyster and cremini)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

1/2 cup buttered bread crumbs

2 teaspoons cold unsalted butter

Fill a large pot or Dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Fill a large bowl with ice water. Boil beans to desired doneness, drain in a colander and plunge into ice water to preserve the color and stop the beans from cooking.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, scald milk and bay leaf until small bubbles from the milk rise to the side of the pan. In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt butter and add flour to create a roux. Cook, whisking constantly, 2 minutes. Remove bay leaf from milk and slowly pour into butter-flour mixture, whisking constantly. Season with mustard, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add cheddar, stirring until melted and smooth.

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Fold green beans and mushrooms into sauce, then transfer to a 2-quart buttered casserole. In a small bowl, combine Parmesan, bread crumbs and butter with two knives until butter is the size of peas; sprinkle mixture over top of casserole. Bake 50 minutes, or until casserole is bubbly and topping is lightly browned.

Per serving: 296 calories (59 percent from fat), 20 grams total fat (12 grams saturated), 62 milligrams cholesterol, 16 grams carbohydrates, 15 grams protein, 324 milligrams sodium, 4 grams dietary fiber.
So, what are you going to cook for me?" As students at the California Culinary Academy and interns in The Chronicle's Food section, we're constantly pelted with that question from friends and family members. Now, with Thanksgiving right around the corner, this question has changed to "What exciting recipes do you have for Thanksgiving?" Suddenly, our friends and families regard us as the gurus of holiday cooking, and we've found ourselves stressed out over how we're going to impress our audience.

Do we have time to come up with turkey foam instead of traditional gravy? Should we call our cranberry sauce a gelee and shape it into mini quenelles?

As we pondered our own menus and tested out numerous Thanksgiving recipes in The Chronicle's test kitchen, we all came to the same conclusion: No matter how innovative a dish is, if it doesn't taste good, it won't impress. Plus, since today is the day before Thanksgiving, you don't have much time for fussing.

That's why we created simple but elegant dishes focusing on quality ingredients that you will be able to prepare in time for the big meal, whether you're a first-time home cook or professionally trained.

By now, you might not be able to find the right size turkey you need at your local grocery store. Or, you might not want to deal with the hassles of roasting a large bird. Roasted Cornish game hens can be a simple and elegant centerpiece, and are far easier and faster to cook than a turkey. Most stores stock plenty of the small birds this time of year, making them easy to locate if you're in a last-minute bind.

If you're planning to serve all the trimmings, half a bird should be plenty of meat for each person. Usually purchased frozen, the hens can be thawed overnight, or are ready to use in about an hour if you keep them under cool running water. If you're letting them thaw right before cooking, use that time to prepare the rest of the ingredients for the hens and other components of your meal.

The secret to making the meat extra flavorful starts with salt - and lots of it. Room-temperature butter and kosher salt, creamed together and then rubbed underneath the skin seasons the meat, while the fat helps baste during cooking. Fresh sage leaves tucked under the skin on the breast provide a hint of herbiness that complements the bird and the side dishes, and also looks beautiful when served. Simply roast, rest and carve - from a frozen start it's just over two hours to serving time.

To accompany the birds, we chose sides reminiscent of childhood favorites, but gave them a fresh twist. The Green Bean Un-Casserole is a California take on retro green bean casserole. A fresh mushroom medley replaces the gloppy condensed soup and freshly made breadcrumbs provide a pleasing and flavorful crunch without the fried onion topping.

We also took the classic candied yams (really sweet potatoes) and created a healthier alternative with better flavor and texture. Roasted yellow peppers enhance the natural sweetness of mashed sweet potatoes and satisfy the sweet and savory component of the meal. Sweet potatoes are often mislabeled yams; look for the orange-flesh variety.

In the comfort food category, Chicken-Apple Sausage & Fennel Stuffing offers a twist on traditional stuffing. Instead of adding in the usual onions and celery to a boxed mix, start with packaged cornbread cubes and perk those up with savory fall ingredients. This simple, one-skillet recipe can be prepared in less than an hour and can also be made in advance and rewarmed.

The classic way to end Thanksgiving is with a slice of pumpkin pie, but our sophisticated Pumpkin Creme Caramel makes things easy by doing away with the crust. It can be made tonight or tomorrow morning, and stay in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve it. Don't be intimidated by the phrase "creme caramel" - preparation is as simple as slowly mixing eggs and sugar into warm cream. Each bite is full of creamy pumpkin custard with hints of warm holiday spices and a sweet, gooey caramel. You won't even miss the crust.

In fact, with this collection of last-minute recipes, you won't miss out on any part of the Thanksgiving feast.

Steam beans until crisp-tender. Rinse under cool water to stop cooking. Slice red pepper into 6 rings. Blot peppers with paper towels. Bundle the green beans into the pepper rings. Refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving time.

When ready to serve, place the butter and sesame seeds in a large, heavy skillet and cook over medium heat until butter just begins to color - don't let it burn. Add the bean bundles to the skillet and gently turn in the butter to warm through. Sprinkle with the vinegar and serve. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 133 calories (63 percent from fat), 10.1 g fat (5.2 g saturated, 2.8 g monounsaturated), 20.4 mg cholesterol, 3.1 g protein, 10.2 g carbohydrates, 2.9 g fiber, 8.9 mg sodium.