NATE - The Nate Berkus Show

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Learn how to make delish winter dishes like croissant burgers, stuffed lasagna rolls, and inside out s'mores with George Duran!

Croissant Burgers (with basil aioli)
Ingredients
1 ½ pounds ground beef chuck
½ pound ground pork
2 shallots, finely chopped
Kosher salt or table salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 Large croissants, sliced in half
½ cup mayonnaise
6 fresh basil leaves, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, forced through a garlic press or finely chopped
8 ounces Brie, cut into 4 slices

Directions
Preheat a charcoal or gas grill to medium-high heat. In a large bowl combine the ground chuck, pork, shallot, salt and pepper; mix well. Form into 4 oval patties to fit the croissants.
For the aioli, combine the mayonnaise, basil leaves, lemon juice and garlic.
Grill the burgers directly over medium-high heat until done (160 °F), topping with Brie when you flip them over. (Or cook the burgers indoors in a skillet or grill pan.) Toast the croissants while the burgers cook. Serve the burgers on the croissants; top with the aioli.

Stuffed Lasagna Rolls
Prep: 25 minutes
Cook: 7 minutes
Bake: 20 minutes
Yield: 5 to 6 servings

Ingredients
12 no-cook lasagna noodles
2 to 3 hot Italian sausages
1 ½ cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon kosher salt or ¾ teaspoon table salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Directions
In a large pan of boiling, salted water cook the lasagna noodles for 3 to 3 minutes or until they are just soft (don’t overcook them). Drain and rinse with cold water. Drain on paper towels.
Remove the casings from the sausages. Crumble the meat into a nonstick skillet. Cook over high heat about 5 to 6 minutes or until browned, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon. Remove from the pan and set aside, In a bowl mix the ricotta, Parmesan, egg, basil, salt, and pepper until combined. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F. In a 13x9x2-inch lasagna pan evenly spread half of the tomatoes.
To assemble the lasagna rolls, place a lasagna noodle on a work surface with the short side toward you. Put 2 tablespoons of the ricotta mixture on the bottom half of the noodle; add 1 tablespoon of the cooked sausage. Roll noodle starting at the bottom and place in the lasagna pan. Prepare the remaining noodles in the same way, lining them up in the pan. Spread the remaining tomatoes over the rolls and top with the mozzarella cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and bake for 10 to 15 minutes more or until the cheese is bubbling and lightly browned.

Penne Chicken Casserole
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 15 minutes
Bake: 30 minutes
Stand: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients
Nonstick cooking spray
1 pound dried penne pasta
Kosher salt or table salt
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 quart milk (4 cups)
2 tablespoons snipped fresh thyme or 2 teaspoons dried thyme, crushed
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 chicken shredded
1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¾ cup dry bread crumbs
¼ cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 tablespoons butter, melted

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Coat a 13x9x2-inch baking pan or a large ovenproof casserole with nonstick cooking spray.
Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water for 8 to 10 minutes or until it is almost tender. (The pasta will absorb the liquid from the sauce as it finishes cooking in the oven.) Drain, rinse with cold water; drain and set aside.
In a large pan melt the 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk to combine. Whisk constantly about 2 minutes or until the flour is cooked but not brown. Remove from heat. Slowly add the milk, whisking to prevent lumps. Cook about 8 to 10 minutes or until the mixture thickens, stirring frequently. Stir in the thyme and cayenne pepper. Stir in the pasta, chicken, peas, and lemon juice. Pour into the prepared pan.
Combine the bread crumbs, Parmesan, and melted butter. Spoon the topping evenly over the casserole. Bake about 30 minutes or until the top is golden brown and the mixture is bubbling. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.

Inside-Out S’mores
Ingredients
Jumbo marshmallows
Hershey’s milk chocolate bars (or any other brand)
Graham crackers
Skewers or sticks to roast marshmallows

Directions
Skewer one jumbo marshmallow and roast evenly on an open fire until brown on all sides. Carefully slide off the outer layer of the marshmallow until you have a “hollow” jumbo marshmallow.
Sandwich two halves of the chocolate bar between half a graham cracker and gently stuff it inside the “hollow” marshmallow. Allow to rest for a few seconds so that the chocolate melts a bit and serve immediately!

S'mores Cookies
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup graham crackers crumbs
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 tsp. cinnamon
2 sticks butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups mini chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups mini marshmallows
2 Hershey bars, coarsely chopped

Directions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
In a medium bowl combine the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. In a second larger bowl beat together the butter, sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract until creamy. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Slowly beat in the flour mixture until smooth. Stir in the chocolate chips. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake for 8 minutes, and remove from the oven. Push 3 to 4 marshmallows and a few pieces of hershey bar into each cookies. Return to the oven and bake an additional 3-4 minutes until fully cooked. Cool cookies on a wire rack.
Makes approximately 4 dozen cookies.

Nacho Mama’s S'mores
Ingredients
1 (14-ounce) package of graham crackers
3 (5-ounce) milk chocolate bars
½ of a 10-.5 ounce bag of mini marshmallows