Archive for Thanksgiving Recipes
How to roast a turkey with Chef Scott Cutaneo
Posted by: | CommentsYou can do it, really you can, and it’s not that difficult. If you never cooked a turkey in the past, or perhaps had a subpar turkey experience, this year is different. Chef Scott from Le Petit Chateau guides you through the basics in this easy to follow video recipe for roasting the perfect Thanksgiving turkey.
First, brine the turkey. Why brine? Because it adds moisture and flavor to your turkey. Wikipedia has a great explanation of the chemistry here. Mix 2 cups of salt mixed with 2 gallons of hot or boiling water (or an appropriate ratio, 1 cup of salt per gallon of water), making sure the salt is completely dissolved. Let the salt water mixture cool and soak your turkey in the mixture using a large soup stock pot or a large roasting pan, making sure the entire bird is covered. Let the turkey soak for 1 hour per pound of turkey, in the refrigerator. You will to do this the night before Thanksgiving. On Thanksgiving day: Before you are ready to roast, discard the salt water, rinse and dry the turkey. If you wish to try a fancier version of brining, chef Scott has a special version using sugar and bourbon found in this video.
How to Brine Turkey and Other Poultry – More free videos are here
The rest is easy.
You will need, in addition to the brined turkey: onions, carrots, thyme, oil, butter, salt, pepper, and trussing string.
Into your roasting pan, add onions, and carrots, celery, and tyme, place the turkey on top of the veggies and herbs, twine the turkey per chef Scott’s instructions, brush it with an oil and butter mixture, add salt, pepper, and 2 inches of water to the bottom of the pan. Cook as directed for the weight of your bird, basting every hour or so. Check the temperature on the back of the breast with a simple meat thermometer, Scott chooses 155 as the perfect temperature before pulling it out of the oven, as the meat will continue to cook even after it is out of the oven. If you are a directions follower, simply follow the directions per pound for your bird. Dinner is served, take a bow, and relax!
Holiday food and wine pairing, mystery solved!
Posted by: | CommentsHosting a party or event during this busy holiday season? Seasoned chefs and sommeliers have no difficulty with food and wine pairing, but for many of us, the issue can be a perplexing challenge. We have discovered this sinfully easy cheat sheet to assist you, a simple interactive wine pairing wheel. Simply click the image, choose a wine, and receive suggestions for the appropriate meat or poultry, fish, sauces, and desserts. Thanksgiving party planners take note: this guide recommends Sauvignon Blanc as a suitable white wine for turkey, and Pinot Noir as a complimentary red wine. For smoked turkey, the guide suggests a white Riesling.
We brought up the subject of turkey to our friend Joe from Another Wine Blog, and he recommended a 2007 Cono Sur Pinot Noir, with an attractive price point of under $10. Wine.com provides a list of suggested wines for thanksgiving here, and you may also find helpful this Thanksgiving wine pairing article written by Joanie from Lafond Vineyards in Santa Barbara.
Spice up your Thanksgiving holiday with these cranberry chutney recipes!
Posted by: | CommentsCranberries really are given a bad rap. Memories of the canned version at Thanksgiving, reminiscent of jello are partially to blame, and sadly, this side dish has been discarded from many a modern Thanksgiving holiday.
We say give chutney a chance! What is chutney, exactly? Originating in India, chutney is typically defined as a sweet and spicy condiment made of fruits or vegetables, vinegar, sugar and spices. Chutney can be made with mango, apricots, tomatoes or coconut, and spiced with spices such as nutmeg, coriander, or mint, just to name a few of the thousands of ingredient variations. Typically made fresh in India, the type of chutney that is made depends on the ingredients in the local harvest, and they were often not cooked, but infused in the hot Indian sun for several days until the desired flavor and texture were reached. This method is known to still prevail in today’s Indian kitchens that do not have stoves.
Sanjay Thumma
Recently we’ve discovered a delightful Indian Chef by the name of Sanjay Thumma, who is quite the celebrity in India. Thousands of his recipes and videos can be found on his site here, and we especially love his version of cranberry chutney in this video.
Cranberry Chutney
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint of fresh cranberries
3 to 4 chopped green chillies
2″ piece of ginger sliced
2 cloves of garlic chopped (optional)
3 to 4 sprigs of green coriander finely chopped
1-2 tbsp of jaggery or sugar (this is an unrefined cane sugar common in India, you may substitute with brown sugar.)
1 tsp of cumin seeds
Salt to taste
1 tbsp of oil
DIRECTIONS:- Heat some oil in the pan and add cumin seeds. When they crackle, add the sliced ginger
and chopped garlic. Then add the cranberries and green chillies.
Let it cook on medium heat until they are completely cooked and cranberries are softer. Now add the chopped coriander.
Cover the pan with a lid and let it cook. Add some water in between as needed.
Add the salt to taste and the jaggery (or brown sugar) to taste.
When completely cooked put the mixture in the blender and blend it to fine paste.
Also be sure to see our other posted cranberry chutney recipe from Chef Chef Suvir Saran of Dévi restaurant in NYC.
Also spotted in the blogosphere: a delicious cranberry apple chutney recipe here, from Think Inside The Icebox. The famous food blogger Orangette has a cranberry, ginger, and dried cherries version found here, which received rave comment reviews. Whichever recipe you choose, cranberry chutney will be a shining star on your table served as a side dish, over turkey slices, or over warm bread.
