We had an early Christmas dinner last night and had some friends over. It was my first time entertaining non-family for a nice meal. It turned out very well and was fun. I made the same turkey that I did for Thanksgiving (recipe to follow) because it turned out so well. One of my friends is pregnant so I had to lay off the booze that I usually cook with.
Here are the recipes for yesterday's dinner for all my foodie friends. Each one was pretty easy in case you want to try them out. BTW these are all Zero Calorie. Bwahahahahahaha!!!
Good Eats Roast Turkeycourtesy of Alton Brown
1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves sage
Canola oil
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled.
Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining.
A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.
Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine.
Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
Turkey Pan Gravyfrom Food Network Kitchens
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1 shallot, minced
4 cloves garlic, smashed
1 sprig rosemary, minced (about 1 tablespoon)
1 sprig thyme leaves, minced (about 1 teaspoon)
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Once you've roasted your turkey, pour any pan drippings into a degreasing cup or small bowl. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the fat, discarding the rest, and add the separated juices to the broth. Add the reserved fat to the roasting pan and place on a burner over medium-high heat. Add the shallot, garlic, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper. Cook until shallot is tender, about 3 minutes.
Meanwhile, make a paste with the butter and flour in a small bowl; set aside. Add the broth and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Bring to a boil and whisk in the flour mixture. Boil until sauce thickens to make a gravy, about 4 to 5 minutes. Adjust seasoning, to taste. Remove and discard the garlic and bay leaf. Serve.
Mashed Potatoescourtesy of Emeril Lagasse
2 pounds potatoes, peeled and diced
1 stick butter, cubed
1/2 to 3/4 cup heavy cream
Salt and white pepper
Place the potatoes in a pot of salted water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the potatoes until fork tender, about 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and drain. Place the potatoes back in the pot and return to the heat. Stir the potatoes, constantly, for 2 to 3 minutes to dehydrate the potatoes. Remove the potatoes from the heat. Add the butter. Using a hand-held masher, mash the butter into the potatoes. Add enough cream until desired smoothness is achieved. The potatoes should still be sort of lumpy. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper.
Sauteed Green Beanscourtesy of Cathy Lowe
1 1/2 pounds green beans 2 cloves garlic, minced 2 tablesoons butter 1/2 cup of water
Trim ends of beans. In large skillet melt butter and add beans, garlic and water. Stir and cook quickly over high heat until tender.
Salad Dressingcourtesy of me + the internet
2 shallots, halved lengthwise and peeled
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1 3/4 cup olive oil
In a blender or food processor, finely chop the shallots. Add vinegar and brown sugar and process until smooth. Slowly add 1 3/4 cups oil, processing frequently, so as to thicken the mixture.
Bittersweet Chocolate Puddingcourtesy of Emily Luchetti
4 large egg yolks
1/2 cup sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 1/2 cups whipping cream, divided
9 ounces (2 cups) chopped bittersweet chocolate (not chocolate chips)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Whisk together first 3 ingredients in a medium bowl until blended.
2. Combine milk and 1 cup cream in medium saucepan, and cook over medium heat until hot. Gradually pour hot milk mixture into egg mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly with a heat-resistant spatula, for 5 minutes or until mixture thickens and coats the spatula or until candy thermometer reads 180°.
3. Remove saucepan from heat. Add chocolate, and let stand 10 seconds; whisk until smooth. Transfer chocolate cream to a clean bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on the surface of the cream, and refrigerate until cold and set, at least 3 hours.
4. Combine remaining 1/2 cup cream, sugar, and vanilla in a medium bowl. Beat at high speed with an electric mixer until soft peaks form. (Do not overbeat.) Dollop onto each serving of pudding.
*Serving suggestion: Divide half the whipped cream evenly among six wineglasses. Spoon about 2/3 cup chocolate pudding over the cream in each glass, and top with remaining whipped cream.
Labels: Recipes
