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Amuse Bouche
by Chef Dean Carvalho
Entertaining for the Holidays can be very stressful, especially if it's your first time hosting a family gathering. These recipes were created with that in mind, and the accompanying timeline helps you organize the many aspects needed to create a Thanksgiving to remember. These recipes will hold up just as well for Christmas, although you might consider making a roast beef in place of the turkey. And the concept of creating a timeline can be applied to any occasion year 'round.
My First Thanksgiving Menu
Thanksgiving Timeline
Saturday, November 13
- Inventory pots & pans, serving dishes and utensils for each recipe, shop as necessary
Sunday, November 14
- Make chicken stock, freeze
Monday, November 15
- Take tablecloth and napkins to dry cleaners for pressing
- Order fresh turkey
Saturday, November 20
- Shop for table decorations
Sunday, November 21
Monday, November 22
Tuesday, November 23
- Make rutabaga puree
- Set Thanksgiving table completely, lay wine glasses on their side, and cover with clean bedsheet
- Send pets to the groomer for a bath
Wednesday, November 24
Thursday, November 25
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Roasted Butternut Squash Soup
- 4 lbs. Butternut squash
- 2 T butter
- 2 small to medium yellow onions, coarsely chopped
- 2 Poblano chilies, roasted, peeled, seeded and coarsely chopped
- ‡ bottle corona beer
- 2 qts Chicken or Vegetable stock
- º cup firmly packed dark brown sugar
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 t ground cinnamon
- ‡ t ground nutmeg
- ‡ t turmeric
- 1 cup heavy cream
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- ‡ cup crËme fraiche, for garnish
- Cut squash in half lengthwise and remove seeds. Place cut side down on a well oiled baking sheet and place in a pre-heated 375 F oven for 1 to 1 ‡ hours until soft. Let cool, peel and cut into 1 inch pieces.
- In a large soup pot, melt butter and sautÈ onions and chilies until tender.
- Deglaze with beer, scraping the browned bits from bottom of the pot.
- Add stock, squash, sugar, garlic and spices and simmer 30 minutes.
- Carefully puree soup. Return to pot, season with salt and pepper. (Soup can be made to this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days, reheat and continue with steps 6 & 7.)
- Stir in cream.
- Garnish with crËme fraiche and pumpkin seeds, serve.
Serves 8.
Spiced Pumpkin Seeds
- ‡ cup shelled pumpkin seeds
- 1 T Butter
- ‡ t Cumin seed, toasted and ground
- ‡ t Coriander seed, toasted and ground
- ‡ t Ground ginger
- º t Cayenne pepper
- In a dry skillet, lightly toast pumpkin seeds until fragrant, add butter and continue to cook for 30 seconds, being careful not to burn seeds.
- Transfer to a small bowl, and toss with spices.
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Oven Roasted Turkey
Select a fresh young turkey and allow 1 lb. per person, which should provide a nice amount of leftover turkey for sandwiches, pot pies, stews or soups.
- 1 fresh turkey, (or completely thawed, if frozen)
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon pepper
- 2 teaspoons paprika
- 2 medium yellow onions, halved
- 6 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 cups chicken stock
Preheat the oven to 350.
Combine salt, pepper and paprika and set aside.
Rinse bird with cool water inside and out, allow water to completely drain from cavity. Pat dry with a clean kitchen towel and allow bird to come to room temperature, about 1 hour. Sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of spice mixture inside cavity of the turkey. Place onion halves inside and truss turkey, being careful not to tie too tightly.
Brush turkey with melted butter on all sides and sprinkle with remaining seasoning. Place turkey on it's side on a roasting rack in a large roasting pan. Pour stock into bottom of pan, being careful not to let liquid reach the level of the turkey.
Roast the turkey on lower rack of oven for 30 minutes. Carefully turn turkey over, baste with juices and roast on other side an additional 30 minutes. Turn bird breast side up, baste with juices and continue roasting for remaining time basting every 30 minutes. When done, remove from oven and allow to rest 45 minutes before carving.
There are several ways to test for doneness. When an instant read thermometer inserted in the thigh of the bird reaches 180 F the bird is done (be careful thermometer does not touch bone). You can cut the skin between the thigh and the breast, and jiggle the thigh, if it's loose and the juices appear clear, the bird is done.
Gravy
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all-purpuse flour
- 3 cups defatted turkey drippings and chicken stock
- º cup bourbon (optional)
- º cup crËme fraiche (optional)
- salt & pepper
In a saucepan melt butter over high heat, add flour and cook stirring constantly, about 1 minute. Quickly add drippings and stock whisking constantly. Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes. Add crËme fraiche and bourbon, continue cooking 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.
Makes about 3 cups.
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Cornbread Stuffing
- 6 cups water
- 1 cup wild rice
- 5 oz dried cranberries
- 1 cup pine nuts
- 4 oz (1 stick) unsalted butter
- 2 yellow onions, finely chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 3 stalks celery, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- º cup Italian parsley, finely chopped
- º cup fresh Sage, minced
- 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 6 cups (one 12oz box) cornbread stuffing mix
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 2 eggs, beaten
- Preheat oven to 350.
- In a large saucepan, bring water to boil, add rice and salt and bring back to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer about 45 minutes or until some of the rice has burst and rice is tender. Drain and set aside.
- Soak dried cranberries in 1 cup hot water for 30 minutes, drain.
- Place pinenuts on a baking sheet and place in preheated oven for 8 minutes, remove and allow to cool.
- In a large skillet, melt butter and sautÈ onions until translucent, add garlic, dried thyme and celery and continue cooking 3-4 minutes. Remove from heat, add parsley, sage, salt and pepper.
- In a large bowl, combine bread crumbs, pine nuts, wild rice, drained cranberries onion mixture and mix thoroughly.
- Add stock and mix to moisten stuffing. Taste, and adjust salt and pepper according to your taste. Add beaten eggs, mix thoroughly and transfer to large baking dish. Cover with foil and bake for 30 minutes, remove foil and continue baking 10 minutes for crunchy top.
Serves 8-10.
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Cranberry Pear Chutney with Ginger
- 3 pkgs. Fresh cranberries (12 oz. each)
- 3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 semi-ripe Bartlett pears, peeled, cored and diced
- 2 cups golden raisins
- 2‡ cups sugar
- 1º cups fresh squeezed orange juice
- 3 inch piece of cinnamon stick, or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 2 Tablespoons freshly grated ginger
- º teaspoon nutmeg
- ‡ cup Cointreau
Place all ingredients except for the liqueur in a large pot. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, stirring often, until the mixture thickens, about 30 minutes. Remove from heat, add liqueur and let the chutney cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate for up to 7 days. Serve lightly chilled.
Serves 10-12.
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Rutabaga and Potato Puree with Fried Shallots
- 3 lbs. Rutabagas, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1‡ inch pieces
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3 Tablespoons sour cream
- Salt & Pepper, to taste
- 1‡ Tablespoons each vegetable oil and unsalted butter
- 4 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
- Preheat the oven to 200 F degrees.
- In a large pot, bring plenty of salted water to boil, add the rutabagas and potato and cook until very tender. Drain and transfer to the bowl of a food processor. Add butter and sour cream, season with salt and pepper and process until smooth. Transfer to an ovenproof dish, cover and put in preheated oven to keep warm.
- In a heavy skillet, melt butter together with the oil over medium high heat. Add the shallots and sautÈ until they are nicely browned and crisp tender, about 4-5 minutes, drain. Stir the shallots into the vegetable puree and adjust seasonings. Serve hot.
Serves 8.
Make ahead: May be made completely in advance up to 4 days in advance. Reheat at 350 F for 45 minutes.
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Yellow Corn Pudding Casserole
- 2 cans (16oz each) whole kernal corn, drained
- 1 can (16oz) cream-style corn
- ‡ lb. Unsalted butter, melted
- º cup sugar
- 5 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- Salt and pepper to taste
Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl, season with salt and pepper and mix well. Pour into a buttered casserole or baking dish and bake 35-45 minutes or until knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.
Serves 8.
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Pumpkin Pie
- 1 can (15oz) pumpkin puree
- æ cup sugar
- ‡ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- ‡ teaspoon nutmeg
- º teaspoon ground cloves
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 can (12oz) evaporated milk
Preheat the oven to 425 F.
In a large bowl combine pumpkin, sugar, salt and spices and mix thoroughly. Add eggs, mix well. Slowly add milk, being careful not to incorporate too much air. Pour into unbaked pie shell and bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 F and bake an additional 40-50 minutes or until knife inserted into center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely before serving, about 1-2 hours.
Pie Crust
- 8 oz. unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 oz, unsalted butter, cut into 1" pieces, well chilled
- º teaspoon lemon juice
- 6-8 Tablespoons cold water
In the bowl of a food processor, combine flour and salt, process for 10 seconds to combine. Add butter all at once, and pulse until butter resembles pea sized chunks. With machine running, add water just until dough forms. Do not over mix. Turn dough out onto plastic wrap, press together to form a round flat disc, cover and refrigerate for 1 hour. Roll pastry to even thickness, and carefully fit into pieshell, taking care to form nice edges. Chill 30 minutes before filling and baking.
Makes one 9 inch pie.
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