Tag Archives: thanksgiving

Sweet Potato-Kale Bread Pudding

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You can bake these savory little sweet potato bread pudding muffins a few days before Thanksgiving; cool and refrigerate. Reheat them in a low oven while the turkey rests. You also can cook this in a 2-quart baking dish instead of a muffin pan, if you prefer.

sweet-potato-kale-bread-pudding-recipe1 pound sweet potatoes
2 cups whole milk
4 large egg yolks
2 large eggs
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (8-ounce) day-old multigrain baguette, cubed
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 (8-ounce) bunch kale, trimmed and chopped
2 tablespoons water
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, divided
Nonstick cooking spray

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Pierce sweet potatoes with a fork. Place sweet potatoes on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast 30 minutes or until tender. Let stand until cool enough to handle.

While sweet potatoes roast, bring milk to a boil. Combine egg yolks, whole eggs, salt and pepper in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add half of hot milk to egg mixture, stirring constantly with a whisk. Whisk in remaining hot milk into egg mixture.

Cut roasted sweet potatoes in half, and scoop flesh into a food processor or blender. Add 1/2 cup milk mixture and process until pureed. Whisk pureed sweet potato mixture into milk mixture in bowl. Stir in cubed bread. Set aside, stirring occasionally.

Heat a large saute pan over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and another pinch of salt; saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in kale and water. Cover and cook 3 minutes or until kale is tender. Stir kale mixture into bread mixture. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese. Divide evenly among 16 (1/2-cup) muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Sprinkle evenly with remaining 1/4 cup cheese. Bake for 15 minutes or until pudding is puffy, set, and lightly browned. Serve warm.

Serves 16


Pair the Wine to Your Thanksgiving Turkey

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It’s got to be the second most popular question circulating these days (just behind, “How do I brine a turkey?”): “What wine should I serve with the Thanksgiving bird?”

You know I’m not one for hard and fast rules, but one way to pare down the choices is to pair to the flavors that predominate in your poultry. I’ve put together four mock menus of birds and fixins to illustrate how ingredients intermingle with wine—some complementing, some contrasting—and how being aware of their interplay can help you create a memorable pairing.

thanksgiving-turkey-wine-pairing

Miso and Herb Rubbed Applewood Smoked Heritage Turkey with Cider Gravy and Sweet Potato-Kale Bread Pudding + Gewurztraminer
Why?
Gewurztraminer is one of those wines everyone seems to like, even if they can’t pronounce it (ahem, Mom, it’s “guh-VOORTS-truh-MEE-nur”). Heady and floral, yet most often bone dry, it shows a surprising affinity for smoke and spice and sweet potatoes.

  • Applewood smoke: To me, a Gewurztraminer brings out the feeling of a crisp evening walk with the faint wisp of chimney smoke lingering in the air. Here, the hint of applewood smoke in the turkey tugs at that note in the wine.
  • Apple cider: The tart fruit and spice profile of cider lines up with that of Gewurz.
  • Sweet potato: Creamy, earthy sweet potatoes pick up the bassier notes of the wine.

I recommend: Navarro Vineyards Gewurztraminer – We love Navarro. Their gewurtz is slightly spicy offset by a bit of sweet, with honeysuckle notes in the nose.

Tarragon-thyme rubbed turkey with roasted fennel, citrus and hazelnut stuffing + Chardonnay
Why?
Turkey may seem like an unlikely partner for Chardonnay. But a bigger wine with a bit of oak will sing with this mix of earthy, aromatic and nutty.

  • Tarragon and thyme: These aromatic herbs will connect with the fruit flavors of the wine from amid the layers of toast and oak.
  • Roasted fennel: The sweet, creamy nature of roasted fennel is a natural with the fuller body and creamy mouthfeel of Chardonnay.
  • Citrus: Citrus in a dish helps accentuate the crisp, acidic finish of a Chardonnay.
  • Hazelnut: Chardonnay has an inherent nutty quality from the oak it’s aged in, which will marry beautifully with the hazelnuts.

I recommend: Martin Ray Santa Cruz Mountains Reserve Chardonnay — Meyer lemon and graham cracker crust on both the nose and palette, with a gloriously crisp, acidic finish that makes it fabulous with food—unusual for a California Chardonnay.

Five-spice rubbed turkey with sweet onion and cherry stuffing + Pinot Noir
Why?
Pinot Noir is a complex wine. While approachable and fruity, it also has many mysterious layers that play well to intricate flavors of spice and sweet in a meal.

  • Five spice: A study in contrast, the light, fruitiness of a Pinot Noir will accentuate the turkey’s aromatic spices.
  • Sweet onion: Sweet onion’s slightly pungent nature brings out the wine’s earthy notes.
  • Cherry: Cherries pull out the myriad fruit flavors of a Pinot Noir.

I recommend: Bonterra Pinot Noir – Blueberry and black cherry carry through from the nose to the palate, where it meets plum and chocolate.

Rosemary-roasted garlic-rubbed turkey with wild mushroom and currant stuffing + Grenache
Why?
One of the lighter red varietals, originally hailing from the Rhone region in France, Grenache has a natural affinity for Provencal ingredients like garlic and rosemary. Some describe it as the Pinot Noir of the Rhone.

  • Rosemary: Grenache has slightly herbal, tones that are highlighted in the turkey’s rosemary rub.
  • Roasted garlic: Mellow, earthy, tingly garlic reaches in and grabs the Grenache right in the middle of the mouth.
  • Wild mushrooms: As fruity as Grenache can be, it is firmly rooted in earth. Wild mushrooms will accentuate its earthy nature.
  • Currant: Currants are an accurate match for Grenache’s fruit flavors complementing the berry notes on both the nose and the palate.

I recommend: Quivira Grenache – Currant and earth predominate without overpowering what’s on the plate.

So this week as you ponder your wine picks, think about the flavor profiles that will be playing on your plate.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Turkey Time

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By Lia Huber and Jacqueline Church

Remember the time when “turkey” meant a big ball of a bird frozen solid at the supermarket and “apple” meant Red Delicious? Those days are long gone. Now, just as we have Gala, Macoun, Winesap and Granny Smith, so too do we have choices when it comes to turkey.

You’ve read the story about heritage turkey breeds, but what does all the rest mean? Here’s a closer look at what picks are out there to help you choose the bird that’s right for you.

turkey time[ photo from www.porterturkeys.com ]

Frozen

Frozen turkeys are flash-frozen immediately after processing and stored frozen until thawed at home, which, it’s estimated, over two-thirds of Americans do for their Thanksgiving meal. If a turkey is frozen quickly at its prime, it can be kept frozen for up to a year without too much decline in flavor or texture. The quality will depend more on the bird itself than on the fact that it’s frozen. That said, the great majority of frozen whole turkeys on the market are the Broad Breasted White breed, which was bred for efficiency, not for flavor. Because frozen birds have a longer shelf life, they tend to be cheaper than fresh birds—something to keep in mind if you’re looking to break into the heirloom realm but are afraid it’ll break the bank.

Price and size: $1.40/lb.   |   10 to 24 lbs.

Taste and texture: There’s no denying that freezing does damage the cells of meat. When ice crystals form between the muscles they can puncture cells and release their fluids, which is why there’s often a gelatinous pool of juices below a bird after you’ve defrosted it, and the meat will be drier as a result. To offset the loss of moisture that occurs from freezing and thawing, frozen turkeys are often injected with a “plumping” solution of chemical preservatives, including  sodium phosphate and modified food starch. So check the label if you want a preservative-free turkey.

Things to consider when buying: With fridge space at a premium during Thanksgiving, it’s essential to plan ahead with a frozen turkey. Be sure to allow enough time to thaw your turkey in the fridge (by far the safest way); a good guide is to allow one day thawing in the refrigerator for every five pounds of weight. And don’t forget to factor in an extra day if you’re brining (a good idea for adding moisture to a frozen and thawed bird . . . don’t be tempted to brine the bird when frozen).

Fresh

Since 1997, when the USDA tightened its definition of fresh poultry, a turkey labeled fresh must never have reached a temperature below 26 degrees Fahrenheit. Besides the obvious benefit of freed-up fridge space (no four day thaw needed), fresh birds may also come from more local sources due to their perishable nature.

Price and size: $1.25 – $1.60/lb.  |  16 -24 lbs.

Taste and texture: A bird that has not been frozen will have meat that is more tender and moist, and may not require the extra step of brining.

Things to consider when buying: You may pay a premium for a fresh bird, but what you get (besides moister meat) is less hassle. No need to take up the fridge for the better part of a week with defrosting and brining. Though, depending where you live, you may need to pre-order a fresh bird from your butcher.

Natural

For food to be labeled “natural” it cannot contain artificial ingredients or color and is, theoretically anyway, minimally processed. Know, though, that the term has nothing to do with what the animal was fed or whether antibiotics or growth hormones were used. And don’t assume “natural,” nonartificial ingredients are ones you’d recognize; ingredients legally termed natural by the USDA include all sorts of modified derivatives of things like corn and soy.

Price and size: $1.79 – $4.00/lb.  |  12-22 lbs.

Taste and texture: Because the term can mean so many things, generalizing a flavor profile for a “natural” bird is nearly impossible.

Things to consider when buying: It’s up to the producer to specify what they’re defining as “natural.” There are no legal definitions other than the exclusions above. That said, those pasture-raising their turkeys or raising heritage breeds will likely state so on the label along with the “natural” tag. So read carefully before you buy.

Free-Range / Pasture-Raised

While most people think free-range and pasture-raised to be synonymous, that isn’t technically the case. Free-range only means that the producer can prove to the USDA inspectors that its turkeys have had access to the outdoors. Under the legal term, it’s feasible that free-range turkeys may never have seen the light of day. Pasture-raised means that the turkey was raised outside on, primarily, a natural diet (according to what Mother Nature deems natural, not the USDA), but the term itself is not regulated.

Price and size: Free Range $2.70 – $3.50/lb.  /   Pasture-Raised $5.30 – $6.50/lb.  |   9 – 13 lb.

Taste and texture: Because the birds have been raised outside on a more varied diet, they will be leaner and richer in flavor.

Things to consider when buying: If you’re concerned about the turkey being too lean, you may want to brine it for extra moistness.

Kosher

Kosher turkeys have been processed under rabbinical supervision. They may be free-range, organic, all natural or none of the above.

Price and size: $3.10 – 3.56/lb.  |   12-18 lbs

Taste and texture: The meat on a Kosher turkey is slightly plumper due to the salting process, with a slightly briny flavor.

Things to consider when buying: Because these birds are salted during the koshering process, they should not be brined.

Organic

By definition, USDA-certified organic turkeys must have been raised on organic feed without antibiotic intervention or growth hormones.

Price and size:

$6.50/$7.00 lb. and up  |  10-20 lbs

Taste and texture: Firm, with a clean flavor

Heirloom

Heirloom is a term that is generally synonymous with heritage when it comes to turkeys. But it is not strictly defined, and can encompass blends of heritage breeds crossed with more modern ones.

Price and size: $3.50/lb. and up  |  10-24 lbs

Taste and texture: Heirloom birds—whether pure heritage breeds or a blend—have leaner, richer-flavored dark meat.

Things to consider when buying: Heirloom crosses tend to be less expensive than heritage breeds and have more white meat, making them a good choice if you’re curious about heritage but skittish about pleasing palates used to Butterballs.

Heritage

A heritage turkey is one of roughly a dozen breeds popular in earlier eras, many of which now are close to extinction. For specific characteristics of heritage birds, and more history, see A Story of Heritage Turkey.

Price and size: $10.00 – $20/lb.  |  12-20 lbs

Taste and texture: These birds have a wilder, richer flavor and leaner meat than other turkeys. The dark meat, especially, is more reminiscent of duck than chicken.

Things to consider when buying: Know that your heirloom bird won’t look like a Butterball. It will have a pup-tent breast, longer, leaner legs, and will likely have dark dots and spots along the skin from pin-feathers. Know, also, that most farmers who raise heirloom breeds are in it for the passion; that the bird was originally bred (at least partially) for taste; and that along with the high price tag comes the knowledge that you’re preserving a part of our country’s past.

“Sans Pan” Cider Gravy

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This is a great gravy recipe to use when you’re grilling a Thanksgiving turkey and don’t have a pan to collect the juices. A quick turkey stock made from the neck and giblets (removed before the turkey roasts) is enhanced by a nutty roux and brightened by a splash of apple cider. As Nicki says, “it’s the perfect autumnal gravy.”

cider-gravy-recipeQuick Turkey Stock

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Neck and gizzards (minus liver) from 1 turkey
1 large onion, halved with skin on
2 cloves garlic, skin on
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
8 white peppercorns
5 allspice berries
2 bay leaves
3 thyme sprigs
4 cups water
1 cup low-sodium chicken stock

Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Sear turkey neck and gizzards, onion, garlic, carrot and celery for 5 minutes, until browned.

Add spices and pour in water and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain.

Makes 3 cups

“Sans Pan” Cider Gravy

4 tablespoons butter, cut into 1 tablespoon chunks
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups hot Quick Turkey Stock
1 cup apple cider
2 thyme sprigs
1 tablespoon minced sage
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Melt butter in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and continue to whisk frequently for 3-5 minutes, until mixture turns deep golden and begins to smell toasted and nutty. Slowly pour in hot turkey stock, whisking constantly (it will hiss and may spatter a bit). Then whisk in cider.

Add thyme and sage, and bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5-7 minutes, until mixture mixture has thickened. Stir in apple cider vinegar and season with salt and pepper.

Makes 3 cups

Wherever You Are, There’s the Feast

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by Cheryl Sternman Rule

Each November, everywhere you look, glossy magazines focus on Thanksgiving food: the turkey, the sides, the desserts. And that’s all wonderful, and important, but let me tell you something: the people who sit around the table, wherever that table may be, are the ones who make Thanksgiving memorable.

Fourteen years ago, my husband Colin and I served as Peace Corps volunteers in the East African nation of Eritrea. That November, come Thanksgiving, we hopped a bus and traveled from our little house in Decamhare to the town of Keren to gather at the home of two friends.  All around the country, our fellow volunteers did the same–some rode rickety busses for three hours, some for eight, some for even longer. Although we were stationed far apart, we made the effort to celebrate the holiday together.

I recently emailed these old Peace Corps friends to ask them what they recall about our Thanksgivings in Africa and was struck by how wildly their memories varied. It was fun to piece together their reminiscences, and to spur a collective sense of nostalgia for such a unique time in all of our lives.

Here’s what they shared: Sarah says she thought our country director imported a turkey from Germany, although Devra claims it was from South Africa. Jannett isn’t convinced there was a turkey at all. “Did we actually have meat?” she asked.  Kristen remembers her feelings about the spread without recalling specific foods. “I was beside myself at the variety and selection of food.  Never has a Thanksgiving feast been so incredibly appreciated.”

Julie’s memories go to the following Thanksgiving, when we gathered at Adam’s house in Nefasit. She remembers that one group headed up the mountain to Debre Bizen, an ancient monastery, while others hung back to prepare the meal. She recalls dancing outside “in front of the fire, which meant we had music–Adam was good for always having music.” For his part, Adam remembers “going around Nefasit trying to get as much charcoal as I could find, which ended up being quite a lot. I remember there was lots of cooking going on during the day, but I can’t remember what we were cooking.”

And therein lies the most important nugget, the gem, really, of Thanksgiving. For all our focus on the food, on making it perfect, or beautiful, or right, the food is not what people remember. People remember the feelings of fellowship, and if my friends are any indication, they remember those feelings with tremendous joy. This is true no matter where you were, and what you may, or may not, have eaten.

So this year, reach out to friends and family from Thanksgivings past. Reconnect, reminisce, and be grateful for their presence in your life.

cheryl-thumb

Cheryl Sternman Rule is a food and nutrition writer whose work has appeared in numerous national magazines, including EatingWell and Body+Soul. She is the voice behind the food blog 5 Second Rule.


Miso- and Herb-Rubbed Applewood Smoked Heritage Turkey

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Cooking a heritage turkey for Thanksgiving connects you to our country’s history and the farmers dedicated to preserving heritage breeds . . . and to some tasty meat. The miso in this rub acts almost like a light brine, only without any of the mess.

miso-herb-rubbed-smoked-heritage-turkey
2 cloves garlic, smashed
Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup white miso
4 tablespoons butter, softened
1/4 cup mixed, minced herbs
1 (12-pound) heritage turkey

Mash the garlic to a paste with a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper (don’t use too much salt or the bird will be too salty). In a small bowl, mix together garlic, miso, butter and herbs.

Very carefully work your fingers under the skin and rub the mixture all over the breast and legs. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, soak 2 cups applewood chips in cold water for 30 minutes.

Preheat the grill.

Drain and transfer chips to a smoke box (or create a tray from heavy-duty foil). Lift up cooking grates on the grill and place the chip tray directly on the burner (when grilling the bird, you’ll be using direct heat, which means only one burner will be on . . . place the chip tray on that burner). Replace the cooking grates and turn all burners to high.

When grill is hot, turn off all burners but the one the wood chips are resting on (leave that one on high) and adjust the heat so the temperature stays around 325F. Spray a “V” roasting rack with cooking spray, place the turkey breast-side down, and position in the middle of the indirect heat area. Close the cover and cook for 2 hours, turning the rack 180 degrees halfway through.

After 2 hours, flip the bird over head-to-toe (so to speak—breast should be up now, and neck where the tail was) and grill for another 1 to 1-1/2 hours, turning the rack 180 degrees halfway through. Use a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the leg without touching bone to test if the turkey is done (should read 145F).

Take the turkey off the grill, tent loosely with foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Serves 12

A Story of Heritage Turkey

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Turkey is the iconic American bird. So it’s only fitting that it takes center stage for that iconic American holiday: Thanksgiving. The species is native to the Americas, but many of the breeds that populated our country’s agricultural landscape throughout the centuries were a mix of indigenous wild turkeys and domesticated ones bred in Europe from stock originally exported from the New World. So from early on, in quintessential American fashion, the turkey became a cultural hybrid.

heritage-turkey

But there’s more to the story. To me, turkeys are a living illustration of how much our country’s food culture has changed in the past 50 years.

For hundreds of years, up until the mid-20th century, farmers bred turkeys for flavor, beauty and yield. Each breed was developed for a different purpose: Narragansetts were good foragers where food was scarce, the Bourbon Red was prized for its meat and the Standard Bronze for its beautiful plumage. By the 1950s though, as our food system became more industrialized and turkey breast became a deli standard, two of those factors—flavor and beauty—fell from consideration. After all, people no longer bought turkeys from their nearest turkey farmer, they bought it prepackaged (and probably frozen) from one of the burgeoning supermarkets in the area.

Turkey breeders began selecting for birds that could be developed quickly, could efficiently convert food into the coveted breast meat and would have flawless skin once plucked. Thus the Broad Breasted White, in a time when Wonder Bread and Twinkies were considered modern miracles, took the market by storm. Today, they make up about 99% of the turkey market in America, and many of those other breeds—what we now call heritage turkeys—are close to extinction.

What Are Heritage Turkeys? There are roughly a dozen varieties of heritage turkeys, seven of which were recognized back in 1874 in the first edition of the American Poultry Association’s Standard of Perfection—the official guide to breed standards for all types of poultry. Technically, the term “heritage turkey” is defined by these three characteristics:

  • They can mate naturally. This may sound self-evident, but the Broad Breasted White—because of its short breast and legs—cannot mate on its own and must be artificially inseminated in order to reproduce.
  • They must be able to live a productive life outside in their natural environment. In contrast, heirlooms’ buxom cousins are much less hardy and more prone to disease.
  • They must have a slow (some might say “normal”) growth rate. Mass-produced turkeys develop so quickly that their muscles can outpace the rest of their bodies.

It’s ironic to me that something has to be defined with a fancy moniker like “heritage” to say it can live a normal, healthy life in a natural environment and that what we take for granted as “turkey” is something that came from generations of artificial insemination, doesn’t develop properly and doesn’t have the fortitude to live in its native habitat.

Why Would I Want to Buy a Heritage Turkey? The easy answer is incredibly flavorful, juicy meat. The more in-depth answer is, by serving up a heritage turkey you’re helping save them from disappearing altogether. Four of the roughly dozen heritage turkey breeds are listed on Slow Food’s Ark of Taste as near extinction. The more demand there is for these heritage breeds, the more incentive farmers will have to raise them.

How Are They Different? True heritage birds look, well, scrawny. They have longer breast bones and legs, making their breast look more pup tent than plump. They also layer on fat differently, since they’re essentially a wild animal, so you’re likely to find large deposits towards the neck rather than distributed throughout. While the breast meat doesn’t taste enormously different, the dark meat is redder with a much richer flavor, almost like that of duck or goose.

Do I Have to Cook a Heritage Bird Differently? Because heritage birds have smaller breasts, they cook faster and can dry out easily. Cook the bird until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the thigh (without touching bone) reads 145F-150F (it will continue to cook as it rests).

Sweet Potato Puree with Honey and Crispy Shallots

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This is an incredibly versatile side dish that shows just how delicious healthy can be. Serve this sweet potato with a Thanksgiving turkey or a simple roast chicken. Or top it with a mushroom sauté for a meatless feast any night.

sweet-potato-puree-recipe4 pounds garnet sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup finely chopped shallots
4 tablespoons butter, divided
3/4 cup low-fat milk
3 tablespoons honey
3 tablespoons soy sauce
sea salt and freshly ground white pepper

Bring a large pot of boiling salted water to a boil and drop in potatoes. Return to a gentle boil over medium heat and cook for 12-15 minutes, until tender enough to pierce with a fork. Drain in a colander and transfer half of the potatoes to a food processor.

Heat oil in a large sauté pan over medium heat and sauté shallots for 10-12 minutes, stirring frequently, until deep golden brown (be careful—they go quickly from golden to burnt in the last minute or so). Transfer to a paper towel. Set aside 2 tablespoons shallots.

Add 2 tablespoons butter, milk, honey and soy sauce to the food processor with the sweet potatoes and puree for 30 seconds, until smooth. Scrape into a bowl and repeat with the remaining ingredients. Combine the two batches of puree, season with salt and pepper and stir in all but the reserved 2 tablespoons of the shallots.

Scrape into a serving bowl and top with reserved shallots.

Serves 12

Green Beans with Frizzled Shallots

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This simple side dish is our answer to that Thanksgiving classic: green bean casserole. But since it’s made with fresh green beans, it’s sooooo much better. The method may seem backwards, but adding the olive oil and shallot at the end makes the flavors even more intense.

Green Beans with Frizzled Shallots

1/4 cup vegetable broth
1 pound medium green beans, topped
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/8 teaspoon black pepper

Bring broth to a simmer over medium heat and add beans. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, until beans are just pliable. Uncover and increase heat to high. Sauté beans until all liquid has evaporated. Add olive oil, shallot, salt and pepper and continue sautéing for 3-5 minutes, until shallots are crispy and beans are tender and browned in places.

Serves 4