THANKSGIVING BURGERS

This year there is no table leaf to pull out of storage and polish, no silverware to count. We don’t have to reorganize the clutter into invisibility or worry that Uncle Jeff might make off-color remarks and Aunt Katherine might have too much of a tipple. This year our Thanksgiving Feast will be shared more intimately. Too many of us have lost loved ones, and too many more are playing nursemaid to others.

Maybe we should do something a little simpler.

It was with this in mind, that I set out last week to create a Thanksgiving Burger.

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It seems fitting to celebrate a distinctly American holiday with an American classic. It’s a single serving food that you can present and eat at a social distance. It’s perfect grill food if you live in a climate that allows for outdoor dining. It’s easy to savor while eyeing holiday football or the first onslaught of Hallmark Christmas movies. And it tastes just like Thanksgiving, with much, much, less cleanup.

We served our burgers with oven baked sweet potato fries and a Brussels sprout apple slaw. The herbed burger combined with a tangy, creamy cranberry relish to provide a perfect holiday mouthful. The crunchy slaw had just the right amount of apple sweetness. And the baked fries added just the right touch of filling Thanksgiving flavor. The meal was equally matched by both amber ale and pinot noir. And for dessert I deconstructed a pecan pie into a praline sundae.

Yum.

If you’re planning on creating the whole meal, start with the slaw and then get the fries in the oven while you put together the rest.

Enjoy. And may you have much to be grateful for.

THANKSGIVING BURGERS

  • 1 Lb. ground turkey

  • 2 tbsp. minced parsley

  • 1/2 tsp. ground thyme (or two sprigs fresh, minced)

  • 1/2 tsp. ground dried rosemary (or one spring fresh, minced)

  • 1/4 tsp. dried sage (or two leaves fresh, minced)

  • 1/2 tsp. onion powder

  • salt & pepper

  • 1 large red onion

  • 8 leaves butter or green leaf lettuce, washed

  • 4 buns of choice

  • Creamy Cranberry Burger Relish (recipe below)

Mix together turkey, herbs, onion power, salt and pepper until seasoning is evenly distributed through meat. Using clean wet hands, form into four burger patties. Set aside. Peel red onion. and slice four 1/4 inch slices from it. Fry onion slices in a little oil over medium heat until they are translucent and slightly browned. Remove onions from pan. Increase heat to medium high, add more oil if necessary, and fry burgers 3-4 minutes on each side or until well-browned. Cover pan and turn off heat. Leave covered for 5-7 minutes or until burgers appear puffed and feel firm to the touch. Toast buns, if desired. Slather each bun with 2 tablespoons relish. Lay lettuce leaves and onions atop the bun base. Nestle the burger in the lettuce leaves and add more relish to taste.



CREAMY CRANBERRY BURGER RELISH

  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries, chopped

  • 1/4 c. shallots, minced

  • 1 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

  • 1/4 c. mayonnaise

  • 1/4 c. chopped celery leaves

Macerate cranberries and shallots for about 15 minutes. Add in mayonnaise and chopped celery leaves and stir until well mixed.

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BRUSSELS SPROUT SLAW

  • 16-20 large brussels sprouts

  • 1 apple peeled, cored and cut into matchsticks

  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice

  • 2 tbsp. olive oil

  • salt

Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and a pinch of salt. Thinly slice Brussels sprouts. Separate slices into thin shreds with your hands. Toss apples and Brussels sprouts with the dressing, set to one side.


SWEET POTATO FRIES

  • 2 large or 4 small sweet potatoes

  • olive oil

  • salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a baking sheet lightly with olive oil. Peel sweet potatoes. Cut off the pointy ends, and slice longways into thick slices. slice again longways into fries. Toss fries in olive oil and season with salt. Bake for 15 minutes. Turn over using a spatula and bake for 10 minutes on the other side.

PECAN PIE SUNDAES

  • 1/2 c. pecans

  • 2 tbsp. butter

  • 1/4 c. brown sugar

  • 1/4 c. maple syrup

  • 1/2 tsp. vanilla

  • 1/2 tsp. lemon juice

  • salt

  • vanilla ice cream

Melt the butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and maple syrup and cook until it achieves a thicker stickier syrup texture. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla, lemon juice and salt. Add pecans and stir to coat. Serve warm over ice cream. Can be reheated.













Turkey for Two (now more than ever)

I originally posted this blog in November 2017, the year after my son was born. Thanksgiving 2016 was two weeks after we brought him home from NICU and we three didn’t feel up to big company, but we had gratitude to spare. In 2020 so many of us are planning a smaller Thanksgiving, so it made sense to post this again. I raise a glass to each of you who are celebrating love by keeping apart. May you have much to be thankful for.

Thanksgiving 2016 found me exhausted, scattered, and not looking to spend the holiday anywhere but at home with my husband. It also found me extremely thankful. Two weeks earlier, after thirteen days in NICU, we finally brought home our beautiful, healthy, loving son. With all that new baby on our plate who had time for turkey? But I am a traditionalist, and one who loves to cook at that, so I determined to make a simple feast for two - turkey, dressing sides, and pie. And I determined to do it in the space of my son’s naps. Turns out a small feast is pretty easy. So gather only your closest of friends or your immediate family and enjoy an intimate feast.

The turkey breast could easily serve 8, the side dish recipes serve 4 and can easily be doubled.

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Roasted Turkey Breast

Sourdough Dressing

Green Beans with Butter Fried Shallots

Roasted Tri-Color Carrots and Parsnips

Mashed Potatoes

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Apple Pie

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Nap One: Pie Crust and Cranberry Sauce plus the Brine

I generally make cranberry sauce and pie crust early in the week and do Thanksgiving baking the day before. There’s a reason they say simple as pie - it really does come together pretty easily. 

    DOUBLE PIE CRUST

    2 1/2 c. Flour

    1 1/4 tsp salt

    1/4 c. Cold bacon grease (or lard)

    10 tbsp. Cold Butter cut into small cubes

    1/4 c. Vodka

    1/4 c. Water

Put half the flour, salt, bacon grease and butter in a food processor. Process until mixture forms a smooth paste. Add in the rest of the flour and process until it looks like crumbly oatmeal. Add in the water and the vodka and pulse until it all come together in a ball. Remove the dough to a clean counter and divide it into two balls one about one and a half times the size of the other. Pat each into a flat shape, roll it out to about 8” and fold it in half several times. Pat the folded dough into a flat disk, wrap it in plastic or parchment, and put it in the fridge.

 

Yeah what? Vodka? Bacon grease? Folding dough? I know I bake like your depression era aunt, but here’s the thing: the bacon and the butter give the crust both flavor and a lovely soft flaky texture; the vodka adds more liquid so the dough handles easily, then it evaporates away during baking so the crust becomes tender and flaky. (I go to my local liquor store and ask the clerk for the cheapest vodka he’s got, the one that the winos buy to get plastered on. It’s $3.95 a quart. I use it for pie crust, and serving to guests who refuse to leave a party hours after everyone else has.) The folding? I find that really ups the flake quotient. 

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CRANBERRY SAUCE

    1 c. Sugar

    3/4 c. Water

    12 oz. bag of Cranberries

Rinse the cranberries and pick out any that look rotted or bad. Put the water and sugar in a sauce pan, add in the berries and bring to a boil. Boil about 5-7 minutes or until the berries begin to pop. Chill.

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I’ve heard a lot of fracas over traditional cranberry sauce. Personally I think this classic has been around as long as it has for a reason. It’s a tart, refreshing jam that provides a perfect bright taste against the rich saltiness of gravy and stuffing. Plus it is probably the easiest holiday dish you will ever cook. I love this stuff. I love it for the feast. I love it on sandwiches. I love it with pork roast on a cold night weeks later. Seriously, it’s good stuff.

OK, so now I had a little time and I wanted to brine my turkey breast. I ordered a whole breast with the bone and skin attached (crispy skin is part of the deal right?) and I wanted to get as much flavor into that meat as I could before roasting it to done. Breasts sold this way are usually somewhere between 4-8 pounds, ours weighed in between 5-6. Another bonus of roasting a breast (or a small turkey in the 8 lb. range) is that you do not need a Home Depot bucket or a child’s wading pool to brine your bird. This is a half gallon of brine and it should cover your breast pretty nicely.

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    TURKEY BRINE

    1/3 c. Kosher salt

    1/3 c. sugar

    1 medium orange

    1 medium onion

    1 generous sprig of rosemary (1 tsp. dried)

    2 generous sprigs of thyme  (1 tsp. dried)

    2-3 sage leaves (1/2 tsp. dried)

    1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes 

    1/2 c. wine or 2 tbsp. lemon juice

    2 quarts of water.

 

Peel and quarter the onions, slice the orange, put everything together in a large bowl or Dutch oven and stir to combine. Gently, drop in the bird, cover with lid or plastic wrap and leave it in the fridge overnight.  

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I managed to clean everything up, wipe down the counters, and get the turkey breast into the brine and into the fridge just about the time my son awoke crying out for my actual breast. Time for a comfy chair and some cuddling.

 

Nap Two: Pie!

After my lovely boy went to sleep for the first shift of the night, I decided to bake the pie. I’ll be honest, I was lucky here because I had made and frozen apple pie filling about six weeks before after my husband and I went apple picking. So all I had to do was assemble. It’s pretty easy though and doesn’t take to long. I like my pies fruit forward and not too sweet. You can add more sugar if you want to. This was just a little bit of loveliness at the end of our meal with some whipped cream and a cup of coffee. Made darned good breakfast the next day too.

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    APPLE PIE 

    Double Crust (recipe above)

    5-6 apples peeled, cored and quartered

    2 tbsp. brown sugar

    2 tbsp. white sugar

    1 tbsp. cinnamon

    1/4 tsp. nutmeg

    grated zest of half a lemon

    2 tbsp. flour

    1 tsp. vanilla

Cut each apple quarter in half length wise and then slice crosswise into thin pieces into a large bowl. Add all the other ingredients and toss. Set the filling aside. Preheat oven to 425. Roll out the larger piece of pie dough on a lightly floured surface until it is about 4” wider than your pie pan and about 1/8” thick. Drape the dough over the rolling pin and transfer it into your pie pan. Use your hands to center it and work the dough tightly into the edges of the pan. Roll out the other piece of dough until it is about two inches wider than your pie pan. Place the filling in the pie and put the top on. If you are going to make a lattice top pie as I did here, cut the dough into strips and weave into a lattice. Reserve three strips to secure the outside edge of the crust. Cut off any excess crust and crimp the edges to seal. If you do not do a lattice-top make sure to cut slits in the top of the pie crust. Bake for an hour until crust is richly brown and filling is bubbling. Place pie on a rack to cool.

 

OK. Nighty, night! The pie is cooked. The turkey is brining. The cranberry sauce is made. Tomorrow we just have to cook and eat the meal. Hooray!

 

Nap Three: Making Dressing, Setting up the Roast.

It should be noted that I did everything for the roast but actually put the bird in the oven early in the day. Our turkey only took 90 minutes to cook, so I used an early nap to prep the roast and the dressing and then just put it all in the oven later in the day.

  

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 ROAST TURKEY BREAST

    1 turkey breast skin and bones attached

    brine from recipe above

    1 celery stalk

    a few small carrots

    rosemary

Remove your brining container from the refrigerator an hour or so before you begin your roast. This will allow the meat to come to room temperature which will help it roast faster and more thoroughly. Preheat the oven to 425. Remove the breast and the onions from the brine. Pat the roast dry and set aside. Place the onions, a washed stalk of celery, a few small washed carrots, and a sprig of rosemary in the roasting pan. Place a rack over the veggies and set the breast on it skin side up. Pour 1/2 cup of the brine in the roasting pan. Roast the breast in the oven for 15 minutes a pound or until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast registers 160 degrees. Let sit for 20 minutes before carving. It will continue to cook while it rests.

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The veggies and the brine in the roasting pan help make a flavorful broth for your gravy later. Since you are only roasting a breast, you will not get a lot of fat in the pan drippings. Do not worry. You will still have the makings for flavorful gravy.

 

Now onto the dressing. I have a friend who makes some of the best starter bread I’ve ever had. She very kindly brought a large crusty loaf of homemade sourdough to help feed two tired hungry new parents when she came to meet our new son. This was the bread I had on hand to make dressing with. Lucky, lucky me! Any good quality white bread will do. I like the tang of sourdough, a baguette will yield similar results, but an Italian loaf, a white or wheat sandwich loaf, or even Challah could work just as well. I put this in to bake next to my turkey breast 30 minutes before I expected the meat to be done.

 

    SOURDOUGH DRESSING

    2 cups cubed bread

    1 small onion chopped

    1 medium apple, peeled, cored, and diced

    1 stalk of celery washed and chopped

    1 sprig of thyme

    1/4 c. chopped parsley

    3 tbsp. butter

    1 c. chicken stock

    salt & pepper

Melt 2 tbsp. butter over medium heat in an oven-proof pan. Sautée the onions until soft, then add in the celery and apples. Cook until the apples and vegetables are soft and translucent. Add in the herbs and the bread cubes. Season with salt and pepper. Pour in the chicken stock. Toss. Add a pat of butter to the top. Remove from heat. Bake covered at 425 degrees for 25 minutes. Uncover and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

Now I had my roast and dressing ready pop in the oven. I had some time so I washed, trimmed, peeled and prepped all my other vegetables. Time to go hold my son for a good long cuddly while.

 

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Nap Four: The Feast

About two hours before we planned to eat, I put the bird in the oven and began to cook my vegetables. I boiled the potatoes and steamed the green beans right away. The green beans went in an ice water bath to stop them from cooking and preserve their bright green color. I drained the potatoes and let them sit, covered on the stove top. Once the turkey was done, I put the carrots in the oven to roast and made the gravy. Then I mashed the potatoes, sautéed the green beans in butter and shallots and served up dinner. It was delicious and memorable even with just the two (plus one) of us! And best of all everything cleaned up in one dishwasher load. May you have good food, may you have loved companionship, may you have much to be grateful for. Those three things make the best of Thanksgivings.

 

    MASHED POTATOES

    5 medium potatoes (I like yukon gold or redskin potatoes for mashing)

    2 tbsp. butter

    1/2 c. milk

    1/4 tsp. nutmeg

    salt

Peel and quarter the potatoes and boil them in cold salted water until a small sharp knife slides evenly in and out of the potatoes. Drain off the water. Add the milk, butter, and nutmeg. Mash with a potatoes masher.

    GRAVY

    2 cups chicken broth

    pan drippings

    1 sprig of thyme

    2 tbsp. flour

    1 tsp. apple cider vinegar

    salt & pepper to taste

Remove roast from pan and set aside to rest. Place pan over low heat and add chicken broth. Bring to a simmer and whisk to remove all the browned bits form the roasting pan. Pour  broth and drippings through a sieve into a clean pot. Add thyme. and whisk until boiling allow to roll at a boil for a minute or two. Mix flour with 1/4 c. water. Remove thyme. Add flour paste to gravy while whisking. Add in vinegar and season with slat and pepper.

 

       

    ROASTED CARROTS AND PARSNIPS

    6 medium carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4” buttons

    2 parsnips, peeled and sliced into 1/4” buttons

    olive oil

Lightly grease a sheet pan. Spread vegetables in an even layer over the pan. Drizzle         lightly with olive oil. Roast at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

 

    BUTTER GLAZED GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS

    1 lb. green beans, washed and tried

    1 large shallot, peeled and sliced thinly

    2 tbsp. butter

    1 sprig thyme

    ice

Steam beans with thyme over boiling water for about five minutes or until just crisp-tender. Remove from heat and place in ice water. Right before serving, drain water and ice from the green beans. Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Cook the shallots until wilted. Add in the beans and cook until heated through. Sprinkle with salt. Serve immediately.

 

 

 

    

IT'S MARDI GRAS. LET'S MAKE GUMBO.

Gumbo is one of those foods that make me thankful for the ingenuity of the homemakers of yore who found a way to make home economics delicious by turning kitchen scraps into a delicious savory stew. Gumbo — a spicy creole stew including whatever seafood, poultry, or game you have on hand and often a helping of andouille, served over rice — is a staple in Louisiana.

Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

Shrimp and Andouille Gumbo

I first learned to cook it at a house party in Nachitoches, LA while touring the southland with a theatre troupe. Since then, I’ve made it countless times. It’s a crowd pleaser,  a great smell and taste to chase away winter storms, and a food made for sharing. So, today on Mardi Gras, a day that makes me long for so many things from the crescent city, I’m sharing some gumbo with you. Laissez les bon temps rouler!

Roux

Do not fear the roux! A roux is simply fat and flour stirred together and cooked slowly until the flour achieves the desired shade of brown. I've seen roux described as blonde, caramel, nut brown, rusty…for gumbo, I make a chocolate roux. When its done it looks like melted chocolate and has a deep earthy flavor that forms the back bone of the stew. In a large pot I stir together equal parts flour and fat over low heat. I had some leftover rendered bacon grease and chicken fat so I used those. Most recipes call for vegetable oil. I’ve also used butter. I kept stirring slowly while it changed from a golden paste, into something that looked like peanut butter, into a deep caramel, and finally until it looked like a pot of melted chocolate chips. In “Who’s Your Mama, Are You Catholic, and Can You Make a Roux?” Marcella Bienvenu describes the duration of making a roux as “the time it takes to drink two beers.” Mine took 25 minutes.

When the roux reached the desired color, I added the minced vegetables, the garlic, and the cajun seasoning. If you are using andouille, the sausage has a decent kick, so you may want to skip the added cayenne. I cooked the mixture for about 10 minutes or until the vegetables have softened and added fish broth. (Chicken or vegetable broth will also work fine.) Once the broth heated through, I gave it a taste to adjust the seasoning. 

When it came to a boil, I added the andouille and then the shrimp. While it simmered, I cooked two dry cups of rice. You can use any combination of chicken, seafood, and andouille you want here. Chicken thighs work especially well. 

I Put a cup of cooked rice in a bowl and ladled the spicy goodness atop it. Heaven!

 

GUMBO

  • 1/2 c. flour
  • 1/2 c. oil
  • 4 large cloves of garlic, minced
  •  1 large white onion, finely chopped
  • 1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
  • 4 large stalks celery, finely chopped
  • 4 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 quart fish or chicken broth
  • 1 pound shrimp (or fish, chicken or oysters)
  • 1 pound andouille, sliced
  • 2 tsp. cajun seasoning* 
  • 1/2 tsp. cayenne
  • salt to taste
  • sliced green onions for garnish

In a large pot over low heat, cook the flour and oil into a dark roux, stirring constantly. Add in the minced vegetables, garlic, and seasoning. Sauté for ten minutes or until vegetables soften. add in the broth and bring to a simmer. Check seasoning. Add in your meats and cook until meat is cooked through. Chicken will take longer than seafood. Shrimp or oysters can be added at the very end. Serve over rice garnished with sliced green onions. Excellent with a cold beer.

 

*to make your own cajun seasoning combine 

  • 2 tablespoons garlic powder
  • 2 tablespoons dried oregano
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
  • 1 tablespoon dried thyme
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder

WINTER JAM: THE SEDUCTIVE POWER OF BOILING BERRIES AND SUGAR

Like many people who do home canning, I generally associate making jam with the summer months when the fruit is ripe. It seems a little unfair really that the time when the fruit is best is when the weather is hot and you do not want to spend the day stirring boiling pots indoors. Such is the way of the seasons. We bottle the summer in jars of jam to bring us warm smiles in the winter.

Right now we are experiencing a downright balmy end of winter here in Jersey City. Last week it hit over 70 degrees! I spent yesterday in the back yard cleaning up the debris of the last season and readying the vegetables beds for planting. The bulbs in the flower beds have begun to grow and the perennials are already budding. I sowed the early seeds into the small cells of an indoor sprouting system. Spring is definitely coming, but I still long for that yummy warm summer taste of jam. And, somehow, between gifts, and toast, and flavoring spoonfuls stirred into greek yogurt, my summer jam has gone.

So today I set out to make a batch of triple-berry winter jam. How? you might ask would a woman who lives in Jersey City find berries to make jam in early March? The answer: in the freezer aisle! Whenever I find myself low on jam in the off season, I pick up a large bag of organic frozen mixed berries, some organic sugar, and some pectin, and I head on home to make up some jam. It’s easy, it’s tasty, it smells heavenly cooking up in your kitchen, and because the frozen fruit is already washed and denuded of it’s stems and leaves, it takes less than an hour.

Here we go:

Before you make your jam, gather your jars and lids and make sure they are sanitized. You can put them in the sink and cover them with boiling water or you can just run them through the dishwasher and that’ll get hot enough to kill anything that would cause trouble.

This recipe makes 84 ounces of jam. So you’ll need 10 half-pint or 5 pint jars. You’ll end up with a little extra, but you can just put that in a bowl. I’d be surprised if it lasts the day. This is the kind of jam you find yourself eating by the spoonful.

TRIPLE-BERRY JAM

  • 48 ounces frozen mixed berries
  • 8 c. sugar
  • 9 tbsp. pectin (a box and a half)
  • juice from one lemon

Put the berries and the lemon juice in a large heavy-bottomed pot and cook over medium heat for about five minutes. You want the berries to thaw and begin to release their juices. Add in the pectin and stir until the mixture becomes more liquid and all but the largest of the berries have defrosted. Add in the sugar and stir to combine. Boil until the sugar is dissolved. Smash any whole berries along the side of the pot with a spoon, or take them out with a slotted spoon, put them into a heat-proof measuring cup and mash them with a potato masher. Add the berries back in and boil the mixture for another 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, and turning down heat if the mixture starts to rise toward the top of the pot. Divide the jam between your sterilized jars and process to store.

YUM!

The jam will be just fine in your fridge if you plan to eat it right away, but if you want to store it you’ll need to process the jars in a water bath to insure a tight vacuum seal. It’s pretty simple: seal the jars tightly, place them on a rack in enough boiling water to cover them about half an inch, boil them for ten minutes, turn off the heat and let them sit for five minutes, remove the jars. While this processes pretty simple, a lot of people find it daunting. Handling the hot jars is tricky. Placing a series of jars in boiling water is a bit scary the first few times around. Some people try it without the rack and the jars burst from the direct heat causing a soup of broken glass and watered down jam. 

I have found a method that works perfectly every time and does not require special canning equipment. I use a pasta pot. These pots have an insert that pulls up out of the boiling water to drain pasta. The insert sits about two inches above the bottom of the pot so I don’t need a rack, I can load it on the counter and lower it into the pot which makes putting the jam into the water much easier. I can pull it out of the boiling water and let the jars rest a few minutes and cool in the insert which make them easier to handle. True, I have to process the jars in batches, but it’s definitely worth it. And in the end I get several months of this:

mmmmmm. jammy.

 

BIRTHDAY CAKE!

Yvonne celebrates her birthday by reminiscing about some great cakes she eaten and a few she's made. Includes the recipes for dark chocolate cake and raspberry butter cream frosting.

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