Cranberry Ginger Sauce and More Turkey??

Hopefully you are not all sick of turkey by now. Today I want to talk about a Cranberry Ginger Sauce I made for our Thanksgiving, a couple side dishes that could be served anytime, not just at Thanksgiving, and also the Boneless Stuffed Turkey Breast, which I believe stole the show! I made 2 boneless stuffed breasts and one 11 pound turkey for 5 of us. Really a a bit over-kill with all the other fixings, but it was all great fun and everyone enjoyed lots of left-overs!

CRANBERRY GINGER SAUCE

I like to change up the Cranberry Sauce every year sometimes using savory ingredients like shallots and sometimes going sweet with apple, pear, walnuts and maybe a little cinnamon. This year, because ginger is one of my Dad's favorite flavors I decided to try a Cranberry Ginger Sauce and it turned out very well. The fresh ginger root gave the sauce a spicy and exotic flavor. This recipe is fast and easy and can be made and stored in jars in the fridge a week in advance of your dinner.

Ingredients:
12 oz. fresh cranberries, washed and picked over (meaning take out any raw berries, or berries that have gone by & remove stems)
1(+) cup sugar (Toward the end of cooking time, taste it, if  you want it sweeter add more sugar.)
Finely minced fresh ginger root-about 2 Tbsp.
Juice of 1/2 orange (It's OK if some pulp falls in, too.)
Zest of 1/2 orange (Orange skin only. If you go too deep, the white part is bitter.)
1 cup water

I really like the look of a ginger root!

Preparation:  Stir all ingredients together in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat until sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Boil gently stirring frequently for 10-12 more minutes. Sauce will get thicker as it cools. Taste for sweetness. Add more sugar if you like. Cool in saucepan. Remove into glass jars and chill in fridge at least an hour if eating right away and if not, it is good for a week or more. This sauce gets more gingery as it sits!

Before I get into the Boneless Turkey Breast I want to tell you about a couple vegetable dishes that I prepared for Thanksgiving and may give you some ideas of your own.

CHEESEY DUCHESS POTATOES
Duchess or Duchesse Potatoes are a classic French dish. These pommes de terre are quite simple, but have an extraordinary texture. Traditionally to make Duchess Potatoes, season mashed potatoes well; beat in a well-beaten egg and then force through a pastry bag into puffy shapes and bake until golden brown. I simplify by cutting the "piping" step and just bake in a casserole.  To try something new, this time I added about a cup of sharp cheddar cheese and then topped with more cheese and butter before baking in a casserole.

Unfortunately the photo of the potatoes all baked was too blurry, but trust me each one of those little peaks on top becomes golden brown and crispy with the inside texture being very creamy.  All you do is boil 4-5 big peeled and chopped potatoes (I used Idaho) in salted water. Mash potatoes with salt/pepper and about 1/2 stick butter. Add 1 cup of grated cheese of your choice. For Thanksgiving I used Cabot Cheddar. Add 1-2 eggs depending on size of eggs and how many potatoes you used. Beat the egg into the potato mixture. If you are making this the morning of your dinner, bring it to the counter to warm up for about an hour before baking. Bake at 350 degrees for 3/4 to 1 hour until top is very browned and beautiful!

MAPLE GLAZED CARROTS

We also had Maple Glazed Carrots that were supposed to be served with crumbled buttered pecans, but the pecans burned to a crisp so I served the carrots sans nuts. To make this vegetable dish, peel and cut carrots into uniform, but fairly large pieces. Lay them out on a cookie sheet lined with foil. Liberally salt and pepper, add about 2 capfuls of Olive Oil, roll carrots around to coat in oil, and dot with butter. Roast in preheated 425 degree oven until tender and browned; 40-45 minutes. This can be done the night before. Wrap well and refrigerate overnight. To make the sauce melt about 2 Tbsp. butter in a pan, add 1/2 cup maple syrup and a pinch of hot pepper. Cut with a tablespoon or 2 of water if it seems too thick. I also added (optional) 1 Tbsp. of bourbon since that was the theme for the turkey basting! Toss the carrots in this sauce and rebake, covered, for about 20 minutes until nice and hot.

BONELESS STUFFED TURKEY BREAST

When serving do not put the end pieces of the rolled turkey on the plate as they are not as large as the center pieces so don't look as attractive, but they work well in sandwiches later!  Each breast made 5 thick slices, (plus the end-piece left-overs). I served the rolled turkey breast with a mushroom and caramelized shallot gravy. I used  a very traditional herby bread stuffing and used the same stuffing for both big bird and the 2 breasts. If I was cooking for more adventurous palates I would have used stuffing that included spinach, feta cheese, roasted red pepper, pine nuts, or something along those lines, but this year it was a bag of herbed bread crumbs (whatever brand has the least amount of salt; this year it was Pepperidge Farm). Melt 1 stick of butter, add 3 stalks of finely diced celery, finely diced large onion, cook both in the butter until soft. Add lots of Bell Seasoning. No salt! And a little pepper. Add the bag of herbed bread crumb; 1 egg; moisten with about a cup of chicken stock; mix well; cover with plastic wrap and let sit overnight. Add more chicken stock in the morning if the stuffing needs a little loosening.

Now on to a bit of technique for rolling.

I bought hotel style turkey breast which is a whole breast and some wing meat on the bone. To cut each breast off the bone run your sharpest big knife along either side of the backbone to loosen the meat at the top first and then just continue along the natural line of the bone/ribs keeping your knife close to the meat as you cut it away. Leave the skin on. You will be surprised how easy this is to remove the meat from the bone. Once off the bone, pound your breast to an even thickness--about 3/4 inch thick.  Remove any tendons, visible silver skin or other junk.

Once the breasts are flattened, place your stuffing down the center of the breast. Start rolling from the long end, jelly roll style.  As you roll, the stuffing may ooze out, but just keep gently working it back inside with your fingers. Pull the skin so it fits around the breast. Now you are ready for tying.

 

 

This is my favorite part as it makes me feel like a little butcher! Take a long piece of kitchen twine and start by sliding the twine under the breast and tying it off in a loop around the meat. Bring the string across the top of the breast and every 2 1/2 inches or so, loop the twine under the breast and just 'catch' the long piece under the loop at the top to make a secure, but loose knot. Keep doing this until you are at the end and then tie off in a tight knot and cut whatever left-over string you have. If you do not have kitchen twine, get creative! One night when cooking with friends we resorted to dental floss (unwaxed and non-minted of course) to tie up some chicken breasts. Worked just fine!

And here they are ready to roast. Because there are no bones it does not take long to cook these breasts even though stuffed. You do not want them to dry out. Drizzle them liberally with olive oil, salt, pepper and dot with butter. I roasted big bird in a bourbon sauce (Yum Yum was that ever good!) so used a little of this to baste as they were cooking. I started these breasts at 425 degrees for 15 minutes and then turned the oven down to 325 and cooked for another 45 minutes for an hour total cooking time. I know you are supposed to use a meat thermometer to test doneness, but I cannot find one that works well so I go by look and feel.

A quick word on big bird...

My husband told me this morning that if he never had another full bone-in turkey for Thanksgiving he would not be disappointed. That was quite a compliment on the boneless breasts, but I would be disappointed not to brine, stuff, roast, baste and carve a big bird. I just love doing it! This year I brined our bird overnight in about 2 cups of kosher salt, a bunch of fresh thyme, dehydrated garlic, ground pepper (Do not use whole pepper corns in your brine. They are very difficult to get off your bird the next morning. They stick to the bird inside and out and need to be removed one at a time---learned from experience!), and the secret ingredient...a cup of bourbon. My roasting pan is large enough that I could fit the bird (only 11 pounds) in the roaster, rub the salt and spices all over inside and out and then cover with water and bourbon. I put this bird out on the back porch in NH at Dad's covered with a couple big rocks so the coons wouldn't get at it, but before going to bed transferred the whole thing into the trunk of my car so it wouldn't freeze. I also know how clever racoons are and didn't want to find an empty roasting pan in the morning!

Next morning:  rinse, rinse, and rinse again. You can brine with just about anything as long as you include salt and water. I always brine my bird as it keeps it more moist plus gives you more time to play with your bird. If you have a huge bird (one year I cooked a 23 pounder!) you can brine in a big, tightly secured plastic garbage bag.

Here's a stuffing tip, which you may already do, but if not it is another trick for keeping your turkey moist. Pull apart the top of the skin and place the stuffing between the skin and the breast meat. Put a bunch of stuffing under the skin at the back end of the bird, too. This also gives the stuffing a really rich flavor.


I made a mince pie for dessert and some cranberry orange jello. The jello, made from unflavored gelatin was interesting. (Note, I did not say delicious!). Very simple to make, but the canned Mandarin orange segments were too tart and the texture was a little odd. I would definitely make the cranberry gelatin again, but would try a different fruit. Send me an email if you want the recipe so you can try your own modifications!

Looks beautiful, doesn't it?!?

You know my philosophy...

cooking is all about having fun, being creative, trying new things. They all won't be winners!

WISHING YOU ALL A VERY HAPPY DECEMBER

FILLED WITH MUCH LOVE AND

 KITCHEN FROLICKING AND FESTIVITIES!

This was the table arrangement I made for our Thanksgiving dinner! Easy by hollowing out a pumpkin!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME WITH

WWW.COOKWITHCINDY.COM!

Thoughts of Gratitude...

I have missed you! And I have truly missed talking about food. Our trip to Eastern Europe included stays in Berlin, Germany; Warsaw, Krakow and Zakapone, Poland; Slovakia; Prague and Pilsen, Czech Republic; Budapest (my Mom's family's original home--my granparents are both from there), Hungary; and Vienna, Austria. Phew! Lots of new and different taste treats, but NO cooking. I thought there would be an opportunity in Budapest, but the cooking class was canceled due to lack of interest...I can assure you not on my part!

Me and Jerry in Zakapone which is high in the Tatra mountains!

One of the highlights of this fabulous journey was dinner in a Polish family's private home. The mother did the cooking, which involved many courses, shots of Polish vodka-Nostrovia!--and even some home-made lemon liquor that tasted a bit like limoncello. It was a night to remember and in a future blog I will share some food details of this dinner and other meals that I thoroughly enjoyed.

The focus of this trip was WWII history.  What an eye-opener. I had no idea that the Poles suffered so severely during this horrible time in history. The Poles we met were exceptionally warm, loving, bright and open to sharing themselves and their history--past and present. Our adventure also included music (even heard the Vienna Boys Choir!), folk dancing, architecture, and of course lots of eating!  Jerry and I have been waiting to take this trip for 20 years and every aspect pleased, surprised, entertained and amused us. What a wonderful experience. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity!

After 3 weeks away, we returned to our home in Massachusetts and the next afternoon had company arrive from Ireland to spend the week with us. Our friends, Barbara and Tim who look after our house in Spiddal joined us for a week of touring right here in America's home-town, Plymouth. Great visit and we were delighted to treat them as they do so much for us.

One week later we were on a plane again to Ireland with my 2 sons. This was the first time we had traveled together as adults. Another spectacular trip and this time I was able to do lots of cooking as we stayed in our own guest house overlooking Galway Bay.

Unfortunately my Dad became quite ill while we were away. We got back as quickly as possible and have been looking after him the last few weeks. I am grateful for the time we share together and so pleased that his sense of humor remains intact and we are able to have many happy times together.

This explains why I have not been in touch with you for so long. Thanksgiving is next week and provides us with the opportunity to pause from our busy lives and give thanks for all we have; to count our blessings and be happy for the love and joy of friends and family. Now, on to some food...!

OH NO, NOT SQUIRREL AGAIN!
I have had lots of game lately.  My Dad's neighbor shot a moose this year so we have feasted on both moose burger and moose steaks. Another friend got a deer and I made a fabulous venison stew; rich and delicious. Dad recently gave me a squirrel and I thought I would try something different. I talked about squirrel a few blogs back, but this dish was one of the best squirrel feeds I have ever had so I want to share it with you. If you don't have squirrel I think it would be equally good with rabbit or even chicken thighs.

Even though the meat is dark, squirrel is quite mild.

SQUIRREL CASSOULET
Cassoulet is the French word for casserole and makes the meal sound much more elegant.  Cassoulets originated in the south of France and usually contain meat-pork, goose, or duck, but as luck would have it, I had a fresh squirrel so decided to use it. I had prepared lentils with a rich tomato sauce the day before so it made this dish really easy to put together. This serves 2 people.

Ingredients:
1 squirrel, or rabbit, or 4 chicken thighs (skin and bone in)
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 carrots, thickly sliced
1 small onion, sliced in wedges
6-7 cloves garlic
Salt/Pepper
3 Tbsp. Olive Oil
1/2 cup red wine (I used Merlot)
1/2 cup water

1/2 cup dried lentils (I used Gonsalves brown lentils.)
15 ounce can whole tomatoes with their juice
1/2 cup onion, sliced
1 cup green cabbage, sliced in fairly thin wedges
2 Tbsp. Olive Oil
Salt/Pepper
1/4 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. dried gound bay

If you want to make this in stages as I did, begin by cooking the lentils. I had actually made the lentils for our lunch the day before and had leftovers.
Preparation for lentils:
Brown the onion, cabbage in a large pot in the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add salt/pepper and dried herbs. Add 1/2 cup dried lentils. Stir thoroughly so lentils get coated with olive oil. Once the veg is nice and browned, add the can of whole tomatoes and break them apart using a spoon or rubber spatula. Cover and let simmer for about 45 minutes or until lentils are tender.

Back to the Squirrel Cassoulet...
Liberally salt and pepper your squirrel. In a large saucepan over medium/high heat, add 3 Tbsp. Olive Oil, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Add the squirrel and stir all together so everything gets coated with oil. Cook for about 30 minutes stirring from time to time so it doesn't burn. Once this mixture is very browned (squirrel will not be done at this point), add 1/2 (+) cup (I didn't measure, but it looked like a half cup) red wine and 1/2 cup water.

Cover and simmer for another 45 minutes. The liquid will reduce by about 1/2. Let cool and tear the meat off the bones.

Add the lentil/tomato/cabbage mixure and stir together in your favorite cassoulet dish. Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes. I guarantee you will not be disappointed with this dish!

Back in August, before the back-to-back extravaganzas began, I was doing some experimenting with unflavored gelatin. I promised I would tell you about...

TOMATO ASPIC

Even though we are now well into fall and cooler weather Tomato Aspic still makes a nice light lunch served with a green salad and whole grain rolls. This recipe is easy to make and is not something you see served much anymore. Aspics were very popular in the 1950's ad 60's. Here is the plain, straight-forward recipe, but do not be timid about experimenting! I served mine with green salad dressed with citrus vinaigrette and wild shrimp.

Ingredients:
3 envelopes Knox unflavored gelatin
2 cups cold tomato juice
2 1/2 cups tomato juice heated to a boil
6 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp. Worchestershire sauce
4-6 dashes hot pepper sauce

Are these ingredients sounding familiar? Adding a shot or two of vodka might be fun to try for an adult only aspic!
                                                                                    Preparation:
In a large bowl, sprinkle unflavored gelatin over cold tomato juice. Let stand 1 minute. Add hot juice and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved; about 5 minutes. Stir in remaining ingredients. Pour into a 5 qt. ring mold (I used my steamed pudding mold, but any vessel will work--even a metal bowl.) and chill until firm. To serve, unmold by dipping the mold in a pan of hot water and flip onto a serving plate. You may have to coax your aspic out, but once you break the seal it will pop right out. You can also fill the center with veggies. Cut into wedges and serve.



I love beans and the following recipe is easy to make and very satisfying.

13 BEAN SOUP with VENISON SAUSAGE

There is a store in Chichester, NH called the Healthy Buffalo which sells all kinds of game and unusual meats from bison to wild boar to ostrich and more . They make their own venison sausage which are really spectaular. You can place orders online (www.healthybuffalo.com). The sausage I used for this soup was made with red wine and demi glace.

Ingredients:
15 oz. package 13 Bean Soup (I use Bob's Red Mill brand)
1 1/2-2 qts. rich chicken broth (I like to have chicken broth in the freezer at all times!)
Mire poix-2 carrots, 2 stalks celery, 1 small onion; dice all
4 venison sausage (or pork sausage)
Big handful cherry tomatoes
1/4 tsp. dried thyme, oregano

Preparation:
Rinse and pick over beans. The other day I found a small stone in a bag of beans so this step is really worth doing.  Cover beans with water and soak for a couple hours. Rinse and add beans and chicken stock to large soup pot and bring to boil. If you like a very thick soup use 1 1/2 qts. broth. Turn to simmer and cook beans for about 1-1 1/2 hours. Add veg and herbs and cook for another hour at a simmer until both beans and veg are tender. Slice the venison sausage on the diagonal and drop into the soup and cook for another 30 minutes or so. Also add a big handful of cherry tomatoes which will pop as they cook. Serve with crusty bread for a healthy lunch!

I want to share my Thanksgiving menu with you and also the do-ahead rolls I make every year. You know my philosophy for big holiday or hoo-doo dinners is to make as much as possible ahead of time. I also am a list-maker and actually assign times as to when I am going to make which item...it helps me stay organized.

 

THANKSGIVING DINNER 2012

Appetizers:
Scallops wrapped in Bacon
Clam Dip with Assorted Crackers
Triple cream Goat Brie with Sliced Green Apples
Rich Banana Bread

Main course:
Stuffed Rolled Turkey Breast with Traditional Herby Bread Stuffing
Whole brined Turkey Glazed with Bourbon Butter with Traditional Bread Stuffing
Gravy
Glazed Whole Carrots
Steamed Peas and Onions
Duchess style Whipped Potato with Smoked Gouda Cheese and Crumbled Bacon
Cranberry Ginger Root Chutney

Dessert:
Mincemeat Pie
Cranberry Gelatin with Mandarin Orange Slices

 

FLUFFY MAKE-AHEAD DINNER ROLLS

 

Ingredients:
3 Tbsp. unsalted butter, plus 2 Tbsp. for bowl and baking dish
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I used 1 cup sweetened Almond Milk and 1/2 cup Half & Half)
1/3 cup Honey (Did you know I used to keep bees and made my own honey?)
4 Tbsp. vegetable shortening (I used butter.)
5-6 1/2 cups all-purpose white flour
1 Tbsp. Rapid-rise Yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 large egg, plus 1 large egg with 1 Tbsp. water for brushing

Preparation:
Heat oven to 200 degrees. When oven reaches 200 shut oven off. Grease bowl with 1 Tbsp. butter and put bowl back in warm oven.

Line a 13x9 inch baking dish with foil overhanging edges of pan in all directions. Grease foil with 1 Tbsp. butter.

Place milk, honey, shortening (or 4 Tbsp. more butter) in a large measuring cup and microwave until milk is warm and butter melts--1 to 2 minutes.

Mix 4 1/2 cups flour, yeast, and salt in a large bowl. Slowly add milk (make sure it is not too hot or it will kill the yeast; should be just warm or tepid.)  The recipe calls for mixing this on slow in a standing mixer, but I don't have one so just use a hand mixer until the flour is combined with the milk/butter mixture. Add the egg and beat until it is mixed into the dough which should be smooth and elastic. Add another 1/2 cup flour and knead until dough is smooth and shiney--about 6-7 minutes. Roll the dough toward you and press firmly with the heal of your hand to knead the dough.

Add more flour if the dough is sticky. When the dough starts to feel silky you have kneaded enough. Knead the dough into a firm ball and place in the buttered bowl that has been sitting in the warmed oven. Roll the dough around so it gets covered with butter. Cover with a linen (not terry cloth) dish towel and place back in oven to rise for about an hour.

Punch down dough and press out into a rectangle that measures about 6 inches wide and 10 inches long. Cut the dough into 3 strips the long way and then cut each strip into 5 equal pieces making a total of 15 pieces of dough. Roll the dough into balls and place in the greased foil-lined baking dish.

Cover with the linen dish towel and place back in the oven to rise again for another hour.

Take rolls out of oven and heat oven to 375 degrees. Brush tops of rolls with 1 egg beaten with 1 Tbsp. of water. Bake for 25 minutes until tops are golden brown.

Cool in pan on a rack for 5 minutes then lift the rolls using the foil edges out of the pan and cool on a rack for an hour.

These rolls freeze well for up to a month. If you are freezing for that long peel the foil off the baked rolls and wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and then wrap the foil around them and freeze. If you are only freezing for a few days just wrap the rolls thoroughly in the foil and freeze.

To serve: Take rolls out of freezer for 2 hours to thaw. Heat oven to 325 degrees and re-heat rolls for about 1/2 hour.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

FROM MY KITCHEN TO YOURS!

 

ENJOY THIS MOST WONDERFUL OF HOLIDAYS!

Tune in again soon for more food from Eastern Europe,
holiday ideas, stories, recipes and more.

Peppers at the food market in Budapest

 

www.cookwithcindy.com