There's Still Time To Brine!

Your turkey, that is.

As you know from my mini Thanksgiving dinner post, I attempted roasting a turkey breast this year. I followed a fantastic recipe from Cook's Illustrated and ended up with some of the best tasting turkey I've ever had. I think I owe it all to the brining. The meat was incredibly moist and juicy. If you've thought about brining before but for some reason or other you've never tried it, try it this year! You won't be disappointed.

Mix 1/2 cup of table salt with 4 quarts of water in a large pot or container. Dunk your turkey in, cover it with plastic wrap, and pop it in the fridge for 3 to 6 hours. Be careful not to brine for longer than that as you may end up with a salty turkey. If you stick to the 3 to 6 hours, your turkey will have a deeper dimension of flavor and stay moist, but it won't taste like sea water.

When you remove the turkey from the brine, rinse it off with cold water and just pat it dry with some paper towels. Then follow whatever recipe you have planned.

I used Cook's Illustrated's recipe for Easy Roast Turkey Breast with Lemon and Thyme, mainly because thyme is one of my favorite herbs, and the Easy Roast Turkey Breast recipe seemed a little too plain (without gravy -- a roasted turkey breast doesn't yield enough pan drippings).


The original recipe called for a 6- to 7-pound whole turkey breast, but that would be much too big for just two of us, so we got a 3.5-pound one instead (and we had two nights' worth of leftovers!).

Here's how to make this turkey recipe...

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.

Mix together 4 tablespoons of softened, unsalted butter; 3/4 teaspoon of salt; 1/4 teaspoon of ground pepper; 3 medium garlic cloves, pressed through a garlic press; 2 tablespoons of minced fresh thyme; and 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest. Set aside.


Separate the turkey skin from the meat by carefully sliding your hand under the skin. I would have to say separating the turkey skin from the meat with my hands was one of the most unpleasant cooking experiences I've ever had, but it's not too difficult once you get started.

Using your hands or a rubber spatula, work the butter under the skin and spread it evenly.

Next, set a roasting rack inside a roasting pan, and spray the rack with nonstick cooking spray. Place the turkey on the rack, and pour 1 cup of water into the roasting pan.


Roast the turkey for 30 minutes, and then lower the oven temperature to 325 degrees.

Continue roasting for about another hour, until thickest part of the turkey breast registers 160 degrees on a meat thermometer.

Remove the turkey from the oven, and -- this is important -- let it rest! The juices will get absorbed back into the turkey while it's resting instead of running all over your cutting board if you cut it right away.


Let it rest for at least 20 minutes. This will give you time to finish up your other dinner preparations.

To carve the turkey, cut each breast half away from the breastbone.


Place each half on your cutting board and cut on bias (slightly diagonally).


For some great turkey accompaniments, check out my mini Thanksgiving dinner for two!


How are you planning to cook your turkey this year?

Herb And Cheese Poppers

I chose these herb and cheese poppers as the bread component of our mini Thanksgiving dinner for two because they are bite-sized and packed with flavor. I wanted a great tasting bread that we wouldn't get too full from so we could still enjoy the rest of the meal too. These did the trick. The thyme, basil, parsley, and sage really stood out, and I'm never one to turn down cheese!

Herb and Cheese Poppers (adapted from Bon Appetit/Peter Reinhart)

Ingredients

2 cups coarsely grated sharp cheddar cheese (about 6 ounces)
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 3/4 cups all purpose flour plus 1/4 cup (or more) for dusting and rolling
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, frozen
1 1/2 cups chilled buttermilk

Preparation

Line 2 (or 1, depending how many biscuits you want to bake) large rimmed baking sheets with parchment paper (foil works fine if you've run out of parchment, as I did). Mix cheese and next 5 ingredients in medium bowl.


Whisk 2 3/4 cups flour, baking powder, sugar, salt, and baking soda in another medium bowl. Using large holes of box grater (or the grating blade of a food processor -- it's so much easier!), grate frozen butter onto plate. Add grated butter to flour mixture and rub in with fingertips until evenly distributed. Stir in buttermilk just until incorporated (dough will be sticky).


Sprinkle work surface with 1/4 cup flour. Transfer dough to work surface; sprinkle dough with flour. Using hands, press dough into 8-inch square, about 1/2 inch thick; sprinkle more flour on work surface as needed to prevent sticking.


Sprinkle 1/2 cup cheese-herb mixture over 2/3 of surface of dough, leaving remaining 1/3 of dough surface uncovered.


To fold as for business letter: Using dough scraper or metal spatula as aid, lift uncovered dough portion from work surface and fold over half of cheese-covered portion; still using dough scraper or metal spatula as aid, lift folded portion over remaining cheese-covered portion.


Sprinkle dough with flour to prevent sticking. Press dough out again to 8-inch square.


Spread 1/2 cup cheese-herb mixture over 2/3 of dough; repeat folding as for business letter, then pressing dough out to 8-inch square.


Repeat 2 more times with dough and cheese-herb mixture.

Roll out dough on floured surface to 10-inch square.


Cut into 36 small pieces.


If not baking them right away, place biscuits in single layer on baking sheets; refrigerate, covered with plastic wrap, until 20 minutes before you're ready to bake them. Let biscuits sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Otherwise, just place biscuits on baking sheets.


Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 500°F. Bake biscuits, 1 sheet at a time, until golden on top and tester inserted into center comes out clean, about 10 minutes. Cool biscuits on baking sheet at least 5 minutes.


If desired, cool completely, then rewarm biscuits in 400°F oven 3 minutes before serving. (We did this to rewarm the baked ones the next night. They were still really tasty.)

To freeze: Place any biscuits you don't plan on baking that day on baking sheets and freeze until firm. Wrap biscuits in single layer in foil, then enclose in resealable freezer bags; freeze up to 2 weeks. Place frozen biscuits 1 inch apart on parchment-lined baking sheets; thaw in refrigerator overnight. Let biscuits stand at room temperature 20 minutes before baking.

Mini Thanksgiving Dinner For Two

I'm not hosting Thanksgiving this year. I can't imagine I'll even be hosting it within the next 5 years. But I'd never roasted a turkey before and I wanted to give it a try, so this year I made a pre-Thanksgiving Thanksgiving dinner for my boyfriend and me.

I spent weeks leading up to this past Sunday (the reserved dinner date) planning out the meal. I wanted the main components of a Thanksgiving meal, but I didn't want to go overboard since it was just the two of us. I thought I'd start small and chose to roast a turkey breast rather than a whole turkey (maybe I'll try for the whole bird next year). And then I determined that I would also need some sort of bread, a starch, a vegetable, and a dessert (something traditional like a pie but not as complicated). It would look nothing like dinner at my parents' house, where we have more vegetable sides than I can count, two kinds of soup, and fruit salad on top of breads, mashed potatoes, stuffing, turkey, and cranberry sauce -- not to mention desserts -- but it would be my own and it would be plenty for us.

After paging through magazine after magazine, checking out recipe after recipe, making a list, and rewriting that list, I finally decided on the menu below.


Mini Thanksgiving Dinner for Two

Bread: Herb and Cheese Poppers (Bon Appetit, November 2009)


Main: Easy Roast Turkey Breast With Lemon and Thyme (Entertaining from Cook's Illustrated, Holiday 2009)


Starch: Mashed Potatoes with Crispy Shallots (Food & Wine, November 2009)


Veg: Roasted Vegetables with Pomegranate Vinaigrette (Martha Stewart Living, November 2009)


Dessert: Caramel-Pecan Bars (Food & Wine, December 2009)


Once I knew what I was making, I had to figure out how I would get it all done. We planned for an evening dinner, about 6 p.m., although it was actually closer to 7:30 p.m. when we sat down to eat. (Everything always takes a little longer than anticipated. Dessert and the herb and cheese poppers could easily have been made the day before, and an afternoon dinner would have been possible, if necessary.)

To organize my time, I first read through all of my recipes, checked for the down time in each one (like when dough needs to be refrigerated), and then made myself a schedule. The cooking day would start at 11:30 a.m. because I wanted to brine the turkey, which takes 3 to 6 hours. I didn't want to be working constantly, so I made sure to give myself time for breaks in between recipes or during wait times.


The Schedule

1. Brine the turkey.

2. Make the herb and cheese poppers. Put 12 on a baking sheet, cover with plastic, and store in the fridge until 20 minutes before ready to bake them. Freeze the rest to accompany future dinners.

3. Make the caramel-pecan bars. (I wanted them finished and out of the oven before the turkey and veggies needed to go in.) I used any down time while making these to just relax.

4. After 4.5 hours, prepare the flavored butter for the turkey, remove turkey from the brine, rub the butter under the turkey skin, and roast the turkey.

5. While the turkey is roasting, prep the veggies. Cut cauliflower into florets, peel and cube sweet potato (or yam in this case), and trim and halve brussels sprouts. Toss with oil and spread on roasting pan. Set aside so they can go in when turkey comes out.

6. Make whipped cream to go with the caramel-pecan bars. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

7. Set the table.

8. Make the mashed potatoes. Cover them and keep them warm. I do this by letting them sit in the microwave (not running).

9. Take the turkey out, and let it rest.

10. Roast the prepared veggies. Make the pomegranate vinaigrette. Clean a pomegranate, reserving seeds for the veggies.

11. When veggies are done, pump the oven up to 500, and put the herb and cheese poppers in.

12. Carve the turkey.

13. Take the poppers out, and let them cool for a few minutes.

14. Feast!!!



Throughout the rest of the week, I'll go into more detail on all of these fabulous recipes!

Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year? Or are you bringing a side or dessert to Thanksgiving dinner? What are you making?

Holiday Sides

I received a sample of Musselman's applesauce to come up with some recipes utilizing it in side dishes one might have this time of year. I thought and thought... then i went into my kitchen :)


After the success of the Spirited Cranberry Sauce I made last year, I decided to put a spin on this for an appetizer I had in mind. I kept the sherry-soaked dried apricots, but used apple cider and spices when making the sauce. To finish is off, I folded in some applesauce and adjusted the sweetness. While this could easily be used as is, I thought it would make a great topper for some baked brie!

Spirited Cran-Apple-Apricot Sauce
Adapted from Cooking Light



1/2c thin sliced apricots
1/4c sherry
3/4c apple cider
1 cinnamon stick
1t vanilla
3-4T honey (or agave, brown sugar, or your desired sweetener)
1 package cranberries
1/2c Musselman's Natural Applesauce

Place apricots and sherry in a small bowl and let sit overnight.

Combine apricots and sherry, cider, cinnamon stick, vanilla and cranberries in a medium pot. Cook over med-low heat until thickened and desired consistency. Add 3T sweetener and applesauce, mix to incorporate, then taste and adjust to your desired level of sweetness. With the amounts I used, it was pretty tart but went perfectly with the brie :)

Don't worry, yours will look better (I didn't have a full wheel of brie)

Baked Brie w/Spirited Cran-Apple-Apricot Sauce
inspiried by The Kitch'n

1 wheel of brie
1/2-3/4c spirited cran-apple-apricot sauce
chopped walnuts or pecans, if desired

Preheat oven to 350. Cut top rind off of brie. Place in a small baking dish. Top with cranberry sauce (keep a small border). Bake for 12-15min, until heated through and cheese is bubbly. Serve in dish or transfer (carefully) to a serving platter. Serve with crackers.



I also used the applesauce to create an Acorn Apple Soup. Seasoned with a flurry (curry?) of spices, this was a delicious, light soup that would be a good addition to any meal!



Acorn Apple Soup
Serves 2



Depending on what you're in the mood for, this soup can be subtly spiced or more robust. Adjust to you're own tastebuds! The amounts listed below come out somewhere in the middle :)

1 acorn squash, cut in half and seeded
1/2t cinnamon
1/2t curry powder
1/6t cardamom
1/6t coriander
1/2c Musselman's Natural Applesauce (or homemade)
apple cider
1/2 apple, diced small
finely grated gruyere

Preheat oven to 425. Place squash on baking sheet and drizzle with EVOO. Sprinkle spices, then bake until squash is tender (time will depend on the size). Remove from oven.

While squash is roasting, prepare garnishes (if desired). Saute diced apple in a little butter or oil and a blend of the seasonings used to season the squash (I didn't measure, just shook some on). Set aside.

To make gruyere crisps, heat a nonstick pan to med heat. Add gruyere in small disc shapes (~1-2t per circle) and cook until melty. Using a spatula, carefully flip over discs and cook until lightly browned. Depending on how hot your pan is, this can go pretty quickly. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel. I had ~ 1/3c grated gruyere and got 10 crisps.

Once cool, scoop out squash into a blender (I used an immersion blender). Add applesauce and puree. Add enough apple cider until it reaches your desired consistency. Transfer to serving bowls and top with diced apples and gruyere crisps right before serving.


If you're looking for a sweet ending, the applesauce also works well in this Apple Cake, even if it wasn't vegan ;) (I had some buttermilk handy!)



Sorry for the monster post, but I hope everyone has a fabulous Thanksgiving!!

Leave

Matt was waiting for me when I emerged from baggage claim at the airport in Warsaw, Poland, late on the final Saturday afternoon of October. He had arrived on his own flight from Afghanistan, by way of Kuwait, only a few hours earlier. He looked tired under the harsh fluorescent lighting of the lobby. He wasn’t in uniform, which surprised me. We hugged for a long time, and his skin smelled exactly the same.

Matt had two weeks leave from Afghanistan and we spent them together in Eastern Europe. When we first began to plan the trip, we contemplated “normal” destinations like Hawaii or Costa Rica or even New York. But, in the end, we decided on an adventure: One far from the heat of the desert; one close to a history that fascinates us both. “I just really want to see fall,” Matt had told me on the phone.


We traveled through the foggy chill of Poland, Ukraine, Romania and Hungary over the following two weeks. It was a challenging trip, and a wonderful trip. We learned a lot about the land, and about each other. We rode a rickety bus through the countryside of Ukraine, descended deep into a cavernous old salt mine, and stood solemnly on the grounds of Auschwitz as the sun sank in the sky beyond the electrified fences and barbed wire. We sampled bright purple borscht in almost every city we passed and even made it through a bowl of tripe soup laced with sour cream and garlic at a pub in rural Romania. We walked among castles and monasteries and farms. We drove a tiny car through Transylvania and bought honey on the side of the road. We slept on a number of trains as they bumped over borders, sharing loaves of bread and tiny bottles of vodka along the way. The smells—of steamy trolleys, of sizzling meat, of human and animal and streets—were so strong I vacillated between feeling joyous and physically ill. We saw big things and small things, both expensive and cheap. I found I liked the simple best.






One evening in Krakow, Matt and I settled side-by-side on a wooden bench against the wall of a basement jazz club in the city center. He put his arm around my waist and we sipped thick tumblers of whiskey. Amid the swirls of Polish and clinking of glass, we listened to gray-haired men rock out on trumpets and trombones, a base guitarist who hardly moved and a drummer whose face gyrated with every beat. It was warm and smoky and sweet.

When the show ended, we were starving. We emerged outside to be hit by a gust of frozen wind. I immediately began to shiver and we moved quickly, jogging across intersections, only occasionally pausing to peer at our map. After ten minutes we reached a big blue van parked on the side of the street.

“Is this it?” I asked.

“Yes!” said Matt, excited.

In front of the van stood two men bundled in thick hats and coats. They manned two large metal barrels, which glowed with the lazy jump of flames. Within, they cooked dozens of kielbasa, thick curvy sausages lined up on poles. For seven zloty, or about $2.50, we each received a piece of meat, a splotch of mustard and a crusty white roll on a thin cardboard sheet. A snap to the slightly burnt skin gave way to tender flesh within. We ate them standing at a makeshift wooden table with plastic forks and knives alongside a handful of other silent, hungry men. Walking back to our hotel close to midnight, Matt’s arm linked with my own, I finally felt warm.


You can read more about our trip here.

It's National Pomegranate Month!

If you haven't jumped on the pomegranate bandwagon yet, I'd suggest now, National Pomegranate Month, as the perfect time. Pomegranates are chock-full of antioxidants and Vitamin C, and they taste great too!


Recipes for using pomegranates, pomegranate juice, and PAMA -- a pomegranate liqueur that contains vodka, tequila, and pomegranate juice -- abound.

A couple of my friends came over for dinner last week, and we mixed up some great PAMA cocktails by adding champagne, Grand Marnier, and pomegranate juice to a free sample of PAMA liqueur that was sent to me.


The sample gave us an opportunity to try a new liqueur that we might otherwise not have encountered. I'll now go into a store and seek out PAMA next time I've having a cocktail party or entertaining guests. The light, fruity liqueur is so easy to like.


I also tried a PAMA cosmo when I went out to dinner a couple of weeks ago. It was pleasantly sweet and reminded me of JELL-O. There's such a variety of uses for this versatile liqueur. While I haven't yet, you can make a lot of sweet and savory dishes with it in addition to just drinks.

As you probably already know, I also received some samples of POM 100% Pomegranate Juice from POM Wonderful.

I've already shared with you the crisp, fresh arugula and fennel salad I made and topped with a homemade POM dressing.


Another great idea is to make a simple POM syrup by combining pomegranate juice and a little sugar in a small pot until the sugar has dissolved. This was delicious over blintzes and sausage, and I'm sure it would be great on pancakes and waffles too!


And then for a dinner using pomegranate juice, Bon Appetit has an intriguing recipe for steak with a pomegranate glaze -- just don't walk away from the pan while you're making the glaze as it's very easy to overdo it! Trust me, I know.


I'm actually making a veggie dish today with pomegranate juice, so stay tuned for that!

Tell me how you use pomegranates, POM juice, and PAMA liqueur! I'm always looking for new ideas.

Raw Apple Crisp

I keep forgetting to tell you about a rockin' raw dessert I made after I went apple picking... raw apple crisp! I channeled Averie and attempted her recipe without a Vita-mix. Looking back at her pictures, I'm realizing I didn't not use nearly enough agave for the filling--mine wasn't saucy ;) Lip-smacking delicious, I loved this version! A bit healthier than the butter-laden topping that's all too addictive, this is a crust I can feel good about!



Raw Apple Crisp
adapted from Averie
serves 4



1/3c almond meal
2T finely shredded coconut
2 dates, diced
agave nectar
cinnamon, nutmeg, or any other spices you desire
2-4 apples, diced

Add almond meal, coconut and dates in food processor. Add agave until mixture comes together and you can press into a crust (probably 1T or so). After chopping the apples, add agave, cinnamon and other spices, to taste. Press ~1/2 crust recipe into 1 container (I used 4 smaller ones). Top with apples. Divide the rest of the "crust" and crumble on top of the apples. Refrigerate until serving.


What are you waiting for? Go make your own :)

As a bonus, I'll leave you with a picture of a random lunch from this week... baby spinach, roasted butternut squash, quinoa, dried cherries, spinach chicken sausage and a dijon vinaigrette. Mmm...