Chocolate Cherry Sorbet with Cherry Compote

Dry-Brined Petite Turkey with Silky Gravy

11/18/2015

Even though this turkey is moist, tender and juicy—the gravy puts it over the top. What you have here is a classic turkey with some added depth and flavor. The meat tastes of sage, rosemary, and thyme.

Here we are, the third and final post for my pre-Thanksgiving dinner. I bought a 9 1/2 pound fresh petite Diestel Turkey (I call it the Gerlinde butterball). I can hear you all say that's too small, but it isn't. So far, we had eight servings and several turkey sandwiches —and there is still some left. In the past, I have bought 12 -16 pound turkeys. The Diestel turkey farm is in the Sierra foothills and we drive right by it when we go to the mountains.

My turkey has several components. It is dry brined with herbed salt. I then put herbed butter under the breast skin and cover the top of the bird with cheesecloth soaked in butter and turkey stock. I make my own turkey stock the day before, using the neck bone and gizzard. The stock adds great flavor to the turkey and the gravy.
You will be rewarded for all this work with a great-tasting bird. My photos of the turkey are horrible, as I had no time and it shows. I will replace the photos when I make this turkey again—but in the meantime, bear with me.

There is always something to be thankful for
Wishing you all a Happy Thanksgiving with friends and family

Preview recipe for chestnut stuffing

Preview recipe for cranberry sauce

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Turkey stock

Ingredients

2 TBS olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 quart chicken stock
2 cups water
3 stalks celery (with the leaves)
green onion tops and leek tops (if you have them)
mushroom stems
3 garlic cloves
1 sprig rosemary
1-2 thyme sprigs
several whole parsley sprigs
1 tsp salt
2 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns

Herbed salt for the dry brining

Ingredients

1/3 cup coarse kosher salt
1 TBS fresh rosemary, chopped
2 TBS sage, chopped
1 TBS thyme, chopped
1 tsp. black peppercorns, crushed
3 bay leaves, coarsely torn
1 tsp. finely grated lemon peel

Herb flavored compound butter

Ingredients

4 ounces soft butter
1 TBS oregano, chopped
1 TBS sage, chopped
1 TBS thyme, chopped
1 tsp fleur de sal or coarse salt
½ tsp pepper

Turkey

Ingredients

9-12 pound turkey
2 ounces (or more) butter
3 cups chicken broth
Several layers of cheesecloth
olive oil
salt and pepper

The filling

3 parsley strips
6 sage leaves
1 sprig oregano
1 sprig thyme
1 lemon (cut in half)

The Gravy

Ingredients

4 TBS butter
4 TBS flour
1 cup pan juices from the turkey
4 cups of turkey and/or chicken stock
a few drops of Tabasco sauce
½ tsp of Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp seasoned salt
additional salt and pepper
½ -1 cup milk or cream

Turkey stock

Directions

I made my stock a day ahead.
Sauté the gizzard and the innards in olive oil, add the onion and carrots and sauté several more minutes. Add all the other ingredients, bringing it to a slow simmer and cook for 30-60 minutes, covered. Taste and add more seasoning. When finished, put the stock through a sieve and keep the broth in the fridge

Herbed Salt

Directions

Crush the peppercorns and mix them with the rest of the ingredients. Can be made a week ahead of time.

Herb flavored compound butter

Directions

Mix the soft butter with the herbs, salt and pepper. If you make this ahead of time, roll the butter in Saran wrap into a log and refrigerate.

The Turkey

Rinse the turkey inside out with cold running water (do not pat dry). Cover the bird with the herbed salt mixture and put it in a large plastic bag. Put the turkey on a tray and refrigerate for 12 -24 hours. (I did it for 12 hours.) Remove from fridge and rinse the bird well under running water. Pat dry and put it back on a tray and refrigerate the bird with skin exposed for another three hours. An hour before roasting, take the bird out of the fridge. Gently push your hand under the skin and loosen it above and around the turkey breast. Add pieces of the herbed butter under the skin. Massage olive oil all over the turkey and generously salt and pepper the bird. Add the herbs , the lemon and the rest of the filling ingredients into the cavity. Tie the bird with some thread. Measure and cut the cheesecloth and soak it in 2 ounces of melted butter mixed with 1 to 2 cups broth. Spread about 3 layers over the turkey. Pour some additional broth over the turkey and put on a rack in a preheated 400-degree oven, decrease temperature to 350-degree after 15 minutes.
Baste the turkey every 20 minutes with additional chicken broth. Remove the cheesecloth about 30 minutes before the bird is done to crisp the skin. Remove the turkey from the oven when the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. My turkey took about three hours to cook at a high altitude. Pour off the accumulated turkey juices and cover the bird with foil and towels. Let it rest for 30 minutes. Take the fat off the juices and discard the fat (not the juice!).
.

The Gravy

Directions

Melt the butter and add the flour, and stir until the roux starts to change color. Add the pan juices from the turkey and stir vigorously with a whisk until it is smooth and has no lumps. This is where you produce a lump-free gravy. Slowly add in the rest of the stock stirring with your whisk until you reach the consistency you like. Add the Worcestershire and Tabasco sauces, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add some milk to enrich the flavor. My gravy got most of its flavor from the pan juices.

Guten Appetit
recipe by©Sunnycovechef

2 Comments

Chestnut Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing

11/16/2015

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I'm trying to organize my Thanksgiving and holiday recipes. In my previous post, I shared my cranberry ketchup and cranberry sauce recipe with you.

For me, the most important dishes for the Thanksgiving dinner table are cranberry sauce, gravy and stuffing. Forget the turkey. I did for years when I was a vegetarian. In those days, I often created lavish Thanksgiving dinners for friends and family. Since the stuffing was the centerpiece, I would bake it in a pumpkin or some sort of squash, using vegetable broth and making a vegetarian gravy. Now that the turkey has fallen back into grace at our table, I still make the stuffing, but most of the time I bake it in a pretty dish. So if you are a little pressed for time (who isn't these days?), use a casserole dish instead of a pumpkin. Although If you do use a pumpkin or squash, you will most likely end up with extra stuffing that you bake in a dish.

I made the stuffing for my pre-Thanksgiving dinner in our cabin. I removed the seeds and some of the flesh from a little red Kabocha Squash and filled it with some of my stuffing. The leftover stuffing went into a greased iron casserole. The stuffing in the squash was moist while the stuffing in the casserole was crunchy and dry. I preferred the crunchier version but enjoyed the stuffed squash for leftovers. It makes a great lunch with some sauce and pieces of the squash.

I love roasted chestnuts and I think they add a wonderful flavor to the stuffing. What I don't like is getting the nuts out of the shells. It is a tedious, nasty job and I have yet to come up with a solution. If anybody knows an easy way—please, please let me know. My husband and I have tried several techniques but none of them have been easy. Perhaps the best alternative is to buy the chestnuts already cleaned.
My husband made the croutons and peeled the chestnuts the day before.

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Ingredients

A butternut squash or pumpkin
This recipe yields about 11 cups of stuffing.

Croutons

1 sourdough bread cut into small cubes (about 8 cups)
4 ounces of butter (one stick)
2 TBS olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp Italian herbs

Stuffing

1½ cup finely diced shallots
8 ounces butter (2 sticks)
2 cups shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
2 cups chestnuts, roasted, peeled and chopped
1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and chopped
2 large celery stalks, chopped medium
1 TBS fresh thyme, chopped
2 TBS fresh sage, chopped
½ cup parsley, chopped
2 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup of turkey or chicken broth
1 tsp dried sage
1-2 tsp garlic salt
1 tsp ground pepper
season with additional salt and pepper

Directions

Cut the top of the squash diagonally (see picture) and hollow out the seeds and some flesh.

Chestnuts
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Slice the chestnuts across the equator (see picture) with a sharp knife without cutting into the skin or nut beneath. Bake them in the oven for about 25 minutes. I start taking some of them out before that, removing the nutshell and the skin while they are hot. My husband prefers to put an “x” on the flat side of the chestnut and waits to peel them until they are room temperature. For me, cutting the chestnut across the equator makes for the easiest peeling after roasting. However, easy is a relative term here.

Croutons

There are a lot of croutons here, so I sautéed them in two batches (well, actually my hubby did.) He is the crouton maker. Melt ½ stick of butter in a large frying pan, add 1TBS olive oil and half of the croutons, plus 1/2 of the spices and stir constantly until the croutons are slightly browned. Repeat with the second batch.

The Stuffing

Melt 4 ounces of butter in a large frying pan, add the shallots, and sauté for five minutes. Add the mushrooms, celery, chopped thyme and chopped sage and sauté for another 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, mix the croutons with the sautéed veggies, the chestnuts, the apple and the parsley. Add the dried sage, garlic salt and pepper. Taste for seasoning before you add the eggs and turkey stock. Fill the hollowed out squash with some of the stuffing, dot with additional butter, add the top and bake for an hour and a half at 375 degrees. I covered the bottom of the squash with foil. Spray a casserole with oil and add the rest of the stuffing. Dot with butter, cover and bake for about 30 minutes or longer at 350 degrees.

Guten Appetit!
©Sunnycovechef

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Cranberry Ketchup and Cranberry Sauce

11/11/2015

2 Comments

This cranberry ketchup and my simple cranberry sauce are a tasty addition to any meal—and not just for the holidays. Freeze some extra bags of cranberries to make throughout the year.

Life is full of surprises with ups and downs like a roller coaster. One moment you are on top of the world (knowing that it won't last), full of anticipation and fear of the unknown as you contemplate the ride down. Personally, I don't like roller coasters, I prefer a gentle ride on a carousel. Last November and December were such roller coaster months for me. I had a wonderful visit with my mom in Germany. Afterwards, my husband and I went to Berlin, Prague, and Nürnberg. I came home and got ready for Christmas in the Sierras, baked cookies, tarts, made cranberry ketchup and cranberry sauce. Two days before Christmas, we loaded all our goodies into the car and left for the mountains. As we began our journey, I got messages from my niece saying that my mom had fallen and broken her hip badly. She was in an ambulance on the way to the hospital. On the first summit, I decided to turn around and go back home to make arrangements to leave for Germany. I was on the plane 24 hours later, and landed in Germany on Christmas Day. By then, my mom had peacefully passed away with my brother's family around her. I am so thankful for their love and care.

Cranberry Ketchup

Last year, while looking through my folders, I came upon a recipe for cranberry ketchup. Since I love cranberries, I decided to make some. It was still in my fridge when I returned from Germany after my mom’s funeral. It was comforting to put on my sandwiches and added flavor and richness to many meals. I promised myself to make it again. This year, I will be in Germany for Thanksgiving to celebrate my brother's birthday. So, I decided to have a pre-Thanksgiving dinner in the Sierras in our cabin with my sister-in-law and her husband. The late fall here is gorgeous. There are very few people there now and we were expecting a dusting of snow for the weekend.

I made the cranberry ketchup and cranberry sauce several days before we drove up. The ketchup is fantastic and a spoonful will enhance most any meal. It lasts for a long time in the fridge and needs to sit for a couple of days to develops its full flavor.

Cranberry Sauce

Every time I cook a turkey, I make cranberry sauce. Turkey without cranberry sauce is not an option on my table. For many years, I have made the same recipe—not because it is the best or special—but because it is the one my family and I like the best. It is simple and easy to make. I always make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. There have been fleeting moments when I thought about adding ginger or a minced jalapeño, but I haven't. Maybe someday I will.
The amount of sugar depends how tart you want it to be: I used ¼ cup this time, but I think I will use ½ cup the next time. The tartness of cranberries has to be balanced with something sweet like orange juice and sugar. All my tasters liked the tartness of the thick sauce.

Cranberry Ketchup

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Cranberry Ketchup
This recipe makes about 1 ½ cups of ketchup

Ingredients

1 cup finely chopped red onion
2 cups of water
4 cups of fresh or frozen cranberries
(not thawed)
2 strips of fresh orange peel
½ cup packed light brown sugar
½ cup regular sugar
½ tsp Chinese five-spice powder
1½ tsp salt

Directions

Simmer the onion in water for about 10 minutes, uncovered until tender. Add cranberries and orange peel and continue to simmer uncovered until the berries are collapsed, another 10 minutes. Discard the zest and purée the berries in a food processor. Strain the purée through a sieve into a saucepan, discarding the solids. Stir in all the sugar, the five-spice powder, salt and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Cool completely and keep in a covered jar in the fridge.

Cranberry Sauce

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Cranberry Sauce
This is a thick sauce that you can spoon onto your plate.
Makes about 2 cups enough for about 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
½ cup water
¼ - ½ cup of sugar
3½ cup fresh or frozen cranberries (12 ounces)
½ tsp freshly grated orange zest

Directions

Bring the orange juice, water and sugar to a boil, stirring until the sugar is dissolved. Add cranberries and simmer until berries are popping, 10 to 12 minutes. Stir in the zest and cool.

Guten Appetit!
Recipe for Cranberry Ketchup adapted from Gourmet magazine © Sunnycovechef

2 Comments

Dry-Brined Petite Turkey with Silky Gravy

Chestnut Shiitake Mushroom Stuffing

Cranberry Ketchup and Cranberry Sauce

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