UNIVERSAL PRESS SYNDICATE/ From Benoit Guichard, chef/owner of Jamin in Paris
Trimmings for this Thanksgiving feast
include sweet potato
puree in orange cups,
honeyed cranberry relish, fruited corn bread stuffing and wild rice pilaf.
Sink your teeth into a traditional US Thanksgiving feast
THANKSGIVING TURKEY dinner just wouldn't be the same without the trimmings. From stuffing to sweet potatoes and cranberry relish, a groaning board of side dishes is as essential as the holiday bird to this traditional American celebration of food, family and friends.
The menu below allows everything but
the turkey to be prepared partially or entirely ahead of time. Include steamed seasonal
vegetables, salads and fresh rolls add to the abundance.
NOTE: You may not have plans to celebrate Thanksgiving, but you could use the menu for your Christmas dinner.
SUCCESS TIPS
Whole roast turkey is safe to eat when juices run clear and the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh registers 180ºF before the bird is removed from the oven. Allow bird to stand 20 minutes before carving.
Stuffing cooked inside the bird is safe to eat when the centre of the stuffing registers 165 degree F after the 20-minute standing time.
Roast Turkey
1 turkey (10-12 lbs.)
1/2 cup butter, softened
Salt
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 450 degree F. Remove innards from turkey; use to make gravy, if desired, or discard. Wash turkey inside and out; pat dry.
2. Rub surface of the bird with softened butter inside and out.
3. Secure legs and wings with kitchen string. Set bird on rack in roasting pan.
4. Set pan on middle rack of oven. Roast 30 minutes; reduce oven to 325 degrees and roast until meat is done (about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total roasting time). After the first 45 minutes, baste every 15 minutes with pan juices.
5. When bird is done, remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving.
Serves 10.
Although baking stuffing separately is safer, this recipe includes instructions for cooking it inside the bird. Stuff the turkey just before roasting it.
Fruited Corn Bread Stuffing
6 cups dry corn bread, crumbled
2 tsps. thyme
2 tsps. sage
2 tsps. minced parsley
1/4 cup port
1/2 cup pitted, chopped prunes
1/2 cup green seedless grapes
1 cup diced apples
1 cup minced onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/2 to 2 cups hot turkey broth
2 tbsps. butter, cut into small pieces
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. In a large bowl, mix corn bread crumbs with thyme, sage and parsley. Set aside.
2. In a saucepan over medium heat, simmer port, prunes, grapes and apples for 15 minutes. In a skillet over medium-high heat, sauté onion in oil until soft but not browned (8 to 10 minutes). Add fruit mixture and sautéed onion to bread crumbs; mix well. Add the 1 1/2 cups broth; mix well to moisten; for moister stuffing, add more broth.
3. Spoon stuffing into lidded overproof dish. Dot surface with butter. Bake 30 minutes; remove lid and bake 10 to 15 minutes more. To bake stuffing in bird, stuff cavity loosely; close opening with skewers and/or kitchen twine.
This dish can be assembled in advance and refrigerated before baking.
Ginger Sweet Potato In Orange Cups
6 medium oranges
4 large sweet potatoes
1 egg
1/2 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. grated lemon zest
2 tbsps. chopped walnuts
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 350 degree F. Halve oranges and scoop out pulp.
2. Peel and slice sweet potatoes. Steam until soft (about 15 minutes). Mash in large bowl with egg, spices and lemon zest.
3. Divide puree among the 12 orange peel cups. Set cups on a large baking sheet and sprinkle with chopped walnuts. Bake for 25 minutes.
Serves 12.
Carrot With Cumin
And Orange
2 tbsps. cumin seeds
3 tbsps. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled
and thinly sliced
1 plump, fresh clove garlic
1 tbsp. sugar
1 bouquet garni: 2 bay
leaves and a bunch of
fresh thyme, tied together
with household string
Sea salt to taste
1/2 cup freshly squeezed
orange juice (juice of 3 oranges)
1 tbsp. unsalted butter
METHOD
Toast the cumin seeds: Heat a small nonstick skillet over medium heat for 2 minutes. Add the cumin and toast, stirring and shaking the pan constantly to prevent burning. Watch
carefully, for the seeds will brown quickly. (Lower the heat if the cumin fills the kitchen with its fragrance and turns dark brown, about 4 minutes total. Immediately transfer the cumin seeds to a plate to cool).
In a large skillet, heat the oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the carrots, garlic sugar and toasted cumin seeds. Add enough water to cover the carrots by half. Add the bouquet garni and salt to taste.
Butter a piece of wax paper (cut it round to the approximate size of the pan if you like), poke several holes in the paper, and place it, butter side down, on top of the carrots. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 25 minutes. Remove and discard the wax paper and the bouquet garni. Add the orange juice and cook over low heat, uncovered, stirring from time to time, until almost all of the liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. At serving time, stir in the butter. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Makes 8 to 10 servings.
Creamed Potatoes
4 ozs. potatoes, peeled
& diced
1/2 cup water
1 tbsp. butter-flavoured granules
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tsp. chicken bouillon
granules
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
1/8 tsp. pepper
METHOD
1. In a small saucepan, combine potato and water. Bring to a boil.
2. Cover and simmer for about 10 minutes or until potato is tender.
3. Mix or blend potatoes until smooth.
4. Stir in the milk along with the remaining ingredients. (You may need to add as much as 1/2 cup additional milk to make mixture sauce consistency).
Use sauce as a base for creamy soups, casseroles and scalloped potato dishes, or keep it thick and serve it as mashed potatoes.
Scalloped Potatoes
Vegetable spray
1 3/4 cups fat free milk
1 cup non-fat or low fat
sour cream (or plain yoghurt)
1 tbsp. cornstarch
3 tbsp. lite margarine
1/8 tsp. ground pepper
4 medium potatoes (about 1 1/2 lbs.) unpeeled and cut into
1/8" to 1/4" slices
1/2 medium onion, diced
Paprika to taste
METHOD
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2. Spray an 8 x 11 x 2
baking pan.
3. In medium bowl whisk together milk, sour cream, margarine, cornstarch and pepper.
4. Line pan with 1/3 potatoes. Pour 1/3 of sour cream mixture over potatoes. Sprinkle with 1/2 the onion. Repeat the layers. Top with remaining potatoes then with remaining sour cream mixture. Cover with aluminium foil and bake for 1 hour.
5. Uncover and bake for 20 minutes.
6. Sprinkle with paprika. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.
