Maple-Glazed Turkey with Bourbon-Pecan Gravy

Got this from Food & Wine and made it for Thanksgiving. Total hit.


Ingredients

1. One 18- to 20-pound turkey--neck and giblets reserved for another use
2. 1 1/2 cups Kentucky bourbon
3. 1/2 cup fresh orange juice
4. 1/3 cup pure maple syrup
5. 1 tablespoon chopped thyme
6. Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
7. 1 stick (4 ounces) unsalted butter, softened
8. Water
9. 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
10. 4 cups Rich Turkey Stock
11. 1/2 pound pecans (about 2 cups), lightly toasted and chopped

Directions

1. Using your fingers, carefully loosen the skin over the turkey breast and thighs; try not to tear the skin. Set a large oven roasting bag in a very large bowl. Put the turkey in the bag, cavity end up.

2. In a bowl, mix the bourbon with the orange juice, maple syrup, thyme and 1 1/2 teaspoons each of salt and pepper. Slowly pour the mixture under the turkey skin and press to distribute it evenly over the breast and thighs. Wrap the turkey tightly in the bag and seal with a twist tie. Refrigerate overnight. Bring to room temperature before roasting.

3. Preheat the oven to 325°. Remove the turkey from the bag and set it in a large roasting pan. Pour the marinade into a large measuring cup. Rub 6 tablespoons of the butter under the breast skin and rub the remaining 2 tablespoons over the skin. Tie the turkey legs together with twine.

4. Pour 1/2 cup of the reserved marinade into the roasting pan and roast the turkey for 30 minutes. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and add 1 cup of water to the pan. Roast the turkey for 1 hour longer, basting it every half hour. Add the remaining marinade to the pan. Cover the turkey loosely with aluminum foil and roast for about 2 hours longer, or until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°.

5. Carefully transfer the turkey to a carving board, allowing the juices in the cavity to run into the pan. Cover loosely with foil and let rest for 30 minutes.

6. Pour the pan juices into a bowl and skim the fat: reserve 6 tablespoons of the fat. In a large saucepan, mix the fat with the flour to form a paste. In a medium saucepan, warm the Rich Turkey Stock and slowly whisk it into the flour paste. Bring to a boil over moderate heat, whisking constantly. Whisk in the reserved pan juices and simmer over low heat, whisking frequently, until thickened and flavorful, about 25 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in the pecans; transfer to a large gravy boat. Carve the turkey, arrange on a platter and serve with the pecan gravy.

Summer Tea Party Essentials (minus the tea)

I just had friends over for a Jane Austen evening and I figured I should put up some recipes.

The first is typical tea sandwiches. I made three kinds. Mint/Cucumber, Olive Tapenade, and Dill/Salmon.

Mint/Cucumber:

* 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, rinsed, spun dry, and chopped fine
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
* 1/2 cup cream cheese
* 6 slices of white bread
* a 3-inch length of seedless cucumber, cut into thin slices

Directions: In a small bowl combine the mint, the butter, and the cream cheese and stir the mixture until it is combined well. Spread the bread slices with the butter mixture, top 3 of them with the cucumber, distributing the cucumber evenly and seasoning it with salt, and top the cucumber with the remaining bread slices. Cut off and discard the crusts and cut each sandwich diagonally into quarters.

Olive Tapenade:

* 1 lb kalamata olives, pitted (about 2 cups)
* 1 cup extra-virgin olive oil
* 2 large cloves garlic
* 1/2 cup packed fresh Italian parsley
* 1/4 cup drained capers
* 2 tbsp lemon juice
* 1 tbsp dried oregano
* 3/4 lb feta cheese, crumbled or cut into 1/4- to 1/2-inch cubes
* 6 slices white bread

Directions: Put the olives, feta, olive oil, garlic, parsley, capers, lemon juice, and oregano in a food processor fitted with the metal blade. Turning the machine on and off rapidly, pulse the ingredients a few times, then scrape down the work bowl and process continuously until the mixture forms a coarse but uniform paste. Spread on bread, cut off crusts, and cut into squares. You can also just buy olive tapenade (like I did. No food processor).

Dill/Salmon:

* Fresh Dill
* 100 mg Salmon lox
* Whipped Cream Cheese
* White Bread

Directions: Simple enough, spread cream cheese on bread, sprinkle with chopped dill, lay salmon on top. Cut off bread crusts and cut into squares.

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Next I served a Victorian classic: Lavender Lemonade.

* 5 cups water
* 1 cups sugar
* 12 stems of fresh lavender
* 2 cups lemon juice (or the juice of 5 1/2 lemons)

1. Boil 2 cups of water with the sugar.
2. Add the lavender stems (mostly leaves) and remove from heat.
3. Place on the lid and let cool (smells amazing!).
4. When cool, add 4 cups of water and the lemon juice to a pitcher.
5. Strain out the lavender from the sugar water.
6. Add sugar mixture until the sour/sweetness is even.
7. Serve the lavender lemonade with crushed ice and garnish with lavender blossoms.

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And finally, something I've been reading out ALL summer in L.M. Montgomery's novels: Plum Puffs. These were a hit, but I think that next time I'll just make mini popovers to fill with plum jam and cream cheese. This pastry was kind of bland.

* 1 cup water
* 6 tbsp. butter
* 1 cup all-purpose flour
* 2 tsp. granulated sugar
* 4 Eggs
* 2/3 cup plum jam (or any other fruit jam)
* 1/2 cup cream cheese OR whipped cream
* Sifted Icing Sugar

1. Preheat your oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a baking sheet lightly.
2. In a large saucepan, heat the water and butter until boiling. When the butter has melted, turn the heat to low, add the flour and sugar all at once and mix them in thoroughly (a wooden spoon seems to work best for this). Continue to beat the mixture over low heat until it leaves the sides of the pan, about 1 minute.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Add two eggs and beat (with an electric mixer!) the mixture until it is smooth. Add the next two eggs and beat again until smooth.
4. Drop the dough by tablespoonfuls onto the baking sheet (The puffs will double in size as they bake.) Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until they are golden brown.
5. Take the puffs out of the oven and turn the heat off. Close the oven door. With a toothpick or thin skewer, poke a tiny hole or two in each puff to let the steam out. Return the puffs to the turned-off but warm oven for about 5 more minutes to ensure that the insides are done. Remove the puffs from the oven and cool them on a rack.
6. When cool, gently split the puffs in half and fill each one with a spoonful of jam and a dab of cream cheese or whipped cream. When all the puffs are filled, arrange them on a platter and sift icing sugar over the top.

Salmonberry Pie

Vince and I went out to the woods last night to gather salmonberries, which are in the raspberry family but the colors range from bright orange to blackberry dark. They are not as sweet as raspberries but we had to try a pie with them. There is exactly one recipe on the internet for salmon berry pie and we had to tweak it a little because it was for a chilled pie and I had my heart set on baked. I don't know if my recipe worked yet because when I checked it this morning it hadn't set. I might put it back in the oven a little since I only put it in for 40 minutes. But here is what we did:

Salmonberry filling:

* 4 cups Salmonberries
* Water
* 2/3 cup white sugar
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 4 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1 teaspoon ground cardamom
* 1 package goat cheese brie

Topping:

* 1 pint whipping cream

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

To make the Salmonberry filling: Crush 2 cups of the Salmonberries through a sieve. This will take some time but it is essential to remove all of the seeds. Add water to Salmonberry juice to make 1 1/2 cups of liquid. Put the juice and water into a pan. Add sugar, cornstarch, cardamom, and salt. Cook on medium heat, stirring constantly for about 5 to10 minutes. Do not scorch. Remove from heat and let cool.

But slices of brie on the bottom of the pie crust (Mom's uncooked pie crust). Spread crushed berries over the cheese. Add remaining berries and pour cooked liquid mixture over the top. Bake at 350 degrees for 40+ minutes. Let cool to set. Serve warmed up with ice cream or whipped cream.

Black Bean and Tomato Quinoa

Quinoa is a protein-packed grain. It really easy to cook and tastes great with pretty much anything. I took this with me for lunch a lot this past year.

Ingredients:
* 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
* 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
* 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
* 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
* 1 teaspoon sugar
* 1 teaspoon cumin
* 1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
* 1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
* 2 medium tomatoes, diced
* 4 scallions, chopped
* 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

Quinoa usually comes in a box or a bag. Just read the cooking instructions.

Add cooked quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and salt and pepper to taste.

Apple Yogurt Pancakes

"Green Apples" Paul Cézanne

I eat these at least once a week. I'm totally in love with them. The recipe is so simple and there's actually some nutritional benefit! I have even begun mixing it up with strawberries instead of apples and vanilla instead of cinnamon. Yum!

INGREDIENTS

* 2 eggs
* 1 2/3 cups milk
* 1 (8 ounce) container plain yogurt
* 1/4 cup vegetable oil
* 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
* 1 teaspoon baking powder
* 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
* 1/4 teaspoon salt
* 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
* 3 apples - peeled, cored and shredded (cheese grater)

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl, stir together the eggs, milk, yogurt and oil until well blended. Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon, stir into the milk mixture until smooth. Fold in chopped apple.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each cake. Cook until bubbles form in the cakes and the bottoms are golden brown. Flip and cook the other side. Serve warm with syrup or jam.

Mom's Pie Crust

Directions

Melt 1 Tblsp. butter in one cup measuring cup

Fill up to the 2/3 mark with canola oil

Fill to the 1 cup mark with water

In bowl mix 2 cups flour with 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp salt

Add the contents of the measuring cup

Roll out dough between 2 pieces of wax paper, invert into pie shell

Pink Princess Delight Pie

I call this my Pink Princess Delight pie because your average six year old girl would be totally in love with it. I was mostly just playing around and I've since tweaked the recipe so the filling solidifies better. At the time I thought the apples added something but now I think they may not be necessary. It's up to personal taste, I guess.

Ingredients:

* Mom's pie dough
* 3 apples peeled and sliced
* 1 can light coconut milk
* 1 tablespoon coconut extract
* 1/2 cup sweetened shaved coconut
* 1 1/2 cup frozen raspberries, thawed and mashed
* 1 cup sugar
* 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
* 1/4 cup corn starch
* 1/4 water

Directions:

Prepare pie crust (see recipe). Arrange apple slices in a decorative manor on bottom of pie crust (unlike the above picture). In a saucepan mix together coconut extract, raspberries, sugar, vanilla, water, and corn starch. Turn on high heat and whisk until bubbling. Remove from heat and continue stirring until bubbles settle and mixture is syrupy. Pour packet of gelatin over coconut milk and let sit for 1 minute. Mix coconut milk and raspberry mixture together, pour over apples into crust. Bake for 15 minutes at 400 degrees, cover with foil and continue baking at 350 degrees for another 40 minutes. Remove from oven and place on towel in freezer. Let sit for 2 hours. Remove to fridge. Serve when filling has solidified.