In a small saucepan, combine the water, sugar, lemon zest and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar is dissolved, about 10 minutes. Add the basil and mint and set aside to steep for 3 minutes. Strain syrup through a fine mesh sieve and set aside to cool. Transfer to the refrigerator until thoroughly chilled, then process in an ice cream machine. Transfer to a freezer-proof container with a lid and freeze until ready to serve.
1st prepare the sauce: In a small sauce pan, combine the wine, vinegar, shallots, peppercorns and thyme sprigs. Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean and add to the pan with the bean. Turn the heat to medium high and reduce the contents until the pan is nearly dry.
Add the heavy cream and cook until slightly reduced and the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk the butter into the sauce a piece at a time. Add the basil and let rest 10 minutes. Strain the sauce through a fine sieve. Season with a bit of salt. Use right away or hold in a warm bath. Serve with fish or steak. Makes 1/2 Cup
Combine all the ingredients in a mixing bowl and stir. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months. Apply this rub 3 to 24 hours in advance before grilling chicken, lamb or seafood. Sprinkle 2 to 3 teaspoons per pound of meat then gently rub it in with your fingertips.
Brining will make your turkey moister by imparting flavored liquid on a cellular level to the muscle tissue of the meat before cooking. This is done via the process of osmosis, by allowing the cells to hold on to the water while they are cooked, via the process of denaturation. The proteins coagulate, forming a matrix that traps water molecules and holds them during cooking, preventing the meat from dehydrating – particularly useful for turkey since the breast meat often dries out. The salt is also desirable as a preservative. The flavor in the brine ends up flavoring the meat from the inside out so make sure you season your brine with flavors you want in your turkey.
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Turkey Brine
Brining your turkey is the best way to impart moisture and flavor into your turkey.
Put the oil in a sautee pan over medium high heat and add the peppers, scallions and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly scorched.
Place grilled vegetables, avocado and cilantro in a food processor and puree until smooth.
Transfer pureed veggies to a bowl and add the lemon juice and stock whisking to combine. Season with salt and pepper.. Chill in frig. Garnish with additional chopped cilantro and sour cream.
Bake the potatoes in a 425 degree oven for 1 hour until cooked all the way through. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and scoop out the pulp. Put all the pulp into a bowl. Add 1 stick of butter, the cream, and salt and pepper to taste. Whip into mashed potatoes.
Liberally salt and pepper each potatoe skin. Put 2 tablespoons of mashed potatoes on each skin and spread evenly. Divid onion into 8 equal parts and sprinkle evenly over each shell. Add 1 tablespoon of butter to the center of each shell. Fill each potato skin with cheddar cheese.
Divide the remaining mashed potato mixture into 8 and add to shells, spreading evenly and sealing the edges as you go. Sprinkle with paprika and heat in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes.
I’ve had lots of Zucchini flowers stuffed with a variety of stuffing’s, but this recipe is by far, my favorite. The sauce is light and airy, the batter is light and crispy and the cheese filling is rich and yummy!
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Zucchini flowers stuffed with ricotta cheese
The sauce is light and airy, the batter is light and crispy and the cheese filling is rich and yummy! You must be careful, these are highly addictive!
Quarter the tomatoes and put them in a food processor and process until smooth. Cook garlic and red pepper flakes in oil in a 2-quarts heavy saucepan over medium heat, stirring, until garlic is golden, about 30 seconds. Add tomatoes, and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, 25 to 30 minutes.
For the filling
Stir together ricotta, yolk, mint, 1/3 cup parmesan, and 1/8 teaspoon each of salt and pepper. Put cheese mixture into a piping bag. Carefully open each blossom and fill with ricotta filling, gently twisting end of blossom to enclose filling.
For the batter
Whisk together flour, remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and seltzer in a small bowl. Heat 1/2 inch oil to 375°F in a 10-inch heavy skillet. Meanwhile, dip half of blossoms in batter to thinly coat. Fry coated blossoms, turning once, until golden, 1 to 2 minutes total. Transfer with tongs to paper towels to drain. Coat and fry remaining blossoms. (Return oil to 375°F between batches.) Season with salt. Serve with tomato sauce.
“For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food, for love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.”
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
We have a small family, (4 members to be exact!) so at Thanksgiving, it fills my heart with joy to invite friends to my table to fill the room with laughter and love. According to what traditionally is known as “The First Thanksgiving,” the 1621 feast between the Pilgrims and the Wampanoag indians consisted of turkey, waterfowl, venison, fish, lobster, clams, berries, fruit, pumpkin and squash. Keeping with tradition, my menu this year includes roast turkey and stuffing (not to be confused with dressing),
Turkey stuffed with Italian Sausage Stuffing
whipped potatoes and gravy (not to be confused with mashed), cranberry sauce
Cranberry Sauce
(not to be confused with Cranberry jelly), scalloped oysters,
Scalloped Oysters
green bean casserole,
green bean casserole
apple pie with rosemary and thyme
apple pie with rosemary and thyme
and to wash it all down with, an ice-cold Gewürztraminer to go with the turkey, champagne with the apple pie and some roasted chestnuts
roasted chestnuts
with sparkling apple cider to nibble on while waiting to sit down. This may sound like a huge undertaking to some, however, with a few little tricks, this meal can be accomplished stress-free. I start two days in advance to get the grocery shopping done. Then I peel the chestnuts, and make the cranberries.
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Chestnuts Sauteed in Butter with Rosemary
Chestnuts sauteed in butter are savory, salty caramelized treats. The rosemary makes it a perfect holiday snack.
Melt butter in a saute pan over medium-low heat. Add chestnuts and toss to coat well. Season with salt and saute until dark golden brown on both sides. Sprinkle in the rosemary, remove from heat, let cool. Chestnuts can be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks.
Apple Pie with fresh rosemary and thyme is a heavenly pie. Completely different from traditional apple pie, yet it still reminds me of being with the family at Thanks giving.
Sift together flour and salt into a food processor. Add the lard and butter and pulse until the size of small peas. Gradually add ice water, until dough comes together in a ball. Shape into 2 balls, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least one hour. Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Roll out 1 pastry ball and line the pie pan with it. Pour filling into pie dish and dot with butter. Roll out remaining pastry and fit to top of pie. Pinch the edges closed. Slice three holes down the center to allow steam to escape. .
Fit aluminum foil around the edges to prevent burning. Bake for 20 minutes, reduce heat to 375 and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20 minutes. Remove and let cool.
Place all the ingredients into a pot and heat just until boiling to dissolve the salt and sugar. Stir and let cool.
Recipe Notes
After this mixture cools, add flavors to this basic recipe to impart a taste that suits your individual palate. Anything goes. Some suggestions are: garlic cloves, peeled and crushed;a small onion, thinly sliced;1 lemon, thinly sliced;1 orange, thinly sliced;cloves
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Drain the oysters into a 2 cup measuring cup reserving the liquid. Set the oysters aside.
Add the cream to the liquid. Add all of the seasoning. Combine the crackers with the melted butter. Butter a 9 inch square pyrex baking dish and set aside. To assemble: Put 1/3 of the crackers into the baking dish. Then add half of the oysters spreading them out evenly over the crackers. Pour 1/3 of the liquid evenly over the oysters. Add another 1/3 of crackers, then remaining oysters, then 1/3 of the liquid and finish with remaining crackers and pouring the last of the liquid over the entire dish. Bake 30 minutes until the top is golden brown. Let rest for 10 minutes before serving.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Blanch the haricot vert until they are al dente, about 3 minutes. Melt 3 T butter in a dutch oven. Add flour. Stir and cook until the flour is a light brown color. Stir in the salt, onion, sour cream and green beans. Transfer the mixture to a casserole dish.
Spread cheese over top. Add 1 T melted butter to bread crumbs and parmesan cheese, mixing thoroughly. Sprinkle over casserole. Bake for 30 minutes until golden brown and bubbly.
Fill a large bowl with cold water. Peel the potatoes and plunge them into the water as you finish peeling them. Fill a large saucepan half way with water. Cut the potatoes into ½ inch pieces. Add them to the saucepan as you cut to keep them from oxidating and turning brown. Bring the potatoes to a boil over medium heat. Lower the heat and cook for 20 minutes or until they are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes in a colander. Use a Foley Food Mill for a light and silky consistency. Add the butter, cream and salt.
For the Gravy
Melt 3 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan. Add 3 tablespoons of flour to the melted butter and cook it for a couple of minutes until it’s a light golden brown. Add 2 cups of chicken or turkey stock to the pan. Continue to cook and stir until the gravy thickens. Salt and pepper to taste. (if you are cooking a turkey or chicken, use the drippings from the bottom of the pan in your gravy.
The warm winds of summer usher in a myriad of vibrant fruits and vegetables from our local farms. So when I stumbled upon a road side stand the other day, I just had to stop. There standing before me were the two most adorable Amish boys doting over a bowl full of freshly picked strawberries. Laid out in front of them were beautifully presented tomatoes, garlic scapes, cucumbers, lettuce, onions, peas and rhubarb.
When I was a child, we had rhubarb growing in our back yard. To keep the slugs off of it, bowls of beer were placed around the rhubarb, coaxing the slimy little creatures away from our precious vegetable and into the bowl of beer to meet their demise. When the rhubarb grew to maturity with its subtle red hues, my Mother would make rhubarb pies and sometimes strawberry-rhubarb pies. It is the quintessential dessert, sweet, but not too sweet, light, and colorful.
This is the perfect strawberry rhubarb pie recipe and it’s a great way to get your kids to eat their vegetables!!!
In the bowl of a food processor add the flour, salt, sugar and butter and pulse until butter is the size of a pea. Add the cold water 1 tablespoon at a time while pulsing until mixture comes together and forms a ball. Divide in half and wrap in saran wrap and refrigerate.
Mix all the filling ingredients in a large bowl Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Roll the dough out on a floured surface with a rolling pin. Place it on the bottom of a pie pan. After rolling the 2nd dough out, slice it into 1/2 strips to make the lattice work for the top of the pie. Brush with beaten egg and sprinkle with a tablespoon of sugar. Bake for 50 minutes.
