Feast Time: Thanksgiving Recipes

Make this Thanksgiving one to remember with these savory, festive recipes – the perfect additions to the annual feast.

For those who shun pre-packaged stuffing on Thanksgiving, this is the recipe for you. From the kitchen of Florida chef Justin Timineri, the Savory Pecan Stuffing is stuffed with all the traditional fixings, with a dose of sausage for the non-vegetarian diner.

Savory Pecan Stuffing

   Serves 10

• ½ pound spicy or sage breakfast-style ground sausage
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon chopped garlic
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme, or 1 teaspoon dried
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage, or 2 teaspoons dried
• ¼ cup butter
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• ½ cup golden raisins
• 1 loaf of bread, cut into cubes or cornbread equivalent
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

Method:

1. Cook sausage and onion together until sausage is completely done.
2. Drain well and set aside.
3. Melt butter in a large skillet, and cook celery and garlic until tender.
4. In large bowl add remaining ingredients, adding sausage and onions last.
5. Mix together well and pour into a large baking dish.
6. Bake at 350º for about 45 minutes.

Recipe and image courtesy of Chef Justin Timineri and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services. For more recipes coming from Timineri’s kitchen, click here.  

No Thanksgiving spread is complete without cranberry sauce. Follow this recipe, adapted from the seventy-fifth anniversary edition of the Joy of Cooking ($35, Scribner), and we guarantee your contribution to the family dinner will be the most-passed dish.

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

• 2 cups fresh cranberries
• 2 cups Pinot Noir
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
• ½ tsp. ground cloves

Method:

Combine all ingredients in medium saucepan and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering until the cranberries burst (about 10 minutes) and sauce thickens slightly. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature before serving.

For Thomas Keller’s recipe for Hen in the Pot, go to page two >>

While turkey may be the traditional go-to bird for the Thanksgiving feast, sometimes that is just too much for one sitting. This year, serve your guests their own mini fowl with Thomas Keller’s recipe for Hen in the Pot. By way of All-Clad’s chef ambassador program, this recipe uses Cornish game hens, the perfect substitute for smaller Thanksgiving gatherings.

Words of Advice: Seek out fresh Cornish hens, rather than ones in the frozen case. If time allows, brine the birds to add flavour throughout the meat. The finished dish can be served in individual bowls, gratin dishes or family style on a deep platter.

   “If the serving dishes are oven proof, the vegetables and hens can be arranged and placed in a warm oven while the stock reduces.”

• This recipe can be prepared with four Cornish game hens, about 1 pound each, two small chickens, about 2 to 2½ pounds each, or one larger chicken, about 4 pounds

Hen in the Pot

   Serves 4

• 1 cup coarse salt
• 4 Cornish game hens (1 to 1¼ pounds each), 2 small chickens (2 to 2½ pounds each) or 1 chicken (about 4 pounds)
• 14 cups chicken stock, homemade or shop-bought low-sodium, cold
• 8 small Yukon gold potatoes (about 1 pound total)
• 2 medium leeks (about 8 ounces)
• 12 white pearl onions, peeled
• 4 medium carrots (about 8 ounces), peeled
• 2 medium parsnips (about 8 ounces), peeled
• 2 medium swedes, (about 8 ounces), peeled
• 2 medium turnips, (about 8 ounces), peeled
• 1 small head Savoy cabbage (about 12 ounces)
• Coarse salt
• 1 bouquet garni (1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 3 sprigs tarragon, 6 sprigs parsley, tied into a bundle with a piece of kitchen twine)
• 4 tablespoons (2 ounces) unsalted butter (optional)
• 1½ tablespoons cornflour
• Salt, such as Fleur de sel or Maldon
• Fresh herbs, optional

Method:

1. For the brine (if time allows): Combine the coarse salt and one gallon of water in a small Copper-Core stockpot. Cover and bring to a boil. Boil for about 1 minute, stirring to dissolve the salt. Remove from the heat and cool completely before using. Submerge the birds in the brine and refrigerate for 2 hours. Remove the birds from the brine, rinse and dry with paper towels. Discard the brine. If the birds have not been brined, sprinkle some salt in the cavity to season. Truss the birds with kitchen twine to maintain their shape while cooking. Let them sit at room temperature for 1 hour before cooking.
2. Meanwhile: Set aside ¼ cup of the chicken stock. Pour the remaining stock into a large Copper-Core stockpot and add the potatoes. Place over medium heat to warm up slowly. It could take as long as an hour to begin to simmer.
3. While the soup heats, prepare the vegetables. Trim the root end of the leeks, but still leave it intact. Remove the outer leaf of the leeks and discard. Cut off and discard the very dark green leaves from the top of the leeks. Rinse the leeks well to remove any dirt. Cut each leek crosswise into 3 equal pieces, then wrap the pieces into bundles of 3 with a piece of twine to hold them together. Set aside.
4. With a pairing knife, score the root end of each pearl onion with an ‘X’ and set aside. Trim off the top and bottom ends of the carrots, then cut them on the diagonal into 2-inch sections. Set aside.
5. Trim off the top and bottom ends of the parsnips. Cut the parsnip crosswise into 2-inch sections. As the diameter of the parsnip increases, cut the sections in half lengthwise, and finally cut the widest section into more pieces, to keep all of the pieces approximately 2 inches long by ½ to ¾ inches thick and as consistent in size as possible. Set aside.
6. Cut the swedes and turnips into 8 wedges each. If desired, use a pairing knife to trim the sharp edges for a smoother finish.
7. Cut the cabbage in half through the root end and discard any dark or wilted outer leaves. Trim the root end flush with the cabbage, and cut each half in half again, to give you 4 wedges. Set aside.
8. When the chicken stock comes to a simmer, add all the vegetables (except the cabbage), the bouquet garni and the butter, if desired. Simmer for 10 minutes, adjusting the heat as necessary to maintain a gentle simmer. Add the birds to the pot, breast side down, and the cabbage. The birds should just be covered with the liquid. If they are not, add a bit more stock or water. Rest the lid on the pot to cover about three-quarters of the pot.
9. Begin to time the birds when the stock returns to a simmer. Simmer the birds gently, adjusting the heat as necessary, then turn off the heat and let the birds rest in the hot stock.

   Cooking Times:

   Bird Size: 4 pound chicken, 2-2½ pound chicken, 1-1¼ pound Cornish hen

   Cooking Time: 25 minutes, 20 minutes, 15 minutes

   Resting Time: 20 minutes, 15 minutes, 15 minutes

10. Turn the oven on to warm at the lowest temperature. With a skimmer or slotted spoon, carefully remove the vegetables and hens to a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven. Strain the stock through a fine mesh strainer. Place 5 cups of chicken stock in a medium sauce pan. Simmer to reduce to 3 cups. The remaining stock can be used for another purpose or frozen.
11. Meanwhile, whisk the cornflour into the reserved ¼ cup of chicken stock. When the stock has reduced, whisk in the cornflour mixture and bring to a simmer to thicken the stock.
12. Arrange the vegetables in individual serving dishes, cutting the potatoes in half. Untie the leeks, and remove the outer layer. With a pair of poultry shears, cut off the end of the drumsticks and end of the wings, and remove the twine.
13. Spoon some of the thickened juices over the bird and vegetables and sprinkle with salt and fresh herbs if desired.

To serve the Cornish hens: place a hen in the center of the vegetables.

To serve the small chickens: cut each chicken in half and serve over the vegetables.

To serve a large chicken: cut off the leg and thigh and cut through the joint to separate. Remove each side of the breast from the carcass and cut each piece in half on the diagonal. Arrange one piece of breast meat and one piece of dark meat in each bowl.