Tag: thanksgiving recipe

Bone Marrow Butter Roast Turkey & Gravy

If you’ve been following me on Instagram for a while, you probably know that I’ve been celebrating Thanksgiving with my friend Melinda and her family for the past 7 years, it’s tradition! Sadly, Melinda didn’t host this year, so I decided to host a Friendsgiving potluck with my friends and make my first turkey!

I was so excited but also nervous to make the perfect juicy bird, so I did research on techniques and I literally could not sleep coming up with ideas on how to keep my bird moist. Most recipes recommended slathering the turkey breast with butter – but that’s a no-no in the kosher kitchen, so I needed an alternative. Of course I could go the margarine route, but anyone who knows me knows that I don’t do margarine. Like ever! (Trauma from kosher culinary school and my mom’s kitchen growing up!).

Alas, as I twisted and turned at night, I came up with the most amazing non-vegan-butter alternative – MARROW BONE BUTTER! I roasted marrow bones with garlic to make a buttery confit, and I blitzed it in the food processor to make the most umami, lip-smacking butter that I literally took my bird OVER THE TOP! My guests could not get enough (even the turkey haters!) and it was an absolute success.

I may have to bring it to Melinda’s Thanksgiving next year!

If you’re wondering, here’s what all my friends brought to the potluck!

I made turkey and gravy, red wine cranberry sauce, chestnut hummus and stuffing and my daughter made her amazing sourdough bread.

My friends brought:

Orzo with mushrooms
Meat stuffed peppers
Roasted potatoes
Strawberry apple crisp
Sweet potato Pie
Roasted brussels sprouts
Nish Nosh salad
Arugula salad with oranges, dates, mint

For dessert we had:

Pecan Pie
Lotus Babka
Streusel cookies
Cinnamon cake with maple frosting

I’m thinking this Friendsgiving thing has to happen every year! So grateful for good friends and reasons to celebrate!

Bone Marrow Butter Roast Turkey & Gravy

6 marrow bones
6 oz. peeled garlic
3 sprigs thyme
salt and pepper, to taste
1 cup extra virgin olive oil, or enough to almost cover
13 lb. turkey
1 onion, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery, roughly chopped
7 lady apples (mini baby apples)
1 apple, sliced in half
1/2 orange
1 small head garlic
bundle of mixed herbs (I used tarragon, rosemary and thyme)

Gravy:
1/4 cup oil from the drippings
6 tbsp flour
2 cups turkey stock (may sub chicken)
salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

First make the bone marrow butter. In a non-reactive dish, combine the marrow bones, garlic, thyme, salt, pepper and olive oil to almost cover. Bake at 375 until the garlic is soft and starting to brown and caramelize, about 30 minutes.

Scoop the marrow from the bones into a food processor with the S-blade attached. Add the garlic and a bit of the oil (1/4 cup) and blend until creamy. Transfer to a container and put in the freezer to solidify while you work on the turkey.

Place the chopped onions, carrots, celery and lady apples in the bottom of a roasting dish. Season with salt, pepper and toss with a bit of olive oil. Place the turkey rack on top.

Thoroughly dry the turkey on all sides, taking special care to dry out the cavity. Stuff the cavity with apple halves, orange, garlic, and herb bundle. Tie the legs with oven-safe string. Remove the marrow butter from the freezer (if it’s too frozen, allow it to soften for a few minutes) and generously slather it under the chicken skin, spreading it out over the breast (be careful not to rip the skin).

Pour some of the remaining confit oil over the turkey and rub it all over the skin. Season with salt and pepper.

Roast the turkey, breast-side-up at 350 degrees for 13 minutes per lb. or until it reaches 160 degrees (I recommend the thermometer method), basting every hour with the pan juices. If the skin starts to get too brown, you can tent it with foil.

Remove the turkey rack from the roasting dish and set aside. Using a slotted spoon, remove the roasted vegetables and apples and set them aside. Pour all the pan juices into a measuring cup, allow them to settle and use a spoon to separate most of the fat from the pan drippings.

Place the roasting dish on the fire and and add 1/4 cup oil from the roasting pan. Add flour and whisk until a paste forms, stirring the mixture over the entire pan to incorporate all the bits of flavor from the pan. Stir the paste until it takes on a deep tan color, about 6 minutes.  Add the turkey stock and whisk until creamy. Pour in the pan drippings and whisk to incorporate. Pour the gravy through a fine-mesh sieve to strain.

Serve the turkey with gravy and roasted apples from the pan. Gobble Gobble!

More Thanksgiving Recipes:

Thanksgiving grazing board
chestnut hummus
cranberry oat bars
stuffed dates with chestnut cream
baklava pumpkin pie
acorn squash with wild rice stuffing
cookie butter pumpkin pie
Mexican hot chocolate pecan pie
cranberry sriracha green beans
shaved brussels sprouts salad

Post a Comment

Chestnut Hummus with Herb Chestnut Oil

I have been making this recipe for years (I developed it back in 2013 to be exact), but it’s improved over the years (as my photography and styling have!). This new and improved silky smooth recipe is topped with an addictive herb and chestnut oil because flavored oils are all the rage and it really takes it over the top! Wishing you and yours a very happy, and elevated Thanksgiving!

Chestnut Hummus

2 3.5oz bag roasted chestnuts (such as Tuscanini or roast your own)
3 tbsp tahini paste
1 small clove garlic (roasted if you want it sweet!)
1/2-3/4 cup ice water
2 tsp fresh squeezed lemon juice
pinch of cumin or cardamom
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt, to taste

Method:

Add all ingredients to a food processor or blender. Puree until smooth. Add water until desired consistency is reached. To serve, spread the hummus into a serving bowl and top with herb and chestnut oil.

Herb Chestnut Oil

3 sprigs rosemary, roughly chopped
4 sprigs thyme, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
3.5oz roasted chestnuts, roughly chopped
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
kosher salt, to taste
1 cup olive oil

Method:

Add the rosemary, thyme, garlic, chestnuts, red pepper flakes and salt to a glass bowl. In a small saucepan, heat the olive oil just until heated but not smoking. Pour the hot oil over the herbs and chestnuts and stir.


Related recipes:

stuffed dates with chestnut cream
chestnut hummus with herbed pita chips
how to roast chestnuts

Post a Comment

Stuffed Dates with Chestnut Cream

Well hello there! It’s been a while. I caught my breath from the holidays, and behold yet another one is upon us: Thanksgiving.

Giving thanks – it’s something we speak about a lot I think, but not something we put into practice that much. I’ve been working on it a lot lately actually – really getting in the moment with my children, being thankful for the craziness and the messes instead of feeling overwhelmed by them.

It happened gradually really, after making a commitment to feeling more gratitude, I noticed how I started to see the good in things more naturally. My kids became cuter, the mess less overwhelming, and I became more productive because life just felt easier. It’s as simple as that.


Or maybe not quite so simple because life gets hectic, and hard, and sometimes it’s just hard to see the good in things – but it’s almost like a muscle, exercising that part of the brain makes it come more naturally. At least that’s been my experience.


So yes, this Thanksgiving I am actually practicing gratitude and I really have so much to be thankful for! When I picked up my camera to do this shoot, it felt so good to be behind the camera and I took the moment to really appreciate having a job that I absolutely LOVE, one that allows me to express myself creatively, and do the things I love.


While I don’t host a Thanksgiving dinner, I’ve been celebrating at my friend Melinda’s house for the past few years and I always bring a dish with me. This year, I really wasn’t feeling pie, even though that’s what I usually bring.

In the past, I’ve brought Mexican hot chocolate pecan pie, cookie butter pumpkin pie, and baklava pumpkin pie. One year I brought the chicken liver hummus from my cookbook, Millennial Kosher, because Mel is a big liver fan! But this year I wanted something easy yet festive and I knew I wanted to do something with chestnuts.

I’ve been dreaming of making my own chestnut cream every since I had chestnut crepes in Paris a few months ago, so I started there. A cake seemed too overwhelming, so what else to do with it? Well…. I love stuffing dates with all sorts of nut butter and tahini, so why not chestnut puree right? Especially when I cook it down with orange, cinnamon and cardamom – the perfect pairing!

Of course I finished it off with a dip in my favorite chocolate – California Gourmet, to really take it over the top. CHECKOUT THEIR SPECIAL PROMOTION HERE, use code 15BUSYBIB for an additional 15% off your order!

Finished with nutty sesame and some crunchy Maldon and you’ve got a dessert to be thankful for! Happy Turkey Day!

Stuffed Dates with Chestnut Cream
YIELD: approximately 3 dozen

2 3.5oz. bags roasted chestnuts
2 cups unsweetened almond milk (see note)
1 cinnamon stick
5 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed (see tip)
2 strips orange zest
juice of 1 orange
2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
16oz. medjool dates, pitted
4oz. California Gourmet 48% cocoa chocolate chips
1 tbsp refined coconut oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds, for garnish
Maldon salt, for finishing

Method:

In a saucepan, combine the chestnuts, almond milk, cinnamon stick, cardamom pods, orange zest, orange juice, honey and salt. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook over low heat until chestnuts are soft (easy to smash with the back of a spoon), 25-30 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick, cardamom pods and orange zest. Pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and puree until smooth and creamy, adding additional almond milk, if necessary. Cool completely and place the cream into a piping bag.

Combine the California Gourmet chocolate chips and coconut oil in a small bowl and microwave until melted, or melt over a double boiler.

Pipe the chestnut cream into the dates and dip them halfway in melted chocolate. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and Maldon sea salt flakes. Refrigerate until set.

Store the dates in the refrigerator until ready to serve, or freeze and thaw before serving.

NOTE; I use refrigerated almond milk for a creamier chestnut puree. I do not recommend shelf stable almond milk for this recipe.

VARIATION: for nut allergies, you can use oat milk or other creamy milk of your choice. For sesame allergies, omit sesame seeds.

TIP: If you can’t find cardamom pods, you may use ground cardamom, to taste (start with 1/4 teaspoon).

This post is sponsored by California Gourmet Chocolate Chips.

Related Recipes:

chestnut hummus with herbed pita chips
how to roast chestnuts
ferraro rawcher date bites
marzipan date truffles

Post a Comment

Food Files Cookbook + Giveaway!

I was recently lucky enough to receive a copy of the beautiful new cookbook, Food Files, benefiting Yeshiva of Flatbush. The book is a compilation of beautiful, healthy, seasonal and original recipes from home cooks in Flatbush, Brooklyn. As a food blogger, I’m honored to receive review copies of cookbooks all the time. Sometimes the books are nothing to write home about, and they end up in the growing “give away” pile in the basement. Other times, the books are so beautiful that they’re worthy of your coffee table, and this, my friends, is one of them.

I was pleasantly surprised at the simple yet sophisticated style of this book, the stunning photos and the original recipes. All too often cookbooks are filled with recipes and adaptations of recipes that we’ve all seen before, but Food Files is filled with truly original dishes that capture the inventive cook.

Some of the recipes that caught my eye include homemade burrata, cauflower tabbouleh with raw falafel balls (yes!!), porcini mushroom latkes with truffle infused chive cream, farro leek soup, date hazelnut and feta salad, lemon poppy seed pancakes, green chili mac ‘n cheese, spiked sweet potatoes (recipe below), Chilean sea bass kanafe, mushroom stuffed ribeyes, no bake chocolate hazelnut cheesecake, peanut butter honeycomb pie, and tartufo martinis.

With Thanksgiving just a week away, please enjoy sample recipes for Asian Glazed Turkey Breast and Spiked Sweet Potatoes from the book, below!

Food Files makes a great Chanukah gift and is available for purchase here, but I’m so excited to be giving away a copy of their cookbook as well!

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

To enter the giveaway to win a copy of Food Files:

1. Leave a comment below letting me know your favorite cookbook.
2. For an extra entry, follow Busy In Brooklyn via Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Pinterest. Just be sure to leave a note in the comment letting me know where you follow.

Giveaway is open to U.S. residents (for international entries, prize can only be shipped in the U.S.). Winner will be chosen at random at 10:00 AM EST on Thursday, November 23rd, 2017.

Asian Glazed Turkey Breast
Recipe by Julie Ebani, reprinted with permission from Flatbush Food Files

FOR THE MARINADE:
1 cup orange juice
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/2 cup sake or dry white wine
5 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 (14- to 15-pound) turkey breast,
on the bone
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
8 to 10 sprigs thyme
1 tablespoon cornstarch, diluted
in 1/4 cup cold water

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Make the marinade: In a bowl, combine all the marinade ingredients. Mix well and set aside.
Place the turkey breast in a large roaster. Sprinkle the curry powder, paprika, garlic powder, salt, and pepper evenly over the turkey breast. Put the thyme sprigs inside the cavity of the turkey, between the breast and the bone. Spoon the marinade over the turkey and roast it, uncovered, for 2 hours, basting about every 15 minutes so that the flavors are well
absorbed. If you see that the skin is getting too dark, cover it lightly with foil. Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for 30 minutes before slicing.
To make the gravy, transfer the juices of the turkey to a small saucepan and bring to a boil. When the liquid is boiling, lower the heat and allow the liquid to simmer, uncovered, for 10 to 15 minutes, until it has reduced by half. Add the cornstarch mixture to the liquid and let it simmer until it thickens to a gravy-like consistency, about 2 minutes.
The turkey can be served whole and carved at the table, or it can be served already sliced, with the gravy drizzled on top. Reserve the rest of the gravy to be served on the side.

Spiked Sweet Potatoes
Recipe by Micki Horovits, reprinted with permission from Flatbush Food Files

1/3 cup orange juice
1/3 cup apple cider
1/3 cup whiskey
1/3 cup maple-flavored agave
Cinnamon, to taste
4 to 6 sweet potatoes, peeled
and cubed
Oil, to coat the baking pan
1/4 cup brown sugar, for topping
1 bag marshmallows

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a bowl, mix the orange juice, apple cider, whiskey, agave, and cinnamon together. Add in the sweet potatoes and stir to coat.
Place the potatoes in a large, lightly oiled oven-to-table baking dish. Crumble the brown sugar on top. Bake for about 1 hour, until the sweet potatoes are glazed and soft.
When the sweet potatoes have come out of the oven, top them with marshmallows. Be generous; they should almost be packed in, and you shouldn’t be able to see the sweet potatoes underneath.
Raise the oven temperature to broil. Broil for a few minutes, until the marshmallows are toasted and golden brown.

Post a Comment

Pumpkin Pot Pie

I was lying in bed one night thinking about how I could take advantage of the adorable little pumpkins that are so bountiful this season (yes, these are the sort of things food bloggers think about when they go to bed at night). I knew I could make my own pumpkin puree, or carve out a spooky design (although I don’t celebrate Halloween), but I wanted MORE. Something fresh, and exciting, and oh yes – warm (have you seen the weather forecast lately?!).

I thought about real comfort food – you know, something I’d want to eat around a fireplace (if I had one) on a cold November night. And it came down to – you guessed it! – chicken pot pie. At first I thought about reinventing the chicken pot pie and making a vegetarian version with pumpkin and autumn spices. That got me thinking about all the winter pumpkins soups that are cleverly served inside the pumpkin – when I realized – I could have my pumpkin and chicken pot pie and eat it too!

This recipe combines the flavor of fresh-roasted pumpkin with creamy parsnips, carrots and mushrooms. It’s seasoned with fresh thyme and sage and topped off with flaky puff pastry for the perfect fall comfort food!

And would you look at the festive autumn design on these beauties? These pretty pumpkin packages (say that three times in a row!) are as good to look at as they are to eat. They’d make the perfect appetizer for your Thanksgiving meal!

Pumpkin Pot Pie

6 small sugar pumpkins
extra virgin olive oil
salt, pepper & allspice, to taste
1 medium onion, diced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 parsnips, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 container button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup flour
3 cups chicken stock
2 cups diced chicken (roasted, grilled, or leftover from your chicken soup)
2 tbsp fresh thyme
1 tbsp fresh sage (or 1 tsp dried)
s&p, to taste
1 pkg puff pastry, cut into squares (or 6 puff pastry squares, plus additional for decorating)
1 egg + 1 tbsp water, for eggwash

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut the tops off the sugar pumpkins and remove the seeds. Brush the insides of the pumpkins with olive oil and sprinkle with salt, pepper and allspice. Bake, flesh side down, until tender, about 30 minutes*.

Saute the onion in olive oil until golden and add garlic. Saute until fragrant. Add the carrots, parsnips and mushrooms and continue to saute until tender. Sprinkle flour over the vegetables and continue to saute for 2 minutes. Add the chicken stock and simmer until thickened. Stir in the diced chicken, thyme, sage, salt and pepper.  Ladle the filling into the pumpkins and cover with a square of puff pastry. Cut leaves out of extra puff pastry and glue it to the squares with egg. Brush the remaining puff pastry with egg and bake until golden, about 20 minutes.

*Don’t let the pumpkin get too soft or it will start to fall apart. You still want it to hold it’s shape (keep in mind that it will also be cooking for an additional 20 minutes when it’s covered in the puff pastry).

VARIATION: You may use turkey instead of chicken.

Related Recipes:

veal shepherd’s pie with celery root mashed potatoes
leftover turkey pot pie
chicken pot pie Passover croquettes

Post a Comment