Christmas Recipes - Double-Post Thursday

Besides being Diabetic Thursday, it's also time for a Double-Post Thursday. Today's double post deals with Christmas recipes, and include Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash with Cranberries and Hot Chocolate Cheesecake. Enjoy!

TORRISI TURKEY

This is from Sam Sifton in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Sam wrote, “The roast turkey breast that Rich Torrisi and Mario Carbone serve for lunch at their restaurant Parm in New York City is about the moistest, most luxuriously flavorful turkey available on the planet: rich and buttery, deep with rich turkey taste. They wrap a brined breast in plastic wrap and aluminum foil and place it in an intensely humid low-temperature oven that leaves the meat dense with moisture, heavy with flavor. Then they paint a glaze of honey and roasted garlic on the meat and place it in a hot, dry oven to create a crust. The result is turkey that tastes emphatically of turkey. And you can do it at home.”

Time: 4 hours, plus marinating; Yield: 12 servings

This was featured in “Chefs’ Tips for the Thanksgiving Meal”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014108-torrisi-turkey.

Ingredients

For Brining the Turkey:

1 cup kosher salt

1 cup sugar

2 boneless turkey breasts, 3 to 4 1/2 pounds each

For the Glaze:

8 heads garlic, lightly smashed but intact

4 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup honey

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon pepper

1 tablespoon thyme leaves

Preparation

To brine the turkey: In a medium saucepan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil with the salt and sugar. Pour into a large pot, and add 2 quarts cold water. Once the brine is cool, submerge the turkey breasts and refrigerate overnight, or up to 24 hours.

To make the glaze: Heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss the garlic heads with the olive oil in a small casserole dish, cover and roast until the garlic is soft, about 1 hour and 10 minutes. Leave covered until cool enough to handle, then squeeze the garlic cloves from their skins into a food processor and purée. Add the honey, salt and pepper. Cover until ready to use.

To cook the turkey: Heat oven to 250 degrees. Remove the breasts from the brine and wrap each one four times in plastic wrap and once in aluminum foil. Insert an oven-safe thermometer into the center of one breast and place both on a wire rack in a roasting pan. Add water to reach to just below the rack. Cook until the internal temperature reaches 135 degrees, 2 to 3 hours. Near the end of cooking time, fill a large bowl halfway with ice water.

Remove the turkey from oven and raise temperature to 425 degrees. Without removing thermometer or wrapping, submerge the turkey in the ice bath for 5 minutes. Remove foil, plastic wrap and turkey skin. Pat dry and brush glaze liberally on all sides of the breasts. Roast until glaze is golden, 15 to 20 minutes. Sprinkle with fresh thyme and serve thinly sliced, hot or cold.

Enjoy!

ROAST TURKEY PAV

This is from Tejal Rao on The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Tejal wrote, “This dish was inspired in equal measures by a cluttered refrigerator on the day after the Thanksgiving, and the pav bhaji of western India — a gloriously spiced mash of vegetables served with buttery, toasted buns. It works beautifully with roast turkey meat, cut into small pieces, though it's ideal for scraps of meat pulled off the turkey carcass after making stock, giving them a second life and infusing them with flavor. Serve the dish with garnishes of cilantro and red onion on the side, allowing people to determine their own ratios, or take control and garnish the whole pan yourself. Either way, don't skip buttering and toasting those rolls.”

Time: 35 minutes; Yield: 4 servings

This was featured in “Here Comes the Best Part of Thanksgiving: Leftovers, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019055-roast-turkey-pav.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil

1/2 pound roast turkey meat, chopped finely, or pulled from carcass after making stock

Kosher salt

1 white onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 1/2-inch piece ginger, finely chopped

1 serrano chile, seeded and finely chopped

1 beefsteak tomato, chopped

1/3 cup frozen peas (optional)

1/4 teaspoon turmeric

1 1/2 teaspoons garam masala

1 lime, cut into 4 wedges

To Assemble:

4 potato rolls

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, room temperature

Handful of cilantro, chopped

1/4 red onion, finely chopped (about 2 tablespoons)

Preparation

Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat, then add pulled turkey and let cook until it becomes light brown and crisp in places, stirring occasionally. Season lightly with salt, then scrape meat, and as much of the browned pieces at the bottom of the pan as you can, into a small bowl.

In the same pan, without washing it, add the chopped onion and 1 tablespoon oil, and turn the heat down to medium, scraping up any remaining turkey meat and mixing it into the onions. Sauté until the onion is very soft and translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the garlic, ginger, serrano chile and turmeric and sauté for another 2 minutes. Add turkey, tomatoes, peas and 1/3 cup water, and stir well. When almost all of the liquid has evaporated, and the peas, if using, are tender (about 8 minutes), add garam masala and a generous squeeze of lime juice. Mix well and loosen with a splash of water if the pan is starting to get dry. Simmer for 2 minutes. Taste and adjust with salt and more lime, if needed, then turn off the heat.

Open the rolls and lightly butter them. In a separate pan, over medium heat, place the rolls cut-side down and let them sit untouched until they’re evenly golden brown; flip to lightly brown the other side. Transfer rolls to a plate. Garnish the turkey mixture with chopped cilantro and onion, and serve warm with toasted rolls and remaining lime on the side. (Alternately, transfer the turkey into a serving bowl and serve with onion, cilantro and lime in separate bowls on the side.)

FRENCH GREEN BEANS AND SHALLOTS

This is from Jacques Pepin, also in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Jacques wrote, “These are perfect green beans: simple flavors combined into an elegant dish that goes with almost anything. Mr. Pepin suggests a roast chicken, but they would pair equally well with a celebratory roast.” Yield: 4 servings; Time: 21 minutes.

This was featured in “The Chicken Dinner, Both Humble and Noble” and can be viewed online here.

Ingredients

4 cups water

1 pound very small, firm green beans, cleaned

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons peeled and chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1 teaspoon lemon juice

Preparation

Bring the water to a boil. Add the beans and cover the pot. Continue cooking the beans, covered, for 3 to 5 minutes until tender but firm. Drain and rinse under cold water.

At serving time, heat the butter in a skillet, add the shallots and saute for about 1 minute, until the shallots start to brown.

Add the beans, salt and pepper, and saute briefly. Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve with the chicken.

ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS AND BUTTERNUT SQUASH WITH CRANBERRIES

I’ve always loved brussels sprouts (unlike the first President Bush; sorry!). And onions? Cranberries? Definitely on all of the above.

This recipe comes from Diana Rattray, who writes for The Spruce Eats. Diana wrote, “The combination of ingredients in this dish might make you think fall or winter, but don't wait for a holiday dinner to enjoy these delicious roasted vegetables.

“Change things up a bit by using raisins instead of the cranberries. Toasted walnuts would be great as well. See the tips and variations for more ideas.” Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 20 minutes; Total Time: 40 minutes; Yield: 6 to 8 Servings

To view this online, click here.

Ingredients

1 pound butternut squash

3 to 4 cups Brussels sprouts

1 medium onion

1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional

1/2 cup dried cranberries

1/2 cup pecan halves

Preparation

Heat the oven to 425° F.

Oil a large rimmed baking sheet (half-sheet pan) or two smaller jelly roll pans.

Peel the butternut squash and, using a spoon, scoop out the seeds and fibers. Cut the squash into 1/2-inch cubes. Put about 4 cups of cubes into a large bowl.

Trim the stem ends off of the Brussels sprouts and removed loose, damaged, and yellow leaves. Cut the sprouts in half lengthwise.

Add them to the bowl with the squash cubes.

Peel the onion and cut it into 1-inch chunks or thick slices. Add to the bowl with the squash and Brussels sprouts.

Drizzle the olive oil over the vegetables and gently toss or stir to coat them thoroughly with the oil.

Arrange the vegetables on the baking sheet and then sprinkle lightly with kosher salt, pepper, and garlic powder, if using.

Bake in the preheated oven for about 10 minutes and then turn the vegetables. Continue baking for 10 to 15 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are browned around the edges and are tender.

Meanwhile, toast the pecan halves. Heat a large dry skillet over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, stirring, until the pecans begin to brown and smell aromatic.

Transfer the roasted vegetables to a large bowl. Add the dried cranberries and pecan halves and toss gently to combine all ingredients thoroughly.

Serve immediately.

Tips and Variations

Replace the butternut squash with the same amount of cubed acorn, Hubbard, or buttercup squash.

Feel free to omit the onion.

Replace about 1 cup of the butternut squash with parsnips sliced into strips about 1/2-inch-by-2-inches.

Drizzle the roasted vegetables with 1 to 2 tablespoons of maple syrup; add the pecans and cranberries and toss gently to combine.

Replace the toasted pecans with toasted slivered almonds or walnuts.

Use raisins or golden raisins instead of dried cranberries.

STIR-FRIED VEGETABLES

This came from an old Weight Watchers email several years ago. 1 point/serving (old value). Serves 4. Adding 1 C each of baby corn & water chestnuts changes recipe to 2 points/serving. (*) foods are filling foods.

Ingredients

1 spray cooking spray

2 tsp sesame oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 C sugar snap peas or pea pods, trimmed (*)

2 C carrots, thinly diagonally sliced (*)

2 scallions, chopped (*)

1 1/2 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

Directions

Coat wok or large nonstick skillet with cooking spray & set over medium-high heat. Add oil & heat. Add garlic & stir-fry 1 minute. Add sugar snap peas, carrots & scallions; stir-fry 3 minutes, stirring constantly. Add soy sauce & cook until vegetables are crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Remove from heat & stir in cilantro. Yields about 1/2 C per serving.

HOT CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Hot Chocolate Cheesecake sound? Yum!

This comes from The Food Network Kitchen, and starts off, “Use your leftover hot chocolate or cocoa mix in both the crust and the filling of this super-rich cheesecake that tastes just like the classic drink.” Total Time: 3 hr 45 min; Prep: 30 min; Inactive: 45 min; Cook: 2hr 30 min; Yield: 12 to 14 servings; Level: Easy

Read more at: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/hot-chocolate-cheesecake.html?oc=linkback

Ingredients

Crust:

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus more butter for the pan

9 graham crackers (about 1 sleeve)

1/4 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix

Pinch fine salt

Filling:

Four 8-ounce packages cream cheese, at room temperature

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup hot chocolate or cocoa mix

1 cup sour cream

6 large eggs, at room temperature

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

10 marshmallows

Directions

Special equipment: a 9-inch springform pan

For the crust: Position a rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 325 degrees F. Butter the inside of a 9-inch springform pan.

Pulse the graham crackers in a food processor until finely ground. Add the butter, hot chocolate mix and salt, and pulse until the mixture comes together and holds its shape when squeezed. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan, and press it into the bottom to make an even layer. Bake until the crust is just firm, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Place the pan on a large piece of foil, and fold the foil up the sides of the pan. (This helps seal the pan, to keep water out while baking.)

For the filling: Wipe out the food processor. Pulse the cream cheese, sugar, hot chocolate mix and sour cream until completely smooth, without any lumps, scraping down the side of the bowl a few times. Add the eggs and vanilla, and pulse until incorporated. Pour the filling into the crust, and set the pan inside a roasting pan. Fill the roasting pan with enough hot water to go halfway up the side of the springform pan (but not above the foil).

Bake the cheesecake until the edge is set but the center jiggles slightly (when you gently shake the pan, the cheesecake should move in a cohesive wave motion), 1 hour 10 minutes to 1 hour 20 minutes. Turn the oven off, and open the door for a few seconds to let out some heat. Close the door, and let the cheesecake sit in the oven until cooked completely through, 1 hour more.

Transfer the springform pan to a cooling rack. Run a knife around the edge, and let the cheesecake cool to room temperature. Wrap and refrigerate overnight or up to 2 days.

Before serving, cut the marshmallows on the diagonal, and arrange them, cut-side down, in a neat line all over the top edge of the cheesecake.