What follows is a fabulously heart and Wintery recipe for corn chowder.  It comes from a lovely little cookbook called Macrina Bakery and Cafe Cookbook.  It’s a simple and wholesome recipe, that gracefully combines the sweetness and crunch of corn with richness of cream and is topped off with a limey tang.  We all loved it.

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely diced
• 8-10 cups of water
• kosher salt
• 4 ears fresh corn, shucked and cut in half crosswise
• 1/4 cup (2 fluid ounces) heavy cream
• 4 medium red potatoes, washed and chopped into 1/4 inch pieces
• 1 tbsp fresh chopped thyme
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup (4 fluid ounces) sour cream
• 2 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

Image by Esteban Cavrico via Flickr

Brussel sprouts- you either love them or hate them. If you fall into the latter category, I DARE you to try these.  I call this my conversion recipe, as many self-proclaimed brussel sprout haters often make a complete turnaround after trying this.

This works much better with fresh sprouts than frozen as I found out last year, but it was still very tasty.  The thing I love about this recipe though is the fact that it is done in the microwave.  When you’ve got a turkey and roast potatoes and ten other side dishes to worry about the oven and stove can get very busy, so at least this is one you won’t have to worry about timing!

• 1 lb Brussel Sprouts
• 3 oz melted butter
• 2 large red apples
• 4 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/2 tsp grated nutmeg

Wash and clean brussel sprouts.  Make an X with a knife in the bottom of the sprout going about 1/4 of the way up.  This will ensure even cooking.

Place in a microwave safe dish with a few tablespoons of water and cover.  Microwave on high for about five minutes (timing will vary depending on your microwave) until partially cooked.  Drain water.

Chop the apple into cubes and add it to the sprouts with the butter, sugar and nutmeg.  Stir to coat.  Cover and return to the microwave for another 4-5 minutes until the sprouts are cooked and the apple is tender.

Spoon into a serving bowl and drizzle with any syrup left in the bowl.

A quick note on the bird itself.  Some people are willing to pay for an organic or free range turkey and I myself have done so, but honestly, I cannot tell the difference taste wise.  I remember last year being particularly frustrated at paying €50 for a free range turkey from my butchers only to find a bigger generic bird on sale at Tesco for €14.99.  Obviously there are animal husbandry concerns, but if that’s not something that bothers you, by all means, go for the generic bird, as taste wise, you won’t be able to tell the difference.

Brining is something I tried last year both at Thanksgiving and Christmas for the first time.  I will not be going back, as the resulting roast was incredibly tender and flavoursome.  Even if you overcook the bird, the brining will ensure the flesh remains moist and tender.

In terms of cooking time, everyone’s oven is different, but the times given below should suffice for a 15-20 pound stuffed turkey.

This stuffing recipe is my Mom’s traditional breadcrumb stuffing and is a family favourite.  It’s easy to do well in advance and have ready for the turkey when it comes out of the brine.  The picture below is of my Thanksgiving turkey from last year, which was a huge success.

For the Brine:

• 1 15-20lb turkey
• 2L / 8.5cups apple juice/cider
• 2 large onions, roughly chopped
• 2 large apples, roughly chopped
• 4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 4 carrots, roughly chopped
• 1 tbsp peppercorns
• 6-8 star anise
• 2-3 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• 6-8 sprigs thyme
• 1 cup* rock/kosher salt
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1L / 4.25 cups water

Mix all brine ingredients together in a large pot and heat until salt and sugar have melted.  Allow to cool.

Rinse and pat turkey dry.  Place in large basin, cooler or other container.  Pour brine over turkey and allow to rest in cool place for 12-24 hours.

For the stuffing

• 2 cups mashed potatoes
• 6 cups breadcrumbs
• 3/4 cup sausage meat
• 1 egg
• 1 cup finely diced onion
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1/4 cup chopped thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to season

Mix all stuffing ingredients in a large bowl.  Add additional breadcrumbs if too moist.  It should hold together in a stiff mashed potato type consistency.  Refrigerate until ready to stuff turkey.

To Roast Turkey:

• 1 package of streaky bacon
• 1/2 lb soft butter
• Handful chopped fresh herbs
• salt and pepper

Pre-heat oven to 220C/425F.

Mix butter with herbs and season with salt and pepper.

Remove turkey from brine.  Rinse and pat dry. Stuff both cavities with prepared stuffing.

Pull the skin from the turkey breast and rub the butter between the skin and flesh.  Use your fingers to push the butter as far back as possible.Rub any remaining butter over the top of the skin.

Lay the bacon on top of the turkey covering the entire breast and any of the legs that you can.  Cover with foil leaving a bit of room at the top, like a tent.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Turn oven down to 170C/325F and bake for 4-5 hours.

Remove bacon from turkey and leaving foil off, turn oven back up to 200C/400F.  Bake for a final thirty minutes, basting the turkey several times.

Remove turkey from oven and put on serving platter.  Reserve roasting dish for gravy.  Allow to rest for at least 15 or up to 45 minutes whilst preparing gravy and any other side dishes.

For the gravy

• 2 glasses of white wine
• 3 tbsp flour
• 1/2 L / 2 cups Chicken Stock
• cream to taste

Using the roasting pan, place it on a ring or two of your stove.  Add the wine to the pan and scrape with a wooden spoon to remove any fond (sticky bits) on the bottom on the pan.  When the wine has almost evaporated, add the flour and whisk furiously to get it combined.  Gently add in the chicken stock stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil.  Add any juice that has come from the turkey while it has been resting.  Add additional stock if too thick.

Before serving, check for seasoning and whisk in cream, if desired.

Image by Dewdropdeb via Flickr

Is it really November? 24 days to Thanksgiving! YAY! Even though I’m not American, I have to say Thanksgiving is one of my favourite holidays and I feel privileged to be married to a nice Yankee boy (although we’ll see how I feel about that on Wednesday morning!) so I too can celebrate the wonderful tradition.  I have lots of displaced Americans coming this year including my best friend currently stuck in Germany, some blog friends and my brother and his new American wife.  It shall be fun! :) But I digress… onto some fun and controversial foodie links!

As much as I think he’s a a bit full of himself, I just can’t help loving his writing and really enjoyed this AA Gil column yesterday.  This quote in particular made me snort laugh:

Now it’s still only a rumour; it’s not confirmed. They haven’t actually nailed down the recycled coffin yet, but I think we can safely say that the organic charade and marketing opportunity — the movement that started out as a cranky health fad and hippie allotment nostalgia and became a Stalinist orthodoxy, that allowed angry urban liberals who didn’t know loam from tilth to tell farmers who didn’t know Notting Hill from Bayswater how to do their business — is on life support.

And something from the complete opposite end of the spectrum, Ollie reviews the Organic Guide to Ireland.

Lentils lentils lentils. Cheap, yum and versatile. What’s not to love about this link sharing loads of delicious way to use these wonderful pulses?

What’s better than sun-dried tomatoes? Fire roasted tomatoes.

Southern Living have a list of the 10 most popular casseroles.  Some of them sound a bit iffy. Thoughts?

Darina Allen talks about using cheaper cuts of meat in these leaner (see what I did there??) times including some interesting recipes!

And because it just wouldn’t be Luscious Links without a gratuitous bacon link - bacon apple pie! YUM!

This is kind of a mashup of various recipes based on what I had on hand.  It turned out heavenly and I hate cereal, so that’s saying something!  Being the weird person I am, there’s no way I wouldpour milk over this glorious treat, I prefer to eat it as a snacks, but the rest of the family assure me it’s fabulous served in the traditional way.  You could certainly do this with maple syrup or brown sugar (melt it in the oil first) instead of honey and you could add some spices if you preffered.  Any sort of dried fruit would do well, but given the season and the fact that I had some in the pantry, I opted for cranberries.

• 2 cups* oats
• 1 cup sliced almonds
• 1/2 cup dessicated coconut
• 1/2 cup sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup oil
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup sultanas (golden raisins)

Preheat oven to 160C/325F

Mix all ingredients together except for the fruit.

Spread out onto a baking tray and bake for about thirty minutes, stirring several times, until golden brown.

Upon removing from the oven immediately mix in the fruit, then spread out on counter to dry out and crisp up.  Break into small pieces and store in an airtight container for up to a month.

*A cup is an American volume measure of eight fluid ounces.  Use a mixing jug with fluid ounces on the side and fill to the necessary mark (i.e. 4 fluid oz for half a cup). It’s a rough estimate that cannot be converted to grams accurately.  Once you get used to using this system it becomes extremely easy!

Ras el Hanout is a Middle Eastern spice blend.  Every cook has his or her own version, so whatever you find should work just fine.  I bought mine at Tesco, but if you’re feeling adventurous scroll down on this page for a recipe.  The mix is a lovely blend of sweet spices like cinnamon and cloves with a subtle curry undertone.  It’s a strangely familiar and comforting blend, one that is perfect for this Autumn season.

You could use chicken breasts with this as well, but personally I find them bland and tasteless.  I found these beautiful organic chicken legs marked down to a mere €1.99 for six of them at Dunnes last night.  Lots of meat and more importantly, lots of flavour.  This recipe will serve 4-6.

• Olive oil
• 6 chicken pieces
• 2 onions, sliced
• 4 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 small package of dried apricots, chopped
• 1 inch piece of root ginger, grated
• 1 tin of tomatoes
• 1 tin of chick peas, drained
• 1 heaping tablespoon ras el hanout
• pinch of saffron
• 8 fl oz chicken stock
• 3 tbsp honey
• salt and pepper
• coriander (cilantro) to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet and brown the chicken pieces on each side.  Remove to a plate.

Sauté the onion in the same skillet until soft, then add the garlic, ginger and apricots.  Cook for a minute or two before adding the tomatoes, chickpeas, stock, honey and spices.

Give it a quick stir to combine everything then put the chicken on top.  Lower heat to medium low and put a lid on the skillet.  Cook for 20 minutes or so until chicken is cooked through.

Salt and pepper according to your taste then plate and garnish with cilantro.

Serve with cous cous or rice.

These were super easy and very tasty.  You could easily add some berries or sautéed apples to the bread before baking for a fruity alternative.  They crisp up on the outside in just ten minutes, but remain soft and cinnamon-y in the middle.  I glazed them with a cinnamon and vanilla frosting, but they would be just as nice served with honey or maple syrup.  For preparation and baking these took a mere fifteen minutes and were a delightful weekend breakfast that all the family raved about.

Cinnamon French Toast Cups

(makes 8)

• 3 eggs
• 2 fl. oz / 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 3 tbsp sugar
• 3 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 5 slices bread, cubed

Pre-heat oven to 200C/400F

Whisk the eggs with all the ingredients except bread.  Once well combined add the bread and toss to coat.  All the liquid should be soaked up.

Spray a muffin tin with cooking spray or butter 8 holes.  Spoon the bread mixture into each muffin hole.

Bake for ten minutes until cooked through and slightly crispy on top.  Glaze and serve.

For the glaze:

• 1/2 cup* powdered/icing sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp milk

Whisk all ingredients together until smooth. Pour over toast cups.

*A cup is an American volume measure of eight fluid ounces.  Use a mixing jug with fluid ounces on the side and fill to the necessary mark (i.e. 4 fluid oz for half a cup). It’s a rough estimate that cannot be converted to grams accurately.  Once you get used to using this system it becomes extremely easy!

*****

I completely forgot to announce the cookbook winner.  Ella picked out comment number 9.  So congratulations Jen, send me your address and I will post it out!!! :)

The cupcakes have a slight tang to them almost as if they were made with buttermilk, which makes them perfect with a light buttercream frosting, in this case, dyed orange!  I topped with Halloween candy for a festive look.  I was going to pipe the frosting on but then I would need to at least double the recipe and I figured the kids wouldn’t appreciate the effort.  I have never made egg-free chocolate cupcakes before, and I think I can honestly say that I won’t ever again.  I just adored this recipe and the fact that you just mix everything in one bowl is always a winner!

Chocolate Cupcakes

(makes 32)

• 3 cups flour
• 2 cups sugar
• 2/3 cup cocoa
• 2 tsp baking/bread soda
• 2 tsp salt
• 1 cup vegetable oil
• 2 cups cold water
• 2 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 180C/350F.  Put cupcake cases into trays.

Mix all ingredients until fully blended.

Spoon batter into cake cases until 3/4 full.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to rest in tin for five minutes before removing or the tops will come off.

Allow to cool and frost with your favourite buttercream (recipe below) or chocolate icing.

Buttercream frosting

• 4 oz / 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 2 fl. oz / 1/4 cup cream
• 1-2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1lb icing/powdered sugar
• Food colouring (optional)

Beat the butter and cream together with the vanilla until combined then gradually add in the powdered sugar until you have a nice creamy frosting.  Add food colouring if using and wrk through until desired colour is reached.

Image via Wikipedia

Apologies for the lack of blogging, been quite sick lately.  Will catch up soon!

Some parents will try anything to get their kids to eat, including molecular gastronomy!

This sounds like a  fun day out, fishing on a trout farm in Co. Laois including tackle, tips and instruction on how to fillet and prepare your catch on the on-site barbecue.  Love it! (via Irish Times)

Some tips on saving money in the kitchen, in particular on spices.

An excellent article on the relationship between class and diet tying in Jamie’s Ministry of Food.  Some interesting thoughts indeed.

Especially for Conor and Damien who appreciate some heat with their eggs: Cowboy Breakfast Sandwiches from my favourite blogger, The Pioneer Woman.

It’s bread week over at Dianne’s Dishes, one of my favourite food bloggers. She has great photo tutorials for different kinds of breads. Check it out.

Image by kelseyfrost via Flickr

With the budget looming this afternoon I thought I’d start with some depression era cooking lessons.  Clara is a 91 year old lady who sweetly shares recipes and memories from the Great Depression.

The ever inventive Kieran at Ice Cream Ireland has candied chillies! How delightful!

Chocolate craving?? How about some 5 minute chocolate cake?

This is a really neat “how-to” for planting a BBQ garden.  Spring project anyone?

Beef Wellington sounds fussy and fancy, but my man Gordon Ramsay shows you just how easy it is in this short video.

Fellow Irish blogger Sarah made the most beautiful wedding cake, isn’t it gorgeous?

If you’ve been around for awhile, you will know my love for all that is pig, that’s why I need this bacon tiara!

I found this link whilst surfing around last week.  If you’re in Ireland, have some freezer space and like lamb, you might be interested in purchasing a whole or half lamb, butchered to order.

And in keeping with the bacon theme, bacon brownies anyone??? Nom, nom! :)