Serious Eats: Recipes

Grilling: Cider-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

2009-11-21T00:30:00Z

Note: Each week Joshua Bousel of The Meatwave drops by with a recipe for you to grill over the weekend. Fire it up, Joshua!

[Photographs: Joshua Bousel]

If there's any tension during my family's Thanksgiving, it's usually over who and what gets control of the oven. Too many dishes have been scraped because of limited cooking space, so recipes that don't require oven use are golden.

Even though I hesitate to call this recipe for cider-glazed sweet potatoes real grilling, it does bring the cooking outdoors, which gets bonus points for getting me out of the kitchen completely.

The sweet potatoes are roasted in a liquid mixture of apple cider, brown sugar, olive oil, and cider vinegar until the liquid cooks down and glazes the spuds, which just happens to be about the same time the potatoes become velvety smooth inside. It's a simple recipe that requires little attention, but produces a luscious, sticky-sweet side, making it an excellent choice for any Thanksgiving menu.

Cider-Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Ingredients

6 medium sweet potatoes, about 5 pounds
1/2 cup apple cider
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
Sea salt

Procedure

1. Light a chimney 3/4 full of charcoal. While the fire is lighting, peel and cut the sweet potatoes into 2-inch wedges or chunks. Whisk together the cider, oil, vinegar, and sugar and toss the mixture with the potatoes. Place the potatoes and liquid in a large shallow roasting pan.

2. When the charcoal is fully lit and covered in gray ash, pour coals out and arrange them on either side of the charcoal grate, keeping the middle empty. Place the roasting pan with the potatoes in the center of the grill and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has evaporated and the potatoes are browned on the edges and soft on the inside, about 45 to 60 minutes.

3. While still hot, season to taste with sea salt. Serve warm.

Time for a Drink: Champs Elysees

2009-11-20T22:30:00Z

Let's start the weekend right--with a cocktail recipe from Paul Clarke (The Cocktail Chronicles). Need more than one? Hit up the archives. Cheers!

Cocktails can be rich and rugged like a Manhattan, or crisp and sharp like a martini, or bright and tangy like a daiquiri (they can also be sweet and murky like a Bahama Mama, but we won't go there right now). But with the holiday season approaching, your taste buds might feel the need for something with a little more elegance—that's where the French come in.

Composed of two great Gallic spirits (cognac and the herbal liqueur Chartreuse) along with some lemon juice and bitters, the Champs Elysees is the ne plus ultra of elegant cocktails. The Savoy Cocktail Book from 1930 lists a party-size recipe for this drink, which is good billing for its powers as a social lubricant. Fortunately the recipe is easily scaled-down. This one (from Food & Wine's 2008 cocktail guide) was adapted by bartenders at Zig Zag Café in Seattle, who deploy a Champs Élysées anytime a little elegance is needed.

Champs Elysees

Ingredients

1 1/2 ounces cognac
1/2 ounce green Chartreuse
1/4 ounce fresh lemon juice
1/8 ounce simple syrup
2 dashes Angostura bitters

Procedure

Combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker and fill with ice. Shake well and strain into chilled cocktail glass.

About the author: Paul Clarke blogs about cocktails at The Cocktail Chronicles and writes regularly on spirits and cocktails for Imbibe magazine. He lives in Seattle, where he works as a writer and magazine editor.

Dinner Tonight: Punjabi Rajma (Kidney Bean and Tomato Curry)

2009-11-20T21:15:00Z

[Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger]

When I think of kidney beans, my mind usually wanders down the Mississippi River to New Orleans. That's when I start dreaming of perfect red beans and rice. It's one of my favorite meals—I'd make it much more often if it didn't take so long. Other than that, I occasionally find kidney beans in bland soups or bowls of chili (though not Texas chili, of course). So, I was little surprised to see them pop up in this Indian recipe from Lisa's Kitchen. Who knew kidney beans were so popular in Northern India?

Oddly, it's the onions that kind of make this dish. They reduce down to a paste that picks up all the flavors from the spices and chiles. Only the beans can slightly calm the bout of spice.

Starting with dried beans would be the far more traditional route but this quick version is still surprisingly good. It's just another reason why I adore vegetarian Indian cuisine so much.

Punjabi Rajma (Kidney Bean and Tomato Curry)

- serves 2 to 3 -
Adapted from Lisa's Kitchen.

Ingredients

1 15-ounce can red kidney beans, drained
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
1/2 medium onion, minced
1 small garlic clove, minced
1/2 inch of ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 hot red or green chiles stemmed, seeded, and finely chopped
1 medium tomato, stemmed and chopped
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Pinch of turmeric
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 tablespoons parsley, finely chopped
Salt

Procedure

1. Pour the oil into a large pot set over medium heat. Toss in the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until it has started to brown, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, and chiles and cook for 2 minutes, or until very fragrant.

2. Dump in the chopped tomato, along with the coriander, cayenne, cumin, and turmeric. Cook until the tomatoes break apart and start to thicken into a sauce, about 10 minutes.

3. Pour in the kidney beans, lemon juice, a cup of water, and half of the parsley. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Cook for about 10 to 15 minutes, or until the liquid has reduced and the sauce is very thick. Serve with rice or flat bread, and sprinkle with more parsley. Season to taste with salt.

Seriously Asian: Thai Curries, Part Three

2009-11-20T18:30:00Z

[Photographs: Chichi Wang]

Previously

Thai Curries, Part Two: Red and Green »
All Seriously Asian recipes »

This week concludes our three-part installment of Thai curry pastes. Red, green, and yellow curries are common offerings in restaurants, yet these colors are merely part of the Thai curry range. Two of the lesser-known curry pastes—Penang and Mussaman—are variations on the red and yellow pastes, though with distinctive attributes of their own. Penang curry paste, most similar to red, includes a sizable dose of roasted peanuts. Mussaman curry paste is comprised of the same spices as those of yellow, except the spices must be toasted whole, then freshly ground before being added to the paste.

Just about every guest passing through my apartment this month has been subject to my collection of curry pastes.

"Would you like some red curry with shrimp?" I ask. "No? Well, how about some curry fritters? Curry fried rice? Noodles with curry sauce?"

Eventually the target will succumb to my entreaties. Last night I wooed a friend with pork shoulder stewed in Penang curry. Claiming that eating Thai curry usually leaves her with "stuff pouring from every facial orifice," my friend was pleased to discover that Thai curries don't have to be painfully spicy.

Penang Curry Paste

Roasted peanuts impart a subtly sweet flavor to Penang curry paste. Sauces made with the paste have a noticeably peanut-y depth. In lieu of roasted peanuts, I often use freshly made peanut butter of the sort that oozes from those machines in the grocery store.

Though I frequently pair Thai curry pastes with seafood for a quick and easy meal, the pastes are just as suited for meat. Choose fatty cuts with some amount of tendon marbled throughout, such as pork shoulder or even hanger steak. Stewed for forty or so minutes, the pork or beef absorbs the flavors of the curry paste and the sauce will have gained some body from being stewed with meat.

Mussaman Curry Paste

Musalman—the Indian word for Muslim—gives this curry paste its name and distinctive taste. Instead of using ground spices, the recipe begins with toasting whole spices in a cast-iron pan. Whole peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and a stick of cinnamon are browned slightly in the skillet. Then the spices are finely ground, which is best accomplished with a spice or coffee grinder. Such a preparation is akin to that of some Indian curries for which whole spices are toasted and freshly ground.

A sauce made with Mussaman curry paste bears notes of its toasted past, with a deeper, darker flavor. The paste is often used with beef and potatoes, but it is just as suited for richly textured seafood such as jumbo shrimp.

Applications of Curry Pastes

Once you've managed to store just one curry paste in your freezer, you'll find yourself reaching for it with inordinate frequency. A curry paste is an automatic way of introducing bold flavors into your dishes. Generally, complexity takes a while to build; with a curry paste you'll have already done the bulk of the work ahead of time.

The options for incorporating a curry paste into your meal are limitless; the more you employ the paste in a recipe, the more uses you'll likely discover. Here are two of its applications that have been keeping me fed for the past month.

Curry Paste in Tempura Batter

Tempura with a dashi-based dipping sauce is a peerless combination, but having freshly made dashi on hand is not always realistic. Adding a dollop of curry paste to a tempura batter, on the other hand, is easily accomplished. Just as the recipe for classic Japanese tempura dictates, the batter should be somewhat lumpy to achieve a light, crispy coating when fried. In place of using only water, I like to add an ice cube to the batter to keep the mixture from growing tepid as I deep-fry.

When fried in a curry-based batter, the vegetables are savory and flavorful on their own without needing an accompanying sauce. Just about any vegetable pairs well with the curry, though I am partial to eggplants. Whenever I have stewed kale on hand, I dip large sections into the batter and deep-fry until the leaves are irresistibly crisp.

Curry Paste in Stir-Fried Rice

Stir-fried rice, that stalwart of a dish, could always use a new twist or pick-me-up. With your day-old rice in hand, crack the coconut to form the base of the sauce. Then add the curry paste as well as the eggs and your choice of vegetables. As usual, just a few tablespoons of the curry paste suffices to flavor the entire dish, yet the presence of lemongrass and galangal will come through.

About the author: Chichi Wang took her degree in philosophy, but decided that writing about food would be much more fun than writing about Plato. She firmly believes in all things offal, the importance of reading great books, and the necessity of three-hour meals. If she were ever to get a tattoo, it would say "Fat is flavor." Visit her blog, My Chalkboard Fridge.

Penang Curry Paste

- makes enough paste for 6 to 8 servings -

Adapted from The Big Book of Thai Curries by Vatcharin Bhumichitr.

Ingredients

5 large red dried chilies
1/2 teaspoon sea salt (or kosher)
1/2 cup shallots, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1-inch piece of galangal, finely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, the bottom 7 inches thinly sliced
1-inch slice of kaffir lime peel, finely chopped
3 tablespoon cilantro roots, or 10 cilantro stalks
1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper
1 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 tablespoons roasted peanuts, or 3 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon shrimp paste

Procedure

1. Place the chilies in a small bowl with approximately 1/4 cup of hot water. Microwave the chilies in the water for 2 to 3 minutes, then let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Purée, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed to get the mixture properly blended. Pause to push down the ingredients with a spatula. Use immediately or freeze in plastic bags.

Mussaman Curry Paste

- makes enough paste for 6 to 8 servings -

Adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail by Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients

7 large red dried chilies
1/2 teaspoon white peppercorns
1/2 teaspoon whole cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole coriander seeds
1-inch piece of cinnamon
1 cup shallots, choppped
5 garlic cloves, chopped
1-inch piece of ginger, peeled and chopped
1 tablespoon fresh lemongrass, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 tablespoon shrimp paste

Procedure

1. Place the chilies in a small bowl with approximately 1/4 cup of hot water. Microwave the chilies in the water for 2 to 3 minutes, then let sit for 30 minutes.

2. Put the peppercorns, cumin seeds, coriander seeds, and cinnamon in a small, cast-iron frying pan and set over medium heat. Stir the spices around until they turn a slight shade darker and emit a faintly toasted aroma. Empty them into your coffee or spice grinder and allow them to cool for a minute or so.

3. Grind the spices as finely as possible in the coffee or spice grinder.

4. Place all of the ingredients in a blender or a food processor. Purée, adding a few tablespoons of water if needed to get the mixture properly blended. Pause to push down the ingredients with a spatula. Use immediately or freeze in plastic bags.

Pork in Penang Curry Sauce

- serves 4 to 5 -

Adapted from From Curries to Kebabs: Recipes from the Indian Spice Trail by Madhur Jaffrey.

Ingredients

14-ounce can of coconut milk, left undisturbed for several hours
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 6 tablespoons Penang curry paste
8 fresh kaffir lime leaves, cut into fine slivers (optional)
1 pound pork shoulder, cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes with the fat and skin left intact
2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste

Procedure

1. To form the sauce: Open the can of coconut milk and skim off the top layer of thick cream, about 4 tablespoons worth. Stir the remaining milk to reincorporate the coconut cream.

2. Pour the oil into a large, nonstick lidded pan and set over medium heat. When the oil is hot but not smoking, add the coconut cream and the curry paste. Stir the paste around until it is lightly browned and the oil has separated from the coconut in the cream. You have just cracked the coconut. Now, add 6 lime leaves and stir a few times.

3. Add the rest of the seasonings: the coconut milk, about 1/2 cup of water to thin out the mixture, the fish sauce, and then sugar. You can add more or less water, depending on your preference for the consistency. Stir and bring to a simmer.

4. Add the cubes of pork and gently simmer for 40 to 50 minutes, until the pork is tender and the sauce has reduced by two-third to one-half of its original volume. Garnish with the rest of the kaffir lime leaves. Serve immediately with rice. Leftovers reheat well, simmered gently for a few minutes to re-warm the pork.

Shrimp in Mussaman Curry Sauce

- serves 4 to 5 -

Ingredients

14-ounce can of coconut milk, left undisturbed for several hours
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
5 to 6 tablespoons Mussaman curry paste
1 bay leaf
1 pound of shrimp, preferably unshelled
2 tablespoons fish sauce, or to taste
1 teaspoon brown sugar, or to taste

Procedure

1. To form the sauce: Open the can of coconut milk and skim off the top layer of thick cream, about 4 tablespoons worth. Stir the remaining milk to reincorporate the coconut cream.

4. Add the shrimp of pork and gently simmer for 3 to 5 minutes, until the shrimp is barely cooked through. Serve immediately with rice.

Curried Vegetable Tempura

- serves 4 to 5 -

Ingredients

1 egg
1 1/2 cups cake flour or all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water plus one ice cube
1 or 2 zucchinis, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1 or 2 eggplants, depending on size, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 teaspoon salt
A dozen or so button mushrooms, halved
4 tablespoons curry paste

2 cups vegetable oil, for frying
additional flour, about 1/2 cup, for dredging

Procedure

1. Sprinkle the slices of eggplants with 1/2 teaspoon of salt; set aside for 10 to 15 minutes. Then, with a paper towel, pat dry the moisture from the slices.

2. Place the curry paste in a bowl along with 1/4 cup of water. Mix well. Then add the egg and flour to the bowl, and mix lightly. The batter should be somewhat lumpy. Add the ice cube to the batter just before use.

3. Heat the oil in a wok or skillet to 350°F.

4. Pick up one vegetable slice and lightly dredge with flour. Then dip the slice in the batter, and add it to the hot oil. Fry for 1 to 2 minutes, depending on the vegetable, until the batter is golden brown and the vegetable is cooked through. The mushrooms will take longer (about 4 minutes). Transfer the fried vegetables to a rack to prevent the coating from becoming soggy. Eat as soon as possible for optimal crispiness.

Cook the Book: Easy Ambrosia

2009-11-20T18:00:00Z

I don't know exactly how cranberry sauce came to be such an integral part of the Thanksgiving meal. What I do know is that it acts as a prefect sweet-tart palate cleanser to break up the otherwise savory components of the meal.

Sweet and sour flavors are a great counterpoint to rich and fatty meat—just think about how great duck with sour cherries or pork with tart apples are.

Abiding by this principle, I have decided to include not one but two fruit dishes on my Thanksgiving menu this year. The first is obviously going to be cranberry sauce, and the second is this Easy Ambrosia from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee.

This salad forgoes the whipped cream and marshmallows.

For those familiar with the cream-pineapple-maraschino-cherry-laden versions of this salad, rest assured that this one contains none of those cloyingly sweet ingredients. This iteration of ambrosia is much more refined.

It's basically a winter citrus salad with bitter endive and fresh parsley dressed simply with olive oil and salt. Since this salad forgoes the whipped cream and marshmallows, both fundamental parts of the traditional ambrosia, the salad is finished with a sprinkle of toasted coconut for sweetness.

I'm looking forward to adding this salad to my Thanksgiving menu, I think that it will add light notes of sweet, bitter, and tart to a meal that usually hovers in the realm of heavy, savory, and meaty.

Win Simple Fresh Southern

As always with our Cook the Book feature, we have five (5) copies of Simple Fresh Southern to give away this week. Enter to win here »

Easy Ambrosia

- serves 6 -

Adapted from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon coconut flakes, preferably unsweetened
2 navel oranges or tangelos, segmented
1 ruby grapefruit, segmented
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 medium Belgian endive, root ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into thin strips
2 cups flat-leaf parsley (from about one 3-ounce bunch), stems trimmed

Procedure

1. Spread the coconut flakes in the broiler pan of a toaster oven and toast on a medium setting until they have become ever so gently browned, about 5 minutes. (Alternatively, you could toast the coconut by stirring it in a dry skillet until it toasts and becomes fragrant.) Reserve.

2. Segment the oranges and grapefruit over a large salad bowl to catch all the juice and segments. Drain the juice in a small bowl and add the salt and olive oil. Add the endive and parsley to the salad bowl with the citrus segments.

3. Whisk the citrus juice with the olive oil and salt until the dressing is emulsified. Pour the dressing over the salad, and toss until the salad is evenly coated. (Covered, the ambrosia will keep in the refrigerator for 1 day.) Before serving, sprinkle the reserved toasted coconut over it.

Anchoïade

2009-11-20T16:25:00Z

[Photograph: Kerry Saretsky]

Ingredients

1 clove garlic
1/4 cup toasted blanched and slivered almonds
2 2-ounce cans flat anchovy filets in olive oil, drained
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly cracked black pepper

Procedure

Obliterate the garlic in a mini food processor. Then pulse the almonds until they are in a rubble. Add the anchovies, lemon zest and juice, and olive oil and black pepper. Run the machine until it is an anchovy paste.

Turkey Stuffed Turkey with Gravy

2009-11-20T13:25:00Z

Note: Want to read about the creation of this recipe? Check it out here.

- serves 8 to 12 -

For much less ambitious cooks: You can simply follow the roasting and searing instructions using a whole turkey breast, omitting the butterflying and stuffing steps. You will still have extremely moist, flavorful turkey breast meat with crisp skin.

For only slightly less ambitious cooks: You can omit the stuffing, instead just butterflying and rolling the turkey breasts in their own skin. The meat will cook more evenly, and can be seasoned before rolling for better flavor penetration.

Finally, for those ambitious cooks who lack a meat grinder: You can stuff your turkey breasts with pre-ground pork sausage. The results won't be quite as turk-ey, but they will certainly be delicious!

Ingredients

For the Turkey/Sausage:

1 whole turkey, about 15 pounds
3/4 pound boneless pork butt or slab bacon, cut into 1-inch chunks.
2 tablespoons finely minced fresh sage leaves, or 1 teaspoon powdered dried sage
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
1 stalk celery, roughly chopped
1 small yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the Gravy:

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 large stalks celery, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped
2 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
2 bay leaves
12 black peppercorns
Parsley stems, thyme sprigs, mushroom trimmings (anything you have on hand that would add flavor)
1/4 teaspoon marmite
1 teaspoon soy sauce
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour

Procedure

1. For the sausage: With a sharp boning knife, remove legs and drumsticks from turkey. Peel skin off of legs, the remove meat from bone with boning knife. Trim away any silverskin or connective tissue, then cut meat into one-inch chunks. Toss meat with pork, sage, garlic, celery, onion, paprika, salt, and pepper, and allow to rest in refrigerator, covered, at least one hour, or up to overnight. Pass mixture twice through well-chilled meat grinder fitted with 1/4-inch plate. Place1 teaspoon of sausage on microwave-safe plate and microwave for 15 seconds until cooked through. Taste for seasoning. Add salt and pepper to sausage as necessary, then refrigerate until ready for use.

2. For the turkey: Remove wings from turkey using sharp boning knife and set aside. Carefully separate skin from turkey, working very slowly, and using a knife as necessary to help separation. Cut skin into two large sheets (one from the breasts, and the other form the back). Using back of knife, scrape off any excess fat from inner surface of skin.

3. Preheat oven to 275°F and set oven rack to lower-middle position. Remove turkey breasts from carcass using sharp boning knife. Following the photographs in the article, butterfly one turkey breast into even an even rectangle. Season on both sides with salt and ground black pepper. Spread stuffing mixture in even 1/4-inch layer on top of breasts. Roll breast up, wrap with one piece of skin, and secure with 7 to 10 pieces of butcher's twine at 1-inch intervals, working from the outside in. Repeat with second breast. Season breasts on all sides with salt and ground black pepper.

4. Place turkey ballotines on rack set in rimmed baking sheet and place in oven. Cook until internal temperature reaches 145°F as measured on a thermometer, about 3 to 5 hours, depending on thickness of rolls. Remove from oven and allow to rest in warm place, covered with foil, for at least half an hour, and up to 1 1/2 hours. Remove strings.

5. Heat butter and vegetable oil in heavy-bottomed 12-inch skillet or heavy-bottomed roasting pan until foaming subsides. Add turkey rolls and cook until well browned on all surface, about 8 minutes total. Slice, and serve with gravy.

6. Pass meat through grinder. Combine with eggplant puree. Form into four patties. At this point, follow your favorite burger recipe to cook the patties, making sure to cook them to at least 145 degrees.

7. For the gravy: While turkey is roasting, roughly chop carcass and wings into 1-inch chunks. Heat vegetable oil in large saucepan or Dutch oven over high-heat until just beginning to smoke. Add turkey carcass and cook, stirring frequently, until well browned on all surfaces, about 10 minutes. Add onions, carrots, and celery, and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly softened, about 5 minutes. bay leaves, peppercorns, and optional aromatics, then fill with room temperature water until just covered. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to a simmer, and cook for 2 hours, skimming frequently (reserve fat to add to dressing, if desired).

8.Strain through chinois or fine mesh-strainer lined with cheesecloth. Measure out three cups of stock and and reserve remainder for another use (such as the dressing). Add butter and flour to medium saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until light blond in color, about 2 minutes.. Slowly whisk in three cups of reserved stock. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened. Whisk in marmite and soy sauce. Adjust seasoning to taste with salt and pepper, and serve with sliced turkey.

French in a Flash: Quatre Épices Poussins Under a Brick

2009-11-19T22:15:00Z

[Photographs: Kerry Saretsky]

Previously

Braised Lamb Shanks with Lemon Confit and Sweet Pearl Onions »
All French in a Flash recipes »

My love of turkey is only a recent development. And even at that, I only consent to eat it when it's freshly roasted, usually on Thanksgiving. Anything else—turkey sandwiches, turkey soups, turkey whatevers—just aren't going to happen. So I have a high sensitivity to those who want to try something other than turkey for Thanksgiving.

To me, these Quatre Épices Poussins are the perfect holiday bird. Something about Thanksgiving requires a bird, and I feel compelled to uphold that. But sometimes you want something smaller to alleviate leftover overflow in your apartment fridge, or something quick-cooking to disguise the fact that you were actually at work until two hours before your mother-in-law arrived, or something different from what you had last year. Tradition, after all, isn't for everyone. These young chickens are holiday poultry that cook quickly, are perfect for one (you can portion it for an army or a sweet dinner for two), are entirely unique, and have tremendous stage presence.

The stage presence comes from a traditional French spice blend called quatre épices, or four spices. Consisting of cracked black pepper, cinnamon, clove, and nutmeg, the blend is reminiscent of rich medieval dinners, centered around a great long table on which a roasted pig reclines, clenching an apple in its mouth. Highly spiced, and lightly spicy, it is a seasonal je ne sais quoi that makes these little crispy-skinned, succulent game birds special enough, and festive enough, for the holidays.

About the author: Kerry Saretsky is the creator of French Revolution Food, where she reinvents her family's classic French recipes in a fresh, chic, modern way. She also writes the The Secret Ingredient series for Serious Eats.

Quatre Épices Poussins under a Brick

- serves 2 -

Ingredients

2 poussins, backbone removed and butterflied
Salt
2 1/2 teaspoons quatre épices (ingredients follow)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

For the Quatre Épices:
2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground clove
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Procedure

1. Make the quatre épices by combining all four spices.

2. Preheat the oven to 375°F.

3. Pat the poussins dry with paper towel, and season them well with salt.

4. Mix 2 1/2 teaspoons quatre épices with 3 tablespoons room temperature butter. Using your hands, spread the butter in a thick layer over the front side of the birds.

5. In a braising pan, heat the vegetable oil on medium heat.

6. When the oil is hot, place the poussins skin side down in the pan, and weight them down with one brick well wrapped in foil. Sear for 3 to 4 minutes, then transfer to the oven.

7. Bake the poussins in this position, breast side down under the brick, for 30 minutes. Then remove the bricks, and roast them breast side up for 20 minutes. Then rotate them again so that they are breast side down, and replace the bricks for the final 10 minutes. The poussins will cook for 1 hour in total.

8. Allow the poussins to rest 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

Dinner Tonight: Turkey Fricassée with Mushrooms

2009-11-19T21:15:00Z

[Photograph: Blake Royer]

Last week, someone sent me a shiitake mushroom farm, which recently started spouting out of all sides in my living room. It's disconcerting and kind of awesome. I was getting ready to prepare a meal when I noticed about 10 of them had reached full size; I already had a turkey breast set aside for dinner, so I started flipping through my cookbooks.

My answer came from The Silver Spoon, which called for stewing the mushrooms with the turkey in a rich liquid of wine and stock (fricassée essentially means poultry in a stewed preparation with creamy sauce). It's a deep-flavored preparation perfect for fall. Though the original recipe calls for porcini, I don't think substituting another was a problem. I was especially intrigued by the way the dish was finished, not with cream, but a couple egg yolks whisked with lemon juice and water. Stirred in off the heat, they thicken the broth so that it coats the dish. Boil some rice and you'll be warmed through.

About the author: Blake Royer founded The Paupered Chef with Nick Kindelsperger, where he writes about food and occasional travels. After a year in Estonia, he's now living in Chicago.

Turkey Fricassée with Shiitakes

- serves 4 -

Adapted from The Silver Spoon.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/3 pounds skinless, boneless turkey breast, cubed into medium pieces
1 small onion, diced
2 garlic cloves
3/4 cup dry white wine
8 ounces fresh shiitake or other mushrooms, sliced (discard the stems if using shiitake)
1 flat-leaf parsley sprig, chopped
5 tablespoons turkey or chicken stock, warm
2 egg yolks
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper

Procedure

1. Heat the butter and 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large pan over high heat. When the butter foam begins to subside, add the turkey and cook quickly to golden brown. Remove the turkey with a slotted spoon and set aside, leaving the oil/butter mixture in the pan. Lower the heat and add the onion and 1 whole garlic clove. Sauté for 5 minutes, until translucent. Remove the garlic clove.

2. Return the turkey to the pan with the onions and add the wine. Cover and allow the contents to simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.

3. Brush the mushroom slices with olive oil and add to the pan. Chop the remaining clove of garlic and add along with the parsley and stock. Simmer for 30 minutes more. In the meantime, beat the egg yolks with 1 tablespoon of water, strained lemon juice and salt and pepper in a bowl. Set aside.

4. Once the second 30 minutes are up, remove the pan from the heat source and pour in the egg mixture. Mix quickly so as not to curdle the egg. Serve immediately.

Cook the Book: Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo

2009-11-19T18:15:00Z

[Photograph: Caroline Russock]

Sautéed greens are a dish that rarely requires a recipe. No matter what green you have on hand, the process is relatively similar: Heat oil or butter, allium of your choice (onions, garlic, and shallots are popular choices), greens, and perhaps some flavorful liquid (stock, white wine, vinegar), salt to taste, and you're good to go. You can go the Southern route with the addition of ham hocks or smoked turkey necks; Italian with some pancetta and red pepper flakes; or Asian with sesame oil and ginger. Greens are one of my favorite sides, and the majority of the space in my crisper drawer is usually taken up by kale, collards, or the nameless (to me, at least) mystery greens that I pick up in Chinatown.

Always looking for a new way to cook up greens, I was intrigued by this Mexican take on traditionally Southern collard greens from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee. Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo is one of those "Why didn't I think of that?" dishes. I knew that the chorizo would add a porky smokiness to the greens, but what I didn't count on was the slight sourness that was heightened by the addition of a little red wine vinegar. Poblano chiles are relatively mild, but add just enough spice to give these greens a little heat. These greens were part of a memorable meal that included yesterday's Squash Half-Moons with Sesame, Butter, and Salt and some crunchtactular fried chicken courtesy of Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc's Fried Chicken—not bad for a Tuesday night dinner.

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Collard Greens with Poblano Chiles and Chorizo

- serves 4 -

Adapted from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee.

Ingredients

2 teaspoons peanut or canola oil
8 ounces fresh chorizo, casings removed, cut into roughly 1-inch pieces; or 4 ounces cured chorizo, or other smoked sausage, finely diced
3 poblano chiles, seeded and sliced into thin 2- to 3-inch strips (about 3 cups)
2 teaspoons finely chopped garlic
1 1/2 pounds collard greens (about 1 bunch), ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (1 packed quart)
1 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Procedure

1. Pour the oil into a 12-inch skillet or saute pan and set over high heat, and when it shimmers, add the chorizo. Cook, chopping up the (fresh) sausage with the back of a spoon, until the sausage has rendered most of it's fat, about 2 minutes. Add the poblanos, and continue to cook until they have softened slightly and the chorizo is cooked through, about 4 minutes.

2. Add the garlic, half the collards, the salt, and 2 tablespoons water to the skillet. Cook, turning the collards with tongs and adding more greens as those in the pan wilt, until all the collards are in the skillet. Continue to cook until the collards have softened and become dark green, about 6 minutes. Add the vinegar and continue to cook the collards, turning them occasionally, until the vinegar has completely evaporated and the pan is dry, about 3 minutes more. Season to taste with salt, if necessary, and divide the collards, poblanos, and chorizo among 4 warm serving plates. Serve immediately.

Quince Brandy

2009-11-19T02:55:00Z

Ingredients

3 to 4 fresh quince at peak of ripeness
1 bottle cognac
3 to 4 whole cloves (optional)
1 cinnamon stick (optional)

Procedure

Wash and dry quince and either grate or finely chop. Fill quart-size canning jars approximately 3/4 full of quince, add spices and top with cognac. Seal and keep in a cool, dark place until well matured, a minimum of six weeks and anywhere up to a year (or more?). Strain before using, passing the liquid through fine mesh or a coffee filter to remove small particles. Enjoy.

Seriously Meatless: Wild Mushroom Stuffing

2009-11-19T00:00:00Z

Note: Michael Natkin of the vegetarian blog Herbivoracious drops by every Wednesday to share a delicious recipe and expand our vegetarian repertoire.

[Photograph: Michael Natkin]

With all of the concerns about food safety, most people (Alton Brown included) don't actually stuff their bird anymore. So since you are going to make the stuffing separately anyhow, make this delicious version with wild mushrooms to satisfy both vegetarians and omnivores.

The mushrooms throw off a lot of water while they are sauteeing. We drain that liquid right onto the bread to amp up the flavor. For the vegetable broth, you want a clear variety, not a thick soup. Seitenbacher makes an excellent broth powder that I always keep on hand. Another option, if you are a true fungi-lover, is to make your own broth by boiling a big handful of dried shiitake mushrooms.

I suggest a mix of half chanterelles, with their magical scent of apricots, and half crimini or white mushrooms. You could certainly use other wild mushrooms instead. Oyster mushrooms or morels would be especially good. Another nice addition would be a cup of toasted pecans.

Wild Mushroom Stuffing

- serves 6 to 8 as a side -

Ingredients

12 ounces rustic bread cut into 1-inch cubes, stale is fine
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium white onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces button or crimini mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
12 ounces chanterelle or other wild mushrooms, cut into bite-sized pieces
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon smoked paprika (optional)
1 tablespoon dried rubbed sage leaf or Herbes de Provence
2 cups clear vegetable broth (not all at once, adjust as needed)
Salt to taste
1 handful fresh parsley leaves, minced

Procedure

1. Put the cubed bread in a large bowl.

2. Melt the butter in a large skillet over a medium-high flame. Saute the onion and garlic for 1 minute, until soft but not browned. Add both types of mushrooms, the bay leaves, smoked paprika and sage leaf and 1 teaspoon of salt.

3. Cook the mushrooms, stirring frequently. As they throw off liquid, drain it onto the bread cubes and toss. Repeat every couple of minutes until the mushrooms are tender and browned. Add the mushrooms to the bread and toss.

4. Add vegetable broth, 1/2 cup at a time, tossing in between until you achieve the texture you like. Taste and adjust for salt. Just before serving, mix in the parsley.

Skillet Green Beans with Orange

2009-11-18T22:00:00Z

The following recipe is from the November 18 edition of our weekly recipe newsletter. To receive this newsletter in your inbox, sign up here!

Green beans always find their way to the holiday table. Unfortunately, sometimes they can be more of an afterthought than something to get excited over. I'm sure you are familiar with the usual suspects: the green bean casserole made with canned cream of mushroom soup and fried onions, or the defrosted beans that are more gray than green, gussied up with some slivered almonds.

This green bean neglect might have something to do with the fact that November is not exactly the height of bean season, and the specimens in the market might not look or taste quite up to par. Nonetheless, green beans have a place on the Thanksgiving table, so why not give them a chance to taste like something that you want to eat rather than something that you should eat?

This recipe for Skillet Green Beans with Orange from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee is a great was to deal with not so great green beans. The beans are cooked in cast-iron at high heat, "pan-charred", according to the Lee brothers, which renders them crunchy, toasty, and a little smoky. Orange segments and a little bit of vinegar are added for sweet and sour notes. No more gloopy casseroles or gray beans, okay?

Skillet Green Beans with Orange

- serves 4 -

Adapted from Simple Fresh Southern by Matt and Ted Lee.

Ingredients

1 large navel orange
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

Procedure

1. Finely grate the zest of the orange, and reserve it. Segment the orange, and keep the segments and juice in a bowl.

2. In a large cast iron skillet or saute pan, heat the canola oil over high heat, swirling it around the pan so it coats the bottom thinly and evenly. When the oil begins to smoke, add the beans (in batches if necessary—don't crowd the pan) and scatter 1/2 teaspoon of the salt over them. Cook, stirring only every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the beans are half blistered and blackened, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beans to a serving platter or bowl. Lift the orange segments out of their juice (reserve the juice), and scatter them over the beans. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest over the beans and oranges.

3. Add the vinegar, olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl of orange juice, and whisk until thoroughly combined. Pour the dressing over the beans. Toss, and season to taste with salt, black pepper, and the remaining orange zest.

Dinner Tonight: Miso-Glazed Catfish and Baby Bok Choy

2009-11-18T21:15:00Z

[Photographs: Nick Kindelsperger]

You know what? I don't think I've ever actually cooked catfish before this meal. I'm sure I must have eaten it at some point in my life, but it has escaped me as a potential meal. That was until I got hooked listening to this NPR Science Friday program about sustainable fish.

Sylvia Earle was on air talking about her new book The World is Blue, and just casually mentioned that catfish was one of the good kinds of fish to eat. That's how I ended up at Whole Foods looking for fillets of a fish I'd never thought much about before.

I decided to also go with this Whole Foods recipe, plucked from their website. It doesn't get much simpler than this: a glaze is whisked together from white miso, sugar, and olive oil, then brushed on the fish. The fillets are sautéed for five minutes and come out of the pan with a rich color and aroma that belays the amount of time you actually spent on it. But the bok choy is not just a throwaway side—it's a perfect match with miso, and comes out tender and bright green.

Miso-Glazed Catfish and Baby Bok Choy

- serves 2 -
Adapted from Whole Foods.

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 tablespoon white miso
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 catfish fillets (about 5 ounces a piece)
4 baby bok choy, halved

Procedure

1. Combine miso, sugar, 1/2 tablespoon of the oil, and 1/2 tablespoon of warm water in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Brush about half of the glaze onto both sides of the catfish fillets.

2. Pour the remaining oil into a large skillet. Turn the heat to medium. Add the catfish fillets and cook for about five minutes, flipping halfway through. Remove the fillets, cover with aluminum foil while you cook the bok choy.

3. Keep the same skillet over medium heat. Quickly, brush the remaining glaze on the bok choy, and place on the skillet cut side down. Pour in 2 tablespoons of water, and scrape up any browned bits. Cover the skillet and cook for about 4 minutes, stirring every one minute. The bok choy should be tender and wilted, but still bright green. Serve with the catfish.

Cakespy: The Pumpkin-Apple-Pecan Pie

2009-11-18T19:15:00Z

The holy trinity of Thanksgiving pies.

[Original artwork and photographs: Jessie Oleson]

It happens every year: that delicious dilemma at the dessert table when you have to decide between the three titans of Thanksgiving treats: pumpkin, apple, or pecan pie? But what if they could be combined into one triple threat, a veritable Turducken of a Thanksgiving pie?

I was set on finding out so I recently prepared three pie shells and three respective batches of pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie filling, and experimented in various ways.

That would be Pie #3, or the Peace Sign Pie.

Pie #1: The filling contained three distinct layers (pecan, apple, and pumpkin) all on top of each other, so that when sliced, you could see a strip of each.

Pie #2: The filling contained a slurry of all three flavors in equal parts. They were mixed together, then poured into the shell.

Pie #3: A pie shell divided into sections, TV dinner tray-style, and filled with individual portions of the pie fillings in their pure, unmixed form.

From left: Pie #2 and Pie #1.

Because each pie had a different suggested baking time and temperature, I ended up baking each in the oven for a middle-of-the-road 350°F for about one hour. In the case of Pie #3, however, I baked the pumpkin and apple fillings for 15 minutes first before adding the pecan.

The Results

Pie #1: While the apple and pecan layers worked well together, and the pumpkin with the pecan was tasty, the combination of all three simply did not harmonize. But since the fillings were neatly layered, it was still possible to carefully compose each forkful (pecan-pumpkin or pecan-apple) for a delicious experience.

Pie #2: That wasn't true in this case. The fillings were all mixed together and it was harder to eke out bites of the complementary flavors.

Pie #3: Ultimately this was the winner. As it turns out, each filling benefited from being baked in such close quarters. Each flavor had a certain unexpected dimension, perhaps a result of aromatic infusion? While the flavors may not work all at once, this pie's design proved that they can still co-exist in peace (or is that pieces?).

Note: I have included the recipe for one generous pie crust and a full pie's worth of each filling. This means you can choose your own adventure with the extra filling. You could simply double the pie crust and use the extra filling to make more pies, or divide the below pie crust, using two-thirds of the crust for your main pie, then divide the extra crust into small circles and make mini pies using cupcake cups. Or, you could try halving the filling recipes—I see no reason why it wouldn't work.

The Pumpkin-Apple-Pecan Thanksgiving Pie

- makes one 10-inch pie (see note, above) -
Fillings adapted from The Grand Central Baking Book.

Ingredients

For pumpkin filling:

1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups half and half
2 eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon fresh ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
Pinch of salt
A healthy handful of marshmallows or whipped cream for topping (optional)

For apple filling:

2 pounds tart, firm apples (4 to 5 large ones)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

For apple crumb topping:

1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 cup flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes and chilled

For pecan filling:

1 cup light corn syrup
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 eggs, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted

For the crust:
- makes one rather thick pie crust -

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, plus extra for rolling
1 cup unsalted butter, very cold, cut into 3/4 inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
4 to 8 tablespoons ice water

Procedure

1. Prepare the pie crust. Put the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse once or twice. Add the butter and process until the mixture looks grainy. Then slowly, while pulsing, add the water until you can form the dough by pressing it between your fingers (Note: if you don't have a food processor, this can all be done by hand as well).

2. Put the loose dough onto a piece of plastic wrap. Using the wrap, fold the loose dough towards the middle and press with the back of your hands to form dough. If you are going to save some of the dough to make mini pies as suggested above, separate dough into two pieces, reserving 2/3 for the main pie and 1/3 for the mini pies. Wrap and chill for at least 4 hours before using.

Super high-tech dividers.

3. Using aluminum foil, form dividers which will divide the pie plate into a sort of peace sign design.

4. When you're ready, roll it out with a rolling pin to an approximately 13- to 14-inch circle (slightly larger than you'd usually use for a pie, because you will need the extra crust to shape around the dividers in the pie plate). Transfer this to the pie plate, gently shaping the dough around the dividers, and trim the edges and shape them in any way you'd like.

5. Blind bake the crust for about 10 to 15 minutes at 350°F.

6. Prepare the apple filling. Peel and core the apples and slice them 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick; this should yield about 8 cups. Toss the sliced apples with the sugars, cinnamon, and lemon juice, and then set aside for an hour or so, until they begin to release some of their juices. While this sets, you can make the crumb topping and other fillings.

7. Prepare the apple crumb topping. In a large bowl, mix the oats with the flour, light brown sugar, cinnamon, and baking soda. Using a pastry blender or two knives (or your very clean hands!) cut in the butter until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Press the mixture into clumps; set aside.

8. Prepare the pumpkin filling. Combine the pumpkin, half and half, eggs, granulated and brown sugars, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt in a large bowl and whisk until the mixture is smooth and fully incorporated.

9. Prepare the pecan filling. Put the corn syrup and brown sugar in a heavy saucepan over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat and add the butter and vanilla. Let the mixture cool, then add the eggs; whisk until smooth. Make this filling last.

10. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

11. Pour pumpkin filling into one of the three sections; spoon apple filling into another section. Put the pie in the oven for about 15 minutes.

12. Remove the pie from the oven and add the pecan filling. Add enough pecans to the remaining section so that the bottom of the section is covered; pour the pecan filling mixture on top until the section is filled.

13. While you've got the pie out of the oven, go ahead and add the apple crumb mixture to the top of the apple pie section.

14. Return the pie to the oven for another 40 minutes or so. When fillings are set, if desired, put a handful of marshmallows on top of the pumpkin section; as soon as they have a golden edge, it's time to take the pie out of the oven. If you'd rather top the pumpkin part with whipped cream, wait until the pie has completely cooled before applying the topping.

About the author: Jessie Oleson is a Seattle-based writer, illustrator, and cake anthropologist who runs Cakespy, an award-winning dessert website.