Delicious delights

A celebratory day that began as a way of offering thanks for the blessing of the harvest of the preceding year, has turned into a worldwide phenomenon. Though a universal celebration, Thanksgiving is celebrated in different ways depending on the region. While in the US it is observed on the fourth Thursday of November, in Canada it is celebrated on the second Monday of October. As no celebration goes without the festive feasting, a roast turkey is a must for the occasion. Another commonly served dish is the pumpkin pie. But to keep the pace of the festival and bring in some twist we have some recepies for you to try:

Spiced Chicken Liver & Cream Cheese Tortellini

Kedar Bobde, Corporate Executive Chef,  
DeGustibus Hospitality

Ingredients:

For Pasta Mixture:
Plain flour ..........................500gm
Saffron water .....................100ml
Whole eggs .........................4
Extra virgin olive  oil ........50ml
Salt and pepper to taste

Chicken Liver Farce:
Fresh chicken livers .........250gm
Cream cheese ....................100gm
Egg white ...........................1
Brandy ...............................60ml
Paprika ..............................15gm
Chinese 5 spice powder ...15gm
Red wine vinegar .............30ml

Method:
On a hot pan, sear off the chicken livers, season them on the pan and cook medium rare. Deglaze the same with brandy, and reduce till it coats the chicken livers.
In the same pan, sauté shallots, and deglaze with red wine vinegar.
In a bar blender, add the seared chicken livers, 1 egg white,  paprika, 5 spice powder, sautéed onions, and salt and pepper to season. Blend the mixture to a fine paste. Fold in cream cheese to this mixture and put it in a piping bag.
Make tortellini shaped pasta and reserve it in the refrigerator.

Chicken Consommé
Ingredients:
Egg whites .........................8
Chicken stock  .................. 3ltr
Brunoise carrots  ..............200gm
Brunoise celery  ................200gm
Brunoise leeks  ..................200gm

Method:
In a mixing bowl, mix egg whites with brunoise carrots, celery and leeks.
Add this mixture to the chicken stock.
On a medium heat start off the stock mixture, don't allow it to boil.
The egg whites will slowly come up to the top, thus taking all the impurities of the stock to the top to form a heavy crust.
Make a small hole in the crust and allow the stock to simmer on low temperature.
Once a clear stock is obtained, strain very slowly through a soup or a commercial conical strainer.

Turkey Platter
Hansel Baptista, Executive Chef,  
Crafters Tap House

For roast turkey

Ingredients :
Turkey .................1 nos (4-5kg)
Butter Salted .......200 gms
Unsalted Butter .. 200 gms
Sage ..................... 50 gms
Garlic .................. 100 gms
Black pepper .......10 gms
Sweet paprika .....15 gms
Mustard paste .....50 gms
Orange .................2 nos

Method:
Melt the butter in a skillet on a low heat and add in the garlic stirring to make sure it doesn't burn.
When it starts to get brown, add in the sage and take it off the gas.
Grate in the orange peel with a micro zester to make sure you don't grate any pith
When still warm stir in the pepper, sweet paprika and mustard paste

To brine the turkey

Ingredients :

Salt ......................500 gms
Sugar....................250 gms    
Brown sugar........500 gms
Water....................3.5 ltrs
Garlic...................100 gms
Sage......................50 gms
Orange juice........2 nos        
Rauchbier/ Beer    1 ltr

Method:
Boil water along with salt and sugar.
Add the garlic and sage and bring it to a boil. Cool and add the orange juice and the rauchbier/ beer. Brine the turkey for 7 to 8 hours.
Let the turkey sit on a perforated tray to drain of the liquid in the fridge for 3 to 4 hours.
Marinate the turkey inside, outside and between the skin and the flesh.
Place on a deep baking tray layered with onion carrot, celery, leeks and big chunks of sweet potato on the base of the pan.
Place the turkey on top of the vegetables and pour vegetable stock or chicken stock into the tray as well as another ½ litre of the rauchbier/ beer.
Bake in a convection oven at 150 degrees for 2 to 2 ½ hours till done. Baste the turkey regularly or alternatively cover the breast with foil to prevent the breast from drying out.  Increase the temperature of the oven to brown the skin

Finish:
Prepare a mash of the sweet potatoes by boiling them in a mixture of milk, water and salt. Take out the sweet potato from the baking tray and mash through a fine sieve so that it is smooth. Heat the mash in the pan with some butter.
Prepare cranberry chutney with dry cranberries, sugar, salt, sherry vinegar and star anise.
Pass the cooking liquid in the pan through a sieve and let it reduce to form a gravy.
Carve the turkey and separate the legs and the breast, dice the bones and add it to the reducing gravy.
Toss in butter heirloom carrots and green beans.
Prepare a sage brioche stuffing by grilling brioche bread on a grill, dice it and toss with butter, roasted garlic and chopped sage.
To plate, slice two pieces of the breast and two from the legs and plate over the sweet potato mash, arrange the vegetables, stuffing and cranberry chutney on a plate. Pour the gravy in a dip bowl or over the turkey. Garnish with fresh sage.