14 Ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers

November 23, 2012 By 1 Comment

“I think leftovers are one of the best things about Thanksgiving!” – Amy Sherman of Cooking with Amy.  This was the general consensus when I asked some food writer friends what they do with their leftovers. Here’s some advice.

1. Update the traditional leftover sandwich

“I just recently created some holiday recipes for a grocery store and some of them used leftover turkey,” Amy says. “One of my absolute favorite recipes was a turkey, jack cheese and cranberry sauce melt on whole wheat bread.” A great example: her grilled cheese, pear and turkey sandwich. 

“Turkey is really good in all kinds of grilled cheese sandwiches, so get as creative as you like with it,” Sherman says. ” Try it with chutney, slices of apple, tomato, roasted red pepper or a layer of leftover cooked vegetables like sautéed spinach or creamed onions. You could even use turkey in a Reuben (in place of pastrami) or Cuban sandwich (in place of the roast pork). I like cheddar, jack or swiss cheese paired with turkey. Grilled cheese turkey sandwiches are so easy to make even kids can make them. Best of all they let you enjoy some of the flavors of Thanksgiving in a fresh way.”

2. Make a Drink with the Cranberry Sauce

Seriously. For an elegant post-holiday toast, make a simple cranberry champagne cocktail by putting a teaspoon into the bottom of a flute and top with sparkling wine. Alternately, you can try my recipe for a “Crantini” for a post-shopping break. Combine 1 1/2 oz. gin, 1/2 oz. Cointreau, 1 teaspoon cranberry sauce in a shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and pour into chilled martini glass. Garnish with lime wedge. 

3. Mashed potato patties

Olga Massov of the SassyRadish.com has a terrific idea for leftover veggies. “One of my favorite things to do is to take leftover mashed potatoes and make these mashed potato patties with them and whatever leftover vegetables I have. Usually it’s caramelized onions and/or squash so I just combine them (cut the squash into smaller pieces if need be), bind with an egg, and fry in olive oil. I mix a lemon-dill yogurt dipping sauce and voila – vegetables reborn. It makes for a really delicious post Thanksgiving lunch!” 

4. Kentucky Hot Browns

My neighbors across the street are proper Southerners and introduced me to the day-after-phenomenon known as a “Hot Brown.” Essentially, it’s an open-faced turkey sandwich topped with Mornay sauce. The result is crazy good. The Bitten Word has a great recipe for it.  

5. Make Stock

“I always make stock,” says Sheri Wetherall, the editor-in-chief of Foodista.com. “I roast the carcass with carrots, onions, celery and whatever yummy root veggies I have on hand until the bones are dark and golden, then simmer it for a long time on as low as I can get it until I have a luscious broth! I freeze it in small-sized batches for soups throughout the year. Check out my stock recipe on CookFearless or the Ultimate Chicken Stock from Bruce Aidells on BonAppetit.com 

6. Make Soup

When you’ve got the stock, you can make a wide range of soups. You can keep the flavor of the holiday meal or really change it up. Here are four very different options:

7. Turkey Gumbo

Jaden Hair of Steamy Kitchen and cookbook author Bruce Aidells do what I typically have done with a leftover turkey: make turkey gumbo. “What’s great about this is that it’s nearly a one-pot meal, easy to make and has such intense flavor that’s DIFFERENT from night-before Thanksgiving menu,” Jaden says. I totally agree. You can try Jaden’s recipe or mine here on CookFearless. The latter recipe calls for a dark roux made in the oven which takes a bit longer. Or, you can follow Jaden’s lead and use a lighter roux, which takes about 10 minutes to cook on the stove top.

8. Turkey and Dumplings

Keep the comfort food going. Wetherall has a great twist on the classic chicken and dumplings on Foodista.com. 

9. Make Turkey Salad

A twist on chicken salad, a simple turkey salad can be an easy lunch when plopped onto a bed of simple greens or put inside a pita. I like this recipe from Kalyn’s Kitchen. 

10. Turkey Pot Pie

A classic. I liked this updated version with cheddar biscuits as the top crust from Just a Taste. 

11. Sweet Potato Souffle

If you end up with a lot of mashed sweet potatoes like we seem to every year, consider trying your hand at shifting them into a souffle. Note: this won’t work if you covered up their naturally sweet flavor with tons of syrup or marshmallows. Marla Meredith at FamilyFreshCooking.com has a lovely recipe for sweet potato souffles with feta and sage.

12. Fry the Leftover Sage Leaves

I did this a couple of years ago. It genuinely intensifies the flavor and adds a certain something to a leftover sandwich or even crumbled into a dish. Saveur’s recipe is the best one I’ve found.

 

 

13. Try Turkey Curry

Remember the opening of Bridget Jones Diary? Every New Year’s Day, Bridget’s mother hosted her turkey curry buffet. I found it hard to get a turkey in November. Why? They don’t celebrate Thanksgiving and turkey tends to be reserved for Christmas dinner. Curry is a very traditional means to dispatch the leftovers from the holiday turkey. I’ve used this recipe from the BBC site for the past couple of years. When it calls for “double cream,” you just use whipping cream. I’ve used sweet potatoes in place of the butternut squash. 

 

14. Make croutons

It seems like there’s always leftover rolls and bread from holiday meals. You can only eat so many sandwiches or consume so many carbs. Don’t throw it away. Dice it up, toast it and make it into croutons.

 

 

Filed Under: Fearless Thanksgiving Tagged With: ,

Bread Stuffing with Apples, Bacon, and Caramelized Onions

November 16, 2012 By 1 Comment

Recipe by Diane Morgan, from The Thanksgiving Table

Who can resist crisp bacon, sautéed apples, and the slightly blackened edges of caramelized onions? With the addition of savory herbs, this is the perfect combination for stuffing. Children, especially those (like mine!) who don’t like mushrooms, really gobble this up. This stuffing pairs deliciously with the Butter-Rubbed Roast Turkey with Apple Cider Glaze. Serves 12.

1 tablespoon unsalted butter, softened
10 cups unseasoned dry bread cubes
8 ounces bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
1¼ pounds pearl onions, peeled and halved
1 tablespoon sugar
2 Granny Smith apples (about 6 ounces each), peeled, cored, and cut into ½-inch dice
3 large ribs celery, chopped
2/3 cup minced fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1 tablespoon minced fresh sage
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
4 cups homemade chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Coat a deep, 9-by-13-inch baking pan with the butter. Place the bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl. In a 10-inch sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until crisp. Drain and add to the bread in the bowl. Remove all but 2 tablespoons of bacon fat from the pan, reserving the extra. Add the onions to the pan and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the sugar over the onions and sauté, stirring constantly, until the onions turn golden and the edges caramelize, about 3 to 5 minutes. Add to the bread in the bowl.

Return the pan to medium heat, add 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon fat and swirl to coat the pan. Add the apples and celery and sauté, stirring frequently, until softened, about 5 to 7 minutes. Add the parsley, thyme, sage, salt, and a few grinds of pepper, and sauté 1 minute longer. Add this mixture to the bread cubes, and stir to combine. Add the beaten eggs and stock to the bowl, and mix well. Place the stuffing in the prepared pan and bake, uncovered, until the top is lightly browned and crusty, about 1 hour.

If you have room in your oven, bake the stuffing while the turkey is roasting. Otherwise, bake it beforehand and reheat it once the turkey is out.

Who wrote this recipe
Diane Morgan is an award-winning cookbook author, freelance food writer, culinary instructor, and restaurant consultant. She is the author of seventeen cookbooks. Her newest book, Roots: The Definitive Compendium with more than 225 Recipes, was published Chronicle Books in September 2012. She is the author of three books about holiday dinners, The Thanksgiving Table, The New Thanksgiving Table and the The Christmas Table. Learn more about her at DianeMorganCooks.com

Filed Under: Fearless Thanksgiving, Recipes, Side Dishes Tagged With: , ,

Fearless Approved Schools: The Cook’s Warehouse – Atlanta

November 8, 2012 By Leave a Comment

The Cook’s Warehouse

Fans of the store’s fancy cookware will be happy to know (if they don’t already) that Cook’s Warehouse offers recreational classes to help keep that cookware in good use. Beginners might start with Mastering Basic Techniques, where they’ll learn how to saute, roast and bake. Or perhaps the all-important Knife Skills 101. Other classes focus on baking, regional and international cuisines, seafood, seasonal cooking and lifestyle (think Paleo Thanksgiving). All classes include recipes, food samples and complimentary drinksplusa 10 percent discount on class day.

Bonus: The stellar kids courses. Many of the regular courses are offered to kids 12 and older, but Cook’s Warehouse also has some kid-centric classes for kids of varying ages, gluten-free baking and a hands-on Italian dinner how-to among them. One standout: The “new fast food” course where kids prepare healthy versions of fast food favorites like soy and ginger shrimp and the chicken-y things kids often crave. There’s even an after-kids cooking club for teens.

Classes generally range from $45 to $75.

Locations vary. 800.499.0996. cookswarehouse.com

Filed Under: Uncategorized

How to Read a Nutritional Label

November 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

Andrew Wilder of the excellent site Eating Rules, developed a terrific .pdf that explains how to read a basic nutritional label that you can download for free. Also, see his excellent story on reading food labels on the AttuneFoods web site.

Seattle-based nutritionist Beve Kindblade generously provided all kinds of great information for the book. She recommends keeping things simple when analyzing labels. “I always tell my clients to avoid anything with less than three percent of fiber per serving, and more than six grams of sugar or total fat per serving.” That, she notes, eliminates about 90 percent of processed food. Salt gets a lot of flack, but she acknowledges that people react differently to salt. “If you’ve got high blood pressure, aim to lower salt in food.” The best way to do that? Research shows that home cooks use significantly less salt than what’s put into processed food. “So if you want to cut down salt, cook at home more.” 

Unfortunately, as Andrew mentions in his guide, food manufacturers aren’t always upfront about what’s going on inside the box or they play up stuff that sounds good, but ultimately means little. A few examples:

  • Meat labeled “all natural” means nothing (until they develop a synthetic chicken easily confused with the real thing)
  • Cereals are often touted as “multi-grain”  to make them sound healthier, but in reality, it just means they may contain wheat and one other “grain,” often corn. Check out the Whole Grain Council’s tips for choosing true multi-grain and whole grain products)
  • Eggs or chickens labeled as “free range” mean simply the chickens had some access to the outside, but it doesn’t mean they ever actually grazed anywhere except a commercial feedlot.  

If you want to get behind the issues around food labeling, the Center for Science in the Public Interest has its own section on labeling and even published a report titled Chaos in Food Labeling, wherein they make the the case for improving the labels by requiring more stringent regulation of manufacturers prove nutritional claims, put the stats in some context and base the information on more reasonable “serving” suggestions. Also, most of the information is based on the requirements for a 2,000 calorie-a-day diet for women, and a 2,5000 calorie a day diet for men. But in reality, this isn’t true for the majority of individuals, particularly the third of Americans who are obese. For instance, at 5 foot 4 inches, my daily caloric needs are about 1,600 calories a day, according to this nifty calculator. 

As professor Marion Nestle noted on her blog, food manufacturers take advantage of loopholes using a classic example: an eight ounce bottle or can of Coca Cola. Ask yourself honestly: If you open a can of Coke, what’s your intention? To drink the whole thing? The good folks at Coca Cola, however, maintain that a Coke can provides two-and-a-half servings. New labeling, proposed by CSPI and other advocates throughout the health industry, would require it be labeled as its consumed in reality — a single serving. With that, the nutritional picture changes dramatically. 

By the way, with either label, soda in general doesn’t fit within Kindblade’s guidelines for sugar-per-serving. 

 

Filed Under: Featured Basics, Supermarket Tips

A “Cheat Sheet” to Flavor Profiles

November 6, 2012 By 1 Comment

What makes something taste Italian or Cajun or Moroccan? Whether crafting vinaigrette, seasoning chicken, or developing a soup, understanding the flavors of ingredients that help to define various cuisines can be deeply useful.

Every cuisine has its regional variations; Basque cuisine is vastly different from the classic dishes from Provence, but they’re both French. So consider this a shorthand reference to a few culinary stereotypes. Don’t overdo it. Try incorporating two to four ingredients from a cuisine group to tilt a flavor profile in that general direction.

Cajun/Creole

dark roux, onions, celery, green pepper, tomatoes, parsley, cayenne, Cajun spice blends, blackening seasonings, lemon, scallions, andouille sausage, crab, shrimp

French

butter, shallots, onions, celery, carrots, thyme, tarragon, herbs de Provence, bay leaves, chives, chervil, capers, red and white wine, truffle, soft cheeses, Dijon mustard, mushrooms, cream

Indian

tandoori spices, garam masala, curry, yogurt, coconut milk, basmati rice, tamarind, cardamom, cumin, coriander, cilantro, fennel, garlic, saffron, fenugreek, dried chilies

Italian

garlic, onions, celery, basil, pesto, prosciutto, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, mozzarella cheese, pine nuts, tomatoes, artichokes, olives, olive oil, oregano, lemon, fennel, flat-leaf parsley, red pepper flakes, rosemary, white beans, balsamic vinegar

Japanese

miso, sesame seed oil, sesame seeds, rice vinegar, sake, soy sauce, wasabi, ginger

Mediterranean/Greek

oregano, lemon, olives, tuna, rosemary, bay leaves, thyme, olive oil, lamb, garlic, feta cheese, tomatoes, red onions, fish, shellfish

Mexican/Tex-Mex

cumin, chili powder, hot sauce, green peppers, oregano, lime, garlic, onions, celery, cilantro, tomatoes, scallions, black beans, Cheddar cheese, avocado

North African

mint, lemon, harissa, saffron, turmeric, parsley, cilantro, honey, olives, almonds, dates, raisins, chickpeas, eggplant, green bell peppers, carrots, lentils, onion, ground ginger, paprika, cumin, cayenne, figs

Central/South Asian

ginger, garlic, scallions, shallots, lemongrass, Thai basil, cilantro, fish sauce, shrimp paste, soy sauce, coconut milk, sesame seeds, sesame oil, rice or sweet wine vinegar, cilantro, lime, oyster sauce, galangal, hot chili peppers

Where this information came from
This is excerpted from The Kitchen Counter Cooking School by Kathleen Flinn with permission from Viking/Penguin.

Filed Under: Cooking Fundamentals, Featured Recipes Tagged With: ,

Fish: Buying Basics

November 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Story by Kathleen Flinn

A couple years ago, I attended a screening event of the beautiful, fascinating and depressing documentary The End of the Line. The film illustrates the message and research found in the book of the same name written by British journalist Charles Clover. The tag line says it all: “Imagine a World Without Fish.”

The End of the Line is the first film to document the devastating effects of overfishing, pushing some species into near or complete extinction. Some scientists predict wild fish may disappear from all but 1% of the Earth’s oceans by 2048.

Did you get that? Extinct. Gone. Eighty-sixed. Scary stuff.

I’ve been sensitive to the issue of sustainable seafood for awhile, but its message rocked me nonetheless. I’m happy to eat less fish, but do I need to completely give up plank-grilled halibut, or the occasional plate of spicy shrimp in tomato saffron broth? I also know about the issues with salmon.

Fortunately, a panel discussion took place afterward that brought me down off the ledge. The group included the seafood sage Jon Rowley, sustainable sushi expert Casson Trenor, Shauna McKinnon of the Living Oceans Society and Becky Selengut ofSeasonal Cornucopia. Their message? You don’t stop eating fish completely, but you need to stop eating overfished varieties and be smart about your choices. Eat lower on the food chain — sardines, anchovies and other small “silver flashing” kinds of fish. Call restaurants on bad practices. (In the film, Clover confronts Nobu in London on serving marlin and Chilean seabass, even though both have been on watch lists as being critically and illegally overfished for years.)

Other Ways to Be a Good Fish Eater:

    • Get a Seafood Watch Card for your regional area to find what’s good, bad and ugly in terms of sustainable fish.
    • Ask questions. Where did your fish come from? Farm raised, or wild? Whether you’re in a store or a restaurant, if they can’t tell you specifics, don’t eat their fish.
    • Vote with your dollar. Don’t buy fish on “avoid” lists. Reward places that make an effort to provide sustainable fish by patronizing them, or try to buy it as locally as possible. In Seattle, I routinely hit Jack’s Fish Spot in Pike Place Market or my local PCC for fish. In Florida, I buy directly from the Star Fish Co. in the fishing village of Cortez.
    • Don’t blindly eat fish sticks. Do you really want to feed your kids an endangered species? Learn more about them. Better yet – learn to make your own, and buy fish that you feel good about.
    • Speak up. I suspect the manager at the Publix on Anna Maria Island cringes when he sees me coming. I’ve repeatedly harassed them for selling farmed shrimp from places like Thailand instead of locally caught wild shrimp from the Gulf of Mexico. (I also complain about shipping tomatoes from Mexico, but that’s another story.)
    • Avoid “fish fads.” The blackened redfish made famous by Paul Prudhomme in the 1980s nearly wiped out the entire redfish population. Monkfish is a recent example.

Who wrote this story
Kathleen Flinn is the author of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and the creator of Cookfearless.com

 

Filed Under: Cooking Fundamentals Tagged With: , ,

Recipe: Light Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake

November 5, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Recipe by Kathleen Flinn

I don’t like cheesecake. So often, it tastes simply of cream cheese and sugar, so rather than a guilty sense of pleasure, it leaves a cloying aftertaste in its wake. But my mother requested pumpkin cheesecake for Thanksgiving, so I reluctantly researched recipes. I got annoyed at recipes calling for up to a stick of butter or a cup of sugar to be added to a graham cracker crust. Seriously? Graham crackers already contain butter or oil and plenty of sugar. After a few trials, I used just three tablespoons of butter and added a bit of agave syrup to hold it all together.

The filling incorporates soft tofu in place of one of the cream cheese packages, a tip from vegan recipes. But most recipes call for cup of white sugar, which struck me as excessive. So I cut back on the sweet factor, opted for agave syrup and brown sugar and kicked up the spice quotient. The result? Lighter than either pumpkin pie or traditional cheesecake yet with the same holiday flavor with significantly less sugar and fat.

I try to cut back on hydrogenated oils at every turn and HoneyMaid, the leading graham cracker brand uses the dreaded partially hydrogenated cottonseed oil, so if you can find them, try the ones from Back to Nature Foods. Simply smash them in a plastic bag with the bottom of a heavy saucepan or pulse in a food processor. If you don’t have pumpkin pie spice, simply use a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg and ground cloves.


Crust
1 ½ cups of graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup (3 tablespoons) melted unsalted butter
2 tablespoons agave syrup, honey or maple syrup

Filling
1 16 oz. package silky or soft tofu
1 8 oz. package cream cheese
1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree (about 1 ½ cups)
¼ cup (3 tablespoons) agave syrup or honey
¼ cup (3 tablespoons) brown sugar
2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
Pinch of salt
3 eggs

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine the cracker crumbs, butter and syrup or honey in a bowl and blend with a spoon or fingers until they’re moist. Press into the bottom of a tart pan or spring-form mold and bake in the oven for about 15 minutes. Let cool before adding the filling or else the heat from crust and pan will start to cook the filling; you can pop the whole pan into freezer to accelerate the cooling process. You can do this a day prior, too; just store the shell in the fridge.

Drain the tofu and crumble into a colander to drain off excess liquid. Blend the tofu, cream cheese, pumpkin puree, syrup or honey, sugar, spice and salt together in a large bowl and using a mixer or hand-held blender or food processor. Taste. If you want it sweeter or spicier, add more sugar or spice. The batter won’t look exactly smooth as the tofu will keep it a bit lumpy, so just blend it enough to get it consistency like small curd cottage cheese. Add the eggs one at a time and blend each one thoroughly into the batter. Pour the batter onto the cooled crust and bake for about 50 minutes to one hour or until the batter firms up and the edges brown slightly and start to come away from the sides of the pan. Let cool, then put into a refrigerator for at least four hours. It can be made up to two days in advance of serving.

Before serving, as a garnish, sprinkle the top with brown sugar, powdered sugar or a very light coating of nutmeg along the top. (The easiest way to do this is to put a small amount into a mesh sieve and wave over the top.) If you’re the type who likes nuts on their cheesecake, you can also garnish with candied walnuts, pecans or similar. Of course, a dab of freshly whipped cream is universally well loved.

You might also be interested in:
- Smitten Kitchen: How to make your own graham crackers
- Confections of a Foodie Bride: Pumpkin cheesecake brownies
- To Live and Eat in LA: Vegan pumpkin cheesecake
- Elena’s Pantry: Gluten-free cinammon cheesecake

Who wrote this recipe
Kathleen Flinn is the author of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and the creator of Cookfearless.com

Filed Under: Recipes

Fearless Holidays: Turkey FAQ

November 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

So much information exists on the humble turkey. Here are simple answers from reliable sources. Did we miss something? Email us.

Q. Why do we eat turkey on holidays, anyway?

A. Great question. As this terrific column in Slate explains, back in the day when people grew their own meats, large poultry presented the most expendable option to feed a crowd.

Q. What kind of turkey should I buy?

A. Buy fresh, if possible. Fine Cooking explains the variations on supermarket options, while Epicurious offers their findings on a taste test of common brands.
Want local? See EatWild.com’s guide to locally grown turkeys in the U.S. and Canada. Despite all the talk of heritage turkeys, they account for less than 1 percent of the turkey market, as noted in this illustrated account from Bountiful Cupboard.

Q. How big a turkey do I need?

A. Aim for about 1 pound per person to yield plenty of meat for the main meal and quality leftovers up to 16 guests. Then, add an extra half pound per person. Here’s a handy chart from Good Housekeeping magazine.

Q. I have heard I shouldn’t stuff the cavity. Why is that?

A. The Centers for Disease Control advise against this because the uneven cooking this employs can make people sick. Plus, it will take the turkey longer to cook. Just cook it in a separate casserole pan; you can never make enough in the cavity of the turkey for the whole crowd, anyway.

Q. How do I safely thaw a frozen turkey?

A. Here’s a thorough guide form the USDA on the matter. Bottom line: either thaw a frozen turkey in your fridge, in a cold water bath or – very carefully – in a microwave. Just don’t set it on your counter and let it get to room temperature or you’ll greatly increase your odds of sickening your holiday dinner guests.

Q. Can I cook a completely frozen turkey?

A. Yes, and here’s the video to prove it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=_5JJRkDX0Gk

Q. Turkey, again? Really? Any alternatives?

A. Personally, I’m a fan of duck or capons as a Thanksgiving alternative. So are the editors of Bon Appetit, who have additional suggestions.

Q. Help! I have vegetarian or vegan guests coming. Can I serve them Tofurky?

A. The Washington Post did a taste test on alternative faux meats for vegans, so check out those results if that’s your strategy. But I’m going to be honest here and say the point of Thanksgiving isn’t about serving non meat eaters a highly processed bit of fake meat. Consider vegetarian pot pies. Be sure to make a vegetarian gravy, like this onion version.

Q. Do I need to brine the turkey, or can I skip it?

A. You don’t have to brine, but if you’ve got time, do it. The turkey will taste a lot better and retain more moisture. A wet brine involves putting the turkey into a solution laced with salt, herbs and usually some acid, such as cider or citrus. Alice Currah at Savory Sweet Life has a great example of how to wet brine a turkey.

I’m partial to using a “dry” brine, which involved slathering the bird with a salt-based rub. The clearest and best example we can find of this is Russ Parsons version on Food52.

Q. Do I need any special equipment? What if I don’t have a rack?

A. You need a pan with at least one-inch sides large enough to hold your turkey comfortably without too much crowding. Handles are helpful, as is a rack. You can claim one for as little as $20 online. Avoid inexpensive aluminum roasting pans. No really. Don’t use them. They aren’t heavy enough to hold the weight of a turkey.  Let’s paint you a scene: a cook pulls a golden turkey from the oven, and then the cheap pan crumbles, drenching her in boiling hot liquid as she tries to decide whether to catch the hot carcass as it tumbles to the floor. This happened to someone I know. Don’t let it happen to you.

In a pinch, you can use the bottom of a broiler pan. No rack? Try my carrots-and-onions in the bottom of the pan trick.

Q. What about basting? 

A. The jury’s out on whether basting moistens the meat, but it certainly doesn’t hurt anything and will add a lovely sheen to the final result. The easiest way to do it is with a bulb-style baster, but you can also use a silicon pastry brush, a small (new!) paintbrush or even a ladle.

Q. What’s the best way to roast a turkey in the oven?

A. My friend Chef John at Foodwishes.com gives exactly the same instruction I would give you on cooking a turkey in his two-part video lesson. While I normally advise turning chickens over while roasting, most turkeys are too large to do this so I skip that step during the holidays.

For his herb butter, go here.

 

Q. We want to deep-fry a turkey. What’s the best source of information on this?

A. Deep-frying a turkey is a popular and highly hazardous undertaking. A solid source for information comes from the blog Brian’s Belly. I advise anyone considering this method to watch this informative video from Underwriter’s Laboratory, and then peruse the other videos from The Atlantic’s Exploding Deep-Fried Turkey video contest.

Q. Can you grill a turkey?

A. Grilling a turkey has overcome deep-frying as the fad du jour for the holiday bird. Virtually all the major U.S. food magazines featured grilling a turkey in their November 2012 issues. My favorite version was from Sunset magazine, which featured a cartoon version of meat master Bruce Aidells in a simple how-to. 

Q. What is a turducken?

An unholy concoction of a turkey stuffed with a whole duck and a chicken. Here’s where you can get one. The New York Times offers tips on how to cook it.

Q. How do I carve a turkey, especially if I don’t have a carving set?

A. I can’t think of anything less useful than a fork when it comes to carving a turkey, so I’m not a fan of carving sets anyway. What you need are a pair of tongs and either a carving knife or a nice sharp chef’s knife. The Food Network’s Alton Brown offers a great primer. I know the Norman Rockwell image involves bringing a whole turkey to the table, but this tends to bring on performance anxiety. Solution? Bring the turkey in for “viewing,” and then whisk it back to the kitchen for carving as the crowd focuses on the sides.

 

Other questions? Send them in and we will fearlessly answer.

 

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays, Fearless Thanksgiving Tagged With:

Recipe: Carrot and rosemary soup

November 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

By Kathleen Flinn

This savory and sweet soup can be served at any temperature, but it’s excellent chilled. Immersion or “stick” blenders are great for soup because you can plunge them directly into the pot. Hot soup can create a vacuum in conventional blenders, so if you use one, let the soup chill slightly first, and then take the cap off and cover with a towel. Running soups through a food mill is a low-tech option. If you have none of the above, simply mash the softened vegetables with a fork or potato masher; it will lend a rustic feel to the finished product. Add the rosemary, branch and all, but be sure to remove it before pureeing unless you’re looking for, um, well some unexpected fiber in your dish.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped (about 1½ cups)
2 leeks (white and light green parts), chopped
1 pound carrots, diced
Several fresh rosemary sprigs
1 bay leaf
2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of cayenne (optional)
⅓ cup quality plain yogurt (optional)
Croutons (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a 4-quart or larger saucepan. Add the onion and leeks and sauté until softened. Add the carrots, rosemary sprigs, bay leaf, stock, a couple of pinches of coarse salt, a few grinds of coarse pepper, and a pinch of cayenne if using. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to simmer until the carrots soften, about 1 hour,.

Remove from the heat. Discard the rosemary and the bay leaf. Puree until smooth. Add in additional water if necessary. Return to the pot. Check the seasonings, adding salt, black pepper, and cayenne to taste. Serve warm or cooled. Garnish with a scoop of greek yogurt or croutons if desired.

Who wrote this recipe

Kathleen Flinn is the author of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and the creator of Cookfearless.com

Filed Under: Recipes, Soups, Vegetarian Tagged With: ,

How to Outfit a Kitchen on a Budget or 14 Things Every Kitchen Needs

November 5, 2012 By 11 Comments

People have been quite successful making a lot of food in the past centuries with little more than a pot, spoon, bowl, knife and cutting surface. I’ve put together a very general guide that I’ve used for events aimed at college students, and you’ll find the list below.

A Good Chef’s Knife
Don’t waste money on a cheap knife block set. The quality is not good, and you’ll get a bunch of knives you’ll never use. Start with a chef’s knife, usually around eight-inches but this can vary by your size and your hands. I always suggest going to a store that will allow you handle the knife first. What you’re after is what I call “the steel and the feel.” If it’s uncomfortable, you won’t want to use it. It should have a blade of good enough quality that it can take an edge and keep it. After your chef’s knife, follow it up with a 10-inch bread knife and a small paring knife. Try not to skimp, and get one that feels good in your hand. Never put a knife in the dishwasher; the detergent will dull the blade, the heat from the steam may warp it and neither will do much for the handle, either.

IKEA makes a decent (if not long lasting) chef’s knife for about $10, and Victorinox makes a high-carbon steel one for about $30, but you’ll be replacing both in a couple years. You can find great deals at restaurant supply stores and at the business-focused Costco outlets. If you want to splurge, explore mid-range options from German or Japanese knife manufacturers such as Henckels, Wusthof and Global. Avoid their very cheapest, entry-level goods, though; at that point, you tend to be paying more for the name brand than the quality of knife. If you invest in a knife and treat it well by hand washing it and getting it regularly sharpened, it can last a lifetime.

Cutting Board (or two)
A good-looking cutting board can double as a serving platter for parties.  If you’ve got two, you can use one for meat during food prep. Avoid glass; it has a grating sound and will ruin your blade.

My favorite kind of cutting board is the Epicurean-brand variety made from recycled paper, looks great, it can go into the dishwasher and will last for years ($24), so it’s eco-friendly and a value. Next up are cutting boards made from bamboo. They’re inexpensive, look good, and are also eco-friendly. Just don’t put them in the dishwasher; wash them by hand and let air dry. A large inexpensive cutting board such as food-grade plastic can be had for little money and I prefer to use these for meat or fish preparation since they can be sanitized in the dishwasher; just be aware that they tend to warp over time ($12). Wooden cutting boards are handsome, but need a little extra care. ($30+).

Measuring cups and spoons
Stick with basic metal measuring cups and spoons to start. You’ll find good deals from IKEA, a warehouse store or online, but note that you can often find them at Goodwill or Salvation Army stores with a decent housewares section for as little as a $1 each.

Hot pot or electric kettle
A hot pot or kettle is great for rapidly boiling water. Whether you use it to brew a cup of tea, get a jump on water for pasta, or cook even ramen noodles. You’ll find one can find a thousand and one potential uses for it. ($13+)

Can opener
Go a step up from the hand killer $2 version and get a heavier one that works that won’t destroy a can or leave dangerously sharp edges.

A large heavy-bottomed pot
A six- to eight-quart heavy bottom pot will keep you from burning everything you put into it, and will allow for an even sauté onions and vegetables, thus making this a good choice for soup, beans, chili, stock, etc. in addition to using it for boiling water for pasta or steaming vegetables. You can get an inexpensive stainless one from IKEA or a restaurant supply store. Just avoid a thin non-stick version or aluminum, both of which will leach stuff you don’t want into your food and will generally be too thin to do anything other than boil water.

A 3-quart heavy skillet or sauté pan
Food writer Michael Ruhlman made this observation in his book The Elements of Cooking: “I can’t think of anything less useful in a kitchen than a cheap non-stick pan.” I agree. Get one that is at least three quarts, and preferably stainless steel, cast iron or a quality non-stick, such as this “everyday pan.” When taken care of, both types will last for years. Be sure to get one that has no plastic in its design (including the handle) so that it can go into the oven, far-extending its value beyond the stove top. Avoid non-stick which limits its use and can’t be used over anything other than low- to moderate-heat and will eventually need to be discarded.

A cast-iron skillet (or this awesome combo set) with can be purchased for about $25 and has the bonus of being great for roasting a chicken, making a casserole or baking bread in the oven. Follow directions for cleaning it and you’ll have it for years. Or, hit a restaurant supply store or a Costco business center and spend $30 on the same kind of pans used in restaurants. If splurging, go directly to a quality brand such as All-Clad. Sure it’s $150 for a 3-quart sauté pan with lid, but if you take care of it, you won’t ever have to buy another one.

Colander
A colander ensures you don’t burn yourself trying to drain pasta or while making stock, plus you can use it to wash fresh produce or as a fruit bowl for the table. If you can find a mesh one, it’s even more useful. They’re often found at thrift stores for a buck.

A set of nesting bowls
You need at least one large bowl to mix stuff in. Consider buying a set of different-sized bowls that nestle into one another. You’ll have multiple options without taking up too much space. Glass or stainless steel are your best investment; avoid plastic as you won’t want to put anything hot (such as freshly made stock) into them and they may stain. Tip: Both glass and stainless steel bowls of varying sizes can often be found for $1 each at Goodwill, and restaurant supply places carry new ones inexpensively, too.

Utensils
Start with a large spoon. Add a silicon spatula ($4), a vegetable peeler and then a good set of tongs such as those made by Oxo ($8). Add a microplaner/grater. After that, what you cook will help you determine what you need such as whisks, ladles, etc. When we stocked up my niece’s apartment, we bought most of her large spoons, spatulas, whisks, a pasta separator, a vegetable peeler etc. at a Goodwill in Seattle for 69 cents each.

A baking or casserole dish
Great for casseroles, lasagna, quiches, pot pies, brownies or small cakes, plus even roasting a chicken, a small yet heavy baking dish is a great place to start when cooking for one or two people. Consider a square glass one to start, and go with stoneware, glass or ceramic for the most functionality, or commercial stainless steel version (often referred to as a “hotel pan”) at a restaurant supply store. ($12 to $45)

Side towels, oven mitts
A couple of side towels are handy, too; many restaurants and culinary schools use quality cloth diapers since they’re cheap and they have a padded center and can double as a heat pad. I’m a fan of getting a decent pair of oven mitts if you use an oven regularly. Just check their heat resistance; anything less than 400 F isn’t worth buying. You can use an oven mitt as a trivet, too, once something hot has to go onto a table.

Plenty of storage for leftovers
Keep plastic and glass containers from takeout, restaurant leftovers and various food purchases In addition to preventing food from going to waste, you can also store foods you can buy in bulk, such as cereal, spices, flour, sugar, oatmeal, nuts, spices, etc. Plus, a glass jar is great for making vinaigrette. When on a budget, no food should be left to spoil as wasted food is wasted money.

Any other thoughts?

 

 

Filed Under: Cooking Fundamentals, Featured Basics

Recipe: Perfect Mashed Potatoes

November 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

Such a simple thing — throw some potatoes into a pot, then mash them up, but there’s more to creamy mashed potatoes than that. I tend to make mashed potatoes a day ahead of a big family dinner and gently reheat in the oven; microwaving them tends to change the texture. Alternately, make them earlier in the morning and keep them warm by covering a pan with plastic wrap and nestling into a simmering pan of water. This simulates being  held in a steam table. Here are a few key tips, many gleaned from my studies at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. 

Key tip #1:

Always start potatoes in cold water. Don’t plop them into boiling water. Cook them at a modest simmer for about 20 minutes and they will have a smoother end texture and cook more evenly.

Key tip #2:

Slice peeled potatoes or if you’re more adept with a knife, chop into even chunks for even cooking

Key tip #3:

Two camps of thought exists on the type of potato to use. Some swear by Yukon Gold, others say go with classic Russetts. Either are fine.

Key tip #4:

Never try to mash cold potatoes. It has to do with some chemical-y thing with the starch. If your potatoes go cold, heat them up again (in warm water, a microwave) and then try to mash them.

Key tip #5:

Use room temperature or warm milk when mashing. Let butter soften to room temperature, too. It will be easier to mash and won’t cool down the potatoes. (See Tip #4)

Key tip #6:

Don’t even think about putting potatoes into a food processor. The result will be a gluey mess. I prefer using a food mill to mash them, other people swear by a ricer. My mom prefers a 1969 hand-held electric beater. My friend Chef John in the video below prefers a specific kind of masher. Honestly, you can always just use a fork too. The key, though, is no food processor.

Key tip #7

Save the drained potato water. It’s gives body to gravy and also makes a terrific base for soups, so try not to throw it out.

 

Perfect Mashed Potatoes

2 1/2 pounds of potatoes, Yukon Gold or Russet, peeled
8 oz of butter
1/2 cup milk, heated
Plenty of salt and pepper

Peel the potatoes and then slice into even pieces. Add them to a pan of cold water and then bring to a gentle boil. Cook until the potatoes are soft enough to pierce with a paring knife, about 10 minutes. Drain. While still warm, add the heated milk the butter, salt and pepper and mash or process through a food mill or ricer. Taste. Add salt and pepper until it taste good to you. 

Variations:

- Parmesan mash: I’m a big fan of grating in about a tablespoon of fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano into potatoes and grating it into them.

- Mixed root mash: Lately, I’ve been a big fan of adding a turnip and/or a rutabaga into the whole mix, thanks to Diane Morgan’s book Roots. It adds an extra layer of complexity, an especially nice touch when pairing the mash with meats.

- Garlic mashed potatoes: add two cloves of garlic toward the end of the boiling process. Then mash them into with the potatoes.

- Olive oil mash: Substitute olive oil for all or a portion of the butter. Adds a different flavor and cuts down on saturated fats

Who wrote this recipe

Kathleen Flinn is the author of The Kitchen Counter Cooking School and the creator of Cookfearless.com

Filed Under: Fearless Thanksgiving, Featured Recipes, Recipes Tagged With: , , ,

How to Build a Holiday Dinner Menu

November 5, 2012 By 1 Comment

If you’ve never planned a big holiday meal, it can seem daunting.

But then, remember the math. Most classic holiday dinner menus include a main dish,  gravy or sauce, potatoes, two to three vegetables, some bread, plus dessert. If you’re opting for a roast turkey – a favorite for both Thanksgiving and Christmas in the U.S. and Christmas in other countries, then you can focus on the turkey, gravy and stuffing and then delegate all or half the side dishes and at least a couple of pies (or buy them), you’ve wildly cut down on the tasks at hand. This is the same advice that Rick Rodgers, the author of Christmas 101, offers novice cooks in his excellent primer for novice cooks on Epicurious.

Food writer Jess Thomson has this advice: “I try to reduce the number of dishes I feel have to be piping hot. I think there’s a huge misconception that all the food has to be ready at exactly the same time.” With that in mind, she includes dishes that are more flexible – roasted carrots, for instance – and dishes that are better after they sit for 15 to 20 minutes, such as a potato gratin. 


Main Course

Here are my go-to recipes for classic main courses. 

Braised Lamb Shanks: Great comfort food. After initial browning, cook themselves.

  • Old-fashioned turkey with gravy:  It’s hard to beat Rodgers’ detailed step-by-step guide. Spend an extra $10 or so and buy a fresh kosher bird, which is salted and rinsed as part of the kosher process so it requires no brine. 
     
  • Ham: Easily feeds a crowd, most come pre-cooked. I’m a fan of this in-depth guide from BHG.com 
     
  • Vegetarian: Last year, I served Kim O’Donnel’s terrific Shepard’s Pie. I made two – one with meat, one with the wine braised-lentils and chard called for in her version. Everyone preferred the vegetarian option. So, there you go. 

 

Stuffing/Dressing

The good news is that all the prep for stuffing can be done a couple of days ahead and tossed into a baking dish – just don’t add the liquid or eggs until just before you’re ready to bake it along. This year, I’m once again making this fabulous stuffing with apples, bacon and caramelized onions by Diane Morgan. Want something else? I’m a big fan of this interactive build-your-own-stuffing guide from Fine Cooking.

Potatoes

For mashed potatoes, you can prep them in the afternoon and then keep them warm by putting into a bowl covered with plastic wrap and settling it into a simmering bath on the back of the stove.  My friend Chef John has a great video on making mashed potatoes, although I prefer Yukon Gold potatoes over russets, but it’s a minor point. Don’t have a potato masher? Fear not. You can always use a large fork.

My husband is partial to scalloped potatoes, and I’ve become a fan of them for big meals because once baked, they can hang out lightly covered for a half hour or so until everything’s ready. I’ve tried a dozen recipes, and my favorite by a long shot is Thomson’s potato gratin with chevre and pancetta.

Side dishes

Don’t go too crazy. With stuffing and potatoes, three vegetable side dishes are enough for groups up to about 12. After that, add another side dish for each additional three people. Don’t forget colors, and go with a variety: green beans, carrots, corn, etc. Here’s what I am making for my side dishes this year: Roasted carrots with mustard, glazed brussel sprouts and apples in brown butter and cream and roasted cauliflower with gremolata bread crumbs.

Here are three troves of reliable side dish recipes: The New York Times, Food52 and Southern Living.

Something sweet

Cranberries are a die-hard staple, and ever-so-good on leftover sandwiches. Making a dish from scratch isn’t much more difficult than opening the can and slicing them. Here’s my family recipe for cranberries with port and ginger.
 

Breads

If you’re not a baker, find a good bakery near you. I’ve become partial to a more flavorful bread, though. Last year, I made this terrific rosemary focaccia by Elise Bauer at Simply Recipes.   

 

Dessert

Pie is traditional, obviously, but it doesn’t mean you have to slave making a huge coterie of them. If you’re hosting dinner, ask other diners to bring pie and ice cream. Or, order some pies from a local bakery. If you want to try something with a twist, try my recipe for Light Pumpkin Cheesecake. Also, don’t overlook cheese as an option for dessert. “It seems like people forget the option for Thanksgiving,” says Judith Finlayson, the author of a dozen cookbooks, most recently 750 Best Appetizers. “My husband goes crazy on buying cheeses for a final course…served with port.” 

Beverages & the Holiday Pantry

Be sure to stock up on wine, non-alcoholic beverages and the like as part of your shopping. Not enough food writers focus on pantries. Here’s a good take on a holiday pantry from MyRecipes.com

Other questions? Drop us a line.

Filed Under: Fearless Holidays Tagged With:

Fearless Thanksgiving: Shopping Daze

November 3, 2012 By 1 Comment


Story by Kathleen Flinn, with excerpts from Buy the Butter, Make the Bread by Jennifer Reese

I may be the only person on Earth who likes grocery stores. Oddly fascinated by them, actually. I can spend hours in a supermarket, marveling over this new perverse concoction or that, engaging in some passive cart voyeurism. The one time of year I don’t enjoy the aisles, however, is around Thanksgiving. Harried people make uninteresting subjects, the lines get long and a general haze of anxiety sets over the whole place.

I asked three dozen food writers on their thoughts about how to make Thanksgiving stress-free. A common refrain? Make lists.

Now, here’s the thing about lists. You often don’t think of things what ought to be on the list. To help you out, I found two great shopping lists, one prepared by Real Simple magazine and a more generic list. You won’t need or want everything on their lists, but either can be a great starting point.

First, you’ll want to make a menu. Take a look at our menu planner here. Then determine the number of guests.

How much to buy?
Big meals bring on big opportunities for food waste. Sure, that big box store might sell 25 pound sacks of potatoes, but if you’re feeding eight people, you don’t need that many. Good Housekeeping has an excellent chart on planning servings per person.

Everyone I surveyed agreed its easier to split up this shopping business. Try to do two main shopping trips, one week before the holiday and a smaller excursion a couple of days beforehand, preferably no later than Tuesday.

Here’s what you can safely purchase in advance or in bulk a week or so before (provided you’ve got the space): Onions, potatoes, carrots, celery, garlic, shallots, root vegetables such as turnips and sweet potatoes, cheeses, nuts, spices, crackers, packaged stock, flour, lard, canned vegetables (such as pumpkin), ice cream, butter, frozen vegetables (such as peas), fresh or canned cranberries, eggs, a frozen turkey (it will need time to thaw or not – see the video below) and of course, paper goods such as napkins.

Wait to buy: salad greens, dairy items such as cream, fresh fruit for pies, bread and rolls, fresh sausage, fresh herbs, seafood, fresh mushrooms, more perishable fresh vegetables such as green beans or tomatoes, or a fresh turkey (unless it specifically has a sale date after Thanksgiving and you’ve got the storage space)

What to buy?:
Turkey – fresh or frozen? What supermarket brand tastes best? See our Turkey FAQ.

On other matters, I consulted Make the Bread, Buy the Butter by Jennifer Reese, the creator of the TipsyBaker.com. The gist of her book was to evaluate the relative value and hassle factor of making something from scratch at home versus buying a shortcut such as a boxed or canned version. It’s a great book thanks to her objectiveness (she’s a former journalist) and pragmatism. She looks at the pros and cons of each option and suggests whether to make it or buy it. In a supermarket, when you’re staring down the Stove Top and that non-dairy whipped creamer, keep these comments in mind.

Boxed stuffing mix
Make it, Reese suggests.
Why? “It takes maybe five minutes longer to make scratch stuffing” than to make it from a mix. In her cost comparison, she found homemade stuffing cost about .99 cents to make, while Pepperidge Farm cost .89 cents per cup. Buy some bread and let it go stale instead.

Cranberry Sauce
Reese is agnostic on this subject. I personally think it’s so easy to make cranberry relish and it can be done ages ahead of the meal, so why not? Here’s my recipe. But lightning will not strike if you buy the can and slice it up.

Mashed Potatoes
No one can deny that peeling potatoes is a hassle. Cost-wise, factoring in the cream and butter, homemade potatoes came out at .40 cents per cup, Betty Crocker Potato Buds at .50 cents per cup. Prep tip: You can make mashed potatoes early in the day, and then keep them warm in a pan covered with plastic wrap in a pan simmering with water. See the recipe and video on making perfect mashed potatoes.

Salad
Pre-washed greens, yes. Pre-packaged salad “kits?” Not a good bargain. Just keep it simple and seasonal. Toss together some feta or bleu cheese, some diced apple or pear, a few crumbled walnuts or pine nuts with some croutons and top with an easy vinaigrette.

Croutons
Make them. “It’s ludicrous to the point of heartbreaking that factories are devoted to manufacturing pellets of stale-tasting bread…” Reese notes. Here’s an easy recipe from Alice Currah at SavorySweetLife.  You just need to buy some bread, cut it up, toss it with some olive oil or butter, a few herbs and salt, then and toast it in the oven.

Vinaigrette
Anyone who has read my book knows I’m no fan of pre-made vinaigrette. Rather than pick up a bottle of vinaigrette, consider whether you’ve got decent olive oil and some vinegar at home. Then, watch my video on the basics of making it.

Pie crust
“Your first 10 pie crusts may look like kindergarten art projects, but so long as the edges are presentable… no one who eats the pie will know or care.” Reese acknowledges it takes more time, but the resulting flavor is worth it. A homemade crust made with butter and lard (a la Kate McDermott‘s recipe) cost about $1, while pre-made crust start at $1.70 for store brands. I’ve seen them top out at $3.79 each in a local co-op.

Whipped cream
Make it. “Although it’s fun to spray and makes an exciting sound, most aerosolized cream tastes fake,” Reese notes. Here’s a recipe for whipped cream: Put a cup into a bowl, add a bit of sugar and whip with a whisks or a fork or electric beaters until soft peaks forms.

Let’s not forget that Thanksgiving is a time for sharing. People want to help you out on the holidays. Don’t feel you’re shirking any duties by delegating a few dishes, or asking people to pick something up.

Years ago, when living in London, I hosted Thanksgiving. Pumpkin pie puree isn’t exactly a standard supermarket staple in the UK and I couldn’t find it anywhere. I planned an apple pie just in case, but on a whim asked my friend if she knew where to find some. “Leave it to me,” she said. I did. She showed up at my office the day before dinner with a can of it — from the food halls at Harrod’s. It was crazy expensive, about $6 a can, but it was so worth it. As I made the pie, I thought of my friend passing the famed caviar counter in pursuit of her pumpkin. She talked about it through dinner, and years later, we have a great story. I don’t even remember how the pie turned out. It doesn’t matter.

Thanksgiving isn’t about looking good, but enjoying the good things in your life.

Filed Under: Fearless Thanksgiving

Recipe: Kate McDermott’s Pumpkin Pie

November 3, 2012 By 3 Comments

Introduction by Kathleen Flinn, Recipe by Kate McDermott from The Art of Pie

At its essence, pie dough is simple. It’s flour, salt, fat and water. I chose pie maven’s Kate McDermott‘s recipe for this site because not only because it works, yielding a soft, buttery crust, but I like her philosophy behind it. In her essay-as-a-recipe on pie crust, she notes “Dough is kind of like life. The path isn’t always smooth.” Her essay is a lengthy description about her thoughts on pie crust, full of opinions and hope about a great outcome.

Top Pie Tips

  • CANNED VS. FRESH PUMPKIN: McDermott tends to have more success with canned. She explains, “I used to grow nearly everything for my family in the ’80s and ’90s including pumpkin and winter squash. After going through the process of growing, cooking, pureeing and baking my winter squash pies, I returned to the can. The product is more consistent and I actually get better results.” But be sure to get canned pumpkin and NOT “canned pumpkin pie filling.” Here’s why.
     
  • SKIP THE PROCESSED WHIPPED CREAM: If you plan to top your pie with ultra-processed whipped cream from an aerosol can, consider how easy it is to make your own. Or scoop on some yummy ice cream.
     
  • WANT SOMETHING DIFFERENT? If you’re tired of the tried-and-true, try something new, say this Sweet Potato Buttermilk Pie at Smitten Kitchen, a recipe I’ve made with great success. 

The gist of the method: Keep everything cold, including your mixing bowl. She prefers to use King Arthur Flour and unsalted Kerry Gold Irish Butter. She uses leaf lard. It’s her recipe, I’m not going to argue. You can watch Kate make the crust in a video and get some lovely tips on pumpkin pie in general. Note that the dough recipe is enough for two pies. Each serves six to eight, unless you’re one of my brothers, then each pie serves two – Kat

Equipment You Will Need
A big bowl, one that is big enough to get your hands into comfortably. A 6-quart size is great.
A knife
A fork (optional, use your hands if you like…really!)

Put the bowl and flour into the freezer before you begin

CRUST – for two 9-inch pie plates

About 2 1/2 cups of flour
8 tablespoons (oz.) chilled butter, cut into one-inch cubes
8 talblespoons (oz.) leaf lard
6 to 8 tablespoons ice cold water, but this will vary

FILLING
2 cups pumpkin puree
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup light coconut milk
3/4 cup sugar, preferably 1/2 brown sugar + 1/2 white sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground
pinch of ground clove

What You Do

Crust

With clean, dry hands, mix the dough with the butter and lard in a large chilled bowl, rubbing it together until it resembles, in Kate’s words, the sizes of “cracker crumbs, peas, almonds and a few small walnut meats.”

Next, add three tablespoons of ice cold water by sprinkling it over the dough in the bowl. Move it around in the bowl with a fork or with your hands. Don’t spend a lot of time in there. You aren’t making cookie dough; you are just moving the water around so that it is in all parts of the bowl.

Squeeze a handful and see if it will stay together. No? Sprinkle another tablespoon of water into the bowl and repeat the process. When it feels like the dough holds together, move on by grabbing all the pieces up in your hand and press together into one big lump; it should feel like cool play-doh or clay.

Cut into two chubby discs, wrap each in plastic wrap and chill for at least an hour. During this time, make the filling.

Filling

In a medium size bowl put all the filling ingredients and mix with an electric beater or a spoon until they are well blended. You can also use a stand mixer. Set aside.

Back to the dough

Pull the dough from the fridge. If its too hard to work with, let it warm up until it’s a bit pliable. Spread a generous amount of flour onto your work surface, be it a pastry cloth, marble, wood, granite, laminate, freezer wrap, wax paper, whatever. Kate assures us, it all works.

Next pound the edges of the dough with your rolling pin. Then, roll from the center away from you and leave a bit of an edge, say 1/2 inch, unrolled. Lift the pin and re-place it in the center of the dough. Now roll towards you leaving that 1/2 inch edge again unrolled. Give the dough a quarter turn and repeat. Remember, you only have to get the dough 1 1/2 inches to 2 inches larger than the diameter of the pie pan.

One it’s large enough, preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Slide your pie pan into a clean space on your counter. Roll the dough around the pin and gently lay it into the pan. Pour the filling into a pie dough. Then, you’re ready to bake.

Baking

Once you’re oven hits 425, put the pie in the oven and turn down immediately to 375 degrees F. Bake for approximately 50 minutes or until the custard filling is nearly set or doesn’t look runny. Remove from the oven and let cool completely.

 Who wrote this recipe
Kate McDermott is widely recognized as a pie expert by the likes of Ruth Reichl, Saveur magazine and USA Today. She writes about pie in her acclaimed blog Art of the Pie and shares her love and knowledge on the subject in a series of “pie camp” classes in Seattle.

Filed Under: Desserts, Fearless Thanksgiving, Recipes Tagged With: ,
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