I just finished hosting my first episode of "The Gourmet Diva Lounge", today's topic was "Preparing for Thanksgiving".  Feel free to listen and yes I did admit to the world that I clip coupons.  Frugal Diva!!!!! 

I got a little stumped with the Vegeterian Thanksgiving, but guess what!  We still have time to prepare, so to those Vegeterians out there PLEASE EMAIL OR POST a MAIN DISH for us to try.

I hope you enjoy these recipes to help make your Thanksgiving a little Gourmet Diva.  I will post a brine recipe and the answer on how big of a Turkey I should buy.
Overall, dont be scared to host Thanksgiving, remember to thank your host if your a guest, and most important, relax and have fun and create memor

Jamaica - Me - Crazy Jerk Turkey (Courtesy of Essence Magazine)
COOK TIME 4 Hours

PREPARATION TIME 4 Hours

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cup chopped onions
• 1 cup chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme leaves
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 item Scotch bonnet peppers or habanero, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoon vinegar
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce

PREPARATION Stuffing: 1 whole apple (any kind)  1 whole orange (any kind)  1 large onion,  chopped coarse 3 celery ribs, chopped coarse 2 cups chicken broth or water 1 stick melted butter

Remove everything from turkey cavity; rinse with cold water and dry. Place turkey in large plastic bag. Combine all jerk seasoning ingredients in food processor and blend thoroughly. Pour marinade into bag with turkey. Seal bag and turn to completely coat turkey. Refrigerate 2 to 4 hours, frequently turning.
Heat oven to 350°F. Place turkey, breast side down, on rack in roasting pan. Fill cavity with whole apple, whole orange, chopped onion and celery. Pour stock or water in bottom of pan. Loosely tent turkey with foil.
Baste turkey every 30 minutes with melted butter and pan drippings. When bird has 1 hour roasting time remaining (see below), remove foil and flip to the breast side up. Baste every 15 minutes. Insert meat thermometer in mid-thigh, it should read 165? to 170°F when the turkey is done. Allow turkey to rest for 15 minutes before carving.

10 to 12 pounds: roast 3 hours   14 to 18 pounds: roast 4 hours

Candied Yams and Pineapple

INGREDIENTS

• 6 item large yams (about 4½ to 5 pounds), use orange-flesh yams
• 1 item stick butter
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
• 2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 cup fresh pineapple chunks

PREPARATION Peel and cut yams into ½-inch-thick pieces. Place yams in large pot of boiling water; cook until tender, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain yams in colander. In medium-size pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Mix in both sugars, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and water. Bring to light simmer and cook over low heat 2 to 5 minutes. Stir sauce constantly.

Heat oven to 350°F. In 2½-quart baking dish, place yams and pineapple chunks. Pour sauce over mixture; gently toss to coat yams. Bake, basting occasionally, until liquid is bubbling and yams are tender and glazed, about 30 to 40 minutes.



YIELD 12 Serving/s

Collards and Cabbage Combo

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cup chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 item smoked turkey wings or other parts
• 2 item large bunches collards (about 5 pounds), well washed and sliced or chopped, or two 1-pound bags prew
• 2 item garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 item whole habanero pepper or Scotch bonnet pepper
• 1 teaspoon seasoned salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 2 cup cabbage, sliced into ½-inch-wide ribbons

PREPARATION In large pot, bring broth and turkey parts to a simmer. Cover pot; simmer on low for 45 minutes. Remove turkey parts. Add collards, garlic, habanero, salt and black pepper to broth. Simmer on low for 20 minutes, covered. Stir in cabbage and simmer until tender, about 10 more minutes. Do not overcook. Taste and adjust seasoning. Remove habanero before serving.

YIELD 12 Serving/s

Coconut Rum Eggnog
Makes about 20 Servings
1 Gallon Eggnog Chilled
1 Cup Coconut Rum
Garnishes: Whipped Cream and Nutmeg

In punch bowl or 2 pitchers, combine eggnog and rum. Ladle or pour into cups. Top each drink with a dallop of whipped cream and sprinkle of nutmeg.

Carving in Front of Guests ("Traditional" Method)

• If you'd like to show off your carving skills in front of your guests, the fanciest way to do it is by cutting meat from the breast while it is still attached to the rest of the bird.

1. Towards the bottom of the turkey (just above the wing joint), cut horizontally into the breast until you meet the breastbone in the middle.
2. Starting from the outside edge of the breast, cut vertically from the top until you meet the horizontal cut you just made.
3. Each slice will easily slip off, ready for stacking on a platter or serving directly to your guests!

Poached pears make a great dessert, its simple to make and a great way to use leftover wine.

Recipe is from Cooking with Vegetables and Fruits In Season by Sarah Raven

Poached Pears
Serves 6

6 firm pears

2 1/2 cups port (or wine, see below) ( I used a strawberry fruit wine, DELISH!)

1/4 cups sugar

1 star anise

Peel of 1 lemon, cut into strips

1 cinnamon stick

3/4 cup water

Choose a saucepan that will hold the pears snugly. Peel pears wit a potato peeler, leaving the stems on the fruit, and cut a thin slice off the bottom so that the pears will stand upright.

Put the port into a saucepan with water, the sugar, star anise, lemon peel, and cinnamon, and stir to dissolve the sugar.

Add the pears and simmer, covered until the pears are tender. (10 - 20 minutes)

Remove the pears to a bowl and retun liquid to the heat. Reduce by simmering, until the mixture is slightly thicker and the taste is intense.

Pour the syrup over the pears and leave for several hours, turning the pears occasionally, until they have taken on the rich color of the syrup.

Chill and Enjoy!

"I'm too tired to cook, I'll just starve and go to sleep."  I second wind of energy cameSomewhere between 6:55pm and 7pm yesterday,  I got a  second wind and decided to make this corn bread salad (with a side of grilled haddock). I enjoyed this dish and it was something different to do with the blue box (Jiffy). 

If you are cooking for Thanksgiving, this would be a sophisticated side dish to have. Any other good side dishes we should try? 

Corn Bread Salad
Makes: 6 servings
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 18 minutes

Ingredients
Dressing

1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Salad

1 package (8.5 ounces) corn-muffin mix, prepared according to package directions Salt
2 ears corn, shucked
4 ounces each fresh green beans and yellow wax beans, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces (I used frozen green beans and carrots - had to squeeze the water out of them)
1 1/2 cups shredded reduced-fat cheddar cheese
1 large tomato, chopped
1 small red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch strips
3 scallions, including green tops, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Whisk vinegar, mustard, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in oil; let stand.

3. Cut corn bread into 1-inch cubes. Place cubes in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake, stirring once, 8 to 10 minutes, or until lightly toasted. Let cool. (I use my thumb as a guideline - its about an inch)

4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add corn and cook 5 minutes. Add beans and cook 3 minutes longer, or until beans are crisp-tender.

5. Remove corn and beans; rinse under cold running water. Cut corn off cobs. (Tip: To cut corn of the cob, place over a bunt pan and cut, the corn lands in the pan. No mess!)

6. Combine corn, beans, cheese, tomato, red pepper, scallions, basil, and dressing; toss
to combine. Add corn bread and toss gently. Serve immediately.

Nutrition facts per serving: 311 calories, 16g protein, 34g carbohydrate, 15g fat (6g saturated), 5g fiber

This past Friday I decided to make a quick meal of fried perch and mashed sweet potatoes and snow peas.

I seasoned my fish with Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning (a great reccomendation from my budding Gourmet Don - DJ Roc) and flour.  While I was frying my fish I thought, how can I make fried fish a "gourmet' food.  Two things came to mind 1) Fry it with Japanese panko crumbs* instead of traditional flour 2) Presentation

I took some panko bread crumbs and added seasoning and fried the fish. The results were an airy crunchy crust.

The taste could have been better, the crust tasted like the oil I fried it in.  My recommendation would be to oven fry the fish (1, its healthier 2. no oily taste). I then placed some sweet potatoes in the middle of the plate and neatly put the fish on top like they do in the restaurant.  Viola, gourmet fried fish - now thats Gourmet Diva!


* What is Panko? Panko is a crumbs made of tiny flakes of bread ground from traditional yeast - risen dough. The crumbs are not seasoned.  Two common brands of panko are the Sushi Chef and Kikkioman brands.  Its retails for about three dollars a box. Other ways to use panko is to put it on
top your favorite mac and cheese recipe or try the following recipe below.  


Crispy Chicken Drumsticks (courtesty of Susan Ware)
Vegetable oil (for brushing)

1/4 cup Djion mustard
1/4 cup honey
1 cup panko bread crumbs
8 medium chicken drumsticks

1. Set the oven at 425 degrees Brush a rimmed baking sheet with oil
2. In a bowl, combine the mustard and honey.
3. Spread the panko in a shallow bowl. Dip each drumstick into the mustard mixture to coat it completely. Then dredge them in the panko, turning all around.
4. Arrange the coated drumsticks on the baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes turning several times, or until the chicken is cooked through and lightly golden.

 


 

I think we all had a moment in college where we survived off of Ramen noodles.  A pack only cost a quarter and water is free!  Those who wanted
to get fancy with their noodles added in chopped up veggies and meat.  There are other asian noodles out there
Noodles are a popular item in Japanese cuisine. Varieties include:
 
Shirataki - noodles with very low carbohydrates and calories
Soba - medium, buckwheat-based noodles
Somen - very thin, wheat-based noodles
Udon - thick, wheat-based noodles

I read an article in a Boston Globe about Soba noodles.  It is served either chilled with a dipping sauce, or in hot broth as a noodle soup.
Chilled soba is often served on a sieve-like bamboo tray called a zaru. For kicks I went over to Kam Man Marketplace in Quincy, MA to pick up a zaru. It was only four dollar. 
They had so many other kitchen items, that I had to stop myself from not buying everything.

Kam Man Marketplace
219 Quincy Ave
Quincy, MA 02169

When I get back from vacation I'm going to experiment with this recipe:

Ginger Peanut Soba Noodles

Ingredients
One package soba noodles
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 Tbsp peanut butter
1 Tbsp water
1 tsp ginger, grated
1 small clove garlic, minced or pressed
1 head broccoli, steamed
1 red or green bell pepper, thinly sliced
sesame seeds, chopped peanuts, cilantro & chopped green onion for garnish

Directions
Prepare noodles as directed on package.

Drain noodles. In a small bowl combine soy sauce, sesame oil, peanut butter, water, grated ginger and garlic. Add to noodles and toss thoroughly to coat. If the sauce seems a little too thick, add some pasta water a tablespoon at
a time until it looks like it will blend nicely with the noodles and not glop.

Top generously with chopped peanuts, cilantro, scallions, sesame seeds, and steamed broccoli.

Eat hot or even chilled or room temperature. For a heartier meal, serve with a small bowl of miso soup.

I love this one pot dish. I think it may be the raisins and the almonds! I make it at least twice during the fall season.  The combination of the curry and coriander helps creates  Indian like cuisine. You can omit the chicken and use vegetable broth to make it vegetarian and substitute chicken for a bean to get some protein and fiber in the meal.

This meal goes will with a side salad with a creamy type dressing and a Gourmet Diva dessert.

Chicken and Rice Pilaf

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound boneless skinless chicken breast cut into strips
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 cup uncooked long grain white rice
2 shredded carrots
¼ cup raisins
1 ½ teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon coriander
pinch of salt
1 (14 ½ ounce) can chicken broth
½ water
½ cup slivered almonds

Directions:
In a large non stick skillet heat the oil until hot over medium – high heat. Add the chicken and the chopped onion and sauté until the chicken is browned about 5 minutes. Add the rice, shredded carrots, raisins, curry powder, coriander, salt, chicken broth and water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, until the chicken is done and the rice is tender. Top with almonds and serve.