Category Archives: Holiday Ideas
Mexican Style Turkey Breast with Ancho Chili
Compound Butter
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted
- Zest of one orange
- Zest of one lemon
- 3 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 teaspoons salt
Mix the butter with orange and lemon zest, garlic and salt.
Spice Rub
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon acho chili powder
Mix all the spices together and set aside.
- ½ cup chili barbecue sauce
- 1 7 to 10 pound turkey breast
- Salt
- Pepper
- 1 orange, cut into eight pieces
- 1 lemon, cut into eight pieces
- 2 cups turkey or chicken broth
- Salt
- Pepper
Have your gravy ready either the day before or the morning of. Transfer it to a large saucepan and keep aside.
Preheat convection oven to 325 degreed F.
Place the turkey onto a rack in a roasting pan. Turn the turkey over and place the cut up orange and lemon inside the cavity. Sprinkle salt and pepper liberally and turn it breast side facing up. Loosen the skin and carefully spread half the compound butter. Spread the rest all over the skin. Sprinkle the spice rub all over the top. Pour the broth to the bottom of the roasting pan. Keep aside.
With a brush add the chili barbecue sauce (recipe below) all over the turkey. Roast the turkey glazing every 15 minutes. Roast till internal temperature reaches 158 to 160 degrees F. Take out of the oven and place onto a platter and cover with foil to rest for at least 20 minutes. While the turkey is resting, take the drippings from the bottom of the pan and pour them into a small glass bowl. Let the fat separate, remove from top and pour the liquid into the prepared gravy and bring to a boil. Check for seasonings and heat the gravy through. Serve with the turkey.
Chili Barbecue Sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 shallot, minced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 dried ancho chilies, stems and seeds discarded and cut into ½ inch pieces
- 1 14 ounces can diced tomatoes with chilies
- ½ cup red wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 1/3 cup Worcestershire sauce
- Juice and zest of 3 clementines
- 1 to 2 teaspoons salt
Heat a medium saucepan with the olive oil. Add the shallot and garlic. Saute on medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the ancho chilies, tomatoes, vinegar, sugar, Worcestershire sauce, zest, juice and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer on a low flame for about 20 minutes. Take off heat and transfer to a blender and blend till a smooth sauce is formed. Check for seasonings and take out into a small bowl.
Apple Galette
I baked this delicious dessert using the Food and Wine recipe by Jacques Pepin. It’s an incredible recipe and everyone loved it. I did tweak it a bit- I added the heavy cream and turbinado sugar. I also used an amazing apple pie spice from raw spice bar. This apple pie spice mix is delicious, it included green cardamom, grains of paradise and rosemary. The flavor was incredible- I would highly recommend this spice store online.
Pastry
- 1 ½ cups all purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 stick plus 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/3 cup ice water
In a food processor, combine the flour with the sugar, salt and butter and process for 5 seconds. Sprinkle the ice water over the flour mixture and process until pastry just begins to come together and forms a ball- about 15 to 20 seconds. Transfer the pastry to a work surface, form into a disk and cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until chilled.
- 3 large golden delicious apples
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoons apple pie spices
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon turbinado sugar
Peel, halve and core the apples and slice them crosswise ¼ inch thick. Set aside the larger center slices and coarsely chop the end slices and any broken ones- about half of the slices should be chopped. In a small bowl, combine the sugar and apple pie spices.
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. On a lightly floured work surface roll out the pastry to a 12-inch round circle and transfer to a large lined rimmed baking sheet. Spread the chopped apples over the pastry to within 1 inch of the edge. Drizzle the honey over the chopped apples. Decoratively arrange the apples slices on top in concentric circles or in slightly overlapping rows. Sprinkle the spiced sugar evenly over the apples and dot with pieces of butter. Fold the pastry edge up and over the apples to create a 1-inch border. Spread the heavy cream over the folded pastry with a pastry brush evenly. Sprinkle the turbinado sugar over the cream.
Bake the galette for about 50 minutes or till the pastry is nice browned and crisp and the apples are tender. Transfer the pan to a rack and let the galette cool. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Mascarpone Whipped Cream
- 2 tablespoons mascarpone cheese
- ½ cup whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Whip the mascarpone cheese, whipping cream, sugar and vanilla extract till stiff peaks are formed. Refrigerate till serving with the galette.
Apple Cranberry Salad
Starting to think about Thanksgiving recipes..my favorite time of year. This is a great, simple salad to start off the big meal…
- 4 cups mixed greens
- 1 large honey crisp apple, sliced thin
- ½ cup dried cranberries
Dressing
- 1 large navel orange, juiced
- 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt
- Pepper
In a small bow, add the orange juice, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper. Whisk well and slowly drizzle the olive oil until thick and incorporated.
In a large bowl, add the greens, apples and cranberries. Add half of the dressing and mix well right before serving.
Easy Indian Recipe: Cauliflower and Peas- Gobi Mattar
1 cauliflower head- florets cut into ½ inch pieces
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons extra light olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 inch ginger, chopped
2 serrano chilies, deseeded and chopped
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 cup cilantro, chopped and divided in half
2 teaspoons salt
½ teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoons coriander powder
1 teaspoon garam masala
In a large wide saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onions, ginger and green chilies. Saute on high heat for a minute and add the cumin seeds. Saute for 4-5 minutes on medium high heat. Add the cauliflower florets and half cup cilantro. Add the salt, turmeric and coriander powder. Saute for 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly. Lower the heat and cover for about 10 minutes or till the cauliflower is cooked. Take the lid off and add the peas. Mix well and cook for a few minutes till the peas are warmed through. Add the remaining cilantro and garam masala. Check for seasonings.
Sauteed Zucchini with Mustard Seeds and Curry Leaves
- 3 medium zucchini, cut into ½ inch slices
- 2 teaspoons mustard seeds
- 10-12 curry leaves
- 2 tablespoons extra light olive oil
- Salt
- 1 teaspoon coriander powder
- 1/3 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- Juice of half a lemon
In a large frying pan, heat the olive oil and add the mustard seeds and curry leaves. Saute for 30 seconds on medium high heat or till the seeds begin to sizzle. Add the zucchini slices and sauté on high heat 5-6 minutes, till the slices begin to brown. Add the salt, coriander powder and cayenne pepper. Mix well and turn the heat off. Add the lemon juice and check for seasonings before serving.
Apple Cardamom Trifle
I thought I would do a bunch of desserts for the upcoming holidays.. this is one of my favorites…
Apple Filling
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 large apples, Pink Lady and Honey Crisp, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 3 cardamom pods, seeds taken out and crushed
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup apple cider
- Juice of half a lemon
Place the butter in a large frying pan. Add the apple pieces, cinnamon stick, cardamom seeds and sugar. Stir constantly until the butter melts on a medium heat. Add the cider and lemon juice and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and cover with lid for ten minutes or till the apple pieces are soft but not mushy. Bring to room temperature and refrigerate. Take out of fridge a few hours before assembling. Divide into two portions.
Vanilla Custard (Gale Gand Recipe)
- 2 cups 2% milk
- ½ vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 6 egg yolks
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
In a medium saucepan, heat the milk and vanilla bean to a boil over medium heat. Immediately turn off the heat and set aside to infuse for 10 minutes. In a bowl, whisk the egg yolks and granulated sugar until light and fluffy. Add the cornstarch and whisk vigorously until no lumps remain. Whisk in ¼ cup of the hot milk mixture until incorporated. Whisk in the remaining hot milk mixture, reserving the empty saucepan.
Pour the mixture through a strainer back into the saucepan. Cook over medium high heat, whisking constantly, until thickened and slowly boiling. Removed from and heat and stir in butter. Transfer to a storage bowl. Cover with plastic wrap to eliminate skin forming. Refrigerate overnight. Divide into two portions.
Cinnamon Whipped Cream
- 8 oz Mascarpone cheese
- 1 cup whipped cream
- 2-3 tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1-2 teaspoons powdered cinnamon
Whip the mascarpone cheese, whipped cream, sugar and cinnamon till stiff peaks form.
One pound cake, sliced, divided into two layers
One trifle bowl
Assemble the trifle by starting with a layer of pound cake at the bottom. Cover with one portion of the apples and then the custard. Repeat the process one more time and top with cinnamon whipped cream. Refrigerate for at least 4 to 5 hours before serving.
Applesauce Chocolate Cake with a Spiced Icing
Great dessert for the holidays…
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
- ½ cup extra light olive oil
- 1 cup turbinado sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup homemade or store bought applesauce
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Grease and flour a 9” round pan.
In a medium mixing bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. In a large bowl of a mixer, add the melted chocolate and the oil. Add sugar and beat until mixture is creamy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add the applesauce and vanilla and mix well. Stir in dry ingredients and pour into the round pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until tester is clean. Let cool and then top with the spiced icing.
Spiced Icing
- ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar)
- ¼ unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon powdered cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon powdered nutmeg
- 5 tablespoons milk
In a small mixing blow, combine the sugar, cocoa, cinnamon, nutmeg and milk. Whisk well until all ingredients are incorporated and smooth. Add more milk if needed to reach the desired consistency.
Pour on top of the the cake and spread to the sides evenly.
