The first thing we needed to do in our efforts to mash up a holiday staple with the Latin American favorite was to figure out how to lighten up the gingerbread, as it can be quite a dense cake thanks to the molasses. With only one egg in the recipe my wife uses I knew that simply separating it and whipping the egg white wouldn’t be enough. I sought out instructions for a way to turn it into a sponge cake and was quite pleased when I found a Gingerbread Chiffon Sponge Cake recipe on Food.com.

The next thing on the list was to figure out the formulation of milks. I reviewed a number of recipes to determine the appropriate ratio between the three milks and how best to substitute the egg nog for the heavy cream. In the end I just winged it.

Finally, we decided not to frost the cake like a traditional tres leches and instead made a quick nutmeg scented whipped cream to serve with the cake.

A few hours after assembling the cake we got a chance to try it. One word: Amazing.

Gingernog Tres Leches Cake

Software*

140 g (2/3 cup) all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
4 eggs, separated
110 g (1/2 cup) sugar
85 g (1/3 cup) melted unsalted butter
55 g (1/4 cup) molasses
1 tablespoon rum
55 g (1/4 cup) evaporated milk
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 can sweetened condensed milk (14 oz – by weight)
1 cup egg nog
1/2 cup evaporated milk

Assemblage

• Grease and line a 9×9 baking dish. Preheat oven to 320°F.
• Sieve flour, ginger, soda together and set aside.
• Beat egg yolks and sugar till very pale and fluffy.Gradually add in melted butter. Add in molasses, rum and milk. Mix well with electric mixer. Pour in sifted dry ingredients and mix.
• In a clean bowl whisk egg whites and the 1 tsp of sugar till foamy. Add in cream of tartar and whisk till stiff peaks form.
• Fold egg whites into cake batter and incorporate well. Pour into tin and bake for around 20-25 minutes (depending on your oven) or till a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean.
• Cool for 10 to 15 minutes, then use a fork to perforate the cake
• Pour the milk mixture over the cake about a third at a time allowing for absorption.
• Cover, then refrigerate for at least six hours or even overnight

Nutmeg Scented Whipped Cream

1 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ teaspoons fresh ground nutmeg
Pinch of salt

Add all ingredients to a medium sized bowl and with a whisk or a hand mixer beat it until stiff peaks form.

* = the original recipe was detailed by weight in grams. The grams to cups conversion has not been tested and are an approximation. They may not be entirely accurate due to the differences between weight and volume measure. Whenever possible you should bake using units of weight rather than volume.

I’ve grated a granny smith apple into the mix, tried the zest and juice from various citrus fruits and even added small amounts of cinnamon and freshly grated nutmeg. They were all good, but I still felt I could do a little better.

This year I think I’ve finally found the right mix of things. Not that it will stop me from experimenting again next year.

grand marnier scented cranberry sauce

software

• 1 bag cranberries, washed
• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• Zest and juice of one orange
• 1 vanilla bean split and scraped
• 1 shot Grand Marnier liqueur
• Pinch of kosher salt

assemblage

1. Bring the water to a boil and dissolve the cup of sugar
2. Add the cranberries let them cook for five to seven minutes
3. As the cranberries begin to swell and burst add the orange zest and juice and vanilla bean pulp (you can also toss in the actual beans for a few minutes if you want)
4. Stir to combine and cook for three more minutes
5. Pour in the shot of Grand Marnier and cook for about a minute, add the kosher salt and then remove from the heat
6. Allow to cool before refrigerating
7. Can be made a day or two in advance

Over the past few years I’ve roasted, smoked and prepared an osso bucco style turkey to keep things interesting at Thanksgiving. This year I mixed up my menu yet again by preparing a braised stuffed turkey breast.

I was inspired to stuff a turkey breast after reading Chef Mario Batali‘s recipe for tacchino ripieno (stuffed turkey with prunes), however I decided to use my grandmother’s Italian stuffing recipe as the filling. To that I added a thin layer of pancetta, then rolled it up and braised it in wine and stock.

braised stuff turkey breast

software

• 1 butterflied turkey breast
• 1 to 2 cups stuffing (use your family favorite)
• 1/4 pound thinly sliced pancetta
• 1 medium onion
• 2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 cup turkey or chicken stock
• 2 cups red or white wine
• salt and pepper to taste
• olive oil
• butchers twine

assemblage

• Using a meat tenderizer, pound the butterflied turkey breast down until the thickness is even
• Spread a thin layer of stuffing across the whole breast

• Then layer on the pancetta

• Roll it up and tie tightly with butchers twine in several places

• Rub it down with olive oil and sear on all sides, then remove from the pan or dutch oven
• Add the onions, celery, carrots and garlic and saute for five to six minutes, or until fragrant
• Return the turkey breast to the pan or dutch oven, then add the stock and the wine

• Bring the liquid to a boil, then cover and reduce to a simmer for 75 to 90 minutes
• Remove from braising liquid and allow to rest for a few minutes
• Cut the breast into slices, removing the twine as you go to help keep it together

presentation

I simply plated this up by putting two slices on a plate and saucing it with a pearl onion and cranberry sauce that I first discovered a few years ago in Charlotte magazine.

When I said that I was going to make dinner she wasn’t sure what to expect. She really enjoyed dinner, but would later tell me that she would have been happy if I had simply made tomato soup and grilled cheese.

It took me until my wife became pregnant with our son to finally get around to making her that grilled cheese and tomato soup in the form of creamy tomato bisque and paninis. It is a wonderfully comforting soup that is not only easy to make, but freezes well.

As for the paninis, they too are no more difficult than assembling a sandwich. I like to use ciabatta bread for my paninis, but focaccia would be a fine option as well.. A trick I’ve discovered is after you cut the bread invert it so that the soft inside is what ends up getting grilled, rather than the crustier exterior.

Then I layer up slices of tomato that I have first marinated in some balsamic vinegar, generous slices of fresh mozzarella, a pinch of some chiffonaded basil and proscuitto (for my wife) or sopressata (for me). Lastly, I lightly brush the outside of the sandwiches with some olive oil and grill them in a cast iron pan until they are golden brown and the cheese is melted.

As you can see it is very simple, but a nice way to jazz up a simple meal of soup and sandwiches.

Creamy Tomato Bisque

as adapted from Food Network Kitchens

hardware

Dutch oven or large pot
Measuring cups and spoons
Immersion blender or Blender and strainer

software

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 to 3 slices of bacon
1 medium yellow or sweet onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 celery stalk, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 shallot, minced
5 tablespoons all purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth (low sodium if canned)
1 cup sherry or white wine
1 28 ounce can of whole tomatoes with liquid, roughly chopped
3 flat lead parsley sprigs
3 fresh thyme sprigs
3/4 cup heavy cream
6 oz mascarpone cheese (3/4 package)
salt and pepper to taste

assemblage

• Melt the butter in the oil over medium high heat in the dutch oven or pot
• Add the bacon and render down until crispy, then remove bacon
• Stir in the onion, carrot, celery, garlic and shallot, season with salt and pepper, then cook for 7 to 8 minutes, or until fragrant
• Add the flour, stirring to combine and cook for 2 to 3 minutes
• Deglaze the pan with the sherry or white wine, cook for 1 to 2 minutes
• Add the chicken broth and tomatoes, then bring to boil while stirring regularly
• Drop in the parsley and thyme (tied together with twine if you have to make it easier to retrieve), lower the heat to simmer for 30 minutes, then remove from heat and allow the base to cool
• Discard the herb bundle, then hit the soup with the immersion blender, or transfer in batches to a regular blender and strain before returning it to the pot.
• Turn the heat back on to medium
• Whisk together the mascarpone and heavy cream, then stir into the the soup, reserving 1/4 of it for garnish
• Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary

presentation

When my bisque is finished I like to serve it in a shallow bowl then swirl some of the remaining mascarpone/heavy cream mixture and top it off with some of the bacon crumbles. Combined with the paninis this bisque is the perfect cold weather comfort food.

Dipping the perfectly grilled paninis into the soup brings me back to my childhood when my mom would make tomato soup and grilled cheese after we had been playing out in the snow.

If you give this a try I’d love to hear about how it went, or what you might have done differently.

The only wrench in our plan is that this year is my wife’s year to work Christmas. Since she won’t be able to partake in the feast I wanted to do have a nice sit down dinner the weekend before. As I researched menu ideas by watching some Food Network the idea of a Beef Wellington intrigued me, but the thought of spending over a hundred bucks on just the meat to feed eight people annoyed me.

Fortunately, as I turned to the internet to find more inspiration, I came across Alton Brown’s Pork Wellington recipe. The timing couldn’t have been better and at a third of the price of beef tenderloin, it would be much easier on the holiday budget.

Since this was the first time I’ve ever attempted something like this I played it pretty close to the vest in terms of following the recipe. The only addition I made was some dried apricots to go with the apples. Conversely, the only thing I eliminated was the salt that was called for when making the prosciutto wrap for the tenderloin.

I’m happy to report that the dry run went about as good as it could have gone. The final product was amazing and I’ve got a great deal of confidence heading into the big meal.

The only thing I plan on changing is adding a roasted garlic duxelle to the mix in between the prosciutto and tenderloin. While a duxelle is traditionally made with mushrooms, no one here really cares for them. So, I will be making a duxelle-like mixture with roasted garlic, red onions and pancetta instead.

hardware

• roasting pan
• cutting board, knife
• rolling pin
• measuring cups and spoons
• pastry brush
• parchment paper

software

• 1 large egg
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 ounce dried apple rings, finely diced
• 1 ounce dried apricots, finely diced
• 1 1-1 1/2 pound whole pork tenderloin
• 1/2 pound thinly sliced prosciutto
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
• all purpose flour
• 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed

assemblage

• preheat oven to 400 degrees
• whisk egg and water together in a bowl and set aside
• trim the pork tenderloin of any excess fat or silver skin, then (if the tenderloin came in one solid piece) use a knife and halve it
• lay one sheet of parchment paper on the counter and arrange the prosciutto in overlapping layers
• place a second sheet of parchment paper overtop the prosciutto and roll over it a few times with the rolling pin to help the it stick together into a solid sheet
• remove the second layer of parchment paper, then sprinkle the sheet of prosciutto with the black pepper and thyme
• set the tenderloin in the middle of the prosciutto (you want the thickest ends of the tenderloin at either end, so reverse the other half of the tenderloin so that it makes a more uniform piece of meat), then spread the apples and apricots in between the two pieces

• push them back together keeping the fruit mixture in place, then using the parchment paper roll it up so the prosciutto completely wraps around the tenderloin

• sprinkle some flour on the counter, or cutting board, and using the rolling pin roll out the puff pastry to a dimension that will enable you to wrap the tenderloin completely
• place the prosciutto wrapped tenderloin in the center of the puff pastry, fold one end of the puff pastry over the tenderloin, then roll to completely enclose

• brush the edges of the puff pastry and pinch the edges closed
• put the thickest side of the puff pastry wrapped tenderloin down in the roasting pan (a good idea would be put the roasting pan in the oven while it is preheating to help develop the crust on the underside of the tenderloin)
• brush the entire puff pastry with the egg wash and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the tenderloin reaches an internal temperature of 140 degrees

• remove the tenderloin from the oven and transfer to a cooling rack, allow to rest for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing

presentation

Since this was just a dry run of Christmas dinner, and I was more concerned with getting the Wellington part right, I didn’t put a great deal of thought into the sides. I did some simple roasted potatoes with parsley, rosemary, thyme and toasted cracked fennel seed and then dressed some baby spinach in lemon, sea salt and olive oil.

When it came time to choose the dessert portion of our holiday meal we had considered going with the old standby of apple pie. I don’t like pumpkin pie and as much as I love pecan pie the standard configuration would surely wreak havoc on my blood sugar.

However, a friend of ours came over for dinner one night before Thanksgiving and told us about this recipe she found on Whole Foods Market’s website for a chocolate pecan pie that didn’t use a lot of sugar. Intrigued, we looked up the recipe and determined that it was certainly a solid option to do something new for Thanksgiving.

We made a few modifications to the recipe in that we used a mix of baking chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate. Also, we substituted brown sugar for agave nectar, which has been a great find considering my lingering sweet tooth despite my diabetes diagnosis.

For the first run at a recipe the results were great and we will surely be making this again.

chocolate pecan pie

adapted from this Whole Foods Market recipe

hardware

9 in pie pan
large and medium mixing bowls
whisk and spatula
parchment paper or aluminum foil
pie weights or a package of dry beans

software

1 (9-inch) unbaked pie crust
4 squares (or 4 ounces) baking chocolate
4 squares (or 4 ounces) semi-sweet chocolate
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup+ 1 tablespoon agave nectar*
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups chopped pecans

* you can use 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar as the original recipe called for instead

assemblage

• preheat oven to 350 degrees
• line pan with pie crust, then cover with parchment paper or aluminum foil and fill with pie weights or dried beans
• bake pie crust for 10-12 minutes, then remove from oven and allow to cool
• reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees
• melt the chocolate and butter in medium mixing bowl
• combine agave nectar, eggs, vanilla and pecans in large mixing bowl
• stir chocolate mixture into large mixing bowl, then pour into pre-baked pie crust
• bake until set in the middle, approximately 50 to 60 minutes
• be sure to check on the pie as it bakes and cover the crust with foil or pie shield to prevent burning

presentation

When it came time to serve the pie we decorated the edges of the pie with some piped on homemade whipped cream. Then, we served our pie up with a scoop of vanilla ice cream

pearl onion & cranberry sauce

courtesy of Charlotte Magazine

• 2 tablespoons flour
• 1 ½ c. dried cranberries
• 2 c. peeled pearl onions
• 5 slices bacon (or pancetta)
• 1 c. dry sherry
• 1 c. chicken stock

1. Render bacon with pearl onions for 8-10 minutes
2. Add flour, stir to create a roux
3. Add sherry and chicken stock
4. Add cranberries
5. Simmer on low for 15-20 minutes

grand mariner scented orange cranberry sauce

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 12oz package cranberries
• zest and juice of one orange
• pulp of one vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon extract
• nutmeg, to taste
• cinnamon, to taste
• pinch, kosher salt
• 1 shot Grand Mariner liqueur

1. Combine the water and sugar in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil
2. Rinse the cranberries and sift through them to make sure they are all good
3. When the sugar has completely dissolved in the water add the cranberries
4. Return to a boil, then reduce to medium heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the cranberries burst
5. Add the orange juice and zest, vanilla bean pulp (or extract), nutmeg, cinnamon, salt and shot of Grand Mariner
6. Cook for three to five minutes on low, then remove from the heat
7. Put the cranberry sauce in a storage container uncovered for thirty to forty minutes, then cover and refrigerate until it is time to serve

garlic & parmesan smashed potatoes with chives & creme fraiche

• 8 or 9 medium Yukon gold potatoes
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup finely grated parmesan reggiano
• 1 container creme fraiche (can substitute sour cream)
• 1 package of chives, finely chopped

1. Boil the potatoes whole for 35 to 40 minutes, or until fork tender
2. Drain the water and smash the potatoes with a masher
3. Add the garlic, parmesan and half of the creme fraiche and combine
4. Add the remaining creme fraiche and chives, then cover until ready to serve

sauteed green beans with garlic & white wine

• 1# green beans, trimmed and washed
• olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 cup white wine
• 1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes, drained (optional)
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In a medium sauce pan bring some water to boil
2. Blanche the green beans for two to three minutes, then remove and shock in an ice cold water bath
3. In a saute pan heat some olive oil, then add the shallot and garlic and cook for two to three minutes
4. Add the blanched green beans to the pan, then season with salt and pepper and cook for two to three minutes
5. Bring up the heat in the pan and then deglaze with the white wine
6. Then add the drained diced tomatoes, if you so choose, cover and remove from heat until ready to serve

stay tuned for tomorrow’s installment – chocolate pecan pie

Even though I ended up roasting the turkey I’m confident that this preparation would produce a fine result if it had been smoked. Once I have resolved my equipment issues I will be recreating this preparation.

dry brine

1 tablespoon kosher salt/5# of turkey

• follow the directions in this LA Times article on how to dry bring your turkey

rub & compound butter

• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon rubbed sage
• 1 tablespoon toasted and cracked fennel seed
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder
• 2 teaspoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar
• 1/2 stick unsalted butter at room temperature

1. Toast the fennel seed in a dry frying pan for three to five minutes, or until they start to turn a toasty brown color, then set aside and let them cool before grinding in a spice grinder or a mortar and pestle
2. Measure and combine all the remaining spices and add them to the cracked fennel in a medium mixing bowl
3. This recipe will yield a little more than 1/2 cup of the spice rub mixture (which is also equivalent to a little more than 8 tablespoons)
4. Combine 2 tablespoons with 1 stick of room temperature butter and mix to create the compound butter
5. Reserve the rest (or transfer into a shaker, if possible) and use to rub on the turkey before putting it in the smoker

apple & pecan smoked turkey

14 pound dry brined whole turkey
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2 medium carrots, roughly chopped
1 fennel bulb, quartered
1 granny smith apple, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
1 orange, quartered
3-4 sprigs, fresh thyme
3-4 leaves, fresh sage
1/4 cup mayonnaise
spice rub mix, as prepared
1 cup each apple and pecan hardwoods, soaked in water for at least one hour

• Take all the aromatics and herbs and fill the turkey’s cavity
• With a basting brush lightly coat the exterior with the mayonnaise
• Sprinkle the spice rub mixture all over the turkey with amount and emphasis up to you
• Put the turkey in the smoker (that has been preheated to 225 degrees for 6 to 8 hours or until the meatiest part of the thigh reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees) and put a few cups of water in the smoker’s pan (you can also use apple juice, cola or a beer, if desired)

Stay tuned for tomorrow’s installment – the sides & sauces

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