- April 24, 2024
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Last year, the East County Observer brought you a selection of Thanksgiving recipes from some of our area’s best chefs.
This year, we’ve done it again.
A combination of our local chefs and East County residents have pitched in to help us develop one tasty Thanksgiving meal — full of family favorites, as well as interesting medleys — your family will never forget.
Feel free to pick and choose from these recipes — or make them all. We hope you enjoy!
Oven-roasted Brine-Cured Organic Turkey with Natural Pan Sauce
Submitted by Chef Trey Place, Palm-Aire Country Club
Ingredients
12- to 14-pound fresh organic turkey
1 large onion, rough chopped
1 orange, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
3 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme
10 black peppercorns
2 tablespoons sage
1 cup sugar
1 cup salt
2 gallons water
Method
1. Dissolve salt and sugar in water; add all ingredients and mix well.
2. Add turkey and refrigerate for 24 to 36 hours.
3. After allotted time, remove turkey and rinse under water. Pat dry.
4. Place one orange, cut in half, in cavity of bird with roughly chopped carrot, onion, celery, fresh thyme and sage.
5. Season cavity with salt and pepper.
6. Truss legs.
7. Rub bird with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.
8. Place in roasting pan, breast-side down with neck and giblets.
9. Cook at 325 F preheated oven for about one hour, basting every 30 minutes.
10. Remove from oven turn bird breast side up and continue to roast and baste until internal temperature of 165 F — about three hours.
11. Remove from oven and let rest 20 minutes before carving.
Pan Sauce
Ingredients:
4 cups turkey stock
1 cup Sauvignon Blanc
4 tablespoons butter
¼ cup flour
Salt
Pepper
*Pan drippings from roasting pan, deglazed with white wine.
Method:
1. In heavy sauce pan, melt butter.
2. Add flour and make pale roux, stirring constantly 8 to 10 minutes over medium heat.
3. Add hot stock. Whisk and bring to simmer.
4. Add pan dripping and diced giblets and meat from neck.
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
6. Pour in sauce boat and serve.
Grandmother’s Southern Cornbread Dressing
Submitted by Glenda Gallagher Ekasala, John Dough Bakery
Servings: 8 to 12
Ingredients
2 packages of Martha White (or similar) cornbread mix
3 stalks celery
1 yellow onion, chopped fine
1/2 to 1 pound of Italian or Southern-style sausage, cooked and chopped
1 can of Campbell’s condensed cream of mushroom soup
2 cups or more of juice from the cooked turkey to bring the mixture to a moist consistency
Method
1. Prepare cornbread according to package directions. Let cool.
2. Crumble prepared cornbread in a large bowl.
3. Mix all ingredients until the cornbread mixture is moist.
4. Place in a greased baking dish and bake, covered at 350 F until the cornbread dressing is cooked through and begins to brown.
5. Remove cover and finish cooking until golden brown.
CHEF’S RAVE: “My father’s Southern-raised mother made this cornbread dressing every Thanksgiving, and my mother’s Northern-raised mother liked it so much she adopted it for her own,” Ekasala says. “The great thing about it is there is no end to the variations you can make — adding mushrooms, for example.”
COOKING NOTES: “The important thing is to use a cornbread mix that does not have sugar in it; in other words, no corn muffins, but rather real Southern-style cornbread, such as Martha White’s,” Ekasala says. “Since we all cooked without a real recipe, these amounts are approximate. The recipe is very forgiving; just make sure you have enough liquid from the cooked turkey to render the dressing moist. Then, serve it with your homemade gravy.”
Roasted Cauliflower with Bacon and Garlic
Submitted by Jaden Hair, steamykitchen.com; Servings: 4
Ingredients
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
6 cloves garlic, halved
3 strips bacon, cut into bite sized pieces
2 teaspoons olive oil
Salt to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
1. Preheat oven to 375 F.
2. On a baking sheet, toss together the cauliflower, garlic slices, bacon and olive oil.
3. Roast for 20 minutes until bacon is crisp and cauliflower is cooked through.
4. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Roasted Corn and Butternut Squash Soup
Submitted by Chef Paul Evans, Lakewood Ranch Golf and Country Club
Servings: 4 to 6
Ingredients
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup onion, diced ¼ inch
1/4 cup celery, diced ¼ inch
1/4 cup carrot, diced ¼ inch
1 cinnamon stick
Sea salt, preferably gray salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon ground toasted coriander, optional
1 1/2 cups roasted winter squash
1/2 cup half-and-half, optional
1 cup roasted corn
Method
1. Combine all ingredients, except corn, in a soup pot and simmer until all vegetables are soft.
2. Puree until smooth.
3. Add the roasted corn.
Baked Pineapple
Submitted by Wilma McCray, resident of Tara
Servings: 9 to 12
Ingredients
2 20-ounce cans of pineapple chunks (reserve juice)
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup sugar
6 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 stick melted butter
5 or 6 bread slices, crumbled
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. Drain pineapple and place in greased 9-by-13-inch baking dish.
3. Sprinkle cheese over pineapple.
4. Mix flour and sugar and sprinkle over cheese.
5. Pour reserved juice over all.
6. Crumble bread slices into butter until all is absorbed; sprinkle over mixture in dish.
7. Bake mixture at 350 F for 35 to 40 minutes or until heated through.
CHEF’S RAVE: McCray says this is a family favorite shared at Christmas and Thanksgiving.
“It’s a sweet side dish,” she says of the recipe, which she got while working at a school district in Missouri. “It’s so simple.”
Cranberry Pear Crisp
Submitted by Heidi Kelliher, kitchen manager and baking and pastry instructor at Viking Culinary Center; Servings: 12
6 large pears, peeled cored and chopped into bite-size pieces
1 cup fresh cranberries, thawed
1 teaspoon minced orange zest
½ salt
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1 teaspoon butter
½ cup sugar
Topping
2 sticks butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup light brown sugar’
2 teaspoon cinnamon
½ teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup rolled oats
2/3 cup flour
Method
1. Preheat oven to 350 F.
2. In a large bowl toss pears and cranberries with zest, salt and flour.
3. Transfer to a buttered 9-by-13-inch dish, then pour sugar over fruit mixture.
4. For the topping, in a food processor pulse all ingredients until mixture is crumbly and butter is well coated.
5. Spoon the topping mixture evenly over the sugared fruit.
6. Bake in the pre-heated oven until topping is golden and fruit is bubbling, about 45 minutes.
Chef’s rave: “I love this recipe because it can be made ahead and refrigerated overnight,” Kelliher says. “It also combines the best of both worlds being sweet and tart at the same time. It also makes a colorful presentation on our table.”
COOKING NOTES: “You can prep the ingredients early in the day and quickly assemble before meal time,” Kelliher says.
Pommes Dauphine Fromage (Potato Pate a choux puffs with Cheese)
Submitted by John Hawling, executive chef at Rosedale Golf and Country Club; Servings: 6 to 8
Ingredients
2.5 pounds peeled Idaho potatoes
4 ounces salted butter
6 ounces flour
8 ounces water
4 large eggs
nutmeg, to taste
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
Vegetable or peanut oil for frying
Your favorite grated cheese
Method
1. Boil potatoes until soft; let cool slightly and mash until smooth.
2. Set aside uncovered to dry.
3. To make Choux dough: boil 8 ounces of water and butter; remove from heat and whip in flour until smooth.
4. On low fire, add eggs one at a time until dough is tacky; remove from fire and whip in nutmeg, salt and pepper, to taste.
5. With two spoons or 2-ounce scoops, drop mixture into heated oil; only cook up to 10 at one time to help keep cooking time as even as possible.
6. When browned and puffed up, place on paper towels to drain.
7. Arrange puffs on oven-proof dish in a pyramid.
8. Sprinkle your favorite grated cheese over puffs and bake in a pre-heated oven at 350 F until cheese has melted.
9. Serve immediately.
CHEF’s RAVE: Hawling admits this recipe is a personal favorite. “It’s perfect for the holidays,” he says.
COOKING NOTES: “Puffs can be made a day in advance, refrigerated and reheated in the oven on a cookie sheet,” Hawling says.
PG’s Hashed Brussels Sprouts
Submitted by Tommy Klauber, owner of The Polo Grill; Servings: 4
Ingredients
2 ounces olive oil
1 pound Brussels sprouts, shredded
1 teaspoon poppy seeds
1/2 lemon
1 tablespoon roast garlic puree
2 ounces butter
Kosher salt and pepper
Method
1. In a sauté pan on high heat, add the olive oil. When it starts to smoke, add the Brussels sprouts.
2. Toss in pan to start them browning; add the poppy seeds, salt and pepper, butter, lemon juice and roasted garlic.
3. Serve immediately.
CHEF’s RAVE: “People who turn up their noses at Brussels sprouts ask for this recipe,” Klauber says. “It’s fast and easy.”
TIP: Have a super hot sauté pan
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Best-Ever Cheesecake
Submitted by Audrey O’Leary
Ingredients
Crust
1 cup sifted, enriched flour
¼ cup sugar
1 teaspoon grated lemon peel
½ cup butter or margarine
1 slightly beaten egg yolk
¼ teaspoon vanilla
Cheese filling
5 8-ounce packages cream cheese
¼ teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 ¾ cups sugar
3 tablespoons enriched flour
¼ teaspoon salt
4 or 5 eggs (1 cup)
2 egg yolks
¼ cup whipping cream
Method
For crust
1. Combine first three ingredients.
2. Cut in butter until mixture is crumbly.
3. Add egg yolk and vanilla; blend well.
4. Pat one-third of dough on bottom of 9-inch spring-form pan (sides removed).
5. Bake at 400 F about eight minutes, or until golden; cool.
6. Attach sides to bottom, butter; and pat remaining dough on sides to a height of one-and-three-quarter inches.
For filling
1. Let cheese soften at room temperature, for one to one-and-one-half hours.
2. Beat creamy. Add vanilla and peel.
3. Mix next three ingredients, slowly blending in.
4. Add eggs and yolks one at a time; beat after each just to blend.
5. Gently stir in cream.
6. Turn into crust-lined pan.
7. Bake at 450 F for 12 minutes; reduce heat to 300 F.
8. Bake 55 minutes at 300 F.
9. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
10. Loosen sides with spatula after a half-hour.
11. Remove sides after one hour. Cool two hours longer.
MODIFICATIONS: Audrey O’Leary, a Lakewood Ranch resident, gets special requests for this holiday favorite. O’Leary says instead of making the crust listed in the recipe, she makes a graham cracker crust, the recipe for which can be found on any box of graham cracker crumbs.
TOPPER TRICK: Although the original recipe calls for a pineapple glaze, Audrey O’Leary tops this cheesecake with a can of Comstock cherry pie filling. “You just open it and pour it on top before you serve it,” she says.
FAMILY TRADITION: Audrey O’Leary found this longtime favorite in a recipe book given to her by her aunt. The book, Better Homes & Gardens Dessert Cookbook,” was published in 1969.
WEB EXCLUSIVE: Oyster Cornbread Dressing with Andouille Sausage Cornbread
Submitted by Chef Trey Place, Palm-Aire Country Club
Ingredients for cornbread
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
¼ teaspoon or more salt
1 large egg
½ cup milk
2 tablespoon melted butter
Method
1. Mix all dry ingredients in bowl.
2. In separate bowl, mix all wet ingredients.
3. Add wet to dry mixture. Add butter.
Ingredients for dressing
24 oysters shucked, reserve liquid
3 cups cornbread, crumbled
½ cup diced Andouille sausage
½ cup butter, melted
1 onion, diced
4 celery stalks, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
½ cup green onion, chopped
3 tablespoon flat leaf parsely
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Cayenne pepper, to taste
Method
1. Put oysters in strainer over bowl to reserve liquid.
2. In sauté pan, add Andouille Sausage, sweat – 5 minutes.
3. Add onion, celery and pepper. Continue to cook.
4. Season salt, pepper and cayenne.
5. Add oyster liquid and bring to boil
6. Add cornbread, green onions, parsley and oysters, set aside 10 minutes.
7. Transfer to buttered gratin dish.
8. Bake in 400 F preheated oven until brown, about 45 minutes
