Tag Archives: Thanksgiving recipes

Sage Gravy

There is nothing like homemade gravy for your Thanksgiving Turkey and you’ll love this sage gravy. You can make most of this gravy in advance by making a flavorful stock as your base and then flavoring the gravy with the turkey drippings at the end. This gravy is perfect used with my  Apple Sage Roast Turkey.

Apple Sage Roasted Turkey

From by the bay wishing you turkey gravy food memories!

Maryann

blog sage gravy

Sage Gravy

Gravy Base

6 cups chicken stock

Giblets and neck from turkey

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 onion, not peeled and quartered

1 celery stick, chopped

2 bay leaves

6 sage leaves

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Gravy

1 cup white wine

6 tablespoons flour

6 cups gravy base

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

2 tablespoons chopped sage

Directions for gravy base

Combine into a soup pot chicken stock, carrot, onion, celery, bay leaves, sage, peppercorns, giblets and neck from turkey. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and strain broth and keep refrigerated until ready to make gravy. This can be done one day in advance.

Directions for gravy

Place seasoned broth into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Take melted butter in a bowl and then add the flour, whisk until a smooth paste. Take one cup of hot broth and whisk into flour mixture until smooth. Sieve back into the broth and whisk to blend. Add bay leaves, salt and pepper and whisk again. You can have this prepared as the turkey is roasting. Once the turkey is done and removed from the roasting pan pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and discard. Add remaining juices into broth in the saucepan. Place roasting pan back on heat and deglaze with the wine. Scrap pan to get all brown bits, let reduce to half , about 2 minutes. Add to the gravy. Whisk together and let simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency. Remove bay leaves, mix in sage adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

Apple Sage Roasted Turkey

It’s time to start planning the Thanksgiving menu and of course the turkey is the centerpiece. I like to experiment each year with flavors and this is a perfect combination of autumnal tastes with apple and sage. I like to brine the turkey overnight , resulting in a juicy roast turkey. I like to paste my turkeys with butter and something sweet, in this case honey which makes the turkey skin crispy and lacquered in appearance. Let the Thanksgiving planning begin with this delicious turkey as your star!

From by the bay, wishing you very sage turkey food memories!

Maryann

blog turkey 14

Apple Sage Roasted Turkey

1 16-18 lb. turkey, preferably organic

Brine

16 cups cold water , or more to cover turkey

8 cups chicken stock

1 cup fine sea salt

1 cup fine sugar

2 apples , quartered

3 sprigs fresh thyme

3 springs fresh sage

2 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 bouquet garni

2 onions , peeled and quartered

To roast turkey

1 bunch fresh sage leaves

1 bunch fresh  thyme

1 apple quartered

2 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

To baste

8 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature

¼ cup honey

Directions

Prepare brine by combining water, sea salt, sugar, bay leaves, 3 garlic cloves, thyme and peppercorns. Cut 2 apples into wedges, add to the brine and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Clean turkey with cold water removing any giblets and or neck. Keep giblets and neck in the refrigerator to use later for gravy base.  Place turkey and brine into a resealable plastic bag or into a large non reactive bowl covered with plastic wrap. The turkey should be covered with the brine, if not add more water. Refrigerate over night.  The next day remove turkey 40 minutes before planning to place into the oven. Preheat oven to 425F. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. . Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper.  Add an apple in quarters into the cavity along with thyme and sage. Tie turkey legs together and place into roasting pan. In a small sauce pan melt butter and honey together on a low heat. Use this to baste turkey once before placing into the oven. Roast the turkey at 425F for 30 minutes then lower the oven to 350F.   For an 18lb turkey cooking time will be approximately 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check that the meat registers 175F at its thickest part of the thigh. Baste the turkey about every 30 minutes with the butter and honey mixture. If the turkey browns too quickly tent that part with aluminum foil. When ready remove from the oven. Take turkey from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board to rest before carving, at least 20 minutes. If you are serving later then 20 minutes from removing from oven tent turkey with aluminum foil until ready to serve.

Best Turkey Salad Sandwich Ever Made

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving is figuring out what to make out of your leftover turkey. I know this might appear as too obvious, a turkey salad sandwich, but it’s not just a turkey salad sandwich. First, I would be perfectly happy eating the turkey salad, but when you combine it with a great thick fresh bread, some dressed spinach leaves and crumbled blue cheese, it’s almost a special event! Make sure you buy a turkey large enough to have enough leftover to make this delicious sandwich!
From by the bay wishing you, eventful leftover food memories!
Maryann

blog turkey sandwich 2012

Best Turkey Salad Sandwich Ever Made
Makes 4 sandwiches

To Make Turkey Salad
3 cups turkey meat, cubed
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
2 tablespoons scallions, chopped
1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

To make the sandwiches
8 thick slices bread, such as seedless rye
1 cup baby spinach leaves, dressed with vinaigrette
4 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese

For each sandwich layer up one slice of bread , turkey salad, blue cheese , spinach leaves and then second piece of bread. Enjoy!

Chorizo and Cornbread Dressing

Let me start with the simple fact that any stuffing or dressing that I would serve my family along with a Roasted Turkey needs to have some type of sausage meat in the recipe. This rule was served hard and fast by my niece many years ago. Allow me to quote her very words, ” don’t mess around with the stuffing Aunt Mare”!  So when I was messing around in the kitchen working on a new dressing recipe, two things were clear, the recipe had to be so good that the family could accept a new version of one of their favorite dishes and the recipe needed to include sausage meat. I choose a wonderful soft chorizo to breakdown and fry up for this dressing. I brought a prepared cornbread to save time, toasted it in the oven and this was the base. Next it was matter of adding some of my favorite flavors together, including fresh corn and sage. This dressing was a big hit with my family including my niece. I predict this will be a big hit for your Thanksgiving as well.

From by the bay, wishing you yummy sausage dressing food memories!

Maryann



blog cornbread dressing 2012


Chorizo and Cornbread Dressing

Serves 6

6 cups stale cornbread, cut into 1/2” cubes and toasted

1 pound soft chorizo meat, remove casings

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2 large celery stalks, chopped

1 large Vidalia onion, chopped

2 cups fresh corn kernels ( or 1 10 ounce bag frozen corn kernels)

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped

1/8 teaspoon dried rubbed sage

1 teaspoon fine sea salt

2 cups low sodium chicken stock

1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper

Directions

To make dressing place a large skillet on medium heat and cook chorizo, crumbling the meat with a fork until fully cooked, about 10 minutes. Remove meat with a slotted spoon and place into a large mixing bowl. Add butter to the same skillet, melt butter and then add the celery and onion. Saute ingredients together until softened about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and corn, cook another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the herbs and cook another minute. Remove from heat and add to the bowl with the cooked chorizo meat. Add the bread cubes and chicken stock to the bowl. Mix the ingredients together and season with salt and pepper. The dressing can be made up to this point one day in advance and refrigerate until ready to bake. Remove from refrigerator and allow to come to room temperature. Place dressing into a lightly buttered baking dish. Bake in a 350 oven for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm.

 

Apple Cider Gravy

The perfect compliment to Apple Cider Brined and Maple Roasted Turkey is this delicious apple cider gravy. You can prepare much of the gravy in advance and last minute deglaze your turkey roasting pan using apple cider to sweep all the yummy pan juices into your gravy. You’ll love all the warmth flavors in the gravy and aroma as you prepare this gravy is unsurpassed!


From by the bay wishing you warm apple cider food memories!

Maryann


Find the apple cider brined and maple roasted turkey recipe here:
https://blog.entertainingbythebay.com/2012/11/01/cider-brined-and-maple-roasted-turkey.aspx



blog turkey gravy 2012


Apple Cider Gravy

Gravy Base

6 cups chicken stock

Giblets and neck from turkey

1 carrot peeled and chopped

1 onion, not peeled and quartered

1 celery stick, chopped

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon allspice berries

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Gravy

1 1/3 cup cider

6 tablespoons flour

6 cups gravy base

4 tablespoons butter, melted

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions for gravy base

Combine into a soup pot chicken stock, cider, carrot , onion, celery, bay leaves, cinnamon stick, allspice berries, peppercorns, giblets and neck from turkey. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and strain broth and keep refrigerated until ready to make gravy. This can be done one day in advance.

Directions for gravy

Place seasoned broth into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Take melted butter in a bowl and then add the flour, whisk until a smooth paste. Take one cup of hot broth and whisk into flour mixture until smooth. Sieve back into the broth and whisk to blend. Add bay leaves, honey, salt and pepper and whisk again. You can have this prepared as the turkey is roasting. Once the turkey is done and removed from the roasting pan pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and discard. Add remaining juices into broth in the saucepan. Place roasting pan back on heat and deglaze with the cider. Scrap pan to get all brown bits, let reduce to half , about 2 minutes. Add to the gravy. Whisk together and let simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency. Remove bay leaves, adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey.

 

Apple Cider Brined and Maple Roasted Turkey

It’s this cook’s favorite time of year, Thanksgiving. Up until the arrival of this holiday, I will be posting recipe by recipe a complete meal. This week’s post is the centerpiece of the holiday, a delicious brined turkey. Ever since I started to brine my turkey’s the night before, I have delivered to my table a juicy, moist roasted turkey. I especially enjoyed this brine, which uses some of my favorite fall flavors – apple cider, apples, maple syrup, cinnamon, sage, brown sugar and a touch of allspice. The flavors combine to create a subtle sweetness to the meat. For the roasting by using maple syrup and melted butter to baste the turkey, the result is a beautiful crisp and brown skin on the outside of the turkey and the inside meat is moist and tender. So follow along to create a perfect holiday menu!


From by the bay wishing you apple cider brined food memories!

Maryann


blog turkey 2012




Apple Cider Brined and Maple Roasted Turkey

1 16-18 lb. turkey, preferably organic

Brine

16 cups cold water, or more to cover turkey

8 cups apple cider

1 cup fine sea salt

1 cup light brown sugar

2 macintosh apples , quartered

3 cloves

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

2 tablespoons allspice berries

2 tablespoon black peppercorns

½ cup maple syrup

2 onions , peeled and quartered

3 sprigs sage leaves

To roast turkey

2 whole macintosh apples

1 onion, peeled and quartered

2 cinnamon sticks

1 bunch fresh sage leaves

2 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

To baste

8 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature

¼ cup maple syrup

Directions

Prepare brine by combining apple cider, water, sea salt, maple syrup, brown sugar, onions, sage, apples , cloves, cinnamon sticks, allspice, star anise and peppercorns. Stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Clean turkey with cold water removing any giblets and or neck. Keep giblets and neck in the refrigerator to use later for gravy base.  Place turkey and brine into a resealable plastic bag or into a large non reactive bowl covered with plastic wrap. The turkey should be covered with the brine, if not add more water. Refrigerate over night.  The next day remove turkey 40 minutes before planning to place into the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels inside and out.  Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper.  Fill the cavity  with the apples, onions, sage and cinnamon sticks.  Tie turkey legs together and place into roasting pan. In a small sauce pan melt butter and maple syrup together on a low heat. Use this to baste turkey once before placing into the oven. Roast the turkey at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes then lower the oven to 350 degrees F.   For an 18 lb. turkey cooking time will be approximately 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check that the meat registers 175 degrees F at its thickest part of the thigh. Baste the turkey about every 30 minutes with the butter and maple syrup mixture. If the turkey browns too quickly tent that part with aluminum foil. When ready, remove from the oven. Take turkey from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board to rest before carving, at least 20 minutes. If you are serving later then 20 minutes from removing from oven tent turkey with aluminum foil until ready to serve.


 

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce

I know that cranberry sauce is a Thanksgiving staple , but I love serving it through out the holiday season. I grew up eating canned cranberry sauce. In fact my Uncle Tom, owned a canning factory in Egg Harbor, New Jersey. This was the family’s source for most of our cranberry needs. We had cases of cranberry sauce and loved it!  When my Uncle Tom decided to close his plant and move onto other ventures we were ready to buy our sauce at the supermarket, but instead my Uncle Tom brought to the house some fresh cranberries and taught me how to make my own cranberry sauce. It tasted terrific and was so easy to make!  There was no going back and I’ve been making some version of his cranberry sauce ever since! This is a favorite of mine for Christmas celebrations, I love the mix of all the berries , as well as that little kick of kirsch. The kirsch, reminds me of  Christmases when I was a little girl watching my grandfather pour a shots of this wonderful cherry smelling liquid to celebrate with his friends and family!  The sauce is the perfect compliment to all your holiday foods –  smoked ham, pork loin, turkey or even beef! You are guaranteed to create some happy food memories with this very berry sauce!

From By the Bay wishing you the berriest food memories!
Maryann

blog cranberry xmas

Very Berry Cranberry Sauce
Serves Six

 

½ cup cranberry juice cocktail

1 cup fine sugar

1 12oz, package whole fresh cranberries

½ cup dried cranberries

¼ cup dried cherries

¼ cup cherry brandy (Kirsch)

¼ teaspoon ground allspice

 

Directions

Combine cranberry juice, brandy and sugar in a medium sauce pan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Add cranberries, dried cranberries, dried cherries and allspice. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer approximately 10 minutes until the cranberries start to burst. Remove from heat. Cool completely and then chill in refrigerator. Cranberry sauce will thicken. Serve chilled.

blog berry cran sauce

Chardonnay Herb Gravy

blog gravy

 

When I first started making Thanksgiving for my family – one of my biggest challenges was getting that gravy perfect! My early apartments in Queens and Manhattan were all small. I struggled cooking in my typical long narrow galley kitchen. Anything I could prepare in advance helped. Over the years , as I continued to experiment with my gravy recipe, I came up with this foolproof recipe. It can be made in advance , which is always my goal so that I can enjoy the holiday along with my guests. This gravy is the perfect compliment to my Roasted Honey Herb Turkey. 

 

From by the bay, wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!

Maryann Check in for more Thanksgiving blogs on side dishes, desserts and leftovers!  Chardonnay Herb Gravy

Gravy Base

6 cups chicken stock

Giblets and neck from turkey

1 bouquet garni

1 onion, peeled and quartered

1 celery stick, chopped

1 teaspoon black peppercorns

Gravy

1 1/3 cup chardonnay

6 tablespoons flour

6 cups gravy base

4 tablespoons butter

2 bay leaves

2 tablespoons honey

1 tablespoons fine grey sea salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup chop parsley

Directions for gravy base

Combine into a soup pot chicken stock, bouquet garni, onion, celery, peppercorns, giblets and neck from turkey. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and strain broth and keep refrigerated until ready to make gravy. This can be done one day in advance.

Directions for gravy

Place seasoned broth into a saucepan. Bring to a simmer. Melt butter in a bowl and then add flour , whisk until it is a smooth paste. Take one cup of hot broth and whisk into flour mixture until smooth. Pour this back into the broth and whisk to blend. Add bay leaves, honey, salt and pepper and whisk again. You can have this prepared as the turkey is roasting. Once the turkey is done and removed from the roasting pan pour pan juices into a measuring cup. Spoon off fat and discard. Add remaining juices into broth in the saucepan. Place roasting pan back on heat and deglaze with the chardonnay. Scrap pan to get all brown bits, let reduce to half , about 2 minutes. Add to the gravy. Whisk together and let simmer until reduced to a sauce consistency. Remove bay leaves, mix in parsley adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Serve with turkey. 

 

 

Honey Herb Roasted Turkey

Thanksgiving has always been a very special holiday in my family. Our celebrations, always wonderful, still left my sisters and I yearning for the day we could go into Manhattan to watch the Thanksgiving Day parade. When my niece was just 4 years old, we decided this was the year to start going to the parade and that I should prepare the Thanksgiving meal in my city apartment. I was frightened at the thought of cooking this meal. So, I decided to buy a semi prepared meal from a great caterer. The turkey still needed to be cooked in the oven. Unfortunately, I didn’t really think the logistics through. The caterer was in midtown Manhattan and my apartment was in Queens. The caterer was not delivering , it was pick up only. I did not think about the boxes or how big they might be, or what if there was bad weather, or how much space I might need to actually need to cook or heat up the entire meal. So when Thanksgiving morning arrived, it was snowing- hard. In fact, I think it was the most snow I had ever seen for Thanksgiving. My family was coming into Queens from Long Island, we quickly ditched our plan to see the Thanksgiving Day parade. Now we just hoped that the roads would be clear later in the day to travel. I went to the caterer with a friend ( at least I had the presence of mind to not go to the caterer alone) to pick up the meal. It was three enormous cartons of food. We somehow got the boxes out onto the street slipping and sliding in the snow trying to hail a cab. If you are not from New York, let me share with you that cab drivers are not very happy with a fare to Queens, especially in the snow. Finally, I was able to plea with a driver to take me and the boxes to Queens. Naively, I thought the worse part of my day was over. It was just beginning. The directions to complete the meal were long and needed a much bigger kitchen than my little narrow gallery kitchen. I did, finally, manage to complete the meal but not all at the same time. The final vote from the family was the meal was ok, but I could make a much better one on my own. Lesson learned. I have been making the Thanksgiving meal ever since, whether it was in my Manhattan apartment or by the bay. Either way, I want to share my easy recipes for making a successful Thanksgiving meal – starting with my roasted honey herb turkey, always tender because it’s brined the night before! This turkey has big fresh and bright flavor from the lemons and herbs. It’s simple to prepare and delicious and moist. Give it a try!

From by the bay, wishing you the happiest Thanksgiving and fond food memories!

Maryann

Check in for more Thanksgiving blogs on gravy, side dishes, desserts and leftovers!

blog turkey 2012

Honey Herb Roasted Turkey

1 16-18 lb. turkey, preferably organic
Brine
16 cups cold water , or more to cover turkey
8 cups chicken stock
1 cup fine sea salt
1 cup fine granulated sugar
3 lemons , quartered
3 sprigs fresh thyme
6 springs fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
1 bouquet garni
1 cup honey
2 onions , peeled and quartered
3 sprigs sage leaves
To roast turkey
1 lemon, quartered
1 bunch fresh sage leaves
1 bunch fresh rosemary
2 tablespoons fine grey sea salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
To baste
8 tablespoon unsalted butter at room temperature
¼ cup honey
Directions
Prepare brine by combining water, sea salt, honey, sugar, onions, rosemary, thyme, bouquet garni and peppercorns. Cut 2 lemons into wedges, squeezing juice of lemons into the brine along with the wedges and stir to dissolve the salt and sugar. Clean turkey with cold water removing any giblets and or neck. Keep giblets and neck in the refrigerator to use later for gravy base. Place turkey and brine into a resealable plastic bag or into a large non reactive bowl covered with plastic wrap. The turkey should be covered with the brine, if not add more water. Refrigerate over night. The next day remove turkey 40 minutes before planning to place into the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degress F. Remove turkey from brine and pat dry with paper towels inside and out. Season the turkey cavity with salt and pepper. Squeeze lemon juice into the cavity and add the quarters along with rosemary and sage. Tie turkey legs together and place into roasting pan. In a small sauce pan melt butter and honey together on a low heat. Use this to baste turkey once before placing into the oven. Roast the turkey at 425 degrees F for 30 minutes then lower the oven to 350 degrees F. For an 18 lb. turkey cooking time will be approximately 3 hours. Use a meat thermometer to check that the meat registers 175 degrees F at its thickest part of the thigh. Baste the turkey about every 30 minutes with the butter and honey mixture. If the turkey browns too quickly tent that part with aluminum foil. When ready, remove from the oven. Take turkey from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board to rest before carving, at least 20 minutes. If you are serving later then 20 minutes from removing from oven tent turkey with aluminum foil until ready to serve.

 

Cranberry Applesauce

Here is a fantastic side dish to add holiday color and great taste to your table. It’s easy to make with ingredients often in your fridge. I always keep several bags of cranberries in the freezer to use all through the holidays, so when I decided to take the apples leftover from Thanksgiving to make into an applesauce, I decided to add some cranberries with fantastic results. Don’t worry if you don’t have cranberry juice, water will work fine too. You can serve this next to your holiday ham or pork or serve at breakfast on top of some oatmeal or just eat as a snack. You’ll love it!
From by the bay. wishing you cran-licious food memories!
Maryann
blog cran ap sauce
Cranberry Applesauce
Makes about 4 cups
Ingredients
2 pounds apples peeled, cored and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup cranberry juice
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch fine sea salt
Directions
Place all the ingredients into a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally until apples are soft. Remove from heat and cool. Mash the apples and cranberries together with a potato masher. Place in an air tight container and refrigerate until ready to use. It will keep in a refrigerator for about 1 week.