HOLIDAYS
HOLIDAYS
A splash of Grand Marnier over turkey and a shot of rum in stuffing will assure a toasty Thanksgiving dinner for all! I've included my favorite Thanksgiving recipes to perk up your menu, from a Cherry Cornbread Stuffing to an Irish Cream Pumpkin Pie. Here's to a spirited holiday meal!
Fine chefs have been cooking with wine and spirits for centuries. My passion for mixing potable ingredients into recipes came when I wrote my first book, The Sophisticated Cookie. My idea for the book was to swap vanilla extract, a staple ingredient in most cookie recipes, for top-shelf liquor and liqueurs. The book was a big hit and I've shared some of the most popular recipes in my article 25 Holiday Cookie Recipes for you to try.
A Toasty Thanksgiving Dinner is a menu from my second book, Sophisticated Entertaining, that I look forward to preparing every year. I hope you whip up a side dish or two for your holiday meal and wish you the very best this season.
Not being a huge fan of celery, I am forever on the look out for stuffing recipes that omit this staple ingredient.
I also find that turkey sausage blends nicely with the sweeter flavors of cherry and creamed corn, rather than the pork sausage. This recipe is my little brother Danny's favorite new dish year round.
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup dried cherries
- 3/4 Cup rum
- 3/4 Cup butter
- 1 large brown onion, coarsely chopped
- 3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
- 1 ( 12-oz. ) package cornbread stuffing
- 1 lb. turkey sausage
- 1 (15- oz. ) can creamed corn
- 1 Tablespoon anise seed
- 1 Cup chicken broth
- 1 Teaspoon salt
- 1/2 Teaspoon pepper
Steps
- Soak cherries in rum overnight. Drain cherries and reserve rum.
- Melt 1/2 cup butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and carrots and cook until just tender, about 8 minutes. Add reserved rum and cherries and cook over medium-high heat until liquid reduces completely. Remove from heat and transfer to a large bowl. Stir cornbread stuffing until combined.
- Remove sausage from casings and crumble into a large skillet. Cook over medium-high heat until browned. Add sausage, creamed corn, and anise seed to stuffing and mix well.
- Melt remaining 1/4 cup butter and add to chicken broth. Stir into stuffing until thoroughly moistened. Season with salt and pepper.
- Stuff mixture into body cavity and neck of turkey. Place left over stuffing in baking dish and bake at 350F (175C) for 15 minutes or until top is crusty. When turkey is done, remove stuffing from bird before carving and spoon into serving dish.
- Note: Stuffing may be made 1 day in advance if stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Stuff the bird just before cooking.
Can you remember the first time you cooked the bird? What an awesome task that seemed to be. A marinade is a must on poultry, especially when the anticipated cooking time is over two hours. This Grand Marnier glaze will ensure a moist, exquisitely flavored turkey.
Ingredients
- 1 (15 lb. ) turkey
- 1/2 Cup Grand Marnier liqueur
- 1/2 Cup olive oil
- 2 tablespoons chives, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- Salt & pepper
Steps
- If turkey is frozen, thaw overnight in refrigerator or in cold water.
- Preheat oven to 325F (165C). Remove plastic wrapping on turkey. Remove neck and bag of giblets from body cavities. Rinse turkey, including cavities, thoroughly. Rub salt and pepper inside cavities and on outer skin.
- Loosely stuff neck and body cavity with stuffing. Fold neck flap skin under turkey. Pull the wings back and place the tips under the turkey. Tie legs together and place turkey breast side up in large roasting pan.
- Whisk together liqueur, oil, chives, lemon juice, and 2 teaspoons salt. Brush mixture over entire surface of turkey. Insert a meat thermometer into thickest part of thigh without touching the bone.
- Cook turkey, basting occasionally, for about 4 hours or until the thermometer registers 180F (80C). During last half hour, loosely tent turkey with aluminum foil to prevent skin from becoming too brown. Let turkey stand for 15 minutes and then remove stuffing.
- Carve each breast on the bias, pull off the thighs, cut off the wings and arrange on a large platter. Pour the Grand Marnier drippings into a gravy boat and serve.
These yams pack quite a punch. Sambuca gives this dish a sweet herbal edge with the essence of licorice.
Ingredients
- 5 lbs. yams, washed, peeled, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1/3 Cup Sambuca
- 1/2 Cup chopped pecans
Steps
- Place yams in a large stockpot and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Drain yams of water and transfer to a large bowl.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C).
- Mash yams until smooth. Stir in Sambuca and pecans until blended.Place in 1-quart casserole dish.
- Cover and bake for 10 minutes until warm.
- Spoon into serving dish. Store covered in the refrigerator.
As an alternative to canned cranberry sauce, serve a tart, delicious relish laced with spirit.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 lbs. fresh cranberries, rinsed
- 1 Cup chopped fennel or anise bulb
- 1 Cup chopped Bartlett pears
- 1/2 Cup minced dried peaches
- 1/2 Cup Grand Marnier liqueur
- 1/2 Cup fresh orange juice
- 1/2 Cup sugar
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Steps
- Place ingredients in a large saucepan.
- Spoon relish into a bowl and serve. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before serving.
- Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until cranberries are just tender and mixture thickens, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
Baileys Original Irish Cream is the number one liqueur in the world for good reason. Its superior flavor is an excellent enhancement for this popular Thanksgiving dessert.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/4 Cup powdered sugar
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled cut into pieces
- 4 eggs
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- 1 1/2 Cup canned pumpkin pulp
- 3/4 Cup brown sugar
- 1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 Cup heavy cream
- 1/4 Cup Baileys Original Irish Cream
Steps
- Place flour, powdered sugar, and butter in a food processor and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Beat together 1 egg and water. Add to flour and process until mixture forms a ball. Form a flat disk from the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for 1 hour.
- Roll out dough into a 12-inch circle on a heavily floured surface. Transfer dough circle to a 10-inch pie tin. Trim and crimp the edges of the dough. Cover with plastic wrap and chill until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 350F (175C). Beat pumpkin and remaining eggs in a medium bowl creamy. Beat in brown sugar and cinnamon until smooth. Add cream and Baileys and beat until thoroughly combined. Pour pumpkin mixture into piecrust.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes or until a knife inserted off-center comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.
- Cut into wedges and serve. Store for up to 3 days covered in the refrigerator.
- Note: If piecrust edges become too brown during baking, cover with aluminum foil.
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