Who needs the Turkey?
Bonito Mac and Cheese:
1 lb (450g) dried elbow pasta
3 cups (265g) medium sharp cheddar, grated
3 cups (265g) raclette or gruyere cheese, grated
3 cup (750ml) whole milk
1 ¼ cup (300ml) heavy whipping cream
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
½ cup (60g) all purpose flour
½ cup (15g) bonito flakes
3 garlic cloves, lightly crushed
4 sprigs, thyme, bruised
2 bay leaves
Salt to taste
METHOD:
Begin by placing bonito flakes, thyme, bay leaves, and crushed garlic cloves into cheesecloth. Bring the ends together and use butchers twine to tie the cheese cloth. This is called a sachet. When tying, ensure that one end of the string is longer than the other to make it easier to remove from the pot.
To a medium saucepan add heavy cream and whole milk together and heat over medium high heat until steaming. Add the sachet to the hot milk mixture and steep for 15-20 minutes. While the milk mixture is heating and steeping, cook pasta to box instructions.
In a large saucepan begin melting butter over medium heat, once melted, add all purpose flour and stir using spatula to combine. Cook for 1-2 minutes, or until the flour smell has dissipated.
Begin to whisk in half of the cream mixture, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken. Repeat this process until all of the milk mixture is used.
Cut the heat and begin to add half of the cheese mixture to the bechamel, working a bit at a time until fully melted into the sauce. Once all of the cheese has been added, fold in the cooked pasta.
Add half of the macaroni to a baking dish followed by half of the remaining cheese. Add the rest of the macaroni over top and finish with the remaining cheese mixture.
Place under a broiler for 5-7 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
Jalapeno Upside Down Corn Bread:
1 ¼ cup (200g) cornmeal, fine ground
1 cup (240ml) buttermilk, room temp
1 cups (120g) all purpose flour
½ cup (75g) unsalted butter
½ cup (100g) sugar
2 eggs, room temp
2 ½ teaspoons (10g) baking powder
2 teaspoons (8g) fine sea salt
Chile Topping:
4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter
½ cup (120ml) honey
1 tablespoon (20g) light corn syrup (optional but helps stabilize the caramelization process)
2 jalapeños thinly sliced
METHOD:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C). Begin melting butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. While the butter is melting, whisk together all purpose flour, fine ground cornmeal, baking powder, fine sea salt, and granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl until combined.
Once the butter is melted, add buttermilk, eggs, and butter to the mixing bowl and whisk until homogenous. Once combined, let the batter rest for 15-20 minutes.
While the batter is resting, begin to make the sauce by combining honey and light corn syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil then cut the heat and whisk in 4 tablespoons of cold unsalted butter. Once the butter is whisked in, reserve the sauce for later use.
Make a cartouche using parchment paper to fit a 9 inch cake pan. Place the cartouche into the pan and using baking spray, generously grease the cake pan.
Pour the honey butter mixture into the cake pan, then lay slices of jalapeño in the bottom of the tray. Pour cake batter into the pan, then place the pan into the oven to bake for 35-40 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, and use an offset spatula or butter knife to free the cake from the edges of the cake pan. Place a wire rack lined baking tray onto the top of the cake pan then carefully flip it over so that the baking tray is on the bottom.
Tap the bottom of the cake pan and gently remove the cake pan from the cake. Let the cake cool slightly before serving.
Sesame Bagel Garlic Butter Rolls:
4 cups (600g) bread flour
1 ½ cups (360ml) water
1 tablespoon (15g) sugar
1 tablespoon (15g) fine sea salt
1 tablespoon (15g) vegetable oil
1 teaspoon (1g) diastatic malt powder
1 teaspoon (3g) instant yeast
Cornmeal for dusting
Boiling And Topping:
3 ½ quarts (3.5L) water
1 ½ tablespoons (30g) barley malt syrup
1 ½ teaspoons (5g) food grade lye
1 teaspoon (4g) fine sea salt
3 tablespoons (27g) white sesame seeds
¼ cup (60g) unsalted butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
METHOD:
Begin by adding water heated to 95°F (35°C), instant yeast, and sugar to a large mixing bowl. Whisk together until the yeast and sugar are completely dissolved. Once dissolved, add fine sea salt, diastatic malt powder, and vegetable oil until fully combined.
Add bread flour to the mixing bowl and mix by hand for about 5-8 minutes, or until a smooth dough forms. Once a smooth dough forms, wrap the dough with plastic wrap and proof for 15 minutes.
While the dough is proofing, add a layer of parchment paper to a greased baking tray. Then lightly grease the parchment and dust generously with corn meal.
Dump your dough onto a work surface and divide the dough into 8 even pieces. Shape the dough into taut dough balls, and place onto the cornmeal dusted baking tray. Wrap the tray with plastic wrap, or top with a plastic cover, and proof the dough overnight in a refrigerator.
In a 6-8 quart pot, add water, fine sea salt, food grade lye, and barley malt syrup. Bring the mixture to a boil. While waiting for the mixture to come to a boil, preheat an oven to 450°F (230°C).
Working 2-3 at a time, add the dough balls that have proofed overnight in the lye water. Boil the dough for about 1 and a half minutes, then flip the balls and boil for an additional 1 and half minutes.
Using a spider or wire mesh strainer, add the boiled dough to a 9-inch cake pan, one at a time. Once all of the dough has been added to the pan, generously sprinkle the white sesame seeds over the top.
Place the cake pan into the oven and bake for 18-20 minutes. While the bagel rolls are baking, melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, add finely chopped garlic and let steep for 5-8 minutes.
Remove the pan from the oven, then using an offset spatula or butter knife, remove the buns from the pan and place onto a wire rack lined baking tray. Brush the rolls with garlic butter, and garnish with flakey salt.
Sweet Potato Casserole:
Panang-Inspired Curry Paste:
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
8 makrut lime leaves, thinly sliced
3 shallots rough chopped
1 cup (240ml) vegetable oil
¾ cup (30g) dried Korean chilies
¼ cup (40g) roasted peanuts
2 tablespoons (16g) galangal, grated
1 tablespoon (14g) coriander powder
½ teaspoon (2g) cumin
Sweet Potato Casserole:
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 can (14 ounces, 400ml) full fat coconut milk
1 ½ cup (375g) curry paste
¾ cup (180ml) chicken stock
4 ½ tablespoons (45g) palm sugar, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fish sauce (36g), plus more if needed
1 ½ teaspoon (6g) hondashi
2 makrut lime leaves
15 leaves Thai basil
1 can (14 ounces / 400ml) coconut cream, refrigerated overnight
1 cup fried shallots, for garnish
Thai Basil, for garnish
Red Fresno Chiles, thinly sliced for garnish
METHOD:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C) and begin to rehydrate the dried Korean chiles in a small saucepan with enough water to cover the peppers. Bring the water to a simmer, place a lid onto the pan and steep for 5-10 minutes.
Strain the peppers and add to a blender with shallots, garlic, makrut lime leaf, peanuts, galangal, lemongrass, ground cumin, and coriander powder. Blend on high speed, using the plunger to ensure everything is blended, until a smooth puree is formed.
Begin heating a medium saucepan over medium heat, add half of the curry paste that was prepared to the pot with some vegetable oil. Cook until the paste begins to deepen in color.
Once the paste has become darker in color and begins to form a fond in the pan, deglaze with chicken stock, and add palm sugar, coconut milk, makrut lime leaf, and hondashi to the pan. Season with salt to taste and bring to a boil over medium high heat with the potatoes.
Once the mixture is boiling, reduce the heat to low and bring to a simmer. Add a lid to the pan and cook for 5-8, or just until the sweet potatoes are becoming tender.
Using a serving spoon, transfer the potatoes to a baking pan and cover with aluminum foil. Place the pan into the oven for 30 minutes.
Pull the casserole from the oven , garnish with whipped coconut cream, fried shallots, thinly sliced Fresno chile, and Thai basil leaves.
Green Bean Casserole:
1 pound (450g) green beans, cleaned, cut into 1 inch pieces
3 medium shallots, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
½ lb (225g) mixed mushrooms
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
1 cup (240ml) milk
1 cup (240ml) heavy cream
2 ½ tablespoons (35g) all purpose flour
2 ½ teaspoons (10g) mushroom soup base powder
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup (60g) fried shallots, for garnish
1 cup (60g) kettle cooked potato chips, for garnish
METHOD:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C) and begin to heat oil in a medium saucepan, once the oil is hot add mushrooms to the pan and heat until soft and browning in color. Season the mushrooms with salt to taste and transfer to a baking tray for later use.
Melt butter in the saucepan over medium heat, once melted, add shallots and garlic, and cook until fragrant and translucent in color. Then add all purpose flour and cook for about 1 minute or until the flour smell has dissipated.
Add heavy cream and milk to the pot and whisk together until thickened. Once thickened, add mushrooms back to the pan and stir to combine.
Bring a 6 quart pot filled 3⁄4 of the way with water to a boil over medium high heat and season generously with salt. While waiting for the water to boil, combine kettle cooked chips and fried shallots in a small mixing bowl. Light smash and toss together to combine.
Blanch the green beans in the boiling water for about 15-30 seconds or until the beans begin to deepen in color. Transfer the cooked green beans to a baking dish. Once all of the beans have been added to the dish, pour over the cream of mushroom mixture, and stir together with a spatula.
Top the casserole with the fried shallot and chip mixture and bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
Five Spice Cranberry Sauce:
1 pound (450g) frozen or fresh cranberries
1 ½ cups (300g) granulated sugar
1 cup (240ml) orange juice
1 cup (240ml) champagne
¼ cup (60ml) cognac
2 teaspoons (8g) green cardamom, finely ground
1 teaspoon (4g) Chinese five spice
METHOD:
Begin heating a medium saucepan over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, add cognac and reduce by half. While the cognac is reducing, add ground cardamom, and five spice.
Once the cognac is reduced, add cranberries to the pan with sugar, champagne, and orange juice. Use a spatula to stir and combine everything in the pan. Bring the mixture to a boil and cook for 12-15 minutes.
Transfer the mixture to a blender and blend on high speed until fully pureed. Pass the puree through a chinois into a bowl. Cover the sauce with plastic wrap and press the wrap onto the cranberry sauce. This will prevent skin from forming. Place the bowl in the refrigerator to cool.
Chorizo Stuffing:
1 pound (450g) crusty bread, cut into 1 inch cubes, left out overnight to lightly dry
2 dried guajillo chiles
2 large eggs
2 ½ cups (600g) pork stock
2 celery stalks, diced
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ lb (225g) chorizo
¾ cup (20g) flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped
¾ cup (170g) unsalted butter
½ cup (120ml) hot water
¼ cup (35g) black garlic
3 tablespoons (12g) fresh sage, finely chopped
1 tablespoon (8g) finely chopped thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Preheat an oven to 350°F (175°C).
Begin by toasting guajillo chiles in a small saucepan. Once the peppers become fragrant, cover with water and bring to a boil over medium high heat. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and place a lid onto the pan. Rehydrate the peppers for 10-15 minutes.
Once the peppers are rehydrated, add black garlic to the mixture and use an immersion blender to blend the peppers and black garlic to a smooth puree. Reduce the sauce by half over medium heat. Reserve sauce for later use.
In a large saute pan, saute diced onions, and celery until translucent. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove the veg from the pan and add chorizo to the pan and heat over medium high heat until browned and crumbly.
Add chopped sage and thyme to the chorizo, then saute until fragrant. Once sauteed, add half of the broth to the pan, and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan to release the fond.
Into a large mixing bowl, add the other half of the stock and 2 eggs. Whisk together until fully homogeneous. Once whisked together, add the cooked vegetables, chorizo, dried bread, and half of the chopped parsley to the bowl. Use a spatula to fold everything together. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Add the bread, egg, and chorizo mixture to a greased 9x13 baking dish. Spoon some of the guajillo chile and black garlic sauce over top and bake in the oven for 40-45 minutes.
Once baked, remove the baking dish from the oven and optionally garnish with crema, hot sauce, and chopped parsley.
Confit Garlic Whipped Mashed Potatoes:
Garlic Confit:
2 cups (270g) peeled garlic
2 cups (480ml) duck fat or olive oil
Mashed Potatoes:
4 pounds (1.8kg) russet potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup (240ml) whole milk
½ cup (120ml) heavy cream
½ cup (113g) unsalted butter
Salt and pepper to taste
METHOD:
Combine garlic and duck fat into a small saucepan and heat over low heat for about 2 hours. The garlic should be soft and slightly darker in color. Strain the garlic from the duck fat and mash the garlic in a mortar and pestle.
Bring a large pot filled ¾ of the way with water, and seasoned generously with salt, to a boil. Once boiling, add potatoes to the water and cook for 20-25 minutes, or until the potatoes are fork tender.
In a medium saucepan, combine whole milk, heavy cream, and unsalted butter. Heat the mixture to medium heat until it begins to steam.
Pass cooked potatoes through a ricer into a large mixing bowl, add the mashed garlic to the potatoes with the milk and cream mixture. Fold together using a spatula to combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve in a large bowl garnished with butter and fresh cracked black pepper.
