Foolproof Gravy

Gravy seems to be one of those kitchen mysteries for many people. Really it’s just a simple pan sauce and with a few helpful hints you’ll be making gravy like a pro.

Standard Turkey Gravy 

Makes 4 cups.

1/4 cup fat (reduced pan drippings)

1/4 cup flour (or 2 tablespoons cornstarch or arrow root powder)

4 cups chicken or turkey broth, homemade is preferable

salt and pepper to taste

good-quality wine vinegar, optional

When you have finished roasting your turkey, remove it from the pan along with any onions or other vegetables you may have cooked it on. Use a slotted spoon to remove the cooked vegetables so that you leave as much jus (drippings) in the pan as possible.

Place the roasting pan over a couple burners on your stove top. Reduce (simmer) the drippings over medium-high heat until you have about 1/4 cup left in the pan. 

Lower heat to medium. Add 1/4 cup of flour and whisk until the flour becomes a smooth paste. Don't panic if there are lumps, just keep whisking!

Very slowly, add chicken broth to the flour paste while whisking constantly. Don’t be afraid to stop adding broth for a moment until you can whisk the mixture smooth. The key to smooth gravy is constant whisking.* Continue to whisk until you have added all four cups of broth. If you like other flavors in your gravy, such as pureed giblets, fresh herbs or wine, feel free to add them at this time. Reduce heat and simmer until the gravy reaches the desired thickness. 

Finish with salt and pepper to taste. Now, if your gravy is good but not great, here's a little chef trick to try: add a splash of good quality wine vinegar. Try as little as 1/4 teaspoon at first. Sometimes rich sauces benefit from a little bit of acidity to brighten the flavor!

*If you do end up with some lumps in your gravy, simply pour the gravy through a sieve before serving. No one will know the difference!

Talking Turkey about Thanksgiving Wines

Need a little advice before you head to the wine shop this holiday? Here are a few notes to help you sort out the perfect wine for your Thanksgiving celebration.

There are several wines that are "gimme’s" when it comes to Thanksgiving. That doesn't diminish their appeal or great taste. It just means that you might have already thought of them. So, let’s talk about the easy pairings first.

Chardonnay is always a good bet especially if it comes from California or Australia. The oaky, buttery flavors really marry well with the traditional Thanksgiving meal. It’s a wine that everyone is familiar with and will enjoy. I would suggest trying a lightly oaked version so that the wine doesn't compete with the food.

Pinot Noir and red Burgandy arguably top the list of all-time greatest wines. You might find it interesting to know, it’s a compliment to suggest that a Pinot Noir or Burgandy has a "barnyard" aroma. That doesn't mean a foul smell, rather a lightly funky smell - like damp straw in a stable, a well-worn saddle - it’s pleasant and reminiscent of a barn. A good Pinot Noir or Burgandy will have a velvety texture, soft tannins and perhaps a cherry fruit flavor. Their slight gamey aroma and light body make them a great match with roast turkey, particularly the dark meat and root vegetables.

Zinfandel is a great choice if you are thinking about pairing with your side dishes vs. the turkey. If you make a delicious sausage stuffing or are famous for your cranberry sauce, Zinfandel could be the wine for you. Look for a fruity, medium bodied, moderate alcohol wine (under 13%) that won’t overpower the meal.

If you are looking for something a little different, I have some less common wine pairing suggestions.

Viognier is a delicate, low acid wine that typically has light floral notes in the nose -- think peach blossoms or honeysuckle. It is a good wine for foods that are spiced with aromatic spices like clove and nutmeg. It pairs well with poultry, especially when combined with sweet and savory flavors so imagine it with roast turkey, herbed stuffing, sweet potatoes and a wedge of pumpkin pie.

Beaujolais often has a soft plummy flavor that is very drinkable. I’d recommend trying a Beaujolais-Village because they are typically light bodied and don’t over powered food with too much fullness or a long finish. These straightforward wines pair well with rustic, flavorful foods like roasted pork and poultry with pan gravy.

Are you smoking your turkey this year? Or perhaps you’re deep-frying your bird? Okay you crazy culinarians, I haven’t forgotten about you! Here are some wine pairing suggestions just for you.

Sparkling Wines always add a festive note to the meal. But, if you are planning to deep-fry your turkey this year, this is definitely the choice for you! A crisp dry sparkling wine (brut or rosé) acts as a refreshing palate cleanser alongside the salt and crispy skin of the bird.

For those of you making a smoked turkey, a Dry Rosé is the ticket. I’m not talkin’ white zin here, rather a European-style rosé. They typically offer a nice balance of acidity and fruitiness to compliment the smokey flavor of the turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!  Cheers, Chef Erin

Roasted Squash with Apples and Dill

Roasted vegetables are one of the biggest food trends of the past several years. I’ve developed a simple roasted vegetable recipe that will be perfect side dish for your holiday meal. I think you’ll enjoy the subtle sweetness of the roasted squash and apples. It’s much less cloying that some traditional squash or sweet potato dishes. The dill is an unusual addition to the recipe and really brings out an herbaceous quality in the apples. 

Roasted Squash with Apples & Dill

Serves 8

8 tbsp (1 stick) butter

4 cups Butternut squash, medium dice*

2 cups sweet onion (e.g. Walla Walla; Maui; Vidalia, etc.), medium dice*

3 cups apples, medium dice*

1 tbsp fresh dill, minced

salt & pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat. Set aside.

Combine squash, onions and 6 tbsp melted butter in a large mixing bowl. Toss gently to coat. 

Spread squash mixture onto a buttered baking sheet. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until the squash is just tender, approximately 20 minutes.

Remove baking sheet from the oven. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees F.

Uncover the squash. Toss apples with the remaining 2 tbsp of melted butter. Add buttered apples to the roasted squash on the baking sheet and return to the oven. Bake uncovered until the apples and squash begin to brown in spots, approximately 15 to 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven. Sprinkle the dish with fresh dill and salt and pepper to taste. The dish can be served immediately or at room temperature.

Note: If you roast this dish in the morning before putting your turkey in the oven, you can let it sit at room temperature until serving or refrigerate and reheat it while you are making your gravy.  

*medium dice = 1/2 inch cubes

The Best Thanksgiving Turkey Advice!

It’s an age-old holiday struggle. How do you keep the white meat of your turkey moist while waiting for the dark meat to finish cooking? Well, I have a suggestion for you that will not only decrease your cooking time but also make the dark meat the most popular option. This holiday season why don’t you try removing the turkey legs and stuffing them. It’s easy. I will lead you through each step with photos to demonstrate what to do.

First, using a sharp knife, slice through the skin of the bird between the body and the thigh to expose the flesh.

Next bend the leg toward the backbone of the bird enough to pop the thigh joint out. Cut along the body of the bird, around the joint, to remove the leg. Repeat the process on the other leg.

When you have removed both legs, lay them cut-side up on the cutting board. You should see a line of yellowish fat running down the inner thigh of the leg. Use the tip of your knife to cut along that line down to the thigh bone. Continue to cut a straight line from that point on down the leg. When you reach the ankle joint, slice around the leg to free the skin from the bone.

Use the blade of the knife to scrape the meat away from the leg bones. At the knee joint, carefully use the tip of your knife to free the meat from the joint. Try not to puncture the skin.

You are almost done! The last step is to remove the hard tendons from the leg portion. The tendons look and feel like white “sticks” in the leg meat. I hold the exposed end of the “stick” while running the tip of my knife along the length of the tendon. A little tug should free the tendon after you run your knife the length of it. If you are having trouble pulling the tendons out, try using a pair of kitchen tweezers or pliers.

If you are removing the leg bones the night before, simply cover and refrigerate them until you are ready to put the bird in the oven. For food safety reasons, you should not stuff the legs until you are ready to roast them.

When you are ready to cook the whole bird, lay the boned leg sections out flat on a cutting board. Each leg section should form the shape of a rectangle. Spoon a line of your favorite stuffing down the center on the long side, then roll the stuffed leg into a cylinder.

Using kitchen twine, truss the stuffed leg to hold it together. You start by tying the twine around one end of the leg, then make a loop, twist it and slide it around the leg. Space each loop about 1 to 2 inches apart. Repeat until the whole leg is secure.

Stuff the breast cavity as you normally would. Nestle a little aluminum foil around any exposed stuffing to keep it from drying out. Place the stuffed breast into your roasting pan and lay the stuffed legs on either side. Roast, basting occasionally, until the breast meat has reached 170ºF. By the time the white meat of the breast is fully cooked, the legs will be as well. Slice the breast and stuffed legs and arrange on a platter.

I promise the dark meat will be a hit!

Pan Seared Salmon with Chanterelle Mushrooms

Fall is such a great time for mushrooms. I can't get over the price of chanterelles at my local market. My friend, Venus, presented me with an enormous bag full of them just a few weeks ago. Vince and I had mushrooms with scrambled, Timpano di Patate (a pie made from mashed potatoes, roasted mushrooms and smoked mozzarella), a big, thick rib-eye steak with sauteed mushrooms and I still had some leftover.

I've always liked the earthy flavor of mushrooms with the rich flavor of salmon, so I splurged on a piece of King Salmon and went to town. This recipe is quick and satisfying. It feels nice enough to serve to company, but fast enough of a weeknight dinner.

Pan Roasted Salmon with Chanterelle Mushrooms

8 ounces chanterelle mushroom, cleaned
and thickly sliced (see note)
2 tbsp ghee or clarified butter
2 6-ounce salmon filets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup slivered shallots
2 sprigs fresh thyme or 1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp minced garlic

Preheat oven to 425F. Season salmon filets liberally with salt and pepper

Heat a large, heavy, oven-safe saute pan over medium high heat.  When the pan is hot, add the ghee and swirl to coat.  Place the seasoned salmon skin-side up in the pan and sear for 2 minutes or until the salmon loosens easily from the pan. (Don't pry it. If you've got enough oil in the pan, the salmon will release when it's completely seared.)

Turn the salmon over so the skin-side is down. Toss in the sliced mushrooms, slivered shallot and thyme.  Place the pan in the oven and roast until the salmon is medium-rare (the outer flesh will flake with a fork but will still be glossy orange at the thickest part of the filet) for approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the salmon to a warm plate and tent loosely with aluminum foil.

Return the saute pan to the burner over medium-high heat. Add the sherry and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes until most of the sherry has evaporated.  Add the chicken stock and garlic and simmer for another 3 minutes or so.  Taste the mushrooms for additional salt and pepper.

Divide the mushroom mixture between two serving plate, top each with a salmon filet and serve.

Chefs note: If your mushrooms are very clean, you simply need to brush them before cooking. However, if they are dirty, you'll have to wash them. Forget the crazy idea that you can't wash mushrooms! Remember, they probably got some rain while they were growing and that didn’t wash away their flavor.Wash the chanterelles hours, or ideally a day before you need them. Turn on the tap to a low flow, hold the mushroom under the water and brush lightly to clean with a new paintbrush. Put the cleaned mushrooms into a colander to drip until all are cleaned.

Harvest Bisque

I've only ever written one fan letter to a cookbook author. It was to Susan Branch, circa 1990. If you've never heard of Susan Branch, she's cookbook author, artist and all-around cottage industry. My introduction to her came via The Heart of The Home, a delightful cookbook filled with family memories, favorite quotes and yummy recipes. It was so engaging. I felt as though I were actually getting a glimpse into this woman's life.

Even back then, I wanted to write cookbooks. I think that fan letter was probably something to that effect. How could I do what she was doing? I don't really remember. What I do remember is that she wrote back! She was kind and encouraging, and she made a fan for life. I think I have every cookbook she's ever penned and a year hardly goes by that my sister-in-law doesn't gift me one of her calendars.

With all the gloomy rain we've been having I decided to make an old comfort-food favorite from The Heart of the Home - Butternut Bisque. It is a simple, quick and satisfying soup.  I've made it dozens of times over the years.  The only thing that is difficult is peeling the butternut squash.  The skin of the squash is so thick and tough that paring it away can be time consuming. I just wasn't in the mood to fuss with it on Sunday so I decided to buy some frozen squash instead.

My big box grocery carried a very generic, frozen squash - probably made from a combination of winter squashes. That's probably where things got iffy. Butternut squash has a natural sweetness, far sweeter than Acorn or Hubbard Squash. Anyway, I followed the rest of the recipe as specified and, frankly, it fell flat.

Not one to give up, I did a little tinkering I ended up with a fabulous new concoction that I'm calling Harvest Bisque. I added a few additional spices including little coriander and orange for sweetness. Frankly, no insult to Susan, but I think mine is a little better.  Try it yourself and see!

Harvest Bisque

Serves 4 to 6

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large onion, diced

2 medium carrots, peeled  and sliced thinly

1 celery stalk, diced

2 medium russet potatoes, peeled and diced

2 14-ounce packages of frozen squash, thawed

4 cups chicken stock, homemade if possible

2 teaspoons sweet curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground coriander

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon orange zest

1/3 cup orange juice

a pinch of nutmeg

sea salt to taste

1/2 teaspoon good quality white wine vinegar, optional

sour cream for garnish, optional

freshly ground pepper to taste

Melt the butter in a large saucepan or small stockpot over medium heat.  Add the onion, carrots and celery and sweat the vegetables until they are soft, about 10 to 15 minutes. Add the potatoes, squash, stock, curry powder, ginger, coriander, white pepper and bay leaf.  Stir to combine. 

Increase the heat to medium high, and bring the soup to a boil. Reduce the heat immediately , cover, and simmer for 30 minutes.

Remove the soup from the stove top and allow to cool slightly.  Use an immersion or stick blender to puree the soup to a smooth and creamy consistency.  If you don't have an immersion blender, pour the cooled soup into a blender and puree under smooth.

Add the orange zest, orange juice and a pinch of nutmeg to the pureed soup.  Taste for salt and add as needed.  If the soup needs a little brightness, you can add a little white wine vinegar.  Sometimes adding an acid like wine vinegar and liven a dish.

Served the soup immediately. Garnish with a dollop of sour cream and freshly ground black pepper if desired.

Chef's Note: You may substitute fresh squash for the frozen squash.  If you do so, use a 2 1/2 lb Butternut or Hubbard squash. Peel, seed and cube the squash. Increase the chicken stock to 5 cups and increase the cooking time to 40 minutes.

Pear Chips - A Grain-Free Alternative to Crackers

I've been mostly grain-free for several years now. Unlike many people, I don't typically look for ways to recreate the things I can't eat anymore. There aren't a lot of grain-free alternatives for the basics like crackers, breads and pizza. Most of the time I don't really care. There are a plethora of wonderful things to eat without turning to starchy staples.

One of my favorite things to eat is cheese. (Thank God I don't have a sensitivity to dairy too. For a while there Vince was having some issues with dairy and I thought, "holy crap, aren't we the fun couple to invite to dinner." Thankfully that passed.) Anyway, most of the time I just eat cheese on its own or with some antipasti but that's not so easy do with soft cheeses like Brie, Cambazola and goat cheese. You, more or less, need a delivery system of sorts with them. That's the time when I miss being able to grab a cracker or piece of bread.

Recently I saw a new product called Simple and Crisp. It's a line of dehydrated fruit crisps that can be used for anything for crackers to drink garnishes. They feature pear, apple, orange and blood orange crisps. I like them very much but they are a little pricey - about $8 a box for around 20 crisps. Vince has been off work for over a year now so I don't feel like I can be all willy-nilly with my food budget these days. So, I thought I'd just make my own. It's not difficult and really not all that time consuming because you just put them in a low oven and forget about them for a few hours.

Here's what you need:
3 to 4 firm, ripe pears
6 ounces of fresh squeezed lemon juice
4 cups of water

First wash the pears and gently wipe them dry. In a medium-sized mixing bowl combine the lemon juice and water, and set aside.

Preheat your oven to 250F. Incidentally, I prefer to use an oven over a dehydrator because the oven creates crispier chips as opposed to fruit leather-like chips.

Now it's time to slice. I highly recommend using a mandoline for slicing the pears. It's pretty hard to maintain the steady hand and eagle eye it take to make consistent slices. I set my mandoline on the second thinnest slice setting, which gives me roughly 1/8-inch thick slices. That's perfect for a crispy chip with enough stability to hold a slathering of creamy cheese.

Submerge the slices of pear in the lemon water. You only need to leave them in the water a minute or two. If you leave them in too long they will absorb too much water and it will be harder to crisp them up.

Then, drain the slices and pat them dry on clean kitchen towel or sheets of paper towel.

Next, line baking sheets with pieces of parchment. This will make clean up super easy. Arrange the pear slices on the parchment-lined baking sheet in a single layer.

Place the baking sheets in the oven. Set a timer for 2 hours.  At the end of the 2 hours, check the slices.  They should be dry and slightly crispy.  If not, put them back in the oven for another 15 to 30 minutes. Don't over brown them.

Finally, remove the baking sheet from the oven and allow the pear chips to cool for 15 to 30 minutes.  They will crisp completely during this time.

It's up to you what you do next. Vince and I love pear chips with a smear of Camembert or creamy Gorgonzola. Try topping them with a sprinkling of toasted, chopped hazelnuts or walnuts.  They are also great with a little mascarpone drizzled with chocolate sauce.

After pear season, try the same trick with apples!