Next Up: Cranberry Sauce 2013

I don't want to get bogged down in the details, but sometime Friday we'll be posting our annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce recipe. One hint, and possible spoiler, I really think you'll go nuts for this. Stay tuned!

Photo courtesy of USDA

Peruvian Turkey for Thanksgiving – What? Are You Chicken?

I love, love, love Peruvian-style rotisserie chicken, and have been meaning to do a video on this magical marinade forever, so it’s kind of funny that it makes it Food Wishes debut slathered all over a Thanksgiving turkey. 

By the way, to the hundreds of you who requested Peruvian chicken, I checked with our legal department, and this counts. 

My usual ethnic food disclaimer applies; I have no idea how close this is to your “authentic” recipe, but based on what I’ve tasted at some very good Peruvian restaurants here in San Francisco, I think I did pretty well. I also think this technique translated beautifully to the much larger bird.

Above and beyond the vibrant taste, the spice rub formed an almost airtight crust during the long, slow roasting, and it was truly one of the juiciest turkeys I’ve ever tasted. It was almost reminiscent of some salt-dough versions I've enjoyed before.

As I mentioned in the video, I took some of the same ingredients used in a green sauce that’s usually served along side, and used it to make a pan gravy. I was very pleased with this last minute experiment, and it actually reminded me, in taste and texture, of a Chile Verde, which is never a bad thing.

Below the ingredients, I’ll give you the rather simple formula for achieving perfect doneness, which will work no matter how you flavor your turkey, but if you’re looking for something deliciously different on your Thanksgiving table, then I hope you give this Peruvian turkey a try. Enjoy!

Peruvian Turkey Ingredients:

1 whole turkey, ready to roast

For the spice rub:

12 cloves garlic

1 tbsp dried oregano

3 tbsp paprika

1 tbsp smoked paprika

1/2 cup ground cumin

2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup white vinegar

Rub turkey all over, and under the breast skin with the rub. Let sit out at room temp for 1 hour. Rub extra rub inside cavity, but save a 1/4 cup or so to use as a glaze later. Tie legs, season with kosher salt, and roast at 325 F., for about 15 minutes a pound, or until the internal temp in the thickest part of the thigh is 170-175 F.  Let rest 20 minutes before carving.

*I like to cover the breasts with foil about halfway through the estimated cooking time. I also like to remove it, and brush on any extra spice rub (thinned with a little oil) about 30 minutes before it should be done. 

For the sauce:

1 cup crème fraiche

juice of one lime

I cup chicken broth

2 jalapeno

1/2 cup cilantro

Place roasting pan (pour off excess fat) on med-high heat. Puree above and deglaze roasting pan with the mixture. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture thickens into a gravy. Season and serve!

Next Up: Peruvian Turkey

How to Peel Garlic Like a Boss…Like an Actual Boss

People throw the term “like a boss” around very casually these days, but when I say this technique shows how to peel garlic like a boss, it’s meant literally. I was channel surfing a while back, and saw Martha Stewart demo this very cool trick, and she is, in every sense of the word, a boss.

Many people have inspired me along this entrepreneurial journey online, and Martha is definitely one of them. By the way, I hope she doesn’t take exception to my prison shank joke; but since we are friends (and by friends I mean we’ve never spoken, but do follow each other on Twitter), I’m sure she’ll be fine with it. All kidding aside, this trick is no joke.

The great thing about this method, besides the speed and ease, is that you are truly peeling the garlic, and not crushing it. A crushed garlic clove produces a stronger flavor than a peeled one, especially when used raw, and so this is perfect when you need to mince or slice whole, undamaged cloves. I hope you give this easy trick a try soon. Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chunkin

Just in case our recently featured pumpkin cheesecake isn't your thing, here are some additional ideas as we head towards the Thanksgiving holiday. It's kind of a mystery why we only enjoy these recipes this time of year, since they're all made with available-anytime ingredients, but whatever it is, it's probably the same reason people don't make s'mores in the winter. 

Anyway, I hope you give some of these great pumpkin recipes a try soon, while there's still time. Just click on the recipe title links, and away you go. Enjoy!

	Pumpkin Pancakes It's a crime these aren't a regular item on diner menus.
	Pumpkin Scones There are some colors that only occur with food, and this is one of them. Look for "pumpkin scone" on a paint chip near you.
	Best Pumpkin Pie Ever Since no one can prove otherwise, my legal team is fine with this recipe's outrageous claim.
	Low Fat Pumpkin Flan There are some things that just shouldn't work, but they do, and sometimes those things are low-fat flans.
	Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls You can pretend these are healthier for you than regular cinnamon rolls, since they're made with nutritious pumpkin, but we know the truth.

Coquilles St-Jacques – Hey, Have You Tried That New Saint James Diet?

Coquilles St-Jacques is the kind of unapologetically rich shellfish dish that we used to be able to enjoy, before the book-writing dieticians and celebrity chefs ruined it for everybody. 

Fats of all sorts were demonized, and young cooks far and wide were told to never, ever, under any circumstances, cover-up the delicate flavors of seafood with heavy sauces, especially ones containing cheese.

So, an amazing recipe like this went from classic French treat to crime against nature, and it slowly but surely started disappearing from menus. You can still find it in a few of the braver bistros, but to enjoy on any kind of semi-regular basis, you’ll need to master it at home. The good news is that’s very easy to do.

By the way, this is a great recipe for entertaining larger groups during the holidays, since it can be prepped well ahead of time. For this reason, Coquilles St-Jacques has always been a favorite of caterers and banquet chefs, and below the ingredients list, I’ll give some instructions on how they do it.

You can use sea scallops like I did, or the smaller, sweeter bay scallops, which are really nice in this. Of course, if you use bay scallops, you’ll only need a minute in the simmering wine, so be careful. No matter what you use, be sure they haven’t been dipped in a preservative solution. If you buy them frozen, which you should, the label should only say, “Scallops.”

The shells can be easily found online, or at your local restaurant supply store. Otherwise, simply use some small, shallow gratin dishes, which will work exactly the same. Find something, and give this “scallop recipe that time forgot” a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 portions:

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1/2 cup diced shallots
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup white wine

1 pound sea scallops (about 3 scallops per person)

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 egg yolk

cayenne to taste
2 tsp minced tarragon

1 tsp lemon zest

1/4 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Broil on high, about 8-10 inches under the flame, until the scallops are hot, and the cheese is browned and bubbling. Because of the sugars in the wine and cream, the edges will brûlée or burn, but this is not a problem, and actually how it’s supposed to look.

NOTE: You can make these ahead, and refrigerate until needed. Since they will be cold, you’ll need to bring back to temperature before you broil them. Preheat oven to 350 F. and bake for about 12-15 minutes (will depend on how you constructed them), or until the centers are just warm. Switch oven to broil, and broil on high as shown. 

Farinata – Why Didn’t You Wish for This Sooner!

The third best part of this job, after the fame and fortune, is learning about unique, new foods; and this farinata video is a perfect example! Until it was requested by a Vlad Kiperman (if that is his real name), I had no idea this tasty, and dead simple recipe even existed. It’s so good, I’m kind of sad the discovery came so late in life.

Farinata is nothing more than a simple garbanzo bean flour batter, which is spiked with olive oil and salt, and baked in a very hot oven. The surface gets crusty, the edges get crispy, and yet the inside stays moist and sort of creamy. The texture is easy to explain, but the taste, not so much.

This is so simple and subtly flavored that it’s a kind of hard to describe. You may be familiar with the taste of garbanzo (aka chickpeas) in things like hummus and falafel, but here it’s not combined with other strongly flavored ingredients, and so you’re getting pure, un-cut bean. It’s going to be easier for me if you just make it and taste for yourself.

Like I said in the video, if you’ve never made this before, you should probably try a plain version to get an idea of what this stuff is all about, but after that, the sky's the limit. The options for add-ons to the batter, as well as potential toppings are virtually limitless. I hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Pan Note: I know many will ask, so I’ll just say it now; yes, you can use any oven-safe 10-inch pan to make this, but I have a tough time believing it will come out as wonderfully textured as it would if you use a cast-iron skillet. Putting the batter into a smoking hot pan seems to be one of the big keys here.

Ingredients for 6 portions (one 10-inch cast iron pan):

2 cups lukewarm water

1 1/2 cups garbanzo bean flour (aka chickpea flour)

1 1/2 tsp kosher salt (about 1 tsp fine table salt)

1/2 tsp finely minced rosemary leaves, optional

5 tbsp olive oil, divided (use 3 tablespoons for the batter, and 2 tablespoons for the pan)

freshly ground black pepper to taste

Gluten-Free and Loving It

By the way, since this is made from a legume-based flour, farinata is 100% gluten-free, which should make a small, but very passionate group of foodwishers happy. My usually modus operandi when it comes to such requests and questions is a referral to Allrecipe.com’s impressive, and extensive gluten-free recipe collection, or one of my many talented GF food blogger friends. 

Speaking of which, Shauna and Danny from Gluten-Free Girl (the Beyonce and Jay-Z of GF bloggers), have a new cookbook out called, Gluten-Free Girl Every Day. If you happen to swing that way, check it out. The recipes sound wonderful, the photos are gorgeous, and the book’s getting rave reviews.