Ok, thanksgiving party of pandemic one recipe ideas?

M

mariadnoca

Moderator
After seeing the family tg evite showing 32 people rsvped yes, including people that aren’t our actual family, I think I’m going to need to back out of going.

I’ll likely roast a chicken and possibly eat an entire pie myself, but thought it might be nice to start a thread of smaller tg get together recipe ideas. I’ve only ever made crowd size tg recipes.

 
I like doing Cornish Game Hens, some can eat 1 entire bird, others 1/2 bird

so I offer both. It is fun to make stuffing balls, either with some sausage or not. Little round balls, are cute topped off with some homemade cranberries. Wedges of butternut squash, roasted with melted butter and fresh rosemary, s & p too. Some locally made Sourdough bread with cranberries and pecans.
Am doing this for just the two of us. No family is invited since we are back in the purple again. Not taking any chances. Very sad!

 
We are gathering in town family of 8 at our son in law;s (closed) restaurant rooftop deck.

It is open but has a roof. We'll order the Thanksgiving meal from his other restaurant and add my "never to be missed" Thanksgiving sides--stewed corn, scalloped oysters (unless we have some on the half shell). Haven't finished planning yet but we'll choose from the menu below.
Our Denver children have decided not to come because they fear giving us anything. Just has to be done. We are not going to our annual family Early Christmas lunch celebration with the rest of our NC family--I think they will not have it this year.

I'd love to cook the turkey and all but we need to eat "outside" and the logistics don't work. And even for some family birthday dinners we've had recently (and will next Sunday) we eat outside and we order from restaurants to give them support in this hard times time.

https://www.sealevelnc.com/thanksgiving

https://www.sealevelnc.com/thanksgiving

 
please tell us how you are going to do your stuffed turkey breast. I am cooking a few things

and a neighbor is doing others. We will then share but eat in our own homes. I have ordered 4 Macomber turnips from Westport MA. A different variety and just delicious. Only grown in that area. I will mash them with carrots. Lots of butter. I am thinking of doing a breast too for leftovers and sandwiches.

 
Regrettably, I can only list the two recipes I'm considering....neither tried or true

Both are from NYTIMES

Roast Turkey Breast With Fig-Olive Tapenade (this was 5 stars with 79 reviews)

INGREDIENTS
½ cup dried figs, trimmed
½ cup pitted kalamata olives
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
2 small garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
2 anchovy fillets
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 boneless, skinless turkey breast, 2 to 2 1/2 pounds
½ teaspoon coarse kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Mayonnaise, for serving, optional

Step 1
Place the figs in a bowl and cover with boiling water. Let sit for 5
minutes, then drain and coarsely chop. In a food processor, combine the figs, olives, lemon juice, garlic and anchovies. With the motor running, slowly drizzle in the oil, and process until the mixture becomes a paste.
Step 2
If the breast is tied up, untie it and pat dry; season with salt and
pepper. Coat it with half the paste (reserve the remaining paste for
serving). Roll up the turkey and secure it with kitchen twine. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes at room temperature or up to 24 hours,
covered, in the refrigerator.
Step 3
When you are ready to cook, heat the oven to 375 degrees. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast, turning once halfway through, until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the center of the turkey reads 160 degrees, 45 minutes to 1 hour (it will continue to cook as it cools). Let stand 10 minutes before untying and slicing. Serve with remaining tapenade and mayonnaise on the side.

 
Stuffed Boneless Turkey Breast With White Wine Gravy

This had 4 stars with 105 reviews.

1 whole bone-in turkey breast, 10 to 14 pounds
Salt and ground black pepper
4 to 8 ounces unsalted butter
1 recipe any bread stuffing
1 onion, roughly chopped
1 carrot, roughly chopped
FOR THE GRAVY:
Turkey stock
¼ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup white wine or vermouth, or additional stock

Step 1
Bone the turkey breast: Pull off the skin in one piece, using your
fingers to separate the skin from the meat. Turn the breast on one side and use the tip of a sharp knife to carve off the breast in one piece, following the curve of the rib cage. Repeat on the other side. Reserve whole breasts and skin. Alternatively, ask the butcher to do the boning for you.
Step 2
Place breastbone and any scraps in a deep pot and cover with cold water. Add about 1 teaspoon salt, bring to a simmer and simmer gently, uncovered, until stock is reduced and flavorful, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. Skim occasionally; do not boil. Let stock cool slightly, then strain, discard bones and reserve.
Step 3
Assemble and cook the roast: Heat oven to 325 degrees and place rack in lower third of oven. Cut a piece of cheesecloth long enough to leave about 8 inches of overhang at each end of the roasting pan; you will twist and tie these together to secure the roast.
Step 4
Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter in a saucepan or microwave. Dip
cheesecloth in butter, shake off excess and lay out in roasting pan.
Spread out the turkey skin, outer side down, on the cloth.

Step 5
Season turkey breasts with salt and pepper and paint with melted butter. Place one breast, cut side up, in the center of the cloth. Spoon 1/3 to 1/2 of the stuffing over the meat in a neat layer. (Set aside remaining stuffing in a casserole to bake separately.)

Step 6
Top stuffing with the second breast, cut side down, arranging it so that the thick end of the top breast drapes over the tapered end of the bottom one. (This will give the roast an even shape.)

Step 7
Lift one end of the skin up and over the roast. Repeat on the other side, so that the skin completely covers the roast. Repeat with the cheesecloth so the sides of the roast are covered.

Step 8
Bring up both ends of the cheesecloth so that they meet on top. Twist tightly and tie them together to secure. Turn roast over so that the ends of the cheesecloth are tucked underneath the roast.
Slip a rack under the roast to lift it away from the bottom of the pan. Paint again with melted butter and strew onion and carrot around the roast.

Step 9
Bake until a meat thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the breast reads 155 degrees, about 2 hours depending on size. Baste every 20 to 30 minutes, first using melted butter, then the fat that collects in the pan.

Step 10
After 1 hour of cooking, cover stuffing in casserole with foil and place in the oven with the turkey. Uncover after 30 minutes and cook until heated through and crusty on top.

Step 11
When done, the roast will be compact and burnished brown.
Remove to a platter and let rest, uncovered, 20 minutes. Cut the cheesecloth along one edge of the roast, then carefully peel it off. Gently lift roast and pull the cheesecloth away from the underside. Cover lightly with foil and return to turned-off oven to keep warm. Stuffing can also remain, covered, in turned-off oven.

Make the gravy:
Heat 3 cups reserved turkey stock. Pour 1/4 cup of the fat from the roasting pan into a large saucepan. (Reserve roasting pan with vegetables separately.) Heat over low heat until bubbling; add flour and cook, whisking, until lightly browned. Turn off heat, let cool 2 minutes, then gradually whisk in 2 cups hot stock. Pour off and discard any additional fat in roasting pan and place on top of the stove over low heat. Pour in wine, vermouth or more stock and cook, scraping up browned bits from the bottom of the pan, for 5 minutes. Pour contents of roasting pan into the gravy in the saucepan and stir together. Simmer until thickened and heated through. Add remaining stock as needed until gravy has the consistency you like. Taste for seasoning; strain.
To carve the roast, cut it into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve with additional stuffing and hot gravy.

 
I watched the Rachael Ray show yesterday, her guest was that big muscular guy

who travels around rescuing broken restaurants. He did two turkey breasts, one a Cajun-style and the other butter, herb mix, which I think he stuffed but could be wrong about that part. Both looked great. Also, Once Upon a Chef has her Thanksgiving recipe suggestions on her website now, and one is a Herb & Brown Sugar Dry-Brined Turkey, which would be nice for a turkey breast as well. She is always reliable for good solid recipes.

https://www.onceuponachef.com/recipes/herb-brown-sugar-dry-brined-turkey.html

 
Rec: Herb Roasted Turkey Thighs (aka Thanksgiving for 2).

Pat’s note: Tasty turkey. Also added peeled chunks of yam along with the potatoes. Original recipe called for 2 cups broth added to roasting turkey thighs but after adding 1 cup I decided it was plenty, since I wasn’t really going for a large quantity of gravy and found the 1 cup broth to bring up the liquid enough to be more like braising the turkey and potatoes.


Herb Roasted Turkey Thighs (aka Thanksgiving for 2)

2 turkey thighs
a handful of garlic, peeled
a handful of pearl onions, peeled
4 small potatoes, cut into chunks
1 cup unsalted chicken (or turkey) broth (Pat’s note: original recipe was 2 cups)
2 sprigs of sage
2 sprigs of rosemary
2 sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves
a sprinkle of olive oil
salt & pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 400°F. Let turkey thighs sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes before cooking.

Gather a few leaves from each herb sprig and finely chop to make about 2 teaspoons each. Rub chopped herbs onto each side of the turkey thighs along with a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Place thighs skin side down in a deep roasting pan. Bake for about 30 minutes. (Pat’s note: skin sticks this way, better to sear skin side down first in a bit of oil, then pop the pan in the oven to finish.)

Turn thighs over, then add potatoes, pearl onions, garlic, bay leaves and herb sprigs. Pour in broth and sprinkle all with a little more salt & pepper, then drizzle some olive oil on top. Roast for another 30-40 minutes, until thighs are done and potatoes are tender. Stir the potatoes once during roasting. Remove pan from oven, let thighs and potatoes sit covered with foil for about 20 minutes before serving. Place turkey and vegetables on a serving platter.

Turkey Gravy Recipe

strained leftover broth
flour
salt & pepper, to taste

Strain leftover broth into a small pan. Turn heat on high and whisk in flour a little at a time for desired thickness. If needed, season with salt and pepper. Pour into gravy vessel.

Yield: Makes 2 large servings (Pat’s note: and leftovers)

Source: http://wishfulchef.com/roast-turkey-thighs/#more-3556

 
A couple of friends are cooking Thanksgiving for one. They are planning to cook for two so

there will be leftovers.

 
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