Next Up: Cream Biscuits

Happy National Vichyssoise Day Eve

Warning: this is not vichyssoise.

I enjoy making fun of arbitrarily designated food holidays as much as the next food blogger, and like many, I use them as a convenient excuse to repost seasonally appropriate recipes, not really caring how the day came about, but National Vichyssoise Day is different.

Seriously, someone needs to find out how it came to be that we’re celebrating a chilled potato and leek soup in the middle of November. I took a quick look, and while there are countless references to the day, as usual, no info on its genesis. As a B-list YouTube celebrity, I’m far too busy to do any further research, but if any of you food detectives crack the case, please let me know.

Shockingly, I’ve not done a vichyssoise video yet, so you’ll have to settle for this incredibly comforting ham and potato soup. While not as seasonally inappropriate as Vichyssoise, it’s delicious nonetheless, and one of our most popular soup recipes ever. Enjoy!

Click here for the ingredients, and to read the original post.

Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce – I'm Fine Now, But I Used to Be Nuts

It funny how certain food memories stick in your brain, and this maple walnut cranberry sauce is the result of one such remembrance. I can’t tell you when or where, but sometime during my formative years I saw a cranberry sauce loaded with chopped walnuts, and I totally freaked. 

Not outwardly, as I have a decent poker face, but inside I was like, “what the hell is that?” That’s how it was for me early in life. If I saw a food prepared differently from the way I’d always seen it, I just assumed it was a terrible idea. Like ketchup on a hot dog…okay, so I happened to be right that time, but generally it’s not a great attitude to have.

As I pondered this season’s annual Thanksgiving cranberry sauce, and which styles I hadn’t tried yet, I remembered how off-putting that walnut-studded version was, and I decided to face my demons. I’m happy to report, as usual, I was totally wrong. It works perfectly.

Besides the nuts, I really enjoyed the job the maple syrup did sweetening the acidic berries. I recommend using a Grade B maple syrup if you can find it. It’s darker and thicker, and boasts a stronger maple flavor, so it’s the preferred syrup for cooking and baking by those in the know (also know as, “Canadians”).

So, if you’re looking for new and exciting cranberry sauce recipe this holiday season, I hope you give this a try. You’d be nuts not to. Enjoy!

Maple Walnut Cranberry Sauce Ingredients:
(makes about 2 cups)

1 (12 oz) package fresh cranberries, washed

1 cinnamon stick

1/4 cup white sugar

1/2 cup maple syrup

1 tbsp freshly grated ginger

1/4 cup port wine

3/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tbsp orange zest

pinch of salt

1 cup chopped walnut, toasted a light golden-brown

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!