Turkey Pot Pie

The secret to really great pot pie, in my opinion, is the sauce, or gravy if you will. Fortunately, as mentioned in my last post, I made really good gravy this year and translating that to the pot pie was not difficult. The key was, of course, my own rich turkey stock.

Here's my turkey pot pie recipe -- I made it in a single dish, but it could definitely be made in individual oven-proof dishes as well.

That Girl's Turkey Pot Pie

6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 yellow onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups turkey stock (chicken stock will do in a pinch)
1/4 cup half-and-half (can substitute milk or heavy cream)
3 small carrots, diced & blanched for 2 minutes
3 small potatoes, diced & blanched for 2 minutes
2 cups turkey cut or shredded into bite-sized pieces
1 recipe pie crust for single crust pie (I used *gasp* Pillsbury)

Heat turkey stock in a saucepan. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, celery and thyme and cook until translucent, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Add flour and mix into a roux. Stir continuously for two minutes. Add warmed turkey stock and stir. Bring to a simmer stirring occasionally until thickened (should be the consistency of a thin gravy). Add half-and-half, potatoes, carrots, and turkey.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Pour the mixture into baking dish and cover with dough, crimping edges and folding any extra over towards the center. Make 3 - 5 slashes in the top. Set on a baking sheet and bake for 30 minutes or until bubbly.

Thanksgiving Leftovers: The Moistmaker

I suspect that anyone who watched Friends remembers The One With Ross's Sandwich, in which his sandwich made of Thanksgiving leftovers gets eaten. We made our own open-faced version of "The Moisemaker," so called because of the gravy soaked third piece of bread in the middle of the sandwich. If you have good gravy, which we did this year (yea me!), I highly recommend either version.

That Girl's Thanksgiving Leftover Moistmaker

1 slice of bread, preferably white but whole wheat is fine
Gravy
Stuffing
Turkey

Spread a spoonful of gravy over the slice of bread and place in a bowl. Place one layer of turkey on top of the gravy, then about 1/2 cup of stuffing (spread it out a little). Place another scoop of gravy over the top, as much or as little as you want.

Microwave about 90 seconds to 2 minutes.

A Traditional and Simple Thanksgiving Meal

Every year I go through all the magazines, all the on-line guides, and my cookbooks and think about everything I would love to make for Thanksgiving dinner. It is really the one holiday this is about the food, traditional food at that.

The first year we moved to Virginia we decided since it was just the three of us we would forgo the traditional turkey and have cioppino. It was delicious. And then I cooked a turkey breast over the weekend.

This year we decided that we would go simple and traditional. Here is our menu:

Butternut Squash Soup with Cider Cream
Simple Roast Turkey
Sage Stuffing
Rich Turkey Gravy
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Sweet White Corn
Spiced Cranberry Sauce
Apple Pie
Pumpkin Pie

We opened a bottle of Blenheim Vinyards Petit Verdot that perfectly complemented the meal.

little j and I did much of the cooking on Wednesday so we could have a relaxing day on Thursday. We took our guest, my college roommate and very good friend, to Monticello for one of the best tours we've had, and then spent much of the rest of the day visiting and putting our feet up. The turkey went in the oven at 1:15 and was out by 4, perfectly roasted. And we sat down to eat at 5:30.

It was a lovely meal with good company, good food, good wine, and good conversation. Afterwards everyone helped in the kitchen then we watched The Santa Clause and ate pie. It was the perfect holiday.

Veal -- The 10 Minute Dish

I know there has been some controversy surrounding veal, but it seems it has passed, especially now that you can find naturally raised organic veal (always my preference). If you're looking for a quick and easy dinner veal scallops with a quick pan sauce is a good choice.

Tonight I fixed veal scallops with mushrooms and rosemary, a simple dish consisting of sauteed mushrooms and rosemary, seared veal and finished with a light cream sauce. All together it took me about 20 minutes to put the meal together (this doesn't include the 60 minutes for the wild rice, but there's not much hands-on time involved with that).

A quick search on Epicurious will lead you to delicious and easy combinations. But if you have some fresh herbs on hand or your own herb garden all the better. Sautee your salt and peppered veal scallops in about a tablespoon of olive oil over high heat for about a minute per side. Then just step out the door and grab a handful of herbs, any combination will do, that you can toss in with some minced garlic after you deglaze the pan with a little red or white wine. Finish off heat with a bit of unsalted butter and you're ready for the table.

Marrow Fascination

A few months back we had dinner at a new-ish restaurant, The Local. They had marrow on the menu and being the foodie that I am I absolutely had to try it. I have to admit, it was slightly disappointing, as was the entire dinner, but I could see how it could have been fantastic.

And today comes a posting from Michael Ruhlman on how to prepare crispy bone marrow. Now, I just need to find a source.

We have a local organic butcher that we go to from time to time. The last time I was there I asked about beef cheeks and while they didn't have any on hand they said it was something that they could get. Therefore, I surmise they could acquire the "pipe cut bone marrow" that Ruhlman suggests.

So this along with the veal stock are on my list of cooking projects in the coming month. But first I have to contend with about 15 more pounds of apples -- perhaps more sauce this afternoon.

12 Pounds of Apples

How disappointing that 12 pounds of apples only got me 3 quarts of applesauce. But it is good, vintage Virginia applesauce. About a week ago we made our annual trek to the Virginia Vintage Apple Fest. This is our fifth year going and each year it has gotten bigger. I think five years ago there weren't more than 50 people. This year there must have been ten times that.

But one thing hasn't changed: lots of delicious vintage apples and the best hayride.

We bought almost 40 pounds of apples -- Albemarle Pippin, Black Twig, Winesap, Virginia Gold, and Granny Smith. Tonight I randomly picked apples to make 12 pounds and washed them in water with a little white vinegar. Big J and little j used the apple peeler-corer to prep the apples then I put them on the stove to cook until soft.

After the apples softened up I ran them through the Kitchen Aid food mill attachment (a wonderful invention, by the way) and ended up with a pot full of perfectly textured applesauce.

I added 4 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1 cup of natural unrefined sugar, and a couple tablespoons of cinnamon. I ladled the sauce into jars and processed them for 20 minutes.

And there you have it, 3 quarts of vintage applesauce. Delicious! Next up: apple butter.

Don't Fear the Souffle

It's hard to come up with a catchy title when talking about souffle. What I really want to express is that souffle is a very simple dish. I think many people are scared of souffles, but honestly they are very forgiving.

The other thing about a souffle is that it can be a very appealing way to cook foods that some in the family may not care for. For example, Big J really does not like sweet potatoes; that is, he didn't like sweet potatoes until I made sweet potato souffle.

One of the great things about this particular dish is that it is light -- it's not a heavy casserole weighted down with a gooey sweet topping of marshmallows. Although, frankly, I like that dish mostly because I love the toasting brown marshmallows. Traditionally sweet potato dishes are served at Thanksgiving, and who can stomach a really heavy casserole amidst the turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and homemade rolls? The souffle is a lighter addition to the meal.

In any case, a couple years ago I came across a recipe for Sweet Potato and Gruyere Souffle. As is, it is delicious. But little j didn't care for the onions; actually neither did I. Plus, I have this whole sweet vs. savory thing which I just can't get over, so I switched it up a little bit.

Should you be looking for a new 'show-off' dish for Thanksgiving, this might be it. I know it will be on That Girl's Thanksgiving table.

Sweet Potato Souffle

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the souffle dish
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 cup whole milk
2 cups cooked, mashed sweet potatoes
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly grated
4 large eggs, separated

Butter a 1 1/2-quart souffle dish and set aside.

Mash sweet potatoes and mix in maple syrup, cinnamon, and nutmeg.

In a large heavy saucepan melt butter over medium low heat until just beginning to brown. Add the flour and whisk to form a roux. Stir for three minutes. Add the milk in a slow, steady stream whisking continuously. Simmer the mixture, whisking, until thickened.

Off heat, whisk in sweet potato mixture. Whisk in egg yolks one at a time.

In a bowl with an electric mixer beat the egg whites with a pinch of salt until they just hold stiff peaks, whisk one fourth of them into the sweet potato mixture to lighten it, and fold in the remaining whites gently but thoroughly.

Pour the mixture into the prepared soufflé dish.

Bake the soufflé in the middle of a preheated 375°F. oven for 45 to 50 minutes, or until it is puffed and golden. Serve the soufflé immediately.