A Thanksgiving for the Space Age (Part II)

Well, as science predicted, the food turned out spectacularly. The turkey was super-moist and tasted of turkey. Easily the best turkey I've eaten. The stuffing was rich and flavorful. Vanessa's cranberry sauce rung a sharp, sweet note to counteract the richness of the meat. The gravy was amazing. I could go on, but you can just look for yourself.

Dessert was wholly my idea. I had help (by way of recipe) with the pumpkin cake portion. The rest of it was composed by me. I have to say that I was pleased with the wonderful, autumny flavors. Nice contrast of hot and cold, soft and crunchy.

Sous-Vide Thanksgiving Turkey, Sous-Vide Stuffing and Turkey Gravy

TURKEY STOCK
bones from the turkey carcass, chopped up into chunks
1 cup white wine
1 large onion, chopped
4-5 stalks celery, chopped
3 carrot, chopped
1 bay leaf
water, to cover

TURKEY
1 turkey
2 bunches sage
1 large bunch thyme
6 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 sticks butter, cut into 3 chunks each, divided use

STUFFING
275 g butter
350 g onion
240 g celery
4 cloves garlic
2 bay leaves
1 cup sage, packed, roughly chopped
2 loaves whole wheat bread, medium dice
4 large eggs
400 g TURKEY STOCK
21 g salt
27 turns black pepper mill
1 handful dried prunes, chopped
1/2 cup Armagnac or other brandy or cognac (optional, but HIGHLY recommended)

GRAVY
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
3 ladlefuls turkey stock
1 knob butter

TURKEY STOCK
Take the turkey carcass and bones that you butchered and place them in a super-hot pan with a bit of oil. Leave them alone. Try to burn them! Go ahead, Try! Whatever you do, don't shake the pan for at least 5 minutes. Wait until they brown, then move them around.

Deglaze the pan with wine... about a cup. Let the alcohol burn off and scrape the tasty bits off the bottom.

Meanwhile, you have cut up a good sized onion, 4 or 5 stalks of celery, some carrots, bay leaf, and sweat them in the pan briefly with the bones and wine. Then transfer all of that into a larger pot and cover with water. Let that simmer for the 3 hours that the turkey is cooking... or a bit longer. You want to reduce it by at least half. Strain through a chinois or fine mesh strainer and put in the fridge to cool.... I like to do that to remove the fat easily the next day, but you could also skim it off.

TURKEY
Heat a large pot of water to 170-175F.

Prepare two large freezer bags. Joint the turkey into 2 whole legs and two breast halves. Place the legs in one bag and the breasts in another. Add to each bag one small bunch of sage, 5-6 sprigs of thyme, 1 stick of butter and season generously with salt and pepper.

Place the freezer bags in the water and cook at 170-175F temperature for 2.5 to 3 hours, monitoring the water temperature, making sure it holds steady. Meanwhile, make the turkey stock.

When the time is up, remove the turkey from the bags into a bowl and wipe off excess fat. Place breasts and legs on a paper towel briefly to remove a bit of the fat. Get a pan ripping hot (smoking) with a bit of oil in the pan. Sear the sous-vide cooked turkey on there skin side down until golden brown. If your pan is hot enough this will happen faster than you think.... salt and pepper to taste. Slice breasts and present on platter. You now have tender, juicy turkey.

STUFFING
Sweat the butter, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaves and thyme together over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Remove the bay leaves.

Dump the cooked onion and celery mix into a bowl with the bread, eggs, turkey stock, salt and pepper.

Now you have choices here... do you like it mushy with no big bits? get in there and work it with your hands. Like some crunchy bits and plan to broil or saute it at the last minute? then leave the bread a bit bigger. Like mushrooms? Cranberries? Add them now.

In either case, put it in a bag and into the water with the turkey... 2 to 3 hours. Remove from bag and either serve... or leave it in the fridge overnight and let it set up. Then slice and broil or saute to get it browned.


GRAVY
Make a roux... I do a simple butter and flour mix and cook it in a pan stirring constantly for 10 to 15 minutes -- a couple tablespoons of each should do it. After 10 minutes of cooking over high heat you want the consistency to be like sand in the beach when a wave comes up... if you draw a line in it with the back of your wooden spoon it should briefly leave a line then fill back in. Slowly it will turn brown... when it gets chestnut colored, it is time to add the stock.

If your roux is ripping hot, you will add cold stock... and watch out. This is the fireworks part. Stir vigorously adding a bit of stock... this will get super thick... add stock until you get a just slightly too watery consistency. Then simmer it down a bit until it thicken to your preferred consistency... add salt and pepper to taste. I strain mine through a mesh strainer once again just to make sure no lumps remain. I will sometimes add a bit of butter at the end as well just to give it a bit of sheen.

Cranberry-Grand Marnier Sauce

1 pound cranberries
½ cup sugar, plus more to taste
½ cup water
3 tablespoons Grand Marnier, to taste

Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan over medium-high heat until the sugar dissolves and the syrup had bubbled some. Add the cranberries and cook until they begin to pop; reduce the heat the low, stirring regularly.

After the cranberries have cooked for a few minutes (most of them have popped), add the Grand Marnier and continue to stir and cook for a few more minutes. Taste for balance of tartness, sweetness and booziness.

Serve warm or cold.

"Pumpkin" Cake with Cinnamon-Vanilla Ice Cream, Pecan Tuile and Salted Bourbon-Caramel Sauce

CAKE
1 Kabocha or butternut squash
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus a little for the pan
½ vanilla bean
2 cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup granulated sugar
½ teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1 ½ cups whole milk
1 ¾ cups heavy cream
3 extra-large egg
1 tablespoon honey

ICE CREAM
1 vanilla bean
1 tablespoon cinnamon
2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy cream
9 large egg yolks
1 cup sugar, plus 2 tablespoons

TUILE
15 g egg white
30 g ground pecans
25 g icing sugar
20 g flour
20 g butter, soft
crumbled pecans, to top

SAUCE
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup bourbon
1 splash heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1 knob butter

CAKE
Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Cut the squash in half lengthwise and place on a baking sheet, cut side up. (Don't remove the seeds yet; they give extra flavor.) Cover with foil, and roast about 1 hour, until very tender. Let cool 10 minutes, and then scoop out the seeds and discard them. Puree the warm squash through a ricer or food mill and measure out 1 1/2 cups. (You can reheat any leftover puree, season it with salt, pepper, and butter, and eat it for dinner!)

Turn the oven down to 350°F.

Cut a circle of parchment paper to fit the bottom of a 10-inch round cake pan. Brush the bottom of the pan with a little butter and then line it with the paper. Place the 8 tablespoons butter in a medium saucepan. Slice the vanilla bean lengthwise down the center, and use a paring knife to scrape the seeds and pulp onto the butter. To make sure not to lose any of the seeds, run your vanilla-coated knife through the butter (don't use your fingers, because the seeds will stick to them). Add the vanilla pod to the pan, and cook the butter over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally, until the butter browns and smells nutty. Remove the vanilla pod and discard.

Sift together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, cloves, cinnamon, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Add the salt. Make a well in the center. In another large bowl, whisk the reserved 1 1/2 cups squash puree, milk, 1/4 cup cream, eggs, and honey to combine. Pour the liquid into the well in the dry ingredients, and whisk until incorporated. Stir in the brown butter, scraping with a rubber spatula to make sure you get all the brown bits from the pan. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake 25 minutes, then remove the cake from the oven and sprinkle the streusel evenly over the top. Bake the cake another 45 minutes, until the topping is crisp and the cake has set. (The center of the cake will still be somewhat soft and won't pass the toothpick test.) Cool the cake on a rack for at least 15 minutes.

ICE CREAM
Split the vanilla bean in half lengthwise, and, using a paring knife, scrape
the seeds and pulp into a medium saucepan. Add the vanilla pod, cinnamon, milk, half of the sugar and cream, and bring to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat, cover, and allow the flavors to infuse about 30 minutes.
Return the mixture to the stove, and bring it back to a boil over medium heat, stirring occasionally. When it boils, turn off the heat.


Whisk the egg yolks and remaining sugar together in a bowl. Whisk a few tablespoons of the warm cream mixture into the yolks to temper them. Slowly, add another 1/4 cup or so of the warm cream, whisking constantly. At this point you can add the rest of the cream mixture in a slow steady stream, whisking all the time. Pour the mixture back into the pot, and return it to the stove.


Cook the custard over medium heat 6 to 8 minutes, stirring frequently with
a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides of the pan. The custard will
thicken, and when it's done it will coat the back of the spatula. Strain the mixture,
and chill at least 2 hours in the refrigerator. Process in an ice cream maker
according to the manufacturer's instructions.

TUILE
Mix all the ingredients together, add in the egg white and stir till smooth. Spread out the mass in any shape or size you wish, place some crushed pecans on top for some crunch, bake them for 6-8 minutes at 350°F and cool.

SAUCE
Put the sugar in a saucepan over medium heat and cook until the sugar dissolves and starts to bubble. Add a splash of bourbon and continue to cook until the caramel goes thick, then add the salt and cream. Stir to incorporate. Cook and when thickened, pull off the heat then add the butter and whisk in until melted and combined.

FINISH
Cut the cake into six equal squares. Put into a warm oven to reheat. Place on a cold plate and put a quenelle of ice cream opposite. Put one end of the tuile in the ice cream and rest the other end on the cake. Drizzle with sauce and serve.