The Thanksgiving CollectionHow you doin’? When I plan a large holiday dinner, I never want any of my guests to feel uncomfortable or out of place when dinner is served. I try to accommodate many different tastes and diets in my holiday menus. One of the seemingly more challenging to accommodate is a vegan diet on “turkey day.” So, I serve this vegan roast with the best vegan mashed potatoes, vegan gravy and roasted brussels sprouts for the most amazing vegan feast! Impress your guests with this tofu-based loaf, made completely from scratch. Sure, you could always purchase other options, since there are now plenty of products available but why not make your own at home so you know everything that’s in it? You’ll be surprised how easy it is. Like many soy-based foods, tofu originated in China during the Han Dynasty. Legend has it that it was discovered about 2000 years ago by a Chinese cook who accidentally curdled soy milk when he added nigari seaweed. Tofu was introduced in Japan in the eighth century, tofu was originally called okabe. Its contemporary name, tofu, did not come into use until 1400. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 1 hour Cool time: 10-15 minutes Yield: 6 Servings Ingredients 24 ounces firm pressed and mashed tofu 1/3 cup ketchup 1/3 cup low sodium soy sauce 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1/2 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, finely chopped 1 cup yellow onion, finely chopped 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder 1 cup whole grain breadcrumbs or rolled oats or crushed corn flakes 2 tablespoons canola oil 1/2 teaspoon chopped rosemary Directions
ChefSecret: To avoid soggy tofu-syndrome, sandwich it between multiple layers of paper towel-lined plates and weigh it down from the top. Your tofu sandwich should be constructed as such: plate, paper towels, tofu, paper towels, second plate, heavy can or cast-iron pan. Quip of the Day: “The mind is like tofu. It tastes like whatever you marinate it in.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #ThanksgivingRecipe #Thanksgiving #Entrees #TofuLoaf #VeganThanksgiving #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2021 #Thankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021
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The Thanksgiving Collection How you doin’? Where has this year gone? It’s coming close to Thanksgiving Day already—my favorite food day of the year. In the past we’ve talked about making brined turkey, upside down turkey, spatchcocked turkey, fried turkey and, yes, even roasted turkey. It’s pretty easy to make great turkey, right? Now it’s time to take it to the next level—a Bresse-Style Turkey. I got the inspiration for this recipe from Ariane Daguin at D’Artagnan. This is a real winner for those who love a traditional French-style turkey… super juicy on the inside with a nice golden brown, crisp skin on the outside and perfectly roasted flavor. It’s not that this recipe is so complicated or particularly hard to do, it just has a few more steps and more quality time and ingredients than turkeys we’ve made in the past. This is the style of turkey I learned to make at the Cordon Bleu in Paris many Thanksgivings ago. So let me just say this, if you’re cooking your first turkey ever or if you are an old pro on your fortieth, you will still get the same marvelous result I did in France every single time. There is only one catch… you will need a pot large enough to fit your turkey in (about 20 quarts) and you will need to start the preparation the day before. But again, it’s no big deal. Actually, you will be making two recipes at the same time—the perfect turkey and the most flavorful turkey soup you’ve ever slurped! Prep time: 1 hour Balance/Brine time: 4 hours 40 minutes Refrigerate time: overnight Roast time: 1 hour 30 minutes Yield: 6 to 10 servings Ingredients 2 containers Duck and Veal Demi-Glace (available at www.dartagnan.com) 4 medium carrots, rough chopped 4 stalks celery, rough chopped 3 medium yellow onions, thickly sliced 1 turnip, rough chopped 1 head garlic, peeled 3 ounces Duck Fat (available at www.dartagnan.com) 1 turkey, 12- to 14-pounds (more on this choice in the ChefSecrets) 2 tablespoons salt 2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper Directions
ChefSecret: Turkeys—I don’t usually purchase self-basting or injected turkeys. They are usually factory-farmed, and you can’t control salt levels. I like smaller size 12 to 14-pound birds. Talk to your independent poultry guy and have him source a Wild Turkey (more dark meat), Heritage Turkey or Organic, Free-Range Turkey. All my suggested birds are smaller than commercially grown turkeys and are much tastier, too. Quip of the Day: “America lost its true identity when more value was placed on suits and contracts rather than bib overalls and a handshake.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Have a wonderful safe and healthy holiday. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. #ThanksgivingRecipe #Thanksgiving #Entrees #Turkey #RoastTurkey #French Bresse-Style #Dartagnan #HolidayRecipes #Holidays2021 #Thankful #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 …from the Happy Hour BarHow you doin’? When I think about all the restrictions we have been living with for the last year and a half it makes me think back to the stories I heard about the success of Prohibition and bootleg hootch. This week’s featured “house” drink is a Prohibition-era cocktail that’s made with gin, lemon juice and honey simple syrup. The unique name is a convention of the time: The phrase “bee’s knees” was popular slang used to call something excellent or outstanding (she is the bee’s knees; meaning the flapper was a knockout). The Bee’s Knees is one up of the classic Gin Sour--gin, lemon, sugar-- that features honey instead of sugar. The honey creates a richer drink, and it may have been employed to mask the taste of the rotgut, bathwater gin of the time. Today you are not at the mercy of Al Capone, Joe Kennedy and their bootleggers as the gin market offers many excellent options allowing you to legally enjoy the ingredients at their best. Using a good English Dry gin will put more emphasis on the juniper, while a more modern gin infused with citrus and floral notes will bring out the lemon and honey notes of the cocktail. I’m a Hendrick’s kind of guy, but you can pick whichever gin pickles your tink. The gin flavor is forward as the featured ingredient. Make the Bee’s Knees whenever you want to enjoy an easy, refreshing, any season cocktail. Given that it only has three ingredients, the Bee’s Knees is a good option for parties and other occasions that call for serving a crowd. With a bottle of gin along with a batch of honey syrup and lots of lemons, you can quickly shake up drinks for all your adoring guests. Prep time: 3 minutes Yield: Makes: 1 cocktail Ingredients 2-1/2 ounces gin (I prefer Hendrick’s) 3/4 ounce freshly squeezed lemon juice 1/2 ounce simple honey syrup (50/50 water/honey) Ice for shaker Garnish: lemon twist Directions
ChefSecret: The simple syrup honey is a combination of honey and water that adds complexity, viscosity and sweetness to the cocktail. Lemon juice complements that sweetness with fresh, tart acidity that makes for the perfect balance of flavors. Quip of the Day: “Why don’t they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the smartest people on Earth.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Cocktail #HappyHour #Gin #BeesKnees #Honey #Lemon #Hendricks #Cheers# QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California KitchenHow you doin’? What the heck? Can you really call a lemon bar a brownie—it’s yellow, darn it! Not brown. Wouldn’t that be a Lemonie? There's nothing new about misappropriating baking culture—giving a classic name with an unexpected twist, like Pumpkin Snickerdoodles or Brookies (half cookie, half brownie) incongruous, yes? My Lemonies seem more like lemon bars, but they’re not… is it a lemon brownie or a lemon bar? You decide. Well, it turns out that citrus brownies have a bit of history with roots in in the Deep South. Paula Deen rolled out an orange brownie on her Food Network show years ago. There are also hundreds of lemon, orange and lime brownie photos on the internet. And these types of recipes have been a bright spot on many food blogs. No matter what you call them, these chewy “brownie” bars certainly do seem to speak to a growing number of lemony sweet enthusiasts who might be looking for an alternative to the ubiquitous chocolate, brown brownie. Lemon flavored bars are always a Joan favorite; they will be yours as well. I hope you enjoy them. Prep time: 15 minutes Bake time: 23 to 25minutes Cool time: 20 minutes Yield: 16 Lemonies Ingredients For the Lemonies 3/4 cup all-purpose flour 3/4 cup granulated sugar 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened 1/2 teaspoon sea salt 3 large eggs 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 tablespoon lemon zest, plus 1/4 teaspoon more for icing For the glaze 1 cup confectioners' sugar 1/4 cup lemon juice 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract 1/4 teaspoon lemon zest (or to taste) Directions To make the Lemonies
ChefSecrets: These are fun to eat when cut into bite-sized squares. Be sure not to bake too long as they can easily become too dry. They are already more cake-like than a traditional brownie. I use the juice from the lemons I zested, but it's never enough so I also use some bottled lemon juice as well. Quip of the Day: “There are so many people out of work and on the government dole. Let me just say, you cannot get back on your feet unless you get off your ass.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Baking #Brownies #Lemons #LemonBrownies #LemonZest #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 … from the California KitchenHow you doin’? At the time of this writing the cost of protein has been skyrocketing. I saw prime ribeye steaks for $54 per pound last week. Though all protein prices are rising, pork has not (yet) increased as much as beef. Chops are the most popular cut of pork. They come from the loin… the meat that runs from the pig's hip to its shoulder. While there are a variety of names for pork chops like loin, rib, sirloin, top loin and blade chops, it's important to remember that they all cook the same. The popularity of the pig is rooted in Asia and progressed through the Near East, and eventually to Europe, where sus scrofa domesticus (Latin for pig) really took off. We owe the Spanish for the introduction of this valuable source of protein. Old Chris Columbus gets credit for bringing the first pigs to Europe. Prep time: 20 minutes Cool time: 1 hour Grill time: 10 minutes Yield: 4 servings Ingredients 1/4 cup honey 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar 1 teaspoon ground cumin 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes Eight 1/2-inch bone-in pork chops (about 3 ounces each) Salt and freshly ground black pepper Directions
Quip of the Day: “The irony of human kind is that your computer program asks you to prove you’re not a robot.” ------------------------------------------- Do you have a question or comment? Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide. ------------------------------------------- To you and everyone dear to you, be strong and positive, stay well and safe and be kind to others. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading. #Entrees #Pork #PorkChops #Grill #Dinner #QuarantineKitchen #Covid19 #FeedingAmerica #PerspectivesTheConsultingGroup ©Perspectives/The Consulting Group, Inc., 2021 |
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