Cook the Book

by Gina Stephens | Oct 30, 2017 | Eat, November 2017

Thanksgiving is a holiday of traditions. We roast a turkey, consult our grandmothers’ recipes for green bean or sweet potato casserole, and, if we’re skilled, try our hands at homemade stuffing, cranberry sauce or pumpkin pie. There’s a lot to be said for the familiarity and comfort of longstanding traditions. But there’s also something to be said for approaching the traditional in ways that we’ve never before tried. This year for Thanksgiving, we consulted the cookbooks of some of the foremost culinary leaders in our area. We cobbled together a Thanksgiving dinner using recipes from Ashley Christensen of Poole’s Diner, The Farmhouse Chef Jamie DeMent, plus a turkey recipe from The Fresh Market and a Mac’N’Cheese Souffle from the great culinary minds at Tupelo Honey. We hope you’ll give our suggestions for a traditional Thanksgiving with a twist a try. As long as no one burns the turkey, we don’t think it’s possible for you to go wrong.

Classic Roast Turkey

1 (20 pound) turkey

½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted, plus more if needed

1 tbsp. kosher salt

1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

3 cups water

Preheat oven to 325°F. Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Discard liver or save for another use. Rinse turkey inside and out with cold water; pat dry with paper towels. Pull off pale yellow fat on both sides of tail and reserve.

Tie ends of drumsticks together with kitchen twine, or tuck them under flap of skin (or plastic or metal “hock lock”). Lift wing tips up and over back and tuck them under bird. Place turkey on a roasting rack set in a roasting pan. Add reserved turkey fat to pan. Generously brush turkey all over with 1/2 cup melted butter and sprinkle inside and out with salt and pepper.

Tightly cover breast area (not wings) with aluminum foil. Add water to pan. Bake, basting every 45 minutes or so (including area under foil) until an instant-read thermometer inserted in meaty part of thigh (not touching bone) registers 180°F, about 4 3/4 hours. During last hour of roasting, remove and discard foil. As water in roasting pan evaporates, add additional water to keep drippings from scorching.

Transfer turkey to a large serving platter. Let turkey stand uncovered for at least 30 minutes before carving.

From Cooking in Season with The Fresh Market.

For recipes, visit thefreshmarket.com/inspiration/recipe-and-ideas

Roasted Carrots with Whipped Tahini 

Serves 6 to 8

2 pounds medium carrots

1 tbsp. olive oil

Sea Salt

Black pepper in a mill

5 medium thyme sprigs

1 fresh bay leaf

2 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tbsp. fresh orange juice

Zest from ½ orange

1 tsp. toasted sesame oil

8 fresh mint leaves, torn

2 tsp. tasted sesame or benne seeds

½ cup Whipped Tahini (recipe below)

Whipped Tahini

Makes about 2 ½ cups

1 ½ cups tahini, well shaken

3 or 4 cloves garlic, crushed and with any green centers removed

1 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

1 tsp. sea salt

In a food processor, combine the tahini, garlic, lemon juice and salt and process for 4 to 6 minutes, until the mixture lightens in color. With the motor running, gradually add up to 1 cup water, processing until the mixture is super smooth and creamy, like mayonnaise; the mixture will seize at first before emulsifying into a smooth spread.

Store in a lidded container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Preheat a convection oven to 400º F (or a regular oven to 425º F). Line a baking sheet with parchment.

Place the carrots in a large bowl with the olive oil, 1 tsp. of salt, about 20 turns of the pepper mill, thyme, bay and garlic. Toss to coat well. Arrange the carrots on the parchment-lined baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through. Let cool to room temperature.

Trim the ends of the carrots and cut on the diagonal into 2-inch-long pieces. Place in a medium bowl. Add the orange juice and zest, sesame, oil, mint leaves and sesame seeds and toss to coat. Spoon the tahini in the center of a serving platter. Arrange the carrots on top of the tahini and serve.

Mashed Potatoes with Herb-Scented Cream

Serves 6 to 8

4 cups Heavy Cream

1 ½ tsp. black peppercorns 

½ shallot

1 head garlic, halved across the equator

1 fresh bay leaf

4 thyme sprigs

2 pounds Yukon gold potatoes

Kosher salt

1 cup unsalted butter, cut into cubes, at room temperature

Sea salt

In a large saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream, peppercorns, shallot, garlic and bay leaf to a boil. Remove from the heat and add the thyme. Let steep for 15 minutes. Strain the cream through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids and reserving the cream.

Peel the potatoes and cut them into 1-inch cubes. Place the potatoes in a pot with 10 cups water and season with 2 tbsp. kosher salt. Place the pot over high heat and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are fork-tender. Drain the potatoes well and return them to the pot.

In a large saucepan, warm the cream but don’t let it boil. Place the pot of potatoes over low heat just to warm them through. Using an electric mixer, whip the potatoes on medium speed until smooth. Add half of the warm cream to the potatoes, followed by half of the butter. Continue to beat with the mixer, and when both are fully incorporated, continue to add the remaining cream and butter bit by bit until you’ve reached a silky-smooth consistency. You may not need all of the cream and butter; it depends on how starchy your potatoes are. Season the potatoes with 1 tsp. sea salt or to taste and serve immediately.

From Poole’s: recipes and stories from a modern diner. To purchase, visit Poole’s Diner or any bookstore.

Stuffing Muffins

Makes 4–6 servings

½ pound bread (any kind will work)

1 pound savory cornbread

1 medium onion, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 pound pork sausage with extra sage

1 tbsp. dried sage

1 tbsp. dried oregano

2–3 cups chicken broth

Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat the oven to 250° F.

Slice the bread and cornbread, and toast for about 15 minutes, until the bread is dried out. Meanwhile, in a small frying pan, sauté the onions and garlic in the butter until the onions are translucent. Set aside to cool. When the bread is toasted, remove it from the oven and turn the oven up to 350° F.

Brown the sausage in a large skillet and set it aside. Chop the toasted bread into small cubes and, in a large bowl, mix it with the sausage, onions, garlic, sage and oregano. Pour the chicken broth over everything (start with 2 cups, and add more if you need more moisture) until the mixture is slightly wet.

Spoon the mix into buttered muffin pans, and bake until golden brown—20–25 minutes.

Cane Syrup Pecan Pie

Makes 6–8 servings

1 unbaked piecrust 

4 tbsp. unsalted butter

1 tbsp. all-purpose flour

1 tbsp. cornstarch

1 1/2 cups pure cane syrup

1/2 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1 cup pecan halves

1 tsp. pure vanilla extract

1 tbsp. bourbon

Preheat the oven to 450° F. Line a 9-inch pie pan with the piecrust.

In a medium-sized saucepan, melt the butter and stir in the flour and cornstarch until smooth. Add the cane syrup and sugar, and boil for 3 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.

In a separate small bowl, beat 2 eggs. Add the eggs and the rest of the ingredients to the pot, and stir them to mix well. Pour everything into your piecrust and lightly tap it on counter to even out the nuts and release any air bubbles.

Place the pie in the oven and bake at 450° F for 10 minutes. Turn the heat down to 350° F and bake for an additional 30–35 minutes—until the pie is done and not jiggly in the center.

Remove the pie from the oven and allow it to cool a little before serving.

From THE FARMHOUSE CHEF: RECIPES AND STORIES FROM MY CAROLINA FARM by Jamie DeMent. Copyright © 2017 by Jamie DeMent. Used by permission of the University of North Carolina Press. www.uncpress.org