We're sharing some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes from Delaware North chefs and restaurant locations for you to try at home.
Holiday Sparkler
.75 oz apple brandy (Calvados or Applejack)
.75 oz lemon juice
.5 oz maple syrup
1 dash Peychaud’s Bitters
Lightly shake the brandy, lemon juice, simple syrup and Peychaud's and strain into a flute or wine glass.
Top with heirloom New England apple cider.
Corn Bread
Makes two medium-size pans
Dry ingredients:
- 1 lb. cake flour
- 1 lb. yellow corn meal
- 2 Tbs of sugar
- 1 oz of baking powder
- Pinch of salt
Wet ingredients:
- 6 large eggs
- 9 oz butter (melted)
- 25 oz milk
- 1 oz corn syrup
Method:
Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl, and in another mixing bowl, combine the wet ingredients. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients with a wooden spoon until smooth. Spray the two pans with cooking spray, pour the corn batter evenly and bake for 15 minutes or until the point of a knife comes out clean from the center of the cake. Let cool.
Corn Bread Stuffing
Ingredients:
- 1/2 recipe of corn bread
- 1 loaf white bread (cut into croutons and toasted)
- 8 eggs
- 2 onions (peeled and diced)
- 6 branches of celery (washed and diced)
- 1/4 cup chopped garlic
- 3 lbs pork sausage
- Fresh chestnuts (peeled, blanched and halved or peeled frozen chestnuts)
- Golden raisins (soaked overnight in white wine)
- 1 bouquet garni of fresh thyme and bay leaf
- 5 fresh sage leaves (cut in a julienne)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 quarts of turkey broth
- 4 Tbs of unsalted butter
Method:
Preheat the oven at 325°. In a large shallow pan on medium flame, place 1 Tbs of butter and add the sausage meat. Cook the meat until browned. Remove the sausage and drain the excess of fat. In the same pan, place 1 Tbs of butter and add the garlic, cook it for 20 seconds, add the onions and celery and cook until translucent (about 10-15 minutes on low flame).
Return the meat to pan, add the bouquet garni, and half of the turkey broth. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes. Transfer the meat in to a large mixing bowl, let cool. Add the eggs, raisins, chestnuts, corn bread, croutons and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
Coat a baking dish with 1 Tbs of butter and fill it with the stuffing. Brush a touch of butter over the stuffing and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover the pan and cook for an additional 15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove the stuffing from the oven and keep warm covered with the foil.
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Butter-Pecan Topping
Makes 18 4-oz. individual cheesecakes
Cheesecake:
- 1 lb. cream cheese
- 7 oz dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs
- 9 oz pumpkin puree
- ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon allspice
- ¼ teaspoon ground cardamom
In the bowl of an electric mixer, place the cream cheese and the sugar and cream with the paddle attachment on medium speed until smooth. Add eggs one at a time and continue to cream. Add the puree and the spices and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate the mixture for one hour before baking.
Graham Cracker Crust:
- 3 cups graham cracker crumbs
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
Combine all the ingredients. Line the bottom of each 4 oz molds with 2 tablespoons of mixture. Bake at 350° for 5-7 minutes.
Butterscotch-Pecan Topping:
- 2 cups chopped pecans
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 1/3 cup melted butter
Combine all ingredients and mix well. Set aside.
To assemble:
Place the previously lined molds in a deep pan and fill them with the cheesecake mixture. Fill the pan halfway with hot water, cover with foil and poke some holes. Bake the cheesecakes in a 325° oven for 25 minutes. Take the foil off and cover the surface of each cheesecake with the topping. Bake for an additional 8 minutes without the foil. Once the cheesecakes are cool, refrigerate them for at least 2 hours before unmolding. Serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
Cranberry Relish
Ingredients:
- 3 lbs. fresh cranberries
- 2 oranges (washed and ground in food processor)
- 8 oz fresh-squeezed orange juice
- 4 grated lime zest
- 2 medium-size ginger root (peeled and halved)
- 2.5 lbs. granulated sugar
- ½ lb. raisins
- ½ cup Rose’s lime juice
- 1 oz grenadine
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 4 oz honey
Method:
In a large shallow pot, place the sugar, ground oranges and orange juice. Let the sugar melt on low flame, always stirring until the sugar is melted. Add the cinnamon sticks, lime juice and grenadine.
Simmer for the sugar mixture for 25 to 30 minutes on low flame, until it creates an orange marmalade consistency.
Add touch of water if necessary so the sugar doesn’t burn. Add raisins and honey, cook for 10 minutes. Add cranberries, combine well and cook until tender, being careful not to burst them. Add grated lime zest. Removed relish and cool in a wide pan. Store in refrigerator for up to two months, well covered.
Delicata Squash & Brown Rice Stuffing
Gluten Free, Serves 12
Ingredients:
- 6 cups brown rice, cooked pilaf-style or boiled then cooled
- 12 oz pancetta, diced, cooked and rendered
- 8 eggs
- 2 onions (peeled and diced)
- 6 stalks of celery (washed and diced)
- 4 delicata squash, peeled, seeded and diced
- ¼ cup chopped garlic
- 3 lbs. pork sausage meat
- Fresh chestnuts (peeled, blanched and halved or peeled frozen chestnuts)
- 2 cups dry apricots, halved (soaked overnight in white wine)
- 1 bouquet garni of fresh thyme and bay leaf
- 5 fresh sage leaves (cut in a julienne)
- 1 ½ cup Mascarpone cheese
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 quarts turkey broth
- 4 Tbs unsalted butter
Method:
Preheat the oven to 325°. In a large, shallow pan on medium flame, place 1 Tbs of butter and add the sausage meat. Cook the meat until browned. Remove the sausage and drain the excess fat. In the same pan, place 1 Tbs of butter and add garlic, cook for 20 seconds, then add onions, delicata squash, celery and cook until translucent (about 10/15 minutes on low flame).
Return the meat to pan, add the bouquet garni, and half of the turkey broth. Cook the mixture for 10 minutes.
Transfer the meat to a large mixing bowl, let cool. Add the eggs, apricots, chestnuts, Mascarpone cheese and sage. Season with salt and pepper.
Coat a baking dish with 1 Tbs butter and fill it with the stuffing. Brush a touch of butter over the stuffing and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes, uncover pan and cook for an additional 15 minutes until lightly brown. Remove stuffing from oven and keep warm by covering with foil.
Butternut Squash Soup with Caramelized Granny Smith Apple
Makes 3 quarts
Ingredients for soup:
- 2 medium-size butternut squash
- 1 medium-size onion (diced)
- 3 stalks of celery (diced)
- 5 garlic cloves (chopped)
- 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored and diced)
- 1 cup of dry white wine
- ¼ cup of apple jack brandy
- Salt and white pepper to taste
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 branches of fresh thyme
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 3 cloves
- 4 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbs unsalted butter
- 3 quarts vegetable broth
Ingredients for garnish:
- 1 Granny Smith apple (peeled, diced and diced)
- 2 Tbs maple syrup
- 1 Tbs butter
- 1 scallion, thinly sliced (green part only)
Method:
Preheat oven to 375°. Halve the squash and remove the seeds. Rinse the seeds, coat them with a touch of olive oil and roast until crispy.
Drizzle a touch of olive oil in the pumpkin, place in a roasting pan upside down and cook until tender (about 25 minutes). Let the pumpkin cool and remove the skin.
In a large pot, on medium flame, place 2 Tbs of olive oil and 2 Tbs of butter. Add the garlic and lightly cook it. Add the onions and celery and cook until translucent (about 8-10 minutes).
Deglaze the pot first with the brandy then with the white wine. Let evaporate. Add the squash and the apples, combine well. Add the vegetable broth enough to cover the squash.
Make a sachet of the cloves, cinnamon, fresh thyme and the bay leaf with a cheese cloth. Season with the salt and pepper.
Cook the soup until the vegetables are tender (about ½ hour). Remove the sachet and blend the soup. Set aside.
Final assembly:
Sautée the apples in a small frying pan on high heat with a touch of butter, cook until lightly colored. Transfer to a small bowl and add the maple syrup. Set aside.
Reheat the soup, add buttermilk and bring to a simmer. Serve garnished with apples and scallions.
Long Island Duck Breast with Rhubarb Compote and Black Pepper Gastrique
Serves four people
Ingredients for the duck:
- 2 whole Peking ducks (boneless)
- 3 Tbs sugar
- 1 Tbs Kosher salt
- 1 cup rice vinegar
- 4 cups water
- 2 Tbs coriander seeds (toasted)
- 1 Tbs fennel seeds (toasted)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 1 Tbs Coleman's mustard
- 2 gloves
- 2 cloves garlic (sliced)
Ingredients for the rhubarb:
- 1 lb fresh rhubarb, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 2 Tbs honey
- 1/2 cup sugar
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 vanilla bean
- 1 Tbs butter
Ingredients for the sauce:
- 3 Tbs sugar
- 1 Tbs butcher ground pepper
- 1 Tbs cracked Szechuan peppercorn
- 4 cups strong chicken broth or 4 cups duck broth
- 2 Tbs soft unsalted butter
Method for the duck:
Remove the breasts and the legs. Make a brine with all the ingredients except the duck. Cook the brine for 15 minutes. Let the brine cool and submerge the duck. Refrigerate overnight.
Method for the rhubarb:
Place the rhubarb in a pan with the sugar and vanilla bean. On medium heat, cook the rhubarb covered until tender to the touch. Set aside.
Method for the sauce:
In a heavy-bottom sauce pot, melt the sugar over low heat until lightly caramelized. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add the black pepper and Szechuan pepper. Reduce the sauce by two-thirds. Whisk in the butter and season the sauce. Set aside.
Final assembly:
Place a medium-size frying pan on low flame. Remove the duck from the brine, pat dry with a paper towel. Place the breasts skin-side down on pan and cook until the skin is rendered. Turn the duck and cook for 4 minutes (for medium). Let the meat rest at room temperature for 10 minutes.
Reheat the duck breast, skin side down. Spoon 1 Tbs of the rhubarb compote on a plate. Drizzle with the sauce.
Slice the warm duck breast and place over the rhubarb. Serve with a side of wild rice pilaf.
Confit Turkey Legs
Yields six portions
Ingredients:
- 4 turkey legs, seasoned with salt and pepper if the turkey is not brined
- 1 gallon duck fat
- 1 bunch thyme
- 1 head garlic
Method:
Butterfly and open up the turkey legs. In a non-reactive stainless steel pot, melt the duck fat to liquid. Heat the duck fat until the temperature reads 165°.
Submerge turkey legs skin side down, add garlic and thyme. Set oven to 250° and place pot in oven. Let turkeys cook slowly for about 3 hours. Check the doneness using a cake tester and feel if there is any tension. If no tension, turkey legs are cooked.
Remove from the fat, turn up the heat on the duck fat to 325°, and place the legs back into the fat. The skin will crisp up to a dark brown color. Remove from the fat and serve.