THANKSGIVING TURKEY WITH ORANGE AND SAGE
Ruchika Sharma, Celebrity chef
Ingredients
2 oranges
Salt to taste
1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
1 tbsp finely chopped sage, plus 4 sprigs
1 turkey, neck and giblets removed
Olive oil, for brushing
Method
Finely grate one orange to yield one tablespoon zest; transfer it to a small bowl.
Add salt, pepper and chopped sage to the zest and mix. Slice the remaining oranges into ½ inch thick rounds.
Place the turkey, breast side down, on a large cutting board. Remove the skin and rub the zest mixture all over the turkey, under its skin and inside cavity. Now transfer the turkey, skin side up, to a rimmed baking tray, covered with a plastic wrap and refrigerate for six to 18 hours. Arrange a rack in middle of the oven and preheat it to 2000C. Tuck the sage sprigs and reserved orange slices in an even layer under the turkey. Let it sit at room temperature for 30 to 60 minutes. Then brush it with oil, add ½ a cup of water to the tray, and roast it for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 1800C at this point. Rotate the tray, add ½ cup water to it and brush the turkey with more oil.
Continue to roast it, brushing with oil after 30 minutes, until the skin is deep golden brown and crisp. Now transfer the turkey to a clean cutting board, tent it with foil and rest for 30 minutes before carving.
POACHED PEAR AND POMEGRANATE SALAD
Ingredients
For dressing
200 ml pomegranate juice
100 ml extra virgin olive oil
50ml white balsamic vinegar
25 ml honey
25 gm ginger, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
For poaching pears
4 pears whole
2 cups sweet white wine
2 cups granulated sugar
1 vanilla bean
1 star anise
½ tsp lemon peel
½ tsp orange peel
1 inch cinnamon stick
Greens /salad leaf/ lettuce leaves as required
Other ingredients
2 caramelised walnuts
1 tbsp dried cranberries
2 tbsp goat cheese
Method
Add the olive oil, vinegar, honey, chopped ginger, salt and pepper to the pomegranate juice. Whisk until blended.
Peel four pears, leaving the stems intact and trimming the bottom to seat them firmly at the bottom of a large stock pot. Into the stock pot, add wine, sugar, vanilla bean, star anise, lemon and orange peels and the cinnamon stick. Bring the mix to a boil over high heat and simmer for 20 minutes. Now remove from heat, let it cool to room temperature and refrigerate. In a salad bowl, put the mixed greens, add dried cranberries, caramelised walnuts and goat cheese. Fan the pear, put it right on top and drizzle the bowl with the dressing and serve.
Candied Walnuts
Ingredients
½ cup sugar
1½ cups raw walnut halves
METHOD
Preheat the oven to 1800C. Using the middle rack of the oven, lay the walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for five minutes, remove and let it cool.
Pour sugar into a saucepan with a thick bottom. Cook the sugar on medium heat, stirring with a wooden spoon as soon as the sugar begins to melt. Keep stirring until all the sugar has melted and the colour turns to medium amber. Now add the walnuts to the pan and keep stirring and coating each piece with the sugar mixture.
As soon as the walnuts are coated, spread them out on a rimmed baking sheet, lined with a parchment paper. Use two forks to separate the walnuts from each other, working very quickly. Let them cool completely and serve.
Pumpkin Saffron Soup
Puneet Mehta, Celebrity chef
Ingredients
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp minced onions
1 cup fresh pumpkin, cooked
1 tbsp minced garlic
Salt, to taste
Freshly ground black
pepper, to taste
½ tsp cumin powder
½ tsp dried thyme
2 cups vegetable broth
A pinch of saffron threads
1 cup milk
2 tbsp heavy cream
½ tsp extra virgin olive oil for garnish
Method
Heat the butter and olive oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Once the butter begins to froth, add the cumin powder followed by chopped onions. Sauté until the onions become translucent and start changing colour. Now tip in the garlic and keep stirring. Add the cooked pumpkin. Let it soften and sauté for three to four minutes over medium heat. Keep stirring using a spoon to ensure that it doesn’t burn. Now add the dried thyme, salt and black pepper and mix.
Pour in two cups of the vegetable broth and increase the heat to bring the mix to a boil. Then quickly reduce the heat and simmer it, uncovered, for 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Bring it down to room temperature. Blend the mixture to a smooth consistency. But if using an immersion blender, blend the mixture while it is hot in the saucepan only.
Bring the pan back on low heat. Add the milk, saffron and let it cook for a few minutes until the required consistency is attained. Then add cream and continue to simmer for a couple of minutes on low flame. Remove from heat, garnish with few extra saffron threads, cream, crushed black pepper, a drizzle of olive oil and serve immediately.
