Frozen Hot Chocolate

3 oz. Milk Chocolate

2 tsp. Hot Chocolate Mix

1-1/2 T. Sugar

1-1/2 c. Milk

3 c. Ice

Whipped Cream


Chop Chocolate. We used Hershey's bars, but next time I think we'll try a different kind. Or maybe a mixture of a few. Melt chocolate in microwave or on a double boiler. Add hot chocolate mix and stir until blended well. Remove from heat and slowly add 1/2 c. milk, stirring until smooth. In a blender, place the remaining cup of milk, the room temperature chocolate mixture and the ice. Blend on high until smooth. Pour into lg. serving cup and top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. Serves 2-3.

Turkey--Emeril Lagasse

Brine:

• 1 cup salt
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 2 oranges, quartered
• 2 lemons, quartered
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 (10 to 12-pound) turkey
• 1 large orange, cut into 1/8ths
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter at room temperature
• Salt and pepper
• 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1/8ths
• 1 stalk celery, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large carrot, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 bay leaves
• 2 sprigs thyme
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 1/2 bunch sage
• 3 or 4 sprigs parsley
• 1 1/2 to 2 cups chicken or turkey stock, for basting

Turkey Broth:

• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• Reserved turkey neck and giblets
• 1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
• 1 onion, coarsely chopped
• 1 large celery stalk, coarsely chopped
• 1 small bay leaf
• 3 cups turkey stock, chicken stock, or canned low-salt chicken broth
• 3 cups water

Gravy:

• 4 cups turkey broth
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the Brine:

Directions

To make the brining solution, dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons of cold water in a nonreactive container (such as a clean bucket or large stockpot, or a clean, heavy-duty, food grade plastic storage bag). Add the oranges, lemons, thyme, and rosemary. Note: if you have a big turkey and need more brine than this, use 1/2 cup salt and 1/2 cup brown sugar for every gallon of water.

Remove the neck, giblets, and liver from the cavity of the turkey and reserve for the gravy. Rinse the turkey inside and out under cold running water.

Soak the turkey in the brine, covered and refrigerated, for at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F.

Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cold running water. Pat dry with paper towels both inside and out. Place turkey, breast side up, in a large, heavy roasting pan. Rub breast side with orange segments and rub on all sides with the butter, stuffing some underneath the skin. Season lightly inside and out with salt and pepper. Stuff the turkey with the onion, remaining orange, celery, carrot, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary, sage and parsley. Loosely tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string. Roast the turkey, uncovered, breast side down for 1 hour.

Remove from the oven, turn, and baste with 1/2 cup stock. Continue roasting with the breast side up until an instant-read meat thermometer registers 165 degrees F when inserted into the largest section of thigh (avoiding the bone), about 2 3/4 to 3 hours total cooking time. Baste the turkey once every hour with 1/2 to 3/4 cup chicken or turkey stock.

Remove from the oven and place on a platter. Tent with aluminum foil and let rest for 20 minutes before carving.

For the turkey broth:

Heat the oil in a large heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard to the pan and saute until just beginning to brown, about 1 minute. Add the chopped vegetables and bay leaf to the pan and saute until soft, about 2 minutes. Pour the stock and 3 cups of water into the pan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer until the stock is reduced to 4 cups, about 1 hour, adding the chopped liver to the pan during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Strain the stock into a clean pot or large measuring cup. Pull the meat off the neck, chop the neck meat and giblets, and set aside.

For the pan gravy:

Pour the reserved turkey pan juices into a glass-measuring cup and skim off the fat.

Place the roasting pan on 2 stovetop burners over medium heat add the pan juice and 1 cup turkey broth and the white wine to the pan, and deglaze the pan, stirring to scrape any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining 3 cup of broth and bring to a simmer, then transfer to a measuring cup. In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over medium high heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, to make a light roux. Add the hot stock, whisking constantly, then simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes.

Add the reserved neck meat and giblets to the pan and adjust seasoning, to taste, with salt and black pepper. Pour into a gravy boat and serve.

Slice and serve guests with desired sides.

Sugar & Spice Pumpkin Pie with Brandied Ginger Cream

Crust:
1/2 t. salt
1 1/2 c. flour
10 T. unsalted butter, cut into pieces

Filling:
15-oz can pumpkin
2 lg. eggs
1 lg egg yolk
1 c. heavy cream
1 T. brandy
3/4 c. lightly packed light brown sugar
1 t. ground ginger
1 tsp. freshly ground cinnamon stick (or 1 1/2 t. pre-ground cinnamon)
1/2 t. salt
1/8 t. freshly grated nutmeg
1/8 t. freshly ground black pepper
Pinch freshly ground cloves (or 1/8 t. pre-ground cloves)

Cream:
1 c. heavy cream
2 T. packed light brown sugar
1 t. ground ginger
1 t. brandy


Crust:

In a small bowl, stir the salt into 1/3 c. very cold water until dissolved. Put the flour in a food processor and scatter the butter on top. Pulse until the mixture forms large crumbs and some of the butter is in pieces the size of peas, about 8 pulses. Add the salt water and pulse until the dough begins to come together in large clumps, about 7 pulses--you'll still see some butter pieces. Shape the dough into a 1-inch-thick disk, wrap in plastic, and chill for at least 1 hour or up to overnight.

On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a circle 16 inches in diameter and 1/8" thick. Transfer to a 9-inch ceramic, metal, or glass pie plate, easing the dough into the bottom and sides and then gently pressing into place. For a traditional crimped edge, trim the overhanging dough to 1/2 inch from the edge of the plate. Fold the overhand under and crimp decoratively. Wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to overnight, or freeze for up to 2 weeks.

Blind-bake crust:

Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the over to 400 degree. Line the chilled pie shell with parchment and fill it with dried beans or pie weights. Bake until the sides have just set and look dry, 16 to 20 minutes (lift the parchment to check). remove the weights and parchment and bake until the edges are light golden and the bottom is pale and completely dry, about 5 minutes. If the dough starts to bubble while baking, gently push the bubbles down with the back of a spoon. Let the crust cool completely on a wire rack before filling.

Make the filling and bake the pie:

Heat the oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk the pumpkins, eggs, egg yolk, cream and brandy. In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon salt, nutmeg, pepper, and cloves. Whisk the sugar mixture into the pumpkin mixture.

Pour the filling into the cooled pie crust. Bake until the pie is set around the outside but still slightly wet and jiggly in the center, about 1 hour. The filling will continue to set about 1 hour. The filling will continue to set as it cools. Let the pie cool completely on a wire rack and then refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to2 days before serving.

Make the cream just before serving:

Whip the cream with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until it forms very soft peaks, about 2 minutes. Add the sugar, ginger, and brandy and continue whipping until it forms medium-firm peaks, about 30 seconds longer.

Note:

*You can make and freeze the crust up to 2 weeks ahead. The pie may be filled and baked up to 2 days ahead.

*I did not try the crust or the whipped cream yet. I am definitely going to try the crust though. I wonder if baking it somewhat before will help it not go so soggy.

Roasted Turkey with Juniper-Ginger Butter & Pan Gravy

Juniper Ginger Butter:
8 oz. unsalted butter, softened
1/4 c. minced fresh ginger
2 T. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
2T. minced shallots
1 T. ground juniper
1 T. chopped fresh sage
1 T. fresh thyme
2 t. minced garlic
2 t. chopped fresh rosemary

Brine:
8 3/4 cups kosher salt (see note below)
3 cups sugar
2/3 c. freshly ground black pepper
2 lg. bunches of fresh rosemary (lightly crushed)
2 lg. bunches fresh thyme (light crushed)
14-lb turkey (preferably fresh/see note below)

Gravy:
1 c. lower-salt chicken broth
4 T. unsalted butter
2/3 c. flour
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

At least 1 day ahead, make the butter:

Mix the butter ingredients in a bowl. Refrigerate 4 T. of the butter for the gravy and set the rest aside at room temperature for the turkey.

One day ahead, bring and prepare the turkey:

In a plastic container (5 gal. bucket), mix all the brine ingredients (except the turkey) in 3 gallons of cold water, stirring until the salt and sugar are mostly dissolved. Discard the neck and giblets and trim any excess skin or fat. Trim the tail, if desired. Rinse the turkey and submerge it in the brine for at least 4 hours and no more than 6 hours. If the turkey floats, weight it down with a couple of dinner plates.

Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry with paper towels. Starting at the top of the breast, run your fingers between the breast and the skin to separate them, being careful not to rip the skin. Once you're halfway down the breast, turn the turkey around and work from the bottom of the breast until you have loosened the sky from the breast, thighs, and as far down the legs as you can reach. Rub the juniper butter under the skin, covering the breast and as much of the legs as possible. Tuck the wings behind the breast and truss the turkey with twine, securing the legs to the body. Set the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan and refrigerate uncovered, for at least 6 and up to 24 hours.

Roast the turkey:

Position a rack in the bottom of the oven and heat the oven to 350 degrees. If any brine has dropped from the turkey into the roasting pan, pour it out. Then pour 2 cups of warm water into the bottom of the pan and cover the entire roasting pan with foil. Roast undisturbed for 2 hours; remove the pan from the oven and remove the foil. Roast the uncovered turkey until an instant-read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of both thighs reads 165 degrees, 45 to 1 hour longer.

Make the gravy:

Strain the turkey drippings into a fat separator cup (or another clear, heatproof container). Let sit until the fat rises to the top and then separate exactly 2 cups of the turkey juice from the fat-don't use more than that or the gravy will be too salty. Combine the 2 cups juice with the chicken broth and enough water to make 4 1/2 cups liquid.
In a saucepan, melt the reserved juniper-ginger butter and the unsalted butter over medium-high heat until foaming. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the mixture is golden grown, 2-3 minutes. Gradually whisk in the liquid, bring just to a boil, and reduce to simmer. Whisking frequently, continue to cook about 5 minutes longer to meld the flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Notes:

*The turkey must brine and be buttered a day ahead. You can make and refrigerate the butter up to 1 week ahead or freeze for 2 months. Bring to room temperature before preparing the turkey.

*When I made the bring for the 15 lb turkey I only used 4 cups of salt which was plenty. I used 6 cups with a 20 lb. turkey. I might use just a titch more when doing a 20 lb. again.

*When it calls for unsalted butter make sure that is what you use.

*I was not able to find any juniper berries. I want to try it with the juniper the next time. You may have to go to a specialty store to find the juniper berries.

I fixed this for the office and for Thanksgiving. Everyone loved it.