Recently, Nirit Yadin demonstrated cooking a traditional Thanksgiving meal with a twist at a private event. Adding more flavors, textures, and colors made this a feast for the eyes as well as the palate. Yadin even created variations of a dish, and used local, all-natural condiments from the company HerbsNZest in one.
Yadin is a culinary educator and food blogger amongst other things. She is a co-leader of Slow Food Central Jersey. She has worked with Cherry Grove Farm, Whole Foods, Terra Momo Restaurant Group, and the Suppers Program. Nirit enjoys teaching cooking classes, and is a healthy eating coach. You can certainly hire her for either service in your own home would be a great gift for the foodie in your life!
Below is the menu. You can easily prepare these dishes to amaze your family and friends. Recipes courtesy of Nirit Yadin.
- Turkey Breast Stuffed Under the Skin
- Bread Salad (Dressing)
- Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Brussels Sprouts with Figs and Bacon
- Tarte Tatin
Turkey Stuffed Under the Skin
The turkey breast was roasted with a compound butter under its skin, which made it crispier. The skin was removed and julienned. The breast was spilt, sliced, and placed on top of the bread salad, topped with the cracklings of turkey skin.
Compound Butter:
- Makes about 1/2 cup (equivalent of 1 stick)
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1/4 cup finely chopped mixed herbs (such as thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram or rosemary)
- 1 teaspoon coarse sea salt
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Mix well until herbs are distributed evenly. Dump onto a piece of waxed paper, parchment or plastic wrap, shape into a cylinder or disk, and seal ends by twisting, or pack into a ramekin (however you prefer to store and serve it) and cover with plastic. Chill in refrigerator until firm, at least an hour.
Stuff under the skin:
Rinse the turkey and pat very dry inside and out. Approaching from the edge of the cavity, slide a finger under the skin of each of the breasts, making 2 little pockets. Now use the tip of your finger to gently loosen a pocket of skin. Using your finger, shove butter into each of the 4 pockets. Season the turkey liberally all over with salt and pepper {we use ¾ teaspoon of sea salt per pound of turkey}. Cover loosely and refrigerate.
Preheat the oven to 425 F. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Roast for 20 minutes, then lower to 325 F and continue roasting until internal temp at the thickest part of the breast is 160 F (be sure the thermometer does not touch the bone). Time depends on the size of the turkey but start checking after an hour or so. Let rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
Bread Salad
Serves 8
- 2 tablespoon dried cranberries
- 4 tablespoon warm water
- 1 pound stale Italian-style bread, cut into large chunks
- 4 tablespoons Champagne vinegar
- 2 tablespoons HerbNZest Chipotle Cranberry Orange relish (option)
- 1 cup plus 5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Fine sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 8 scallions, thinly sliced crosswise
- 6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted
- 8 cups lightly packed small arugula leaves
Preheat the oven to 450°. In a small bowl, soak the cranberries in the water and until plumped, 10 minutes. Drain. In the meantime, on a rimmed baking sheet, toss the bread with 2 tablespoons of the oil. Bake for about 5 minutes, until lightly toasted. Let cool, then tear the bread into bite-size pieces.
Make dressing: In another small bowl, combine the Champagne vinegar with the 2 tablespoon HerbNZest relish 1/2 cup of olive oil and season the dressing with salt and pepper. In a bowl, toss the bread with three-quarters of the dressing and let stand for 10 minutes. In a skillet, heat 1/2 tablespoon oil. Add the scallions and garlic and cook over moderate heat until, about 2 minutes; transfer to a large bowl. Add the cranberries, bread, pine nuts and the remaining Champagne vinaigrette and toss.
Spoon the bread salad into a shallow 1-quart baking dish. Cover loosely with foil and bake for about 15 minutes, until heated through. Uncover and bake for a few minutes longer to dry out the top and brown the bottom.
Sweet Potatoes
- 10 cups sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup butter
- 3 tablespoons honey
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon or 2 tablespoons HerbNZest Curry Pumpkin Pesto
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Add the potatoes to a large Dutch oven and cover with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer or until the potatoes are tender, about 8 to 10 minutes, drain well. Return the potatoes to the Dutch oven and add the butter, honey, cinnamon or pesto, and salt. Beat at medium-low speed with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and serve hot.
With Marshmallows: Preheat the oven temperature to 400°.
In a medium bowl, toss the marshmallows with the five-spice powder until coated. Spread in a lightly buttered baking pan pan bake for about 10 minutes until the marshmallows are golden and lightly puffed.
Brussels Sprouts With Bacon and Figs (adapted from Mark Bittman)
Serves 8
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 8 to 12 ounces bacon, chopped
- 2 pound Brussels sprouts, stems trimmed
- 2 cups dried figs, stemmed and quartered
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 4 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, or more to taste
- HerbNZest Caramelized Apple Champagne Mustard (optional)
Put a large skillet over medium heat and add oil, then bacon. Cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to crisp, 5 to 8 minutes. Meanwhile, shred the sprouts with a sharp knife or through feed tube of a food processor equipped with a slicing attachment. Add sprouts, figs and 1/4 cup water to pan; sprinkle with salt and pepper, turn heat to medium, and cook, undisturbed, until sprouts and figs are nearly tender, about 5 to 10 minutes. Turn heat to medium-high and cook, stirring occasionally, until any remaining water evaporates, another 5 to 10 minutes. Add vinegar, taste, adjust seasoning and serve with a dollop of HerbNZest Caramelized Apple Champagne Mustard.
For a vegetarian version, replace the bacon with 1 chopped onion, cook in 2 tablespoons butter and one tablespoon oil until brown and caramelized (about 10 minutes). Stir in 2 tablespoon of HerbNZest Caramelized Apple Champagne Mustard. Continue cooking as described. Serve with more mustard on the side.
Tarte Tatin (adapted from Fine Cooking)
- 5 to 6 pounds tart apples, such as Braeburn, Jonathan, Honeycrisp or Fuji.
- 7 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup sugar
- a pinch kosher salt
- Store-bought high quality puff pastry, defrosted for a couple of hours in the fridge.
Peel, halve, and core the apples. Make the caramel: In a heavy ovenproof 10-inch skillet melt the butter, add the sugar and salt. Stir gently with a wooden spoon over medium heat until the sugar begins to melt around the edges. After the sugar has melted completely, let the mixture cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until it reaches a deep mahogany-colored caramel; if using a dark pan, occasionally lift some caramel out with a spoon to check the color. As soon as the caramel is the right color, take the pan off the heat.
Arrange the apple halves in the pan in concentric circles, packing them in as tightly as possible (they’ll shrink as they cook). Return the pan to medium heat, increasing to medium high as the apple juices begin to flow and the liquid bubbles gently. The apples should release enough liquid to prevent the caramel from burning, but if you start to smell burnt sugar, immediately turn down the heat. At this point, there should be a lot of juice in the pan. Carefully take the pan from the heat and, holding the apples back with a spatula, pour off some of the caramel and juice into a small saucepan. Return the skillet to the heat and continue cooking the apples in the skillet until they’re tender and thoroughly caramelized. Be patient, cooking time can take 20-30 minutes.
Take the skillet off the heat and let cool to room temperature. If there’s more than about 1/2 inch of liquid remaining in the pan, carefully pour off the excess into the small saucepan. Heat the oven to 375°F. Roll the chilled puff pastry into a round about 1 inch larger than the pan; Roll the round of dough onto the rolling pin and transfer it to the skillet, gently draping the dough over the apples. Tuck and fold the edge of the dough under to make a rim. Put the skillet in the middle of the oven. Bake until the crust is a rich brown and looks crisp, about 25 minutes.
Take the tarte out of the oven and let it cool for about 15 minutes. If more juice accumulates, carefully pour off most of it into the saucepan and then invert a large plate on top of the pan, flip the pan and plate over in one quick move, and lift off the pan. And what about all those yummy pan juices? Simmer them until thick and syrupy and then spoon them over the finished tarte or serve alongside.
Thank you so much, Robin. It was fun!