Jan Buhrman

Recipes

Martha's Vineyard Catering, Culinary & Agricultural Experiences

The Thanksgiving Menu

Created by  Jan Buhrman and Meave McAuliffe Here we have created a Thanksgiving menu with all the recipes.We offer gluten free alternative and no white sugar. We substitute the sweetness with dates and honey and love! This is the menu for the Thanksgiving Cooking Class.One 12-16-pound turkey ~ cooks about 1.5 hours:Allow turkey to brine 18-24  hours prior to roasting 

Brine the Turkey

  • 1.5 gallon water
  • 3 cups kosher salt
  • 2 cups dark brown sugar
  • 10 whole cloves
  • 4 bay leaves
  • 1 tablespoon whole black peppercorns
  • 1 tablespoon dried rosemary
  • 1 tablespoon  dried thyme

Add all ingredients to listBring water to a boil in a large stockpot. Stir salt and sugar into the water until dissolved; bring water again to a boil. Add cloves, bay leaves, peppercorns, rosemary, and thyme to the water, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook mixture at a simmer for about 20 minutes.Refrigerate brine until completely cooled.Pour cooled brine into a non-reactive container large enough to hold your turkey. I keep a large plastic bucket just for brining. Add thawed turkey; add enough cool water to cover turkey with liquid. Refrigerate overnight to 12 hours. Remove from brine and let sit on counter about 2 hours before planning to start roasting 

For the Stock for Gravy

  • 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil
  • Neck, gizzard and heart from turkey, rinsed and dried
  • 1 medium onion, cut in half
  • 1 medium carrot
  • 1 stalk celery
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon peppercorns
  • 6 cups water
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil

 Heat the oven to 350.Rub the carrot, onion, celery and neck with salt and pepper and Roast the carrot, onion, celery and neck in the oven. Place the neck and vegetables  on a sheet pan and bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and place all the ingredients in a pot with the  8 cups of water. Heat to a boil and then reduce the heat to a slow simmer for 2 hours. Remove from the heat and cool. Strain the liquid once it cools and you have your “gravy” stock. 

  • Fresh herbs such as sage or thyme or rosemary.
  • A cheese cloth cut about 24” x 24”
  • 1# butter
  • 2 cups gravy stock or chicken stock or apple cider (or water)

 

Roast the Turkey:

Rinse the turkey inside and out, dry with paper towels and bring the bird to room temperature (about 2 hours), keeping the skin covered with a moist towel to prevent drying. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Melt the butter. Set the bird bird et in a roasting pan, on a rack if desired. With your fingers, gently separate the skin form the meat, by lifting the skin and running your fingers between the two. Using fresh herbs slide the herbs under the skin and lay flat. Place the cheesecloth in the melted butter and lay across the bird. Pour the remaining butter over the bird.Cook, rotating the pan 180 degrees after 1 hour. Add 1 to 2 cups of chicken stock or apple cider (or water)  to the pan if the drippings appear to be turning too dark. At desired browness- mostly likely in one hour- tent the turkey with foil. The foil should not touch the middle of the bird as it will burn the skin.Check the temperature in the thickest part of the thigh after 1¾ hours of roasting. Remove from the oven when the temperature registers 155-160°F (it will continue to cook and reach 165 once you remove the bird) on the meat thermometer, about 2 hours total cooking time for an unstuffed turkey. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes, or until the temperature in the thigh reaches 165°F. Make the Gravy: Remove the bird from the roasting pan and allow it to rest.  Remove the butter/fat from the pan and place in a small pot  that is large enough for you to whisk. Place the turkey pan with the remaining juices over medium-high heat and pour in the 3 cups of the gravy stock.Make the roux in the pan with the fat.A roux is made with an equal part fat and flour. I think sweet rice flour makes the best gluten-free gravy. I prefer butter and rice flour- but you can use olive oil. (And use the fat from the turkey.) In a small pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the sweet rice flour and whisk until a paste forms. Continue whisking until paste turns light beige, about 3 minutes. Now you can add your warm gravy In a slow and steady stream, whisk in the remaining 2-3 cups of the warm stock. Cook, whisking constantly, until gravy thickens and begins to bubble.Season with salt and pepper to taste. Keep hot until serving,

Cornbread, Sausage, Apple, & Pecan Stuffing

The key is to use great apples and great sausage.  Morning Glory Farm has some terrific sausage this year!

  • 2 cups  coarsely ground yellow cornmeal
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1 egg at room temperature, beaten
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
  • 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt, at room temperature (can substitute an equal amount of sour cream or buttermilk)
  • 4 tablespoons  honey

Preheat your oven to 400°F. Grease a 12-inch cast iron skillet (or an 8-inch square or round pan, and set it aside)  If you are using a cast iron skillet, heat it in the oven for 15 minutesIn a large bowl, put  the cornmeal, salt, baking soda and baking powder, and whisk to combine well. In separate bowl, mix the egg, butter, yogurt and honey, and whisk to combine well.Blend until just mixed. The batter  will be a bit thinner if you used buttermilk. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan. Bake for 20-30 minutes (closer to 20 minutes if using a cast iron skillet), or until lightly golden brown on top, golden brown around the edges, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Slice and serve immediately.  OR Cut into cubes and allow to dry out for stuffing mix. 

  • 12 tablespoons butter (1 1/2 sticks)
  • 2 cups finely-chopped yellow onions
  • 2 celery stalks
  • 6 tart apples, cored and chopped, but not peeled (Jonathan, Winesap or Granny Smith)
  • 1 lb bulk breakfast sausage, with sage (or your favorite bulk sausage)
  • 3 cups coarse cornbread cut into small squares and baked hard
  • 6 cups multi-grain bread baked hard
  • 4 tablespoons fresh thyme
  • 3 sage leaves teaspoon minced
  • 1 cup chopped Italian parsley
  • 1 1/2 cups shelled pecan halves roughly chopped
  • 2 cups chicken stock
  • salt and pepper, to taste

 Melt half the butter in a large skillet.Add onions and celery and cook over medium heat until lightly browned, about 25 minutes. Remove onion and butter and set aside.Melt remainder of the butter, add apple, and cook quickly over high heat until lightly cooked, but still firm. Remove apples and butter from pan and combined with the onions. In a pan cook sausage over medium heat and drain off the oil from the fat when cooked through. Add to the apples and onions. Combined all  the ingredients in a bowl and toss. Add stock as needed to moisten the bread just a bit.It’s now ready to stuff or not to stuff.  If not stuffing a bird, place stuffing in a Pyrex (or oven safe glass) baking pan and pour 6 tablespoons melted butter over the top and bake in the oven for 30-40 minutes with foil cover.  Remove the cover during the last 10 minutes of baking for a crusty top. 

Roasted Vegetables

Preheat an oven to 400 degrees Put your vegetables, any root vegetable you like ( beet, carrot, parsnips, onion, potatoes, garlic,) on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil, then season with thyme, salt, and pepper. ...Bake, uncovered, in the preheated oven for 30 minutes, stirring once midway through baking. 

Brussels Sprouts w/ Panchetta and Dates

  • 3 oz panchetta
  • 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb Brussels sprouts, halved through the stem end, leave tiny ones whole
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup pitted soft fresh dates
  • 1 cup Chicken Stock
  • 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar

 Heat a large cast-iron frying pan over medium-high heat, and cook the panchetta with the olive oil until the panchetta has rendered most of its fat but is still juicy, about 10 minutes. Transfer the panchetta to a paper towel–lined plate, and increase the heat to high. If there is excessive fat in the pan, you can drain some, but reserve in case the pan dries out. The sprouts will suck up the fat.Add the Brussels sprouts to the pan, turning them over with tongs, if necessary, to make sure that the cut sides are down. Sear hard, without shaking the pan, until well charred and beginning to blacken, 5 to 7 minutes. Resist the temptation to meddle with them. The idea is to get a very deep, penetrating sear that nearly blackens the sprouts but keeps them relatively green inside. Flip the Brussels sprouts, and season with salt and pepper.Add the dates and the reserved bacon to the pan, toss well, and cook until the sprouts begin to color, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the stock to the pan, a little bit at a time. With a wooden spoon, smash the dates into the sauce, breaking them into smaller pieces as the pan sauce reduces. Once the dates are incorporated into the sauce, add the vinegar.Continue cooking until the sauce is thick enough to coat the Brussels sprouts, 2 to 3 minutes. Be careful not to reduce the sauce too much, or it will become cloyingly sweet and sticky. The sprouts should still be bright green and somewhat firm inside, but tender to the bite.Transfer to a serving platter. Serve warm. 

Raw Cranberry Sauce

  • 1 orange with skins on seeds removed
  • 12 dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1 organic apple with skin
  • 3 cups fresh cranberries

 Blend orange and dates in a food processor and pulse until very small pieces. Add apple and cranberries and pulse until a nice consistency. This will keep for a week, so make it ahead! 

How to make Sugar Free Cranberry Relish;

You can add whatever your heart desires: Here we use cinnamon and honey and orange flavors- but you could go anise and apples, or grapefruit and cinnamon.

  • 1#  fresh cranberries
  • 1 large orange
  • ½ teaspoon ground coriander seeds
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 3 tablespoons runny honey
  • 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier or other orange liqueur

Start by giving your orange a good scrub to remove any wax preservative and then pat dry. Rinse the cranberries too.Chop the orange and pulse in your food processor until pea size.Put the cranberries and orange pulp into a heavy based pan and add the crushed coriander seeds and ground cinnamon. There will be enough juice from the orange to start the cranberries cooking nicely without burning. Heat on low and bring to gentle simmer.The cranberries will start to pop and split, sounding like a mellow and somewhat laid back popcorn session.After about 15 minutes use a wand blender or allow to cool and place in food processor..if you want to go for a really smooth look, a chunky texture is nice too.Add the honey and stir well cooking for a further 10 minutes.Add the liqueur, stir well and then ladle into 2 sterilized jars.Store in the fridge and use within 4 weeks. 

Creamy Garlic Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes

These CREAMY Garlic DAIRY FREE Mashed POTATOES ARE THE WAY TO GO!This recipe uses broth and olive oil instead of dairy products!

  • 2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes - unpeeled and cut into equal sized pieces
  • 4 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 small onion minced
  • 1 cup melted butter ( or GF ; chicken broth)
  • 4 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon salt

 Bring a pot of water to a boil and add your potatoes. Keep boiling and cook these for about 30 minutes. Potatoes should be soft on the fork.While to potatoes are cooking, in a separate pan, add minced garlic and onion, Butter (or chicken broth, olive oil) and  salt and sauté until the garlic and onion is soft.Drain the potatoes. Immediately add the broth and mash until smooth and creamy.YUM! 

Pumpkin Pie Filling:

  • 2 cups (15-oz can) pumpkin
  • 1 cup date or coconut  sugar
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 1 tbsp unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 2 tsp cinnamon
  • ½ tsp nutmeg
  • ¼ tsp allspice
  • ⅛ tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 3 large eggs well blended

In a large mixing bowl, mix together the pumpkin, sugars, salt, spices and eggs with a spatula Add heavy cream and mix to incorporate all ingredients. (For best flavor, cover and refrigerate filling overnight; filling can also be frozen, well sealed, for up to 2 months) 

Classic Pie Crust (pate brisee)

This pie crust recipe is great for all pie crust needs both sweet and savory! This recipe will make 4 pie crusts, which makes either 4 open pies or 2 covered pies, such as apple).  You can freeze any extra crusts that you do not use for a later time. Ingredients:

  • 3 cups All Purpose Flour
  • 10 oz cold unsalted butter
  • ⅓ cup ice cold water
  • ⅓ cup cold whole milk
  • 1 tsp salt

Instructions:Mix together in a small bowl the water, milk and salt.  Stir until the salt is dissolved and place in the fridge to keep cold.In a medium mixing bowl add three cups flour.  Cut your butter into the shape of butter sticks if it is not already.  Slice the butter into thin shavings, stopping every once in a while to mix it into the flour mixture while it is still cold.  Using the flour to coat the butter so that it can be easily dispersed into the dough.  Take your hands and use the motion of your two palms pressing and sliding together to flake the butter into the flour evenly.  This may take some practice.  Also, you want to make sure you have nice big flakes of butter throughout the dough.  DO NOT OVER MIX AND KEEP THE BUTTER COLD.  If the butter begins to melt or get soft put in the fridge for 20 minutes before moving to next step.Once all the butter is sliced and flaked into the flour and tossed, add the liquid and salt. Using a wooden spoon, mix everything together until it is crumbly.  Now, use your hands the bring the dough together using a folding motion, so the dough is folding over itself before you press down.  Once mostly together and slightly shaggy the dough is done.  Dump out onto counter and flatten into a circle.  Cut the circle into 4 even pieces.  Shape each piece into a flat round disc.  Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. 

To make your pie!

Roll pie dough out to a 13" circle, making sure to have plenty of flour on your table and the dough, and transfer to the pie pan. Crimp the edges above the rim; this will give you a little extra headroom to hold the filling when it expands in the oven. Refrigerate the crust while the oven preheats to 425ºWhen the oven is hot, place the pie pan on a parchment-paper lined baking sheet to catch any drips. Pour the filling into the unbaked pie shell.Bake at 425º for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350º and finish baking for 30-35 minutes. Check at the half-hour point to be sure edges are not cooking too quickly. The center should still be wobbly. Remove pie from the oven and cool on a rack; the center will finish cooking through as the pie sits 

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