Cranberry sauce with red wine and figs

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christmas, cranberries, cranberry sauce, figs, red wine, sauce, Thanksgiving, Turkey

Cranberry sauce is a very American accompaniment to Thanksgiving turkey. In fact, I had never eaten it until we moved to the US and then my first experience was at a dinner where the host served the jellied kind that comes straight out of a can, I hated it and could not imagine how an entire nation loved this vile tasting “sauce”. My ex-husband asked to have cranberry sauce with the turkey the following year and so I started searching out a recipe. Low and behold, I discovered that you can actually make your own, from fresh or frozen berries and you did not have to resort to eating jellied cylindrical shaped sauce – and to top it all, it is actually very easy and tastes far superior to any store bought variation. It is a great accompaniment to turkey and and I discovered with my leftovers this year, superb with foie gras. So make some for Christmas lunch and have the rest with your foie gras for New Year!

Ingredients:

1 cup (250ml) fruity red wine

1 cup (170g) diced dried figs, hard stems removed

12 ounces (340g) fresh or frozen cranberries

Zest of 2 oranges

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

1/8 teaspoon cinnamon

2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar

Preparation:

In a medium saucepan, heat the red wine and diced figs together 

Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 30 minutes
Drain the figs (keep the wine)
Return the wine to the saucepan
Add the cranberries, orange zest, sugar, and cinnamon and cook, covered, over medium heat until the cranberries have burst and are softened, about 10 minutes
Remove from heat
Add the figs and the vinegar to the cranberries

The sauce can be made up to one week ahead and refrigerated
Allow to return to room temperature before serving
Enjoy!

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Pecan pie – a real American classsic

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american classic, corn syrup, pecan pie, pecans, sirop de glucose, tarte, Thanksgiving

Make this traditional holiday pie anytime with this easy recipe. It’s impossible to go wrong with good old fashioned pecan pie.

Serves 8

Ingredients:

1 sweet shortcrust pastry (pâte sablée) can use store-bought or see recipe below
Pastry
300 g / 2 1/2 cups flour
100 g / 1/2 cup sugar
150 g / 9 tablespoons very soft butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs
Pinch of salt
Filling
200 g / 7 oz pecan nuts, unsalted
4 eggs
175 g / 3/4 cup maple syrup or corn syrup (sirop de glucose)
50 g / 3 1/2 tablespoons butter
85 g / 3 oz brown sugar (sucre brun)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation:

Pastry
Mix all the ingredients together in a large bowl
On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough until you obtain a smooth ball
Place in the refrigerator for at least one hour
Once it has rested, roll it out carefully and line your tart pan with the pastry (I used a 24 cm / 9″ tart pan in ceramic)
Prick holes with a fork and return to the refrigerator while you prepare the filling
Preheat the oven to 180 C / 360 F
In a large bowl, mix all the ingredients
Pour the mixture into the prepared, but unbaked, tart shell
Bake for 40 minutes
Serve with heaps of whipped cream
Enjoy!

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Hearty Chicken Chowder

Tags

Chicken, chowder, corn, cream, curry, leftovers, peas, potatoes, Soup, Thanksgiving

What do you do with leftover chicken or turkey? You could, of course, make sandwiches or use it in a pasta or risotto dish but my favourite way to use chicken or turkey is to make my hearty chowder. My daughter used to love the day after Thanksgiving way more than Thanksgiving itself as she simply loved this soup. It is thick and hearty and makes a great lunch with a piece of crusty bread and butter. If you want a thinner version or feel it is too thick after having puréed the veggies, then simply add a bit more hot chicken stock, or you could just add more cream.

Serves 6 to 8

Ingredients:

250 g / 9 oz cooked chicken, off the bone
30 g / 2 tablespoons butter
1 medium onion, diced
5g / 1 teaspoon curry powder
5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
2 medium carrots, peeled and diced
1 celery stick, cut finely
1 cup peas or corn (from a can, frozen or cooked freshly)
750 ml / 3 cups chicken stock
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 teaspoon Herbs de Provence
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped
250 ml / 1 cup thick cream

Preparation:

Cut the chicken into bite sized pieces
Melt the butter over medium high heat in a large soup pot or dutch oven
Add onion and sauté until translucent, do not allow to brown
Stir in the curry powder and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly
Add the potato, carrot, celery, stock and season to taste
Bring to the boil, uncovered
Cover and allow to simmer for about 15 minutes
Remove from the heat and using an immersion blender, purée the soup to your liking
Return to the heat
Add the chicken, peas or corn and Herbs de Provence
Cook 5 minutes longer
Pour in the cream and stir until well blended
Sprinkle on the parsley
Serve hot with crusty bread
Enjoy!

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