Fantasy Thanksgiving 2000

For the past 10 years Bob Edwards has hosted an annual radio Fantasy Thanksgiving potluck with such chefs as Julia Child, Wolfgang Puck, and Paul Prudhomme. Listen as Morning Edition updates the holiday event with chefs Rick Bayless, Mario Batali, Deborah Madison, Jacques Torres, and Mollie Katzen in attendance.

Kris' Apple Crisp
Tacchino Ripieno
Spiced Quince and Cranberry Compote
Chile Glazed Sweet Potatoes

Antipasto Recipes:
Just White Beans
Pickled Red Onions
Gingery Marinated Chick Peas
Marinated Small Artichokes
Bell Peppers
Roasted Green Beans

Kris' Apple Crisp Photo credit: John Uher

Kris' Apple Crisp
From Dessert Circus At Home by Jacques Torres

Yield: One 8-inch casserole; about 8 servings

This is one of my favorite desserts. It is especially easy to make and you can add all kinds of optional ingredients to suit your tastes. For Thanksgiving, I usually add a good handful of fresh cranberries. I like the contrast between the tart cranberries and the sweet apples. Kris likes to use McIntosh apples for this recipe, but you can use any kind you like. If you like ice cream even a little bit, serve it with this dessert - apple crisp without ice cream is like cookies without milk!

Vanilla ice cream

Preheat the oven to 350°F (176°C). Use a sharp paring knife or apple peeler to peel the apples. Slice them in half and remove the cores, then slice the apple halves into thick segments. Kris likes to use thinner slices and I prefer chunks. Set aside.

Combine the flour, sugars, butter, cinnamon, salt, and nutmeg in a large mixing bowl. Use a pastry blender to cut the butter into the blended ingredients. The finished mixture should be crumbly and you will be able to see small chunks of butter. Mix in the chopped nuts. Do this after you work in the butter so you won't have to crunch through the nuts.

Lightly spray an 8-inch casserole or soufflé dish with vegetable cooking spray. Fill the dish about half full with the apples. Sprinkle in half of the cranberries. Add about half of the apple cider and cover with a generous portion of the flour mixture. Top with the remaining apples, cranberries and cider. The apples should mound over the top of the dish because they will shrink as they bake. Cover with the remaining flour mixture. Place in the oven and bake, covered, for about 30 minutes. Then, uncover and bake until the topping is a dark golden brown and appears dry, about an additional 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and spoon into small bowls.

I always serve it warm with vanilla ice cream so the ice cream melts into the apple crisp. We usually make a double batch. You can freeze the baked apple crisp well wrapped in plastic wrap. When ready, allow it to thaw. If I am going to reheat the whole dish, I do it in the oven at 350°F (176°C) for 20 to 30 minutes. Otherwise, spoon it into small bowls and reheat each bowl in the microwave on high power for 60 to 90 seconds.

For more information about Jacques Torres, go to www.jacquestorres.com.

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Rolled Stuffed Turkey with Chestnuts and Prunes

Tacchino Ripieno
Rolled Stuffed Turkey with Chestnuts and Prunes
by Mario Batali

2 cups plus 1 cup dry white wine

Season the butterflied breast with salt and pepper, cover and refrigerate.

Preheat the oven to 400 F.

In a 12 to 14-inch saute pan, heat 3 tbsp. olive oil over medium-high heat until smoking. Add the pancetta pieces and cook until golden brown, about 7 to 9 minutes. Add the ground pork and cook until it starts to brown in its own fat, about 25 to 28 minutes, stirring reuglarly. Drain all but 4 tbsp. of the fat from the pan and add the prunes and chestnuts. Continue cooking for 8 minues until the prunes start to really soften. Remove from the heat and allow to cool, about 20 minutes.

Turn the mixture out into a bowl and add the bread crumbs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, eggs, pepper, nutmeg and herbs and just bring together, stirring with your hand. (Overmixing here can result in a lead torpedo for a stuffing, so don't.) Place the two turkey pieces on a cutting board and divide the stuffing between them. Roll each of the breasts like a jelly roll and tie them firmly with butcher's twine.

Place the two breasts, skin side up, on a roasting rack in a roasting pan and pour the wine over them. Season with salt and pepper and cook in the oven, uncovered until dark golden brown outside and a meat thermometer reads 165 F at the fattest part of the breast. This should take about 1 hour, plus or minus 10 minutes. Remove and allow to rest 15 minutes before carving.

Meanwhile, add the remaining cup of wine to the roasting pan over medium heat and deglaze, scraping with a wooden spoon. Add the remaining oil and season with salt and pepper. Carve the turkey into 1-inch slices and serve with the pan sauce drizzled over.

For more information about Mario Batali, go to http://www.starchefs.com/Mbatali/bio.html.

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The Savory Way by Deborah Madison

Spiced Quince and Cranberry Compote
From the Savory Way
by Deborah Madison, Broadway Books 1998

Makes approximately 3 pints, serves 12 to 16 as a relish

Golden apple-like quinces appear in the fall, just in time for Thanksgiving. Though related to apples and pears, they are extremely aromatic, less shapely, and much tougher. Although they take a long time to cook, they won't fall apart and they do turn a gorgeous shade of rosy pink.

This spiced compote offers a new way to enjoy cranberries at Thanksgiving. You can make this days in advance -- in fact, it will taste better. The quince can even be cooked weeks in advance as they keep well in their syrup.

If your party is a small one, you can easily halve this recipe.

1 or 2 tbsp. Thick Cream (page 165), crème fraîche or sour cream thinned with a little milk, for garnish

1. Making 2/3 cup Essential Sweet-and-Spicy Ancho Chile Seasoning Paste. Roast the unpeeled garlic on an ungreased griddle or heavy skillet over medium heat, turning occasionally, until soft (they'll blacken in spots), about 15 minutes; cool and peel. While the garlic is roasting, toast the chiles on another side of the griddle or skillet: 1 or 2 at a time, open them flat and press down firmly on the hot surface with a spatula; in a few seconds, when they crackle, even send up a wisp of smoke, flip them and press down to toast the other side. In a small bowl, cover the chiles with hot water and let rehydrate for 30 minutes, stirring regularly to ensure even soaking. Drain and discard the water.

Combine the oregano, cinnamon, black pepper and cloves in a food processor or blender, along with the chiles, garlic and broth or water. Process to a smooth puree, scraping and stirring every few seconds. (If the mixture just won't go through the blender blades, add a little more liquid.) Press through a medium-mesh strainer into a small bowl.

2. Assembling the dish. Slice each of the sweet potatoes into 4 lengthwise wedges. Lightly butter or oil a 13x9-inch baking dish, and lay in the sweet potatoes in a single layer. Combine the chile seasoning paste with the orange zest, orange juice and honey. Taste and season with salt (it should taste salty, since this is the seasoning for the potatoes). Spoon evenly over the sweet potatoes.

3. Baking the potatoes. Turn on the oven to 350 degrees. Drizzle the sweet potatoes with the (optional) butter or oil, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 45 minutes or until the potatoes are almost fork-tender. Raise the oven temperature to 425 degrees, uncover the potatoes, baste with the juices and bake until the potatoes are nicely glazed and the sauce reduced to a medium-thickness, about 10 minutes. Sprinkle with slivers of orange zest, chopped cilantro and a drizzle of cream if you wish, and it's ready to serve.

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Antipasto Recipes

Antipasto Recipes

by Mollie Katzen

Just White Beans
From The New Moosewood Cookbook
by Mollie Katzen, Ten Speed Press 2000

Yield: about 6 servings.
Preparation time: 1 1/2 hours (mostly bean cooking time), plus time to chill

Sometimes it's refreshing to have a bean salad that is a simple solo of marinated beans, without a lot of little diced vegetables singing backup vocals. This is one such dish. It is delightful by itself, and downright smashing when topped with a mound of pickled red onions (see below).

This salad keeps well for days if tightly covered and refrigerated. The beans can be cooked without prior soaking.