HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill.,
Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- To help
home cooks spice up their tables this Thanksgiving, Le Cordon Bleu and Certified Master
Chef Edward Leonard have created new
recipes and tips for putting a unique twist on classic dishes.
"A simple way to shake up this year's Thanksgiving feast is to incorporate modern
flavors," says Chef Leonard, certified master chef, Le Cordon Bleu
and executive chef, Technique Restaurants. "Using new culinary
techniques to create innovative dishes can update the traditional
feast for a memorable meal everyone is sure to enjoy."
Home cooks can spice up a traditional dish by infusing it with
modern ingredients or new garnishes, such as exchanging Roast
Turkey with Herbs for the
time-honored baked turkey. Chef Leonard's recipe for Butternut
Squash Soup with Chestnuts uses modern cooking techniques to
update a Thanksgiving table
tradition.
Switching up holiday dishes does not have to mean: Out with the
old, in with the new. Chef Leonard suggests deconstructing classic
meals and putting them back together for an interesting way to
reinvent tried-and-true dishes. These additional tips from Chef
Leonard show how easy it is for home cooks to add contemporary
twists to perennial Thanksgiving
classics:
- Update this year's turkey with a fresh take on the stuffing.
Try Brioche Stuffing that uses diced brioche bread, ground
pork sausage and several seasoning ingredients to punch up the
flavor.
- Incorporate some of your favorite fall comfort foods to spice
up your Thanksgiving feast. Fall's
bumper crop of fruits and vegetables offer a range of intense
flavors and substantial textures for mouth-watering recipes, such
as an Apple Sauce Cake that uses diced apples to bring a
fall favorite to life.
- Updating side dishes is an easy way to jazz up your holiday
meal. Try a Roast Brussels Sprouts and Root Vegetables with
Peas to anchor the star of the show.
For more information on Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts
please visit www.chefs.edu. Follow Le Cordon Bleu on Facebook
and on Twitter @LCBSchools.
About Le Cordon Bleu
Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) is one of the largest providers of quality
culinary arts education worldwide. Our network of 17 schools in
the United States offers culinary
students a hands-on education with faculty dedicated to providing
students with the necessary skills, knowledge, support and guidance
to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in the culinary arts.
LCB does not guarantee employment or salary and is a member
of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of
universities, colleges and schools. For more information about Le
Cordon Bleu, go to www.Chefs.edu.
Le Cordon Bleu ® and the Le Cordon Bleu logo are registered
trademarks in North America of
Career Education Corporation.
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Butternut Squash Soup with
Chestnuts
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2 tablespoons butter
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2 tablespoons duck fat or olive
oil
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1/3 cup small sweet onion,
diced
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1/2 cup bacon or duck confit,
diced
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2 pears, peeled, cored and
diced
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1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
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1/4 teaspoon clove
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1 quart butternut squash puree
fresh or jarred
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3 cups chicken broth
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1/2 cup whipping
cream
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1/4 cup real maple
syrup
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4 tablespoons cold diced
butter
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Freshly ground pepper, to
taste
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To taste kosher salt
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1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped
until just thickened or creme fraiche
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12 fresh or jarred chestnuts,
roasted, peeled and thoroughly chopped
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- In a small heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat, melt the
butter and duck fat.
- Add the onion, bacon or duck meat, pears, cinnamon and clove,
and cook until softened for 10 to 12 minutes.
- Stir in the butternut squash puree and 2 1/2 cups of broth.
Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for
20 minutes.
- Using a blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Place
back in the pot.
- Whisk in the cream, syrup and butter. Add more broth if needed
to reach your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup gently to serving
temperature.
- Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with a
swirl of whipped cream and sprinkle with chestnuts. Serve
immediately.
Serves 6 to 8
*For a vegetarian dish, leave out the bacon or duck meat.
Roast Turkey with
Herbs
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1/2 cup fresh thyme, coarsely
chopped
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1/2 cup fresh sage, coarsely
chopped
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1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely
chopped
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1/2 cup fresh oregano, coarsely
chopped
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2 tablespoons unsalted butter,
room temperature
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2 tablespoons coarsely ground
pepper
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2 tablespoons coarse sea
salt
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1 1/2 tablespoons dried
thyme
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1 1/2 tablespoon rubbed or
ground sage
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11/2 tablespoon dried
basil
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1(l2-15 lb) turkey (neck &
giblets reserved for brioche stuffing), rinsed & patted
dry
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2 small onions cut into 1/4 inch
thick slices
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2 carrots cut into l1/4 inch
thick rounds
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2 celery stalks cut into 1/4
inch pieces
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2 leeks cut into 1/4 inch thick
rounds
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1 whole garlic head, halved
crosswise
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2 tablespoon extra virgin olive
oil
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Salt and pepper as
needed
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4 cups chicken broth
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1/2 cup melted butter
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- Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
- Mix first 10 ingredients in medium bowl.
- Rub mixture into turkey cavity well.
- Pack onions, carrots, celery, leeks and garlic into cavity.
- Truss turkey with string.
- Rub turkey skin with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
- Place turkey on rack set in heavy large roasting pan.
- Pour 2 cups of the broth into the roasting pan, roast for 30
minutes.
- Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
- Brush turkey with butter, roast 30 minutes more and brush with
butter again.
- Roast turkey about another 2 hours until thermometer inserted
in thickest part of thigh registers.
- Baste and add broth as needed to keep juices from burning.
- Roast turkey to 160 degrees F. Keep basting the turkey
occasionally with the pan juices and fat.
- Transfer turkey to platter. Degrease pan juices. Let turkey
stand 20 minutes before slicing.
Yields 8 servings
SOURCE Le Cordon Bleu