The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent

Learn how to do The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent for your friends and family. this revenue from The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent it is delicious

Make The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent

As I joked about in the intro, for something to be called a “Hot Brown,” and still become so wildly popular, is a true testament to just how amazingly delicious this really is. 

Invented at the Brown Hotel in Louisville, Kentucky, to help late night partygoers keep going, this hot turkey gratin may be my all-time favorite, fork and knife sandwich.

And for something that seems so decadent, I don’t actually find it to be all that heavy of a meal. Of course, that could be the bourbon talking. I guess you could use milk instead of cream to lighten this up, but unless you’re going to start eating these several times a week, I think you should stick to the original formula.

I’m sure this would be okay with some thickly sliced turkey from the deli, but roasting your own is pretty easy, and you can use the leftovers for a few less extravagant sandwiches. Either way, I really do hope you give this Kentucky classic a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for the sauce (enough for 4 small or 2 giant portions):

2 tablespoons salted butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup Pecorino Romano cheese, plus more for grating on top

pinch of freshly ground nutmeg

salt, freshly ground black pepper, and cayenne to taste

For the turkey (enough for 4 portions):
1 teaspoon oil or butter to grease baking dish

2 pound boneless turkey breast

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon herbs de Provence, or other dried/fresh herbs of your choice

- Roast at 350 F. to an internal temp of 148 F.

For each Hot Brown:

2 pieces white bread, toasted

6 ounces roast turkey breast (3 thick slices)

3 slices of tomato

enough prepared cheese sauce to cover

grated Pecorino Romano for the top

paprika or cayenne for the top

2 slices bacon, precooked

chopped Italian parsley

- Finish under a low broiler, or in 475 F. oven until the sauce is bubbly and browned, and the bacon is cooked. To cheat, you can cook bacon crisp separately, and just top the finished dish, but I think it tastes better if you brown with the bacon on top.

Share this recipe from The “Hot Brown” – Kentucky’s Favorite Bourbon Absorbent with your friends and groups

Stuffed Hasselback Turkey Breast – A Little Thanksgiving

Learn how to do Stuffed Hasselback Turkey Breast – A Little Thanksgiving for your friends and family. this revenue from Stuffed Hasselback Turkey Breast – A Little Thanksgiving it is delicious

Make Stuffed Hasselback Turkey Breast – A Little Thanksgiving

Everyone loves a traditional turkey dinner with all the fixings, but because of the time and work involved, we usually only get to enjoy it once a year on Thanksgiving. So, what if we create a second holiday, called “Little Thanksgiving,” and feature this smaller, and much easier, Hasselback turkey? 

By the way, when I say easier, that assumes we’ve figured out how to carve it significantly better than I demonstrated in the video.

A thinner, more flexible knife would have been much better, as well as just slicing off one section at a time. I may try another one, but before stuffing, I'll go around the outside edge of the breast with a knife, cutting in about an inch, where it attaches to the bone. This would still leave most of the meat attached at the center, and probably make slicing simpler.

I guess we could try using a boneless breast, but I really think the ribcage is important for keeping the meat, if you’ll pardon the expression, moist. If you’ve tried this sans bones, please let me know how it came out. Regardless, since these breasts can really vary in size, be sure to use a thermometer to check doneness. So, whether you do this for regular Thanksgiving, or that new “Little Thanksgiving” everyone is talking about, I really do hope you give this a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 2 large or 4 smaller portions:

one 2 to 3 pound split turkey breast, bone in, skin on

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

1 tablespoon melted butter for brushing on before roasting

For the very basic stuffing:

2 cups small dry bread cubes

1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (dried sage, rosemary, and thyme)

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

freshly ground black pepper and cayenne to taste

1/2 cup diced onion and 1/2 cup diced celery sautéed in butter until golden

1 cup hot chicken broth, plus more if needed

1 large egg yolk

NOTE: In the video I said to roast at 350 F., to an internal temp of 150 F., but in hindsight, I’m thinking that a 375 F. oven would work better.

For the stuffing, try these recipes, and cook the extra mixture in a pan alongside your Hasselback Turkey Breast.

- Old-Fashioned Cracker Stuffing

- Pecan and Apricot Sourdough Bread Stuffing

- Cranberry Walnut Stuffing

Share this recipe from Stuffed Hasselback Turkey Breast – A Little Thanksgiving with your friends and groups

Crispy Turkey Flautas – A Great Reason for Buying a Too Big Bird

Learn how to do Crispy Turkey Flautas – A Great Reason for Buying a Too Big Bird for your friends and family. this revenue from Crispy Turkey Flautas – A Great Reason for Buying a Too Big Bird it is delicious

Make Crispy Turkey Flautas – A Great Reason for Buying a Too Big Bird

Most normal people cook a bigger turkey than they need, so they can enjoy some leftovers. There’s nothing better than a fresh turkey sandwich, or three, but after a couple days, that bony carcass is that last thing you want to look at; and that’s where these crispy flautas come in.

As I joked about in the video, when it comes to leftovers, the “add cheese and fry” system is a proven crowd pleaser, but to hedge our bets, we’re also topping with guacamole, sour cream, and salsa. This creates something so different from the holiday meal that you might forget where the turkey actually came from. Depends on how much you’ve been drinking.

Regarding my comment about pre-grated cheese being coated with saw dust – many people on YouTube thought I was joking, but this really is true. That shredded stuff in the bag is coated in a fine cellulose dust, which prevents the pieces of cheese from clumping together. The good news is, grating cheese only takes a minute, and almost anyone can do it.

And if you don’t have old turkey to make these flautas with, eventually you will have some leftover chicken, which would obviously also work. Either way, I hope you give these delicious, crispy flautas a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 12 large turkey flautas:

24 small, white corn tortillas
1 egg white to seal flautas, optional

*1 pound cooked, shredded turkey

6 ounces shredded pepper Jack cheese, sharp cheddar, or a combo of the two (about 2 cups)

1/3 cup chopped green onions

salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

*I’ll assume you’re going to use one of our turkey recipes, so your bird will be super moist, but if it isn’t, you can always add a 1/4 cup of chicken broth to the mixture to compensate.

- Garnish with shaved cabbage, guacamole, sour cream, salsa, and freshly chopped cilantro

Share this recipe from Crispy Turkey Flautas – A Great Reason for Buying a Too Big Bird with your friends and groups

Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving

Learn how to do Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving for your friends and family. this revenue from Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving it is delicious

Make Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving

Making delicious meatballs with fatty, flavorful beef is no great feat, but creating something as delectable using ground turkey is another story. As the old joke goes, it may be bland, but at least it’s dry. So, you’re going to need a very specialized strategy, and by “specialized strategy,” I mean some cold, leftover rice.

As these simmer in your sauce or soup, the grains of rice absorb moisture, swell up, and create a relatively tender, moist meatball. Above and beyond that, you’ll also want to look for ground turkey thigh meat (available at most of your higher-priced grocery chains).

By the way, like all meatball/meatloaf recipes, you can test your seasoning by cooking a small piece of the mixture before rolling your ball. Even though the meat hasn’t simmered in the sauce yet, at least you can see if it needs more salt. I’ll just fry up a little patty, and adjust if need be, and suggest you do the same.

I didn’t intend this recipe to be a Thanksgiving dinner alternative, but now that I think about it, these could actually work. Maybe you have a small group, or don’t like looking at a giant carcass on the table (hey, some people are weird like that), or your in-laws are Spanish, and you want to show them you can pronounce “albondigas.”  Whatever the occasion, I hope you give these a try soon. Enjoy!

Ingredients for about 20-24 small meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey thigh meat

1 packed cup cooked white long grain rice
3 cloves crushed garlic 
1/4 cup chopped Italian parsley
1 large egg

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 teaspoon smoked paprika

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon cayenne

1/4 teaspoon dried oregano

1 tablespoon olive oil

For the sauce (I didn’t measure these ingredients, so these are just guesses)

2 1/2 cups prepared tomato sauce

1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed

1 teaspoon paprika

1/3 cup crème fraiche or heavy cream

1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
2 tbsp chopped Italian parsley
salt and pepper to taste

Share this recipe from Turkey & Rice Meatballs (Albondigas) – Perfect for Spanish Thanksgiving with your friends and groups

Thanksgiving Leftover Special: Tom Turkey Kha Gai

Learn how to do Thanksgiving Leftover Special: Tom Turkey Kha Gai for your friends and family. this revenue from Thanksgiving Leftover Special: Tom Turkey Kha Gai it is delicious

Make Thanksgiving Leftover Special: Tom Turkey Kha Gai

One of the great blessings, and curses, of Thanksgiving is leftover turkey. The next day it’s great reheated, or made into sandwiches, but by Day 3 you want something that tastes like not turkey. That’s where this spicy Thai coconut soup recipe comes in.

This is my take on Tom Kha Gai, and as usual I make no claim as to its authenticity. I do know it tastes amazing to me, and will make you forget you even roasted a turkey. There’s lots of everything going on here, so be prepared to adjust radically to your tastes. It should be fairly spicy, sweet, sour, and salty, all at the same time. 

If you can, see if you find galangal, or galanga root, as it's sometimes called. It looks like a thin-skinned ginger, with a sort of similar flavor, although people that make this soup for a living will say it's much different and far superior. I decided to use ginger, since that's what the majority of my audience will use, but I thought it was worth mentioning, in case you live in an area where this rhizome is available.      

As far as the chili oil goes, all I did was mash together a couple tablespoons of sambal with twice as much vegetable oil with a mortar and pestle. Once it settles, the gorgeous, red oil rises to the top, and you’re ready to drip. I hope you have a great Thanksgiving, and that some of your leftover turkey finds its way into this delicious soup. Enjoy!

Ingredients for 4 serving:
 6 cups turkey or chicken broth

3” piece ginger, sliced thin

2 stalks fresh lemongrass, bruised and sliced

kefir lime or lemon leaves, sliced

2 tbsp cilantro stems

1/2 tsp chili flakes, or to taste

Simmer for 15 minutes

Add:

1 pound cubed turkey or chicken

1 cup little mushrooms

2 tsp sugar

2 tbsp. fish sauce

1 (13-oz) can coconut milk

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup green onion

2 tbsp chopped cilantro leaves

Chili oil, cilantro leaves, and lime wedges to garnish

Share this recipe from Thanksgiving Leftover Special: Tom Turkey Kha Gai with your friends and groups

Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey – As Close to Turducken as I’ll Ever Get

Learn how to do Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey – As Close to Turducken as I’ll Ever Get for your friends and family. this revenue from Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey – As Close to Turducken as I’ll Ever Get it is delicious

Make Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey – As Close to Turducken as I’ll Ever Get

If you’re a turkey, and you’re getting boned-out, there’s a good chance you’re about to become Turducken, which in this chef’s opinion, is one of the most overrated recipes of all time. When was the last time you sat down in a restaurant and thought, “I hope the chef’s doing a turkey, duck, chicken trio.”

However, the idea of removing those pesky bones before your bird makes its grand entrance may be worth considering. Not only do you get an impressive looking roast to wow the table, but carving is significantly easier. I didn't have time to show here, but of course you are making a killer turkey stock with all those bones, so that's another advantage. Also, if you're worried about losing flavor, don't. This tastes virtually identical. 

If you’ve ever found yourself hacking up a perfectly good turkey in front of the family, while flop-sweat drips onto the mangled meat, then this approach may be for you. Sure, it takes a good hour to prep, but that’s pretty much where the hard work ends.  

These types of videos are near impossible to edit into any reasonable length, but the good news is this is a lot easier to do than I make it look. Just go slow, and keep that knife against the bone, and you’ll be fine. By the way, chickens make an affordable and delicious thing to practice on.

I’ve included my “prop” stuffing below, which was great. It’s more the style you’d see in a stuffed pork chop, but as I said in the video, your favorite stuffing will work beautifully.

I’ve also posted a bonus video below that goes into more detail on the tying technique. So, if you’re looking for a new and exciting challenge for Thanksgiving, I hope you give this a try. Enjoy!

Notes:

• My turkey was about 15 pounds, but this will work on any sized bird.
• I wanted to try salt only on the outside, without butter or oil, like in our salt chicken recipe, just to see what would happen, but nothing did. So, feel free to slather on the butter.
• You’ll need about 3-4 cups of prepared stuffing depending on the turkey.
• My pan sauce was nothing more than the drippings with a big splash of cream, reduced until slightly thickened, and strained.  

Procedure:

Start in a 450 F.  oven for 15 minutes

Reduce to 325 F. until you get an internal temperature of 150 F. (mine took about 1 1/2 hours more)

For the stuffing I used:

1 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs

1/2 cup butter

1/4 cup finely minced onions, sautéed golden

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/4 cup golden raisins

1/2 cup turkey or chicken broth, or enough to moisten

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp chopped fresh sage

1 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon

2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 tsp fresh chopped rosemary leaves

Bonus Knot Tying Video

Share this recipe from Whole Boneless Thanksgiving Turkey – As Close to Turducken as I’ll Ever Get with your friends and groups