HAPPY THANKSGIVING

It's the autumn season, the time of year that grocery stores are filled with harvest vegetables & turkeys. For Thanksgiving this year, I decided to do something different other than the classic turkey with bread stuffing, boring cranberry sauce from a can, or predictable mashed potatoes. For the bakers & chefs in the household, preparing a whole turkey with four sides, two sauces, & two desserts for family & friends can be very overwhelming. I wanted to keep it simple & sophisticated.

I chose to serve a beef roast with a tart cranberry sauce. It's all about time management & with almost all my dishes being baked, it made my Thanksgiving a breeze.

I chose to highlight the quality ingredients such as crisp green beans & sharp aged cheddar with a touch of flavourful herbs. Push aside mother's old recipe box & try new age traditional recipes with a modern unconventional twist.

ROSEMARY ROAST BEEF

1 beef sirloin roast

2 tbsp chopped rosemary

1 tbsp crushed peppercorns

1 tbsp crushed garlic flakes

1 tsp salt

Remove roast from packaging. In a bowl combine crushed peppercorns, rosemary, garlic flakes, & salt. Rub over beef sirloin roast.

Place roast in a shallow roasting pan at 400 degrees. For a medium rare 50-60 mins, pop up medium 60 to 70 minutes, or well done 70 to 80 mins.

Remove roast, cover with aluminum foil & let it rest for 30 mins before slicing to seal in all the juices. Do not clean the roasting pan.

THYME GRAVY

beef drippings in pot

splash of white wine

1/2 cup beef broth

2 beef bouillon cube

1 tbsp thyme leaves

1 tbsp flour

1 tsp butter

Remove any burnt pieces in pan. Keep the heat on medium & deglaze the pan with a generous splash of white wine.

Create a rue by adding butter & flour to the pot. (This will make your gravy, soup, or stew thick versus watery). Use a whisk to remove any lumps.

Add beef broth, beef bouillon cube, & thyme leaves. Whisk & let simmer until the gravy becomes thick.

POTATO, CHEDDAR, & SCALLION FAN

1 large yukon gold potato

3 tbsp aged cheddar

2 tbsp chopped scallions

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp chopped cilantro

Wash potato. Do not peel. Using a sharp knife, make slices across the potato the short way about 1/8 to 1/4 inch apart but do not go all the way through to the bottom of the potato. The slices should stay connected at the bottom.

Drizzle with olive oil & bake at 400 degrees for 50-55 mins. Remove from oven, add cheese in between potato layers & broil for 5 mins until cheese is brown.

Sprinkle with chopped cilantro & chopped scallions before serving.

LEMON, TOASTED ALMONDS & PARMESAN GREEN BEANS

2 cups green beans

1/2 lemon

2 tbsp sliced almonds

2 tbsp grated parmesan

Fill a pot with water & bring to a boil. In another bowl, add cold water & ice cubes. Toss the green beans into the boiling water, drain, & immediately toss into the ice water, then drain again. This is called blanching & stops the cooking process so your beans stay crisp.

Place in sheet tray with sliced almonds & bake for 10 mins.

Squeeze lemon juice & sprinkle grated parmesan right before serving.

PLUM-CRANBERRY SAUCE

1 large plum

1 cup fresh cranberries

1/2 cup water

2 tbsp sugar

1 tbsp bourbon

In a pot, add thinly sliced plums & bourbon. Then add water, sugar, & cranberries. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat & let cranberries simmer until it forms a thick sauce consistency.

ORANGE-CRANBERRY BASIL COCKTAIL

vodka

cointreau

1 tsp sugar

3 cranberries

3 basil leaves

1 slice orange

Make according to taste. Garnish with orange slice, cranberries, & basil leaves.

APPLE LEAF TART

1 pie crust

1 gala apple

1 tbsp brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/2 tsp allspice

Thinly slice apple. Toss with brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, & allspice. Bake at 350 degrees for 5 mins.

Roll out pie crust. Using a paring knife, cut dough into leaf shape. Arrange apple slices layered over one another outlined by the leaf shape.

Put back into oven for 10 mins, then broil on low heat for 5 mins.

Serve with strawberries & vanilla ice cream.

XO 

Kiran & THE BLANK PLATE

ROASTED SQUASH SOUP WITH THANKSGIVING LEFTOVERS

ROASTED SQUASH SOUP

After Thanksgiving is over, there are always leftovers. I used a variety of squash as a centre piece and had half of the butternut squash left over from my butternut squash risotto recipe.

The perfect autumn comfort food is roasted squash soup. It's creamy & hearty. The curry powder gives it a little kick. So let's start roasting, which makes it much easier than having to peel the squash prior to cooking. 

INGREDIENTS

1 onion

1 Granny Smith apple

1 pepper squash

1 acorn squash

1/2 butternut squash

1 cup chicken broth (preferably homemade)

1/4 cup half & half cream

1 tbsp curry powder

METHOD

Cut all squash down the centre. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 370 degrees for 40-45 minutes. Flip squash to skin side down half way through cooking. 

Using a spoon, remove seeds from squash. Scoop out squash from the skin as well and put it in a blender. 

In a pot, sauté one onion & Granny Smith apple and add to blender. Add one ladle of chicken broth and blend until smooth. 

Put mixture back into pot, add the remainder of chicken broth, cream and curry powder. Heat & eat. 

XO

Kiran & THE BLANK PLATE

HAPPY THANKSGIVING CANADA

Thanksgiving is a holiday for gluttony; the one day where we eat guilt free and are thankful for every last bite. 

I am extremely thankful this year because Thanksgiving marks 1 year since I launched THE BLANK PLATE & I love that I finally got the opportunity to fuse my passion with my career. 

For those doing the cooking for this holiday, it can get very overwhelming with baking 5 things at once. I always keep it simple on Thanksgiving. You want the turkey to be the star with complimenting sides. My rule of thumb to stick to is to limit your dinner to 1 starter, 2 sides with the turkey & 1 dessert. Don't go crazy with too many dishes! 

This was my Thanksgiving menu using harvest vegetables, sweet cranberries, & a juicy turkey.

APPETIZER

Poached Pear, Goat Cheese, & Cran-Kale Salad 

ENTREE

Stuffed Turkey Roast

White Wine Gravy

Fresh Cranberry Sauce

Butternut Squash, Leek, & Bacon Risotto

Roasted Lemon-Parmesan Asparagus

DESSERT

Pecan Pie

INGREDIENTS & METHOD

POACHED PEAR, GOAT CHEESE & CRAN-KALE SALAD

2 Bosc pears

2 tbsp goat cheese

2 tbsp walnuts

2 tbsp cranberries

1 tbsp orange juice

1/2 tbsp honey

1/2 tbsp brown sugar

kale, spinach, & arugula mix

1. Halve pears down the centre. Scoop out the seeds. In a bowl, combine orange juice, honey, & brown sugar as a glaze. 

2. Fill each pear halve with goat cheese, dried cranberries, & walnut halves. Drizzle glaze over pears & bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes. 

3. Serve over a bed of kale, spinach, & arugula. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar if desired. 

BUTTERNUT SQUASH, LEEK & BACON RISOTTO

3 cups chicken stock (homemade or store bought)

1 cup arborio rice

1/2 cup dry white wine

1/2 cup chopped shallots

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

3 strips bacon

1 chopped leek

1/2 butternut squash

2 tbsp thyme leaves

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp sea salt

1 tbsp black pepper

1. Peel butternut squash & remove seeds. Cut into 1-inch cubes & place on sheet tray at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Toss halfway.

2. In a pot, add olive oil & arborio rice. Saute for 2 minutes, then add 2 cups chicken stock. Remove thyme leaves & add to pot. Simmer until stock is absorbed, then add remainder chicken stock & white wine. 

3. Add chopped bacon, leeks, & shallots to a pan. Saute until tender. 

4. Add butternut squash, leeks, bacon, shallots, butter, & parmesan cheese. Top with sea salt & black pepper. Mix & serve. 

PECAN PIE

1 frozen pie crust

3 large eggs

2 cups pecans

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup maple syrup

2 tbsp unsalted butter

1 tbsp vanilla extract

1 tbsp bourbon

1/2 tbsp salt

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. 

2. In a pie plate, add pie crust. 

3. In a bowl, combine all ingredients except the pecans. Whisk together until smooth. Add pecans, stir gently & add mixture into pie crust. 

4. Bake 50 to 55 minutes until centre is set. Cool & slice. Serve with ice cream. 

XO

Kiran & THE BLANK PLATE