It’s our Thanksgiving episode of Alternative Styles and in honor of our favorite holiday we’ve got celebrity chef Manouschka Guerrier and special guest-chef Manifa Nazarian joining our chefs’ table. We’re sharing delicious Thanksgiving recipes to impress your guests.
We discuss delicious dishes which may be new to you like a bacon weave turkey and recipes for recreating holiday favorites. And, we share tips to keep you from drying out the turkey and tricks for preventing stress on your big day.
Plus, Manouschka and Manifa share special recipes for fusing Haitian and Armenian flavors into a “traditional” Thanksgiving spread. It’s the official chef’s holiday and we recommend you ditch those diets for the day and grab some second servings. Let’s dig in!
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Selected Recipes Featured On The Show
1. Chef Manouschka’s Bacon Weaved Turkey
Serves 12-14
Ingredients:
(14 lb) fresh turkey Creole Seasoning Kosher salt Freshly ground black pepper 6 sprigs fresh thyme
3 sprigs fresh rosemary
1 orange, poked 3x with a fork
1 small lemon, poked 3x with a fork
1 carrot stick, quartered
1 large onion, cut in half
1 stalk celery, quartered
1 small fennel bulb, cut in half
1 (8 oz) package unsalted grass-fed butter
(room temperature)
1⁄2 bunch fresh sage leaves, chopped
3 lbs thick cut smoked bacon
Toothpicks
1⁄4 cup Ciroc Summer Colada
1 cup pure maple syrup
Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees (remove top rack).
2. Remove and discard neck and gizzards from turkey. Rinse turkey thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry.
3. Sprinkle inside cavity with creole seasoning, salt and pepper. Fill cavity with aromatics (thyme, rosemary, citrus, carrot, onion, celery and fennel).
4. With gloved hands, gently lift skin from the breast and legs to avoid tearing.
5. In a small mixing bowl combine butter, salt, pepper, creole seasoning and sage. With gloved hands, mash ingredients until sage is well incorporated.
6. Grab small portions of sage butter, place it underneath the skin of entire bird (except the bottom), just under breast, legs and thighs. Massage the outside while lubricating the skin with butter, which will help bacon adhere.
7. Follow instructions for bacon weaving the turkey (below).
8. Place turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, tent with foil; roast in the oven.
9. In a sauté pan, simmer Ciroc Summer Colada and maple syrup to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes.
10. Turkey should be done in about 3 hours (15– 20 minutes per lb) 2 hours into roasting, remove foil and baste for 1 hour or so to give bacon some color.
NOTE: Turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees (thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.)
11. Transfer turkey to a cutting board, let rest for at least 30 minutes before carving, so juices can settle back into the meat.
To Bacon Weave Turkey
1. Open the packs of bacon as needed.
2. On a cutting board closely line 1 layer of bacon completely across the board creating a “bacon blanket.”
3. Lift every other bacon strip on the cutting board, adding another strip of bacon in the opposite direction. Cover the strip of bacon with the lifted strips making sure the bacon stays together closely.
4. Lift every other bacon from the bacon blanket again and add another strip, repeating the process until the bacon blanket is woven.
5. Flip the cutting board on top of the turkey breast, completely blanketing the top.
6. Use toothpicks at the base of the turkey to keep the bacon from rolling up.
7. Wrap remaining bacon around drumsticks and wings. Use toothpicks to pin wings into the bird, between the breast and on drumsticks to keep bacon in place. Truss drumsticks together with twine.
2. Jesse’s Butternut Squash Lasagna
Makes 12 servings
Ingredients:
3 cups butternut squash, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 tsp cinnamon
2 cups fresh basil, minced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups heavy cream
1 tsp salt & pepper
1 tablespoon flour
1 tablespoon butter
2 cups ricotta cheese
1 egg
4 cups mozzarella cheese
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 box no-boil (oven ready) lasagna noodles
Instructions:
Preheat Oven to 375 degrees F
Bring a medium-large pot of water to boil
Place the butternut squash in the boiling water and cook until soft
Remove from heat and drain water
Add cinnamon into the pot and mash until smooth
Set aside
In a large skillet, melt the butter over a medium heat and mix in the flour to create a roux (paste)
Do not overcook the roux, it should be a golden brown
Use a whisk to mix in the cream and garlic with the roux and bring to a light simmer
When the cream thickens to a sauce consistency, remove from heat
Mix in the basil and salt/pepper
Set Aside
In a medium mixing bowl, stir in the egg with the ricotta cheese
Set aside
In a large baking dish, layer the lasagna noodles with the mashed butternut squash, then basil sauce, then ricotta, then mozzarella
Repeat the process until the dish is filled
The top layer should be mozzarella, then sprinkle on the parmesan.
Bake 30-40 minutes, until you can easily stick a knife through each layer.
If the top layer begins to brown, cover with foil.
When cooked through, allow to cool for 30 minutes and serve
This recipe comes from her Haitian culture and is her take on the French Tarte L’Oignon. She said she’s asked for the recipe every time she makes it. This is a savory, flaky & buttery Onion Pie. You can swap the Parmesan with Gouda (not smoked) or your fave white cheese. She says people go nuts for this every holiday season.
3. Chef Manouschka’s Onion Pie
Makes 1 pie
Note: I use ready-made pie crusts (*ain’t nobody got time for that homemade shit!)
Ingredients:
– 4 white onions (thinly sliced
– 2 tbs or unsalted butter
– 2 tbs of flour
– 1 cup of evaporated milk (heated)
– sprig of thyme (separated)
– 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese,
– salt, pepper & garlic powder to taste.
– 1 egg, beaten
Instructions:
Preheat Oven to
Melt butter, add flour & mix making a roux. Add heated milk to make bechamel sauce… the sauce will be thick. Add onions, thyme, cheese & seasoning. Cook for 15 minutes stirring as you go along. Poke pie crust with fork 4 times. Fill with onion bechamel filling. Top with crusts. You can make leaves as I did with a paring knife or cookie cutter or do a lattice. Brush with egg wash or use fingers.
Bake for 30 minutes.
Cool on a rack & serve.
4. Pumpkin Creme Brûlée recipe
Here’s another great recipe which your guests can eat while gathered or if they’re too full from having seconds (& thirds) they can take it home which is also a great alternative to pies.
Pumpkin Creme Brûlée (serves 8-10)
8 mini-pumpkins (slice tops off & scoop out flesh) or 4 ramekins (Serves 4)
4 large organic brown egg yolks
3 tablespoons of baker’s sugar
1/4 cup pure cane sugar
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
8 tablespoons of canned pumpkin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
Directions
Preheat oven to 325
– When scooping out the flesh of the mini pumpkins, make sure not to go too deep causing the bottom to tear which will have all the creme seep out of the bottom.
In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks and baker’s sugar.
– In a saucepan, heat cream over medium heat to a slow bubble.
– Remove from heat; slowly pour hot cream into egg yolk mixture avoiding cooking the eggs, mix with the whisk.
– Return mixture to the saucepan, keep whisking.
– Stir in the pumpkin, vanilla, and spices.
– Transfer to pumpkins.
– Place pumpkins on a 8×8 or 9×13 baking pan or pyrex, create a bain marie (aka hot water bath) by pouring hot boiled water to pan up to the halfway point of the pumpkins.
– Bake, uncovered, for 25-30 minutes or until centers are set.
– Remove pumpkins from water bath cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or overnight.
– Sprinkle with remaining sugar, move sugar around pumpkin creating an even layer. Heat sugar with a blow torch or in a preheated oven on broil until caramelized.
– Serve immediately.
(If you don’t have mini pumpkins to go the extra steps then make the brûlée in ramekins.)
