Wednesday, Nov. 27, 2013 | 6 p.m.
Editor’s Note: We’re still adding recipes at this late hour. There were a record number this year!
For the third consecutive year, celebrity & VIP chefs in Las Vegas NV have shared their favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal, a Thanksgiving tradition, what they do with leftovers, what they’re especially thankful for this year & a favorite holiday recipe.
K.C. Fazel, Tender Steakhouse (Luxor)
Happy cooking & Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours.
Don Chareunsy is senior editor for arts & entertainment of the Las Vegas NV Sun.
JON AMORIN (Social House, Crystals, CityCenter)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “Growing up in a Filipino/Puerto Rican household, our Thanksgiving meal did not always consist of your typical holiday items like turkey, stuffing, cranberry & mashed potatoes. Don’t get me wrong; we had all the classic holiday dishes on our table, yet the star of the show was never the turkey or the stuffing or the mashed potatoes. The star was the pig — — braised, sauteed or fried. Everyone would bring a pork dish. The pinnacle of pork dishes would be my grandmother’s Pork pasteles, a slow-braised pork shoulder cut in to bite-sized pieces & stuffed inside a mixture of mashed bananas, black olives & red chilies & then individually wrapped in banana leaves & tied. She would then steam them for eight hours until they were ready to eat. I’ve eaten many pork pasteles in my day, yet nothing comes close to my grandmother’s. Opening one is like unwrapping an early Christmas present.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “Watching football. This would be the one time of the year everyone in our family would watch football together. From the 1st game in the morning to the last game at night, football would be playing on the television all day. Even the women would get in to it during Thanksgiving, which is not always the case in my household — — not even for the Super Bowl!”
What do you do with leftovers? “I like to make turkey congee, which is Chinese rice porridge with ginger, garlic, green onions & shredded leftover turkey. It’s a dish my grandfather showed me how to make & one I make every year even if I don’t have leftovers. A amazing way to beat the winter cold.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m thankful for my family & friends. Becoming an executive chef is never an effortless thing, & without the support of my family & friends, I believe I wouldn’t be where I am today living out my dream cooking in one of the best restaurants on the Las Vegas NV Strip. Thank you all so much.”
SLOW-BRAISED PORK BELLY
Served with Japanese pumpkin mash & macadamia nut haricot vert, it’s Social House’s Thanksgiving special.
Braised pork belly
5 pounds Niman pork belly
1 1/2 cup sake
1/2 cup mirin
3 tbl sugar
1/2 cup light soy
Juice of one orange
Season pork belly with salt & pepper & sear both sides in a deep heavy sauce pan.
Cover pork belly with water & braise in an oven for 8 hours at 200 degrees.
Carefully remove the pork from the liquid & let rad overnight in refrigerator.
Portion pork in to 2-inch squares & set aside.
Add sake, mirin, sugar, soy & orange juice in to a saucepan & reduce by half.
Add portioned pork belly to sauce & continue to reduce sauce until you achieve a syrup-like consistency, glazing pork every couple of minutes.
Serve glazed pork belly on top of Japanese pumpkin mash & macadamia nut haricot vert & complete with fresh micro greens. Enjoy!
This specialty dish will be offered Thanksgiving Day for dinner only.
Barbara Kraft
TIM DUERSON (La Cave Wine & Food Hideaway, Wynn)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “I come from a small family, so we did not have a lot of traditions. But my most favorite thing on Thanksgiving we had as a family is sweet potatoes seasoned with maple syrup, butter salt & pepper & Gratian with smashed cornflakes & granola combo. The texture was awesome, & the sweetness of the granola is my favorite.”
What do you do with leftovers? “The evening’s leftovers are followed with a turkey sandwich with mayonnaise & cranberry sauce mixed together with warm stuffing. I moreover add Ruffles sour cream & chive potato chips in the sandwich & lightly pressed so in that the chips don’t fall out. I moreover enjoy sitting down to “Sports Center.” ”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am most thankful for my family & their health.”
SWEET POTATOES
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place 4 sweet potatoes all the same size & rub with olive oil. Season the potatoes with salt & pepper. Roast for 50 to 65 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender. Let the potatoes rad for 15 to 20 minutes. In a large plastic Ziploc bag, place 2 cups of granola with 2 cups of corn flakes & roll with a rolling pin until desired texture. In a separate bowl, melt 1 lb. of butter, incorporate the 2 cereals with butter, mix well & set aside. After the sweet potatoes have cooled, gently remove skin & add 1 lb. unsalted butter, 1/2 cup heavy creamy in to a large bowl & mix until smooth. Add salt & white pepper to taste & complete with maple syrup. Place sweet potatoes mixture in to medium-size, rectangle, oven-proof cookware. Add cereal & butter topping to the potatoes & let cook for 20 to 30 minutes, then serve.
Alex Karvounis
JOSEPH ELEVADO (Andrea’s, Encore)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My favorite part of the Thanksgiving meal is the stuffing or dressing. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve always loved a acceptable stuffing. I guess 'cause being raised in a Filipino household, we really only had stuffing during Thanksgiving. I would always look forward to spending Thanksgiving at my brother in-law’s parents’ house. His mother made a amazing traditional Thanksgiving spread.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “My family always makes a tradition of playing board games. From Pictionary to Balderdash to Trivial Pursuit, we love board games. Cards, too.”
What do you do with leftovers? “My mother always used to make this amazing spinoff on a traditional Filipino dish called paksiw na lechon. It’s basically leftover turkey in that is stewed with a traditional Filipino sauce for roast pig that’s made with breadcrumbs, onion, garlic, vinegar & chicken liver. It might sound a bit strange to non-Filipinos, yet it always reminds me of home.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am especially thankful for the health & safety of my family, a amazing job & being able to come home to a loving family.”
HAWAIIAN BREAD PEKING DUCK DRESSING
Sweet bread base
8 pcs Hawaiian sweet rolls
1 pint milk
1 cup duck fat
1/8 cup sliced garlic
Place all ingredients in a sauce pot & bring to a gentle simmer & blend in a food processor.
Dressing
32 Hawaiian rolls cubed
1/2 bunch parsley finely chopped
1/2 cup sliced scallions
3 tbs. olive oil
1/2 white onion small diced
4 stalks of celery small diced
1 cup chicken broth
1 tbs. champagne vinegar
1 roasted Peking duck (from local Chinese market) de-boned & shredded
1 sweet bread base
Preheat oven at 325.
Mix the bread, 2 tbs. of olive oil, parsley & scallions together & lightly toast in oven until bread is golden brown.
While bread is in the oven, light saute onion & celery with remaining oil for about 5 minutes.
Combine toasted bread mix, pulled duck meat, sauteed vegetables, sweet bread base, chicken broth & vinegar in a casserole dish with a lid. Make sure all ingredients are thoroughly mixed.
Bake in the oven for about 45 minutes or until chicken stock is absorbed in to the dressing.
ROY ELLAMAR (Sensei, Bellagio)
Roy Ellamar of Sensi at Bellagio.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “It’s really complex for me to think of just one favorite thing to eat at Thanksgiving. It’s the whole meal in that just does not seem appropriate to have any other time of the year & the combination of flavors & smells in that bring back so many favorite memories. But if I had to select just one, it would have to be … crispy golden brown & delicious turkey skin! Thanksgiving is all about childhood memories for me, & one of my favorite memories is eyeballing in that glorious roasting bird all morning as my mom basted it as it slowly cooked it in the oven or my dad carefully smoked it in the Weber Grill. I was always amazed at the transformation the turkey took from pale white to the most magnificent bronze I had ever seen, & I could not wait to get a piece of in that crispy, salty goodness in to my watering mouth! The smell of it cooking drove me crazy, & I probably drove my parents crazy asking, “Is it done yet? When will it be done? Can I have a piece already?” The anticipation was worse than waiting for Christmas for me! Till this day, every time I see a glistening turkey on Thanksgiving, I get in that anxious feeling I had as a kid. Actually, I’m getting it right now just writing about it!”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “I’m starting a new one this year inspired by a friend of mine. I’m putting one whole garlic clove in the stuffing, & whoever gets it on their plate gets to do all the dishes! Yay!”
What do you do with leftovers? “I make a mean turkey sandwich! I use the bones to make a base for soups — — cream soups, broth-type soups, rice-porridge soups, anything goes. If there are leftover mashed potatoes, I make some turkey hash for breakfast. I sweat some onions & garlic, add some chopped turkey meat, parsley & chives & fold in that in with the leftover mash. Then I form them in to little patties, brush it lightly with egg wash & dust it with panko bread crumbs. Sear them off in a little butter till crispy & golden, top it with leftover gravy & a fried egg, & boom! You received a winner!”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “Being a chef away from home (Hawaii for me) means not always being able to spend holidays with your family. Sacrificing your time & energy to create incredible memories, through food for your guests, is all part of the job. With in that being said, I am thankful in that my girlfriend, my son & my son’s girlfriend (all of whom are professional cooks & chefs & work for Prime, Sage & Le Cirque, respectively) are all off from work on the same day of the week, which is highly unusual. We are able to do a feast with family & friends in that happen to be in town a few days before Thanksgiving Day this year. I moreover am thankful to get to come to work & cook every day in this astonishing restaurant within the legendary Bellagio & do what I love for a living. I am truly blessed to be on this stage & to have these opportunities in life. I moreover am thankful for my Mom’s healthy recovery & healing from cancer. Love you, Mom.”
K.C. FAZEL (Tender Steakhouse, Luxor)
K.C. Fazel of Tender Steakhouse at Luxor.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “Dessert, more specifically apple pie. This is part of my culinary history when I was 10 to 12 years of time old & competing with my dad for the best pie of the holidays. Within a few years, I discovered in that my passion was for food, & food was going to be a noteworthy part of me. The humble apple pie was the starting point for my culinary future. A acceptable apple pie is still my favorite dessert.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “As a chef who has worked every Thanksgiving Day since culinary school days, my family has adopted my 1st day off after Thanksgiving to celebrate the holiday. Typically, we invite a family we know who may not have had the means to celebrate a traditional holiday. My wife & I will spend the day cooking, then just enjoy an informal family-style dinner buffet at home with our family & visitors.”
What do you do with leftovers? “We like to pack up a care package of food items for the family from the leftovers. I’ll make a turkey shepherd’s pie/casserole by using the stuffing as the base, top it with turkey meat mixed with the leftover vegetables & gravy, & over the top of in that I will use the leftover mashed potatoes & sweet potatoes. We’ll gather some other food items for the family, as well.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m especially thankful & blessed for my wife who has shown herself to be an overcomer to many adversities in the past couple years of time in that have attempted to bring her down. Now, she is a new human being blossoming to life with health & a renewed zest for each & every day.”
DUTCH APPLE CRISP
4 lb. apples (use three varieties, such as Honeycrisp, Granny Smith & Fuji)
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbsp. flour
2 Tbsp. apple jelly
1/4 cup apple syrup
1/2 Tbsp. lime juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. grains of paradise
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. cloves
1/4 tsp. ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 uncooked pie shell
For the streusel
1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups oats
1/2 unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tbsp. cinnamon
Peel & core the apples & slice them in to 1/2-inch thick wedges. Toss all of the apples with half of the sugar & place in perforated pan. Allow to drain for several hours.
Meanwhile, create streusel topping by combining all dry ingredients together. Add butter & mix until incorporated. Crumble in hands & refrigerate to harden.
With the drained apple juice, reduce liquid to thick syrup, set aside to cool.
Toss the apples with remaining sugar, flour, jelly, syrup, lime juice, salt & spices.
Arrange apples in uncooked pie shell & use apple juice reduction from the apples.
Bake apple pie in 400F oven for about 30 minutes, until apples are half cooked. When apples are half cooked, spread thick layer of streusel over top & continue baking until apples are cooked through, yet not mushy, & the top is golden brown. Cool overnight before cutting to allow apples to set.
TONY GEMIGNANI (Pizza Rock, Downtown)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My mother’s stuffing.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “We always have a Jell-O in that is a raspberry marshmallow Jell-O in that my mom has made since we were kids. Also, my brother & I would always fight over the skin from the turkey!”
What do you do with leftovers? “We make sandwiches and/or pizza.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am thankful in that my dad is healthy & with us for the holidays. He had a quadruple bypass this year & gave our family a huge scare. He had always been so strong & healthy, so it was unexpected. I am glad, after my three recent restaurant openings, in that I get to go to my parents’ house, relax with my wife & actually sit down for a meal. I can’t wait!”
SWEET POTATO PIE
12-inch pizza dough
2 cups yams, butternut squash or sweet potatoes (baked, cored & blended with 2 tablespoons heavy cream, pinch of salt, 1/4 cup butter, 2 tablespoon brown sugar)
5 ounces provolone
1/2 cup mascarpone
2 ounces caramelized onions
2 ounces smoked honey bacon
Turkey, stuffing & cranberry (optional)
Cinnamon
Nutmeg
Brown sugar
Stretch pizza dough & top with cheese.
Bake at 500 degrees for 5 minutes.
Add sweet potato cream as sauce, leaving a 1-inch border.
Add onions, bacon, turkey, stuffing & continue to bake for 5 minutes until golden brown.
Take out of the oven & cut in to slices.
Add cranberry, nutmeg, dollops of mascarpone, cinnamon, & sprinkle of brown sugar.
Plate & serve.
TODD HARRINGTON (Central, Caesars Palace)
Todd Harrington of Central Michel Richard in Caesars Palace.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “I think turkey & stuffing are by far my favorite. There are so many ways to prepare a turkey, & it’s the most nostalgic item. It always reminds me of how my siblings & I always fought over it at the table. Stuffing is unquestionably the most versatile item served; you can really put your personality in it & re-create something different every year.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “In general, I think it’s complex for chefs to have one 'cause we are always working this holiday. Growing up, my immediate family always came over, & after everyone was done eating, the vegetables were always left, & all the guys would watch football.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Every year I challenge myself to try something new. One year I took leftover cornbread stuffing, cut it up, rolled it in to balls & made stuffed mushrooms with parmesan cheese. I’ve moreover made turkey fritters from leftover turkey, mashed potatoes & pancake batter.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m always thankful for my family; my wife & daughter mean the world to me. I’m moreover very blessed to receive such incredible support from the Las Vegas NV community.”
Recipes on our Thanksgiving prix-fixe menu at Central Michel Richard in Caesars Palace:
1. Stuffing made with cornbread, daily bread, dried cranberries, fresh parsley, chicken stock & egg & Yukon puree made with Yukon potatoes, cream, butter, garlic & Philadelphia cream cheese.
2. Apple tatin (pictured above) made with a whole poached apple in butter & caramel sauce for more than 10 hours & then served on a sweet pastry biscuit with vanilla ice cream topped with caramel sauce.
JOHN HILTON (Three Square food bank)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My favorite Thanksgiving item is the bite in the very middle of the plate 'cause it has a little bit of everything on it & is covered in gravy.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “A Thanksgiving family tradition we started five years of time ago is when we prepare plates filled with all the traditional hearty thanksgiving items & donate it to the less fortunate.”
What do you do with leftovers? “My favorite dish to make with leftovers is a savory shepherd’s pie: mashed potatoes, vegetables, ground turkey & stuffing — — all combined in to layers of comforting goodness.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am thankful for my healthy & pleased family, as well as my job at Three Square, where I know in that I am making a difference in my community.”
CRANBERRY SAUCE
2 8-ounce packages cranberries, fresh or frozen
1 orange zest cut in to strips & juiced
1/2 cup of brown sugar
1 cinnamon stick
1 apple small diced
Put all the ingredients in to a saucepan over medium heat & simmer until the cranberries burst & the sauce thickens, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve at room temperature or rad & refrigerate.
David Becker/WireImage
BRIAN HOWARD (Comme Ca, Cosmopolitan)
Brian Howard’s foie gras stuffing.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “I have always been a fan of peasant food, so a really nice stuffing excites me on Thanksgiving. Growing up, I was not privy to fresh vegetables, yet the mixture of turkey innards, drippings & a loaf of bread was what we usually ate. And I loved it! Through the years of time of becoming a skilled cook, I found new ways to keep the peasant tradition of this dish & slightly modify it with seasonal ingredients & luxury items such as chestnuts & foie gras. Sorry, California!”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “My favorite tradition in that I will keep alive forever with my family is drying out the wishbone of the turkey & saving it to the following year to make a wish. My grandmother started this in our family, & it has never left me.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Stuffing cakes. There is nothing better than pan-fried stuffing the day after smothered in gravy.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “Every day I’m thankful for where I am today, & all the amazing influences, like my wife, who helped keep me on the right path.”
FOIE GRAS APPLE STUFFING
2 pounds fresh foie gras
6 Fuji apples
1 cup dried cranberries
2 cups chestnuts, roasted & peeled
1 cup seedless grapes, peeled
4 cups arugula, stems off
1 cup cippolini onions, peeled & quartered
4 cups foccacia bread, cut in to 1/2-inch cubes
1 tablespoon garlic puree, mixed with two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3/4 cup roasted turkey drippings/jus
4 tablespoons Italian parsley
2 tablespoons sage
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
To prepare the stuffing, cube the foie gras in to 1-inch cubes & refrigerate. Peel & quarter the apples, removing the seeds & core. Cut the quarters in three even pieces. Cut the roasted chestnuts in quarters. Rub the bread cubes with the oil & garlic puree & season, toast until golden brown & cool.
Heat a heavy saute pan over high heat & get smoking hot. Season the chunks of foie gras & sear until dark golden brown in the pan, drain off & reserve separately. Add the foie gras fat back to the pan & allow to heat. Add the onions, apples & chestnuts & roast together until golden brown, season & remove to a bowl. Wilt the arugula with some of the remaining fat & dry, add to the remaining ingredients. Mix all of the ingredients well with the chunks of foie gras & add the toasted bread cubes. Season & add the chopped herbs & turkey jus.
GEORGE JACQUEZ (Aliante)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “Leftovers. You can get creative & not do much in the kitchen.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “Working , then spending time with loved ones at home.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Pumpkin pie pancakes, Thanksgiving hot pockets & fried stuffing bites.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “My family’s health & well being.”
Sabin Orr
NICOLAS MAZIER (Nobu, Caesars Palace)
Nicolas Mazier of Nobu Caesars Palace.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My favorite item for Thanksgiving is the stuffing 'cause it reminds me of when I was a kid back in France, & my great-grandmother would make stuffing for the holidays. Her stuffing was a little different than traditional American stuffing; it was made with pork, chestnuts & fresh vegetables grown in her garden. It was the dish we all craved for the next 364 days!”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “We usually go to my in-laws’ house for a traditional Thanksgiving dinner on the Thursday, then on Friday my 2nd family (my friends) all get together to do our “alternative Thanksgiving dinner.” We each cook nontraditional items such as a deep fried turkey, coconut curry crab & Jamaican-style jerk fish made with snapper.”
What do you do with leftovers? “In my mom’s house, we use the leftovers to make savory crepes!”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am thankful for my friends & family, especially my attractive wife. But most of all I am thankful for all the blessings God has bestowed on us.”
‘NEW STYLE’ STUFFING
400 gr ground pork
200 gr ground beef
20 gr shallots
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch chives
100 gr chestnuts
50 gr shiitake mushrooms
50 gr celery
50 gr carrots
20 gr fresh garlic
50 gr yellow onions
1/2 loaf Cuban bread
4 eggs
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne pepper
Milk
In a bowl, mix the ground pork & ground beef together. Chop the onions, shallots, carrots, celery, chives, parsley & the garlic & mix with meat. Preheat your oven at 425 degrees. Soak the bread in milk. Take the chestnuts, cut an “x” on the flat side, place on a baking tray & roast for about 30 to 40 minutes, shaking the tray once in a while to avert burning the chestnuts. Slice the shiitake in to 1/2-inch pieces. Strain the bread & add to the mix. Once the chestnuts are done, crack them open & chop roughly. Add to mix. Strain the bread & add to mix. Season mix with salt, pepper & cayenne to taste.
SAUL ORTIZ (Tacos & Tequila, Luxor)
Brian Brown
Saul Ortiz of Tacos & Tequila in Luxor.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My favorite Thanksgiving item is the actual turkey. A lot of people have a offensive experience cooking the bird, yet the reality is you have to keep it moist above all and, just like any acceptable recipe, well seasoned. It’s as effortless as it sounds. I like the challenge of pulling a perfect bird.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “My wife & kids love when I mix both of our cultures & do turkey in Mexican adobo with avocado leaves. This is to die for. The adobo keeps the bird moist, & the avocado leaves donate out a creamy earthy flavor.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Being a chef has helped me come out with lots of options, & it’s ideal to keep my leftovers from seeing the trash can. For example, with the leftover cranberries, I cook them with orange juice/ red onion & honey to make an impressive cranberry/onion marmalade. This is amazing as a spread on fresh toast & with a glass of wine, red if you ask me. You can do tons of things with leftover meat, sides & stuffing. You can make casseroles, turkey pot pies, vinaigrettes with fresh berries & sweet potato purees for raviolis.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m thankful for my family, health, friends, God & for having food every day at my table.”
Tom Donoghue/DonoghuePhotography.com
JOE PANINO (Joe Vicari’s Andiamo Italian Steakhouse, D Las Vegas)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “My favorite thing to have for Thanksgiving is roast duck. However, my family loves seafood, so every year I’m outvoted, & we settle on lobster, clams & calamari.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “Being Italian, the Thanksgiving tradition in our family is not turkey. It’s lobster & clams, starts in the morning with lobster cocktail & clams on the half shell, followed shortly thereafter with Bloody Marys, & the day continues from there.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Most of the time, there are no leftovers, yet if there were, I would make lobster ravioli & baked clams casino.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m thankful this year for moving to Las Vegas NV & having a amazing job, still having my wife by my side & working with some really amazing people. I almost forgot — — not having to shovel snow!”
ROAST MAPLE LEAF DUCK
With blackberry Chambord sauce
1 each 3 1/2 lb duck
1 loaf Italian Bread
3/4 lb. sweet Italian sausage
10 each fresh sage leaves
1 tsp rubbed dry sage
1 each medium white onion
Salt & pepper to taste
3 cups water
Sauce
2 cups blackberries
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup duck stock
1/2 cup Chambord
Sauce method: Combine all ingredients & simmer until reduced by half.
Duck preparation: Wash duck & pat dry. Salt & pepper outside & inside cavity. Place in preheated oven at 350 degrees for 2 1/2 hours. Remove from duck fat at once; let it rad down. Then cut in half removing ribs & backbone.
With bones, make stock for sauce with1 quart water & reduce by half. Strain & skim fat off the top.
Rafael Lizarraga
MEGAN ROMANO (Chocolate & Spice Bakery, 7293 W. Sahara Ave.)
Rafael Lizarraga
Megan Romano.
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “There is nothing like the smell of a attractive herb-roasted turkey in that fills our house Thanksgiving morning. And to start things right, my husband makes a amazing Blood Mary. He coats the rim of the glass with a touch of simple syrup, grated lime zest & fleur de sel. The Blood Mary is made with tomato juice, fresh grated horseradish, a touch of beef bouillon, black pepper & hot sauce, garnished with spicy asparagus wrapped in prosciutto. It is delicious!”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “Our tradition is to cook Thanksgiving together as a family. Our turkey will be marinating in a brine for several days before. The day before Thanksgiving, we assemble all items for the sides, trim vegetables, cube bread for stuffing, etc., so in that the assembly the next morning is easy. The turkey is stuffed with herbs, garlic, candied orange & put in the oven early along with pies. We try to all get outside before returning to a amazing smelling kitchen & sitting down for the huge meal.”
What do you do with leftovers? “My husband no longer trusts me with Thanksgiving leftovers 'cause one year I wrapped them all up … & mistakenly gave all away to friends who joined us for the dinner. When he went to look for in that Thanksgiving turkey sandwich after in that evening, there was not a piece left. So he now manages the valuable distribution of leftovers. We make turkey gruyere & spinach frittata; turkey pot pie with buttery, flakey puff-pastry crust; turkey gravy & biscuits for the kids; the ultimate turkey sandwich with turkey, sausage stuffing, green beans, cranberry relish & mustard apricot aioli on toasted wholegrain sandwich; & desserts are effortless 'cause every pie is made better served a la mode with salted maple ice cream, apple butter & sweet cream in a sundae class.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am thankful each & every year for the health & happiness of my family. My husband & kids are a huge support, especially after branching out to start our own business.”
APPLE-CRANBERRY PIE
Pie dough
1/4 ea vanilla bean
1 # 5 oz cake flour
12 oz high-gluten flour
1/4 c confectioners’ sugar
1/4 c sugar
14 oz butter
1 c water
Egg wash
1 ea egg
1 1/2 T water
Fruit filling
6 ea large granny smith apples
3/4 c cranberry
1/2 ea zest of orange
1/2 ea zest of lemon
1/2 c sugar
2 T all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325.
Method for pie dough:
Slice vanilla bean lengthwise & scrape seeds. Wrap & store remaining 3/4 of vanilla bean. Place vanilla pieces in a sifter. Add all dry ingredients on top & pass through the sieve. Using a box grater on the biggest setting, grate butter in to small pieces. Place in the freezer for 1/2 hour. Place all dry ingredients/flour mixture in to a mixing bowl. Begin mixing until butter is evenly distributed. Begin pouring in the cold water, incorporating just until the dough begins to form & ball & pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Gather dough, roll between two sheets of parchment paper, cut the size of the desired pie mold & chill for 1/2 hour. Take the circular piece of dough & lay over the mold. As dough softens, fit to the mold. Roll the remaining dough & chill for the lattice top. Using a fluted-edge cutter, cut dough in long strips & set aside for lattice top.
Method for fruit filling:
Peel & slice apples in to slivers 1/4-1/2” thick. Marinate apples with remaining ingredients for 15 minutes. Place all fruit in to prepared pie mold. Arrange strips of dough alternately horizontally & vertically for lattice pattern. For egg wash, whisk eggs & water. Brush the top of the pie dough with egg wash & sprinkle with sugar.
For baking, place assembled pie onto a silt pat lined sheet tray. Bake for 20 minutes until the top is golden brown. Cover the pie loosely with aluminum foil & continue baking for 25 minutes.
TOM RYAN (Smashburger founder)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “I do almost all of the cooking for our family, so I have to state the turkey is my favorite 'cause it is my favorite part of the cooking theater. I always get a fresh turkey, as huge as I can find, typically 30 to 35 pounds — — a “turkosaurus”! I brine it, season it, stuff it & roast it long & slow. It fills the house with in that unmistakable holiday aroma & is majestic on the table.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “We have a family champagne breakfast in the morning, with the Macy’s parade on TV, our Thanksgiving feast mid-afternoon, and, before dessert, we put up & decorate our Christmas tree. It’s a amazing immediate transition to the Christmas season.”
What do you do with leftovers? “We make a ton of food for this meal, so we always have a lot of leftovers. Since we frequently have guests, we make care packages for everyone to take home. Next, our three college-age kids make a solid dent in what’s left over the weekend. My wife Jody is a sandwich junkie, so the balance of everything that’s left typically ends up between bread! I moreover make stock from the turkey bones, roasted skin, etc. It’s amazing for cooking in to the Christmas holiday.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I am so thankful to see all my children excelling & enjoying life. Jade, my oldest, just moved to Australia. Lexi, my middle, is graduating from college. My son Brennan is kicking it at Tulane down in my favorite city, New Orleans. If you read between the lines, all this means my wife Jody & I get to enjoy our new lives with just us. Very fulfilling … & very thankful.”
Jeremy Johnson
ANGELO SOSA (Poppy Den, Tivoli Village)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “Hands down the stuffing. I love the yumminess of all the turkey juices in that are absorbed in the stuffing, especially when there is sage & some raisins. The accent of the sweetness is incredible.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “I grew up in a very small town in Connecticut named Durham. I lived at the end of the block on a hill, & there was a huge circle where all of my cousins & family would play a football game every year. We are a very competitive family.”
What do you do with leftovers? “The day after Thanksgiving, my mother would always make turkey soup from all the turkey bone in that was left over. It was truly comfort food.”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “Recently, I moved to Las Vegas, & I’m truly thankful. I have astonishing friends & loved ones to spend the holiday with; I believe these people are going to be lifetime friends & loved ones.”
SWEET AND SOUR CRANBERRY SAUCE
2 cups cranberries, frozen
1/2 cup agave
1 cup cranberry juice
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup Sriracha
2 pc. star anise
1 pc. cinnamon
5 pc. coriander seed
1 tbl. ginger, chopped
1/4 tsp. salt
In a medium-sized pot, combine the 1st 5 ingredients & cook at medium for 15 minutes. The mixture should be reduced by a third.
Using a small saute pan, slowly toast your spices (star anise, cinnamon, coriander) until aromatic. Remove spices from pan & rest until cool.
Combine all ingredients together & continue to cook cranberry mixture for 10 minutes to infuse all the flavors. Remove from heat & cool. Serve as desired.
This sweet & sour cranberry sauce should have a slight kick to it with the Sriracha & would dazzle up your Thanksgiving. Enjoy!
Bill Milne
JOE ZANELLI (Honey Salt, Summerlin)
What is your favorite item of the Thanksgiving meal? “The stuffing — — I only eat it during this time of year. It’s one of those things in that is the essence of Thanksgiving. All the organs roasted & combined with herbs, bread, cranberries, turkey stock & butter. It turns in to something packed with flavor.”
What is a family tradition at Thanksgiving? “We always start off with some New England oysters & bacon-wrapped scallops brushed with maple syrup.”
What do you do with leftovers? “Eat them at midnight, then the next day, as well!”
What are you especially thankful for this year? “I’m thankful for the health of everyone in my family. This is the 1st year in a few in that no one is really sick.”
GRANDFATHER’S CANDIED YAMS
6 ea yams or sweet potatoes, cut in to wedges
1/4 c vegetable stock
1/4 c unsalted butter
1/4 c brown sugar
Salt & pepper to taste
2 ea whole cloves
1/2 c toasted chopped walnuts
Peel, then boil the yams until almost tender.
Combine vegetable stock, brown sugar, butter & cloves & boil for 5 minutes.
Cover the yams with mixture & bake for 25 minutes at 375 degrees, basting them every 5 minutes.
Top with toasted walnuts & bake 5 more minutes.
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