For the Palmetto Bluff community, Thanksgiving is a time for embracing traditions, and relishing in time spent with those near to your heart.
We recently met with Palmetto Bluff Club Executive Sous Chef, Don Yamauchi, to learn some of his tips and tricks for the perfect roasted turkey, and all the fixin’s. His secret to the perfect sweet and tangy cranberries? Replace water with apple cider vinegar. Tired of those dry drumsticks? Chef Yamauchi breaks down the turkey, roasts the breast and cooks the drumsticks in the gravy. Not only does it flavor the gravy but it keeps the drumsticks tender and full of flavor.
Enjoy Chef Yamauchi’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes below. Happy Thanksgiving!
Cranberries
12 oz bag of cranberries
1 cup apple cider
1 orange peel
1 cup of brown sugar
Pinch of ground cinnamon
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground clove
Pinch of ground ginger
1 tbs cornstarch
2 tbs water
In a 1-quart sauce pot, place the cranberries, apple cider, orange peel, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, clove and ginger, bring to a simmer and cook until the cranberries start popping. In a separate bowl, add the cornstarch and water and create a slurry, slowly add to the simmering cranberries, stirring constantly. Let thicken, remove from the heat, and cool down, served when ready.
Gravy
Roux
4 oz whole butter
4 oz A.P. flour
In a 2-cup sauce pot, add the butter and melt. When the butter is melted, add the flour, and constantly stir on medium heat, with a whisk or wooden spoon. Cook the roux until there is a nutty fragrance and it looks golden brown. DO NOT TOUCH the roux, it will burn you. Cool the roux down until it is cold to the touch.
1 quart turkey stock
2 tbs turkey base (Optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
To make the gravy
In a 1.5-quart pot, add the turkey stock, and turkey base. Bring stock to a boil, turn down to a simmer. Slowly add the cold roux to the simmering stock until desired consistency. And then let cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat, adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper if needed, and strain through a fine sieve. Serve immediately.
Turkey
15-17 pound turkey
8oz butter
Salt and white pepper
325 degrees F preheated oven
Gently add butter underneath the turkey skin and season the turkey inside and outside of the turkey. Cook the turkey skin side up in a 325 degree F oven, until the turkey is golden brown and it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F in the fattest parts of the turkey (thigh and leg). Remove the turkey from the oven and let it rest for approximately 20 minutes before carving.
Stuffing
2 pounds of diced sourdough bread
8 oz of cooked pork breakfast sausage, chopped
¼ cup of diced onion
¼ cup of diced celery
¼ cup of diced carrots
1 tbs minced garlic
¼ cup of olive oil
2 tbs chopped parsley
2 tbs chopped sage
1 tsp chopped thyme
1 quart of seasoned turkey stock
Salt and pepper to taste
On a small sheet tray, toast off the diced sourdough bread and reserve for later use. In a 12-inch sauté pan, heat the olive oil and sweat the onion, celery, carrots, garlic. In a gallon size bowl, mix the cooked vegetables, toasted bread, parsley, thyme, sage, and sausage. Wet the bread mixture with the seasoned turkey stock and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Bake in a 325-degree F oven for approximately 30 minutes, or until the stuffing is firm to the touch and it reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.
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