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Great New Holiday Gift IdeaRecipes for Your Thanksgiving TableBlackened Turkey Breast Stuffed with Blue Cheese served with Cajun Corn Beurre Blanc "Gravy"Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and CranberriesTropical Pumpkin PinwheelsCranberry Ginger Champagne MartinisGrilling Tip: Smoked SaltsWe Want To Hear From YouAbout Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
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New T-Shirt from Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet Makes a Great Holiday Gift
Blackened Turkey Breast Stuffed with Blue Cheese and served with Cajun Corn Beurre Blanc "Gravy"I believe it just isn't a Thanksgiving turkey without gravy, and while working on this recipe for blackened turkey breast I had to think hard about what to do about this problem. There aren't any turkey drippings to work with so creating a suitable sauce was tricky. After much experimentation, if you are half as happy with the Cajun Corn Beurre Blanc "Gravy" as I am, then you will be absolutely delighted. Turkey is a great match for bold flavors, and they don't get any bolder than these. The blackened crust outside the turkey compliments the smooth, melted blue cheese inside. The hint of mustard flavor in the "gravy" rounds it all out perfectly. Brining the turkey helps ensure it comes off the grill juicy and tender. I personally like to use a bone-in turkey breast under the unproven assumption it lends additional flavor, but a boneless breast will be much easier to slice. The choice is yours.
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Hot Off The Grill! Archive
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1/2 gallon (8 cups) water |
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1/2 cup kosher salt |
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1/2 cup light brown sugar |
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2 large cloves garlic, crushed |
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Leaves from one sprig rosemary, chopped |
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil |
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2 ounces blue cheese, sliced* |
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About 1 tablespoon Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic seasoning blend |
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Sea salt |
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3 cups wood chips, soaked |
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Directions:
Create a basic brine by whisking together kosher salt, light brown sugar and water in a large bowl until dissolved. Place the turkey breast half in the bowl, skin-side down. Cover and refrigerate for four hours.
Combine the crushed garlic, rosemary and olive oil in a small bowl and let the flavors blend for at least 1 hour.
Prepare the grill for indirect cooking at 350 to 375°F.
Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse well under cool, running water. Dry thoroughly. Release the skin from one edge of the breast and pull it back. Cut a lengthwise slit in the middle of the breast, and stuff it with blue cheese (see note). Pull the skin tightly back over the slit and pin it in place using a couple of toothpicks.
Brush the underside of the breast with the flavored olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Turn the breast over and brush the top and sides with the flavored oil. Sprinkle the skin generously with Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic. This will form the blackened crust.
Place the prepared breast in the indirect cooking zone with the skin side up and cook with the hood closed for approximately 45 minutes to 1 hour. The turkey is cooked when an instant read thermometer inserted in the meatiest part of the breast (away from the blue cheese stuffing) reads 165 to 170°F (the USDA recommends 180°F).
While the turkey is cooking, create a constant supply of smoke from the wet wood chips. You can either sprinkle the chips occasionally onto your bed of charcoal, or use the smoking tray or smoking envelopes with your gas grill (see the techniques section of our website for more information). If you have a Kalamazoo offset smoker box, then you probably already know what to do.
To serve, first remove the toothpicks. Slice the breast into 1-inch thick pieces. Drizzle Cajun Corn Beurre Blanc "Gravy" (recipe follows) onto each plate and place the sliced turkey on top.
*Note: I prepare this recipe using smoked blue cheese. Using smoked ingredients enhances the "outdoor" flavor of any grilled dish and is a great way to cheat. See the grilling tip in this newsletter for information on using smoked salts as a shortcut to smoky flavor.
Cajun Corn Beurre Blanc "Gravy"
Beurre blanc is a classic French sauce prepared with white wine and butter. This recipe kicks it up a couple of notches with the addition of corn, mustard powder and cajun spices.
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1 clove garlic, minced or crushed |
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1/2 shallot, minced |
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Juice of 1/4 lemon |
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1/2 cup fresh corn kernels |
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1/2 cup heavy cream |
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2 teaspoons Chef Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic seasoning blend |
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1 teaspoon Coleman's mustard powder |
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4 tablespoons butter |
Directions:
Mix the Poultry Magic seasoning blend with the mustard powder in a small dish to eliminate all lumps in the mustard powder. Reserve.
Combine the wine, garlic, shallot and lemon juice in a medium skillet. Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Force the reduced mixture through a mesh strainer and return the liquid to the saucepan. Add 1 teaspoon of the garlic and shallot back into the saucepan and discard the rest. Add the corn, cream, spice blend and mustard powder and bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.
Remove from heat and transfer to a blender. Blend until as smooth as possible. At this point, you can cover and refrigerate the mixture for an hour or two. The butter should be added immediately before serving.
To finish the sauce, return the corn and cream mixture to the skillet and bring to a simmer over low heat. Whisk in the butter one tablespoon at a time. Do not allow to boil. Move the skillet off the heat if necessary.
Roasted Acorn Squash Stuffed with Wild Rice and Cranberries
A tasty side with a lovely presentation, stuffed squash is perfect for the Thanksgiving table. The acorn squash removed from the shell goes back into the dish along with wild rice, fresh sage, sauteed leeks, dried cranberries and walnuts.
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3 tablespoons butter |
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1/2 cup chopped fresh leeks |
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4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh sage |
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2 cups cooked wild rice |
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Freshly-grated zest of 1 lemon |
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1/2 cup dried cranberries |
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1/4 cup chopped walnuts |
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1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt or kosher salt |
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1/2 teaspoon black pepper |
Directions:
Prepare the grill for indirect cooking at 350 to 375°F.
Place the whole squash in the indirect zone with the hood closed. Cook until softened, about 45 minutes, turning once. Remove from the grill and allow to cool.
Cut the squash in half. Remove and discard the seeds. Hollow out the squash, reserving the flesh and leaving between 1/4" and 1/2" of flesh all the way around. Coarsely chop the squash you removed from the shells.
Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the leeks and sage, and sauté until the leeks start to become transparent. Add the rice, lemon zest, cranberries, walnuts and squash to the skillet and stir gently to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Spoon the rice stuffing into the hollowed-out squash shells and return to the indirect zone on the grill. Heat the filled squash with the hood closed for about 20 minutes.
Serve warm.
Tropical Pumpkin Pinwheels
The response to last month's Zucchini Pizza Pinwheels recipe was so overwhelmingly positive we have created another pinwheel — this one is a dessert. Traditional pumpkin pie filling is given a tropical flare with the addition of pineapple and ginger. These are a wonderful Thanksgiving treat.
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1 cup canned pumpkin pie filling |
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1 cup canned crushed pineapple |
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1/4 cup golden raisins |
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2 tablespoons crystallized ginger, coarsely chopped |
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Pinch of sea salt |
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1 egg, beaten |
Directions:
Preheat your pizza oven or a pizza stone on the grill (instructions on our website) to about 450°F.
Place the crushed pineapple in a mesh strainer to let it drain as much liquid out as possible.
Stir together the pumpkin pie filling, pineapple, raisins, ginger and salt in a medium bowl.
Roll out the pizza dough into a square about 15 inches to a side. Trim the large dough into four smaller, perfect squares, then roll those thinner until they are each roughly 8 inches to a side.
Start with one square. Stretch the corners to elongate them, making the dough into a four-pointed star. Transfer to a pizza prep peel dusted with cornmeal. Spoon the pumpkin and pineapple filling onto the dough in a square shape that is on a diagonal to the four-pointed star. Lift two opposing corners of the star to the middle, folding over the filling and firmly press them together between your fingers to join at the middle. Repeat with the other two corners and then press the four corners together at the middle.
Repeat to make a total of four pinwheels on your pizza prep peel. Lightly brush the top areas of the dough with the beaten egg.
Transfer the pinwheels to the pizza oven and bake until golden brown on top and cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Let cool slightly and serve warm but not hot.
Cranberry Ginger Champagne Martinis
We suggested more martini recipes may be coming along using Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur, and here we are. These are so delicious and smooth we should probably call them 4-minute martinis — that is about how long they last before an empty glass is returned for a refill. |
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4 ounces Domaine de Canton ginger liqueur |
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1 ounce Grand Marnier orange liqueur |
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Sparkling Moscato to top up |
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4 pieces crystallized ginger for garnish |
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Ice |
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Combine the cranberry juice, ginger liqueur and orange liqueur in a cocktail shaker half-filled with ice. Shake vigorously for one minute, and then strain into glasses. Top up with sparkling white wine and garnish with crystallized ginger.
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Grilling Tip: Smoked SaltsOne of the best secret weapons in a grillmaster's arsenal is the use of smoked ingredients. For quick-cooking grilled food like burgers, achieving a smoky flavor can be a bit difficult because there isn't enough time for the smoke to penetrate. Smoked ingredients like salt and cheese can be a convenient and flavorful head start on great outdoor flavor. Salt is available smoked with hickory, alder and a variety of other woods. Each variety of smoked salt has an intense, woody aroma that varies by species. I think the flavor is much more genuine and subtle than if you were to use Liquid Smoke. Purchasing smoked salts in fancy packaging can be an expensive proposition. However, markets such as Whole Foods and Central Market offer smoked salts in bulk containers. At Whole Foods, you can often find smoked salts at the cheese counter. At Central Market locations, there is a salt bar in the bulk foods section. Try sprinkling smoked salt on meats before grilling or incorporate it into your recipes for dry rubs in place of conventional salt. I think you will enjoy the results.
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We Want to Hear from You
As we continue our efforts to help you maximize the joy and satisfaction of your outdoor grilling and entertaining experience, we would love to know what you think:
- Share with us your favorite grilling recipes or outdoor gourmet entertaining tips.
- Provide us with pictures of your grill or grill setting.
- Tell us what you like most about your Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet product.
- Tell us which product features you would like to see added to or improved on our equipment.
- Let us know if there are any services Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet should offer.
- Offer feedback on our website.
Feel free to drop us a line at hotg@kalamazoogourmet.com with your thoughts on any of the above, or just to say hello.
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About Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet
Kalamazoo Outdoor Gourmet™ custom outdoor kitchen equipment delivers the ultimate in performance, luxury and quality. From hybrid grills that cook with any combination of wood, charcoal and gas — to powerful and energy efficient outdoor refrigerators, wine chillers, ice makers, keg tappers and freezers — to countertop pizza ovens — to weather-tight stainless steel kitchen cabinets — to the one-of-a-kind martini bar — the entire line is designed and built from the ground up exclusively for outdoor gourmet cooking and entertaining. You can learn more at www.KalamazooGourmet.com.
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