There’s nothing more us Brits love than a celebration! Our friends from over the pond will be cooking up a feast for Thanksgiving tomorrow and we want to give you some American inspiration for the holiday…
We’ve hand-picked some American treats for you to try at home: make sure you send pictures to us on Facebook and Twitter if you give them a go!
The Turkey
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees
Pull the neck and giblets out of the cavity; ditch the liver and save the rest of the giblets for gravy
Dry the turkey with paper towels, then season inside and out with salt and pepper
Fill the turkey with aromatics like chopped onions, carrots, apples and herbs, then place breast-side up in a roasting pan and brush with melted butter
Tent with foil and roast for 2 hours (for a 10- to 12-pound turkey; add an extra 15 minutes per pound for larger birds)
Remove the foil, baste with more melted butter and crank the oven to 220 degrees
Roast for another hour or until the meat at the thigh registers 75 degrees
Leave it to rest while you make the gravy
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients –
For the pre-liquid:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium onion or leek, or 2 shallots, sliced
Neck and giblets from your turkey (discard the liver)
1.8L chicken broth
3 sprigs thyme, parsley, rosemary and/or sage
1 bay leaf
For the gravy:
- Turkey drippings from your roasting pan
220g all-purpose flour
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper - Method:
- When your turkey goes into the oven, start the gravy: Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onion and turkey neck and giblets; cook, stirring, until the giblets are browned, about 15 minutes. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs and bay leaf; cover and simmer while the turkey roasts, about 2 hours.
Make sure to strain the liquid and keep it warm
Add flour of the prepared liquid to the roasting pan and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon. (If the bits are stuck, put the pan over a low burner to loosen them)
Skim off fat from the liquid and transfer to a large saucepan over medium heat. Make a roux: Sprinkle the flour into the pan and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until the flour browns slightly, about 4 minutes
Gradually add the liquid to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Skim and discard any remaining fat. If desired, chop the giblets and shred the neck meat; add to the gravy. Simmer, whisking occasionally, until the gravy thickens, about 10 minutes. Add the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper
Candied Yams
Ingredients –
- 700g sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
2 tablespoons butter, melted
2 tablespoons honey or brown soft sugar
1 egg, well beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
marshmallows (enough to cover the top of a casserole dish)
2 tablespoons butter
Method –
- Place sweet potatoes in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer, and cook until the potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and mash
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees
Beat together with an electric mixer the melted butter, honey, mashed sweet potatoes, egg and salt
When mixture is smooth, transfer to a greased casserole dish
Dot with the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and top with the marshmallows.
Bake until the tops of the marshmallows are golden brown, about 15 minutes and serve immediately!
Green Bean Casserole
Ingredients –
- 600g trimmed green beans
200g sour cream
2 tbsp. yellow mustard, we used French’s
300g chestnut cap mushrooms, sliced
4 tbsp. crispy fried onions
425ml milk
25g plain flour
40g unsalted butter
2 bay leaves
1 small sprig thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 small onion, peeled and halved
4 black peppercorns
1 egg yolk
Juice of 1 lemon
Method:
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees
Bring the milk to a boil with the halved onion, bay leaves, garlic and peppercorns, turn off the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes to infuse the flavours, strain into a jug whilst still warm and reserve
Blanch the green beans in boiling salted water until barely cooked, you want plenty of bite to remain, drain and refresh in iced water to keep their colour. Drain again and shake dry, place in a buttered casserole dish
Slice the mushrooms and sauté until golden brown in olive oil and place in a bowl to one side for later
Over a low heat add the butter to a saucepan to melt. Add in the flour and stir with a wooden spoon to make a smooth paste, a roux, and continue to stir and cook this over a low/medium heat for 5 minutes, you want it to lose its raw flour taste without browning the flour. Now bit by bit, stir in the milk with a wooden spoon in stages and continue to stir briskly until the sauce is smooth. Bring up to a simmer, stirring all the while and cook until the sauce is thickened and has lost its floury taste, about 8-10 minutes. Be careful it doesn’t burn and stick. Remove from heat and beat in the egg yolk. Taste and season with lemon juice, salt and freshly ground black pepper to your liking
Now whisk the sour cream and mustard through the white sauce. Add in the mushrooms and half of the crispy onions and stir
Pour the sauce over the green beans in the casserole dish, bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until starting to bubble to a golden brown. Remove from the oven and veil the dish with the remaining crispy onions. Return to the oven for 5-10 minutes or until the whole dish is bubbling and piping hot
Serve warm and enjoy!
Macaroni cheese –
Ingredients:
- 250g macaroni
40g butter
40g plain flour
600ml milk
250g grated cheddar
50g grated parmesan (or a similar vegetarian alternative)
Method:
- Cook the macaroni in a large saucepan of boiling salted water for 8-10 minutes; drain well and set aside
Melt the butter over a medium heat in a saucepan slightly larger than that used for the macaroni. Add the flour and stir to form a roux, cooking for a few minutes.
Gradually whisk in the milk, a little at a time. Cook for 10-15 minutes to a thickened and smooth sauce
Meanwhile, preheat the grill to hot
Remove the sauce from the hob, add 175g of the cheese and stir until the cheese is well combined and melted
Add the macaroni to the sauce and mix well. Transfer to a deep suitably-sized ovenproof dish
Sprinkle over the remaining cheddar and the parmesan and place the dish under the hot grill. Cook until the cheese is browned and bubbling.
Serve straight away!
