Ooops! I missed the judging on the last (rosemary) round! Sorry all! Been busy, and only able to pop in to the SDMB for a few mins. during the past few days…
But, Thanksgiving leftovers!! Chairman Fenris, I remove my hat to you, and bow deeply!
Here, at last, is an area of cuisine in which I, humble Astroboy, might show my gustatorial expertise!!
Yeah!!
Java, I have just read your descriptions of your dishes, and I have but one question: will you marry me?
Yes, I know I am promised to Astrogirl, but she can’t cook!! We could keep her in the basement, and feed her on crusts…
Whaddaya say? Huh? You and me, baby!
Thanksgiving leftovers?? An inspired choice!
but then, I would expect no less!
First, please save some of your kudos on the theme for Jekeira who suggested leftovers in the first place. (The Thanksgiving part was mine, but I’d never have thought of it, if Jekeira hadn’t made the initial, inspired suggestion)
Second, let me remind the judges that it’s fine to make brief comments on the dishes, but please don’t start the actual judging until both Chefs have turned their menus in.
Chairman Fenris
Look, missy, some of us have families that don’t understand why we’re spending so much time on something that doesn’t pay anything.
The Chairman has given us until Thursday evening, so I have plenty of time - and I WILL be putting up a menu that will give you a run for your money. I’m purposely avoiding reading your recipes to stave off despair.
Gobble-aya (Turkey and sausage Jambalaya):
The Iron Chef has removed the peppers, onions, and pizza sauce from the leftover pizza, chopping the vegetables into small dice, and placed them into a small skillet over high heat to which he adds kielbasa chunks, cajun spices, and a shot of bloody mary mix. When warm, he adds the leftover rice, and sautées the mixture until the rice is well coated with the tomato mixture; he then adds cubed turkey breast, which he folds into the rice mixture carefully so as not to break up the meat; he then divides the mixture into individual ramekins, bakes until warmed through, and sets them on the buffet.
Cowherd’s pie:
A variation on shepherd’s pie. The Iron Chef has moistened the dry stuffing with just enough imitation gravy to make it hold together, then pressed it into a baking dish to form a crust. He has then filled the pie with a mixture of diced roast beef, the green bean casserole, the real gravy, the steamed carrots and broccoli (the Iron Chef discarded the cauliflower with a moué of distaste), and some frozen peas and chopped onion. He then spreads the mashed potatoes over the top of the mixture and bakes until the spuds are lightly browned. Just the thing to accompany an afternoon in front of the TV.
Oriental Turkey Pot Pie:
After removing the thighs and wing meat from the turkey carcass, the Iron Chef uses the bones and the remaining meat, along with the salad greens and some celery, green onion, ginger, soy sauce, and carrot from the pantry, to make turkey stock. This stock, thickened slightly with a flour-and-butter roux and infused with mirin, extra soy, and the dab of leftover hoisin sauce, is the sauce that forms the binding of the filling for the Iron Chef’s oriental turkey pot pie: under a buttery crust are cubed turkey thigh and wing meat, chopped mu shu chicken, honey-ginger carrots, and also green onion tops, water chestnuts, and mushrooms. Spooned up at tableside and served in china rice bowls.
Pumpkin-Yam Napoleons:
The Iron Chef has carefully butterflied the pancakes, trimmed them square, and spread them with softened butter. He sprinkles the buttered pancakes with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar, then places them under the broiler until the pancakes acquire a crisp texture and the brown sugar melts and caramelizes. Meanwhile, the chef has scooped the pumpkin custard from the pumpkin pie shell and tossed said shell, along with some whipped cream, to Tornado Siren with a wink and the mouthed word “bribery”. He then combines the pumpkin custard with the sweet potatoes in the food processor and pulses them until mixed, revitalizing and softening the custard with a little hot water before folding in large quantities of whipped egg white to create a pumpkin/sweet-potato mousse. The chef then pipes the mousse onto the pancake crisps and assembles them into napoleons (three pancake crisps joined together in a stack by the mousse like the three slices of bread in a club sandwich, for those of you who have never had a napoleon), garnishing each with a piped swirl of whipped cream.
Cranberry/Orange Sorbet:
Pumpkin/yam napoleons sound too rich, you say? Then perhaps you’d prefer some sorbet made from the cranberry sauce (which I’m assuming is whole-berry because the chairman didn’t say it wasn’t), combined with sugar, orange juice, and orange zest, then frozen.
There were nineteen items on the Chairman’s list… by my count, I’ve used seventeen of them (leaving only the banana cream pie, which I ate while cooking the rest of the dishes, and the bread, which I plan to use to feed the ducks this weekend). Now there’s more room in the fridge for beer!
Darn, I was hoping for somehting really innovative like
Kosher Salt Battle!
or
Water Battle!
<sigh>
MikeG, if you’re looking for a Water Battle, come on down to the YMCA swimming pool… Chef Jr. will be happy to oblige you.
Water Sports?!!?!?! at an Iron Chef contest?!?!! :eek: :eek:
I, of course, am too dignified to take part in such things, but MikeG clearly is hoping that the BDJ’s top will be sprayed into transparency by an errant shot from a super-soaker watergun.
Now where are those recipes that the challenger and former Iron Chef was so smugly talking about?
:: blushes ::
Aw, shucks.
Ooooh!
I’ve been spanked by Chef Troy!
You have NOT been spanked by me - you’ll know when you have.
Although it IS an intriguing thought… your body draped across my lap, your ChefWear™ pants puddled around your ankles, and your lush, rounded bottom turning pink. While you sniffle and make little “ow” noises.
Is it Sweeps Week already?
Ohhh…Me next!! Me Next!! And could I get some hot wax with my spanking?
Wait…this would be completely unacceptable behavior on the Iron Chef. Although I think Chairman Kaga is either a closet spanker or spankee. I havent decided which yet.
So far the dishes sound wonderful. Goin through the list now to see what Chef Troy didn’t use. I am happily munching on my soggy pumpkin pie crust and looking over the chefs’ shoulders.
I meant to post this forever ago, and forgot.
For all you Iron Chefs, and Iron Chef wannabees…
It’s that time of year again folks. Sure would be great if one of us could win a million bucks!
Of course, they will be inexact considering they are built on leftovers of dishes made by others, but it’s the nature of this particular battle.
Gobble-aya (Turkey and Sausage Jambalaya)
Onions, peppers, and pizza sauce from six pieces of leftover pizza (amounting to a cup of each veggie, mixed with a half-cup of pizza sauce)
1 cup of kielbasa or andouille sausage, cut into chunks
1/2 cup bloody-mary mix
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
3 tablespoons cajun spice mix (black, white, and red pepper, thyme, salt, & pepper)
1 1/2 cups cooked rice
1 cup cooked cubed breast of turkey
Place pizza veggies, pizza sauce, and sausage in a small skillet and heat through until sausage is browned and veggies are hot. Add bloody-mary mix, Worcestershire sauce, and cajun spice mix; stir to combine. Add rice and stir until rice is well coated.
Remove from heat and fold in cubed turkey, trying to keep the cubes from falling apart. Pack mixture into ramekins; seal with aluminum foil and bake in a 300-degree oven until heated through. Serve hot.
Cowherd’s Pie
2 cups leftover Stove Top Stuffing
Gravy to moisten
1 1/2 pounds cooked roast beef, cubed
1 1/2 cups leftover green-bean casserole
2/3 cup turkey gravy from drippings
2/3 cup steamed carrots
2/3 cup steamed broccoli florets
2/3 cup frozen peas (thawed)
1/2 of a small onion, chopped and sauteed until translucent
3 cups mashed potatoes
Add gravy to stuffing just until it’s moist enough to clump together. Press stuffing into a small baking dish or pie pan, forming a crust.
Combine remaining ingredients except for mashed potatoes and stir until well combined. Pour into stuffing crust, saving any excess filling for another use. Warm mashed potatoes until soft and spread over surface of filling, making sure to go out to the edges of the dish. Bake at 375 degrees until warmed through and potatoes are browning on top. Serve hot.
Oriental Chicken Pot Pie
sauce ingredients:
2 tablespoons oil
2 tablespoons flour
3 cups oriental turkey stock (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon leftover hoisin sauce
*Filling ingredients:*Thigh and wing meat from a roast turkey (about 2-3 cups), cubed
1/2 container of mu shu chicken, shredded vegetables chopped into small dice
1 1/2 cups honey-ginger carrots, diced
1/2 cup finely chopped green onion tops
1 can water chestnuts
12 oz. thickly sliced mushrooms
2 prepared pie crusts
Make roux: heat oil over very high heat; when very hot, sprinkle flour over oil, whisking constantly, until flour/oil mixture just begins to brown. Remove roux from heat.
Whisk next four ingredients together in a saucepan and bring to a boil; add roux by spoonfuls and continue to whisk until mixture thickens. Remove from heat and keep warm.
Combine filling ingredients and stir until all items are evenly distributed. Pour sauce over filling items and stir to coat.
Place one pie crust into a pie plate or baking dish; fill with filling/sauce mixture, reserving any excess for another use. Top with remaining crust; crimp edges and poke several vent holes, then bake according to crust package directions.
Pumpkin/Yam Napoleons
26 pancakes, trimmed square and butterflied
8 tablespoons butter, softened
Cinnamon and nutmeg to taste
Brown sugar
Filling from one pumpkin pie
1 cup mashed baked sweet potatoes with brown sugar and melted marshmallows on top
4 cups sweetened whipped cream (divided use)
2 egg whites, whipped to soft peaks
Open each pancake like a book and spread cut sides with softened butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar (apply the brown sugar with a generous hand). Broil until pancakes are crisp and sugar melts and caramelizes. Cool pancake crisps on a wire rack.
Place pumpkin-pie custard and mashed sweet potatoes in a food processor and pulse until combined. Add a little hot water to soften mixture and process until softened; fold in 2 cups of whipped cream gently, and then fold in egg whites until just combined.
Scoop pumpkin/yam mousse into a pastry bag or a large ziploc bag with one corner cut off; pipe mousse onto 12 pancake crisps, evenly covering surface. Place 12 more crisps neatly atop mousse and press slightly to adhere. Pipe more mousse onto second layer of crisps, and top with 12 more crisps. Scoop remaining whipped cream into another pastry bag or ziploc bag with corner snipped off; pipe a swirl of whipped cream onto each napoleon for garnish. Optional: cut extra pancake crisps into decorative shapes and insert into whipped cream.
Cranberry/Orange Sorbet
2 cups water
2 cups sugar
Juice of two oranges
Zest of two oranges
2 cups whole-berry cranberry sauce
Bring water to a boil and stir in sugar. Simmer until sugar is dissolved.
Combine orange juice, orange zest, and cranberry sauce in a large shallow bowl. Pour sugar syrup over mixture and stir to combine, allowing mixture to cool and flavors to infuse.
Strain cooled mixture into an ice cream maker and follow manufacturer’s directions.
Um…I TOLD you the ones I didn’t use, to wit:
Now now now…dont be sarcastic with the judges. hehehe
I swear, I DID read that, but for some reason it just didnt register. It’s the heat, I swear!!
Roast Beef Canapé:
Leftover pancake base: Cut leftover pancakes with 2” round cookie cutter. Refry in butter until well browned and crispy. Drain on paper towel.
Horseradish sour cream
1 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon prepared horseradish
Assembly: Slice roast beef into thinnest possible slices, and roll into cylinders. Place a dab of horseradish sour cream onto fried pancake, and top with beef.
** Turkey Consommé with Stuffing Royale**
1 quart homemade turkey stock (recipe to follow)
1 pound ground turkey, raw
1 onion, julienned
1 carrot, julienned
1 celery stick, julienned
3-4 sprigs thyme
4 whole peppercorns
8 egg whites
Salt to taste
In a large saucepan, combine the ground turkey, vegetables, and seasonings, and stir together well. Add egg whites and combine. Pour turkey stock over mixture, and bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Return to a simmer, and stir until a “raft” of the coagulated egg whites and turkey mixture forms. Let simmer for 20 minutes. Using a ladle, gently push on the raft and gather the clarified broth, and pour through a chinois (a fine mesh strainer) into a clean saucepan. Degrease, reheat and add salt to taste.
Homemade Turkey Stock
1 turkey carcass, cleaned
2 onions, chopped
4 carrots, chopped
4 celery sticks, chopped
½ bunch thyme
10 peppercorns
3 quarts water
In a stockpot large enough to hold the turkey carcass (you can break it down if need be. I’ve got a 20 qt. Stockpot big enough to hold a toddler.), add all ingredients. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Scoop off fat and scum that rises to top as needed. Simmer for 3 hours. Strain stock through a fine mesh strainer to remove all particles, and either refrigerate or freeze.
Stuffing Royales
(note: “royales” are small savory custards that are traditionally served in consommés)
1 cup of leftover stuffing
4 egg yolks
Salt & pepper to taste
In a small bowl, crumble stuffing. Add egg yolks, and using hands blend well into a paste. Using a small, greased ramekin, add stuffing to 2/3 way. Bake in a hot water bath at 300 until set, about 20 minutes.
Assembly: In a low soup plate, place royale in center. Ladle consommé around royale, but do not completely cover it. Garnish top of royale with a few leaves of thyme, if desired.
Wild Rice Salad
1 ½ cups leftover white rice
appx. 1 cup leftover mu shu chicken
½ cup leftover honey ginger carrots
½ cup cooked wild rice
½ cup blanched fresh peas, or defrosted frozen peas (which, if this is done in November, the frozen peas will be better)
Hoisin sauce
Rice Vinegar to taste
Salt & pepper to taste
Gently toss rices, vegetables, and mu shu chicken until combined. Add hoisin sauce, and drizzle with rice vinegar to moisten to taste.
Turkey & Veg American-Style Stirfry, with Fried Potato Cakes
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 celery stalk, chopped
½ cup sliced mushrooms (crimini would do nicely, but buttons are ok in a pinch)
1 ½ cups of diced leftover turkey meat (dark does best here, as it doesn’t dry out as quickly as breasts)
¼ cup white wine
2 cups leftover steamed vegetables (and hoping they’re properly steamed and not all mushy, just like mom used to make)
1 cup leftover gravy
1 Tablespoon Chopped sage leaves
Salt & pepper to taste
Heat a large skillet (or wok, if you have one) and add oil. Sweat onion and garlic until aromatic, add celery and mushrooms, sauté until mushrooms start to get a little golden on the edges. Deglaze with white wine. Add turkey and let cook until wine has evaporated. Add steamed vegetables, gravy, and sage leaves and cook until heated through. Season to taste.
Fried Potato Cakes
2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1 cup leftover mashed sweet-potato (with the sugar & marshmallows scraped off)
2 eggs
Salt and pepper to taste
Vegetable oil for frying
In a mixing bowl, blend together the potatoes together. In another small bowl, whisk together the eggs. Add eggs to potato mixture, and blend well; season to taste. In a large skillet heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil (enough to cover the skillet with about 1/8” of oil). Take about ½ cup of potato mixture, and shape into patty about ½” thick. Fry until both sides are golden and crisp.
Pumpkin Bread Pudding & Caramel Sauce
2 cups leftover pumpkin puree
2 cups milk
4 eggs
½ cup brown sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 tsp. Pumpkin pie spice
2 loaves leftover bread, 1” cubed
Softened butter as needed
In 250 degree oven, spread bread cubes on sheet pan and lightly toast. Let cool. Put into large mixing bowl.
In a blender, puree pumpkin, milk, eggs, sugar, vanilla and spice together until just smooth. Pour over bread and let rest for about 20 minutes for bread to absorb custard.
Grease a 13 x 9 pan with softened butter. Pour mixture in pan, bake at 350 degrees until pudding is firm and the top is toasted.
Caramel Sauce
1 1/4 cups (packed) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
1/2 cup whipping cream
Whisk brown sugar and butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium heat until butter melts. Whisk in cream and stir until sugar dissolves and sauce is smooth, about 3 minutes.
Brandied Whipped Cream
1 1/2 cups chilled whipping cream
1 1/2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons brandy
Beat cream and sugar in large bowl until soft peaks form. Add brandy and beat until stiff peaks form.
Assembly:
Cut bread pudding into 3” squares. Drizzle caramel sauce and top with dollop of whipped cream.
Cranberry-Pear Crisps
2 cups leftover whole berry cranberry sauce (I’m assuming since it wasn’t mentioned)
1 cup red wine
4 pears, peeled, cored, cut into ½” cubes
1 vanilla bean, split
3/4 cup sugar
In medium saucepan, heat together cranberries and red wine, bring to a boil. Add pears, vanilla, and sugar; reduce to a simmer. Simmer until mixture has become thick. Pour into individual oven-proof ramekins, and bake in a 350 degree oven until mixture boils. Remove from oven and top with oat-nut crunch. Serve warm.
Oat-Nut Crunch
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup rolled quick oats
½ cup finely chopped pecans
½ tsp cinnamon
In a KitchenAid, blend all ingredients with paddle attatchment until smooth.
Spread out on sheet tray and bake at 350, stirring often until toasted and crisp. Let cool and break into small crumbs.