The Perfect Roast Turkey

 The star of any Thanksgiving table is the roast turkey.it has to be golden brown perfection, with juicy meat and a buttery flavor. what does it take to get the ideal bird? A variety of different methods and ingredients some surprisng some traditional.

Regular contributor and chef J. Kenji Lopez-Alt explored this in today's New YorkTimes Food section. Thanksgiving is only two weeks away(!!!!) and hime chefs across the country are getting antsy about roasting the best version of turkey. There are many ways to achieve this and any one from the novice home chef to experienced cook can achieve this. Keep in mind that turkey ,like most poultry. has both dark and light meat.That means different conistencies that have to be cooked two different ways. Dark meat has an abundance of connective tissues which needs to be cooked hot and long  so that the tough , elastic collagen breaks down to essentially a gelatin. This moistens and tenderizes the meat. The temperature to enable this has to be between 170 and 180 degrees Farenheit, Unfortunately this will dry out the leaner, white met which only needs less than 160 degrees Farenheit before it turns dry and stringy. Home chefs need a method to figure out how to roas tht etwo meats or alter how the meat reacts to the temps.. Chef Lopez-Alt recommneds doing these simultaneously.

How though? It starts with brining. A salt brine is much better as it brings out the juices. You could go with a dry brine which is simply salnting the bird before cooking it. You can easily cook it in a wet brine. The salt breaks down the bundles  of protein sheaths call fibrils which wrap themselves around the turkey's muscles. The fibrils are like fiber optic cables which gives meat its' distinctive grain, A liquid brine can require a large pot which takes up fridge room along with diluting the turkey's flavor. Chef Lopez-Alt recommends an unusual brine - mayo. Dry brine it first then slather a mix of Hellmanns', parsley, sage and thyme. Also add in scallions lemons and kosher salt. Get this mix into every crack and crevice. Save what's left over for the next day turkey sandwiches. As for the roasting butterflying is the best way. You will need meat scissors for this.It's cutting the lengs and spreading them away from the body. The breastbone is broken and flattened. Cooking a "flattened" turkey allows for the meat to cook faster .It just requires a lower temp in a faster amount of time.It only takes an hour an half to thoroughly cook. You can even cook it with a layer of veggies to prevent th e drippings from drying out. keep in mind this only works for turkey's weighing between ten and fourteen pounds

The perfectly roasted bird can be had. It just taking an untraditional methods to get the crisp skin and juicy meat. It may be different but worth it,.

High End Versus Low End Baking

 Home chefs are starting to think of the heavy baking season ahead. There' are pies and breads to make for Thanksgiving  followed by the intense cookie race for Christmas.One of the big questions is do they go for the more expensive ingredients and implements or save money with buying cheape ingredients.

It's a hard dilemma. Purists will want to use the best quality yet for some it's hard to do thanks to inflation. A simple compromise is using both high and low end in the same recipe.If you;re going high end then think King Arthur. This is one of the oldest flour companies in the country  first starting in Boston in the 1790's by Hnery Wood. Over two centuries later home bakers rave about its finely milled flours and pure extracts.Yes it is expensive.You can buy a pound fo flour for $4.95 online or at your local grocery. Acme sells their organic flour  for $7.19 , Their almind flour there is around nine dollars. Their cake mix is close to nine dollars for a box. You could easily go to your local Stop & Shop and buy a box of Duncan Hines cake mix for only $1.25 on sale right now. Again it's up to you. If you want to indulge yoru family then go for the more expensive. Their doughnut and muffins pans are high quality with prices as high as almost thirty dollars.Are they worth the money? You can probably get twenty years out of them so the answer is yes. King Arthur also sells extracts  and cocoa powder too. They are expensive with a tin costing $12,95. You can get ti for a lot less again at any store.

What about cookies? Many home bakers make tins of all different kinds for family and friend gifts along with for the office or class party. Family and friends can get the best.You can use the the better flour and Kerrygold butter along with the top grade vanilla extract. You can decorate them with the Wilton cookie decorating kit. This has the nozzles and bags to create sweetly stars and angels. you will have to supply the icing yourself. A better deal is Wal-Mart's cookie kits. Their own brand Great Value is offering some cool and inexpensive kits like their gingerbread one for only $4.97. It comes with the mix, cutter, two tubes of icing  and candy decorations. You can;t beat that! Another good Wal-Mart deal is their  BUild Your Own Brownie Tree kit which has the brownie mix , an icing pouch, cutters and candy decorations. These are perfect for the kids to make  but also fun on any holiday dessert table.  Another idea is cutting back on the amount you're planning to bake. Instead of two pr three pies for Thanksgiving choose one and stick with it. As for cookies opt for three or four as opposed to five or six. 

It's a dilemma about choosing high or low end baking. Base your choice on what works for you financially. Welcome  holiday baking. DOn;'t be fianancially drained by  it.

A New Jersey Gem Terhune's Orchards

Princeton  is known for education and being a haven for great mind s like Albert Einstein and John Nash. What it's not known for is it' country side ,stretching form the busting core of the town to farmland. It should be known one farm, Terhune Orchards. This is a must see Jersey gem, only an hour and a half south of Manhattan.

I had heard a lot about this farm which is actually a large complex of fields orchards, trails and stores. It was amazing to see. Kids can go to the small petting zoo and feed the goats and a Shetland pony. There is a bunny to pet and the general store has a sweet kitty  who's oblvious to the people around him or her.The Mount family have owned this property since 1973 and Gary Mount grew up on an apple farm nearby. You can also pick apples or enjoy the beautiful woods on their many trails.

There is a large tent seling home baked goods such as pies and different fruit breads . Inside the General Store there are more prodicts from pasta to a variety of breads and jams. I was tempted to get the cider slushie.It looked so good on an unseasonably warm November day. Terhune's also has a winery with such unusual wines as peach and apple. There are even wine tastings where you can sample those wines and others such as Jersey  made chardonnays and  Cold Soil white,a traminette .

                                              One productI could not resist was apple butter.

This was pure heaven!!!!!! It was a creamy , cinnamon rich applesauce with the consistency of a thick pudding. I loved it so much I had it just by the spoonful but it is excellent on bread , especially croissants. I plan on buying it again during my next trip. It can be used in strudels or glazing pork but just slathering it on a buttery croissant is sheer perfection.

If you're in the Princeton area, stop by Terhune Orchards. There is so much there  to do and see. Try the winery. Play with the animals. sample their amazing products like their apple butter.

Terhune Orchards

330 Cold Soil Road,

Princeton ,New Jersey 08540

Are You All Right?

 This holiday season might be a sad one for many who can;t afford a good Thanksgiving meal. If that's the case please write to Foodie Pantry at Lizrwriter@aol.com with Foodie Pantry Help in the subject line

 Here's what to include

 Your name and address,

The store that you shop at and its' manager if you know who it is. 

Foodie Pantry will write to them and see what can be done to get you a decent holiday meal with all the trimmings. I can;t promise but I can try.

A Pinched Thanksgiving

 This is going to be a tough Thanksgiving with prices high and salaries stalled. What can home chefs do to have a good and tasty holiday? The answer is pinching. See where you can save money and see what you can cut back on.

The first question any home chef should ask themselves is is a big family Thanksgiving doable? Think before you commit. The cost of a twenty pound Butterball turkey at Acme is $32.78 (!!!!!!). Then add in various sides and you have a two hundred dollar meal (which not surprisingl is the average price of an individual four course holiday meal at any upscale Manhattan restaurant).If you still want family and friends , then split the cost. Ask guests to bring sides and desserts. Delegate who brings what so there's not any duplicates. Also check about allergies and preferences. Another idea is just having people over for dessert, instead of the whole meal. This means you can just have a small, intimate Thanksgiving and serve just turkey breast which is much cheaper than the whole bird. (Acme sells theirs for around $14.99 for three pounds while Stop & Shop for around $21.99 for seven pounds). Desserts can also be one big one like a pumpkin or pecan pie while encouraging homemade ones like cookies or cupcakes. Please emphasize that guests should not spend a lot of money on their desserts.

You can cut back a lot if it's just family. Again go for the turkey breast. You still can have the juicy meat and crisly skin but with out all the extra. As for the rest of the meal go for generic. Acme has some great  inhouse stuffing mixes along with flavorful gravies. Go to the cheaper makrets for your fresh veggies. These are like farmer's markets , usually found in strip malls like the Saddle Brook Farmer's Market. They have the best prices on everything from squashes to Italian breads. Many other towns and cities have markets like this. Take advantage of them. Another way of pinching Thanksgiving is eliminating the one dish no one really likes. If the family makes a face at jellied cranberries or Brussels sprouts then get rid of them. Why waste money on food you know won't be eaten.  Cut back on similar foods. Why serv e both sweet potatoes and mashed potatoes? This is too much to eat. The same thing with rolls and stuffing which is a kind fo savory bread pudding. Don't go wild with dessert. Pick one pie and stick with it. Some stores sell mini pies , You can easily buy these so everyone gets a bite fo their favorite.

This is going to be a tight Thanksgiving. Yet it still can be a tasty one if you carefully budget. Pinch a few pennies and you can still have an affordable holiday meal.

Creating A Community With Food And Love

 The Cleveland Ohio area is not necessarily known for its' thriving LGBTQ community or for places catering to then. That's about to change thanks to neighboring Lakewood where there is a plan for inclusivity starting with a burgeoning food culture helping them. 

Erik Piepenburg ,who handles more of the New York Times' Arts sections and movie reviews wrote this interesting piece in the paper's Wednesday's Food section yesterday.The area is changing , and is more reminiscent of Manhattan's chelsea before it became gentrified. The Fieldhouse, a 30,000 square foot complex hosted a show headlined by some of the stars  such as MOney X-Change and Trinity the Turk of "Ru Paul's Drag Race . The complex's three restaurants are also getting their produce from a neighborhood garden tended by LGBTQ. They feel like they are finally part of the community according to Chelsea Brennan , a transgender woman who also did electrical installation at The Fieldhouse. The complex is just step one in this unification. The company behind it, Studio Wesr 117, headed by daniel Budish and Betsy Figgie will create a gay neighborhood with a new hotel, shops and a health clinic. It will be funded by one hundred million in both public and private funds. The company's partner is the Greater Cleveland Food Bank and the LGBTQ Community Center of Greater Cleveland.

Food is the main goal here. There are all sorts of classes at The Fieldhouse along with previews of the menus. The restaurants haven't opened yet but they are offering prviews of their dishes. Visitors enjoyed burgers topped with goat cheese from the area's Mackenzie Creamery and pizza, especially the pepperoni one called the Flirt from the complex's pizzeria Eat Me.There will also be a gastro pub called Muze anda rooftop  bar called The Trellis. There is also a food court of sorts for those attending games and events. The fieldhouse also boasts an intimate demonstration kitchen where there are all sorts of classes.At a recent pastry making class, drag queen Plenty O'Smiles iced cookies while teen-aged transgender boy Theo Crowfoot-Suede watched. Then Theo grabbed the piping bag and squeezed it just so to ice a pumpkin shaped ccokie. he and his mom Kim travelled all the way from Columbus to not only attend a fun class but to be amongst people like him. There was also a salsa making class for the group who tended the community garden , led by The field house's  pansexual assistant mananager Ms.Hulzing who goes by Ox.people of all persuasions enjoyed the salsa going home with printed copies of it.

Can The Fieldhouse be a model for future LGBTQ neighborhoods. Most definitely. It takes funds but also a community to make it work too.

The Food Moguls

 There is a new holy trinity of cooking. It's not ingredients but  two chefs and their investor. This trio of chefs Mario Carbone, Rich Torris and their investor Jeff Zalaznick are chaning the way the New York  and Miani are eating and partying. They are taking over and doing it in a remarkably short time.

Regular contributor Julia Moskin wrote about this trio in today's section of the New York Times Food section. Not since Warner Leroy took over Tavern on the Green in the Seventies have three entrepreneurs made such an indelible mark on Manhattan's culinary scene. Their group, Major Foods, is also a powerhouse in Miami, moving their headquarters there.who are they and how did they get this much clout?Chefs Torrisi and Carbone are from the outer boroughs. They grew up with homemade Italian cooking which was and still is a huge influence on what they make.They were fledgling chefs when they met Mr. Zalaznick, just emerging form such known eateries as Da Posto and Boulud. Chef Carbone cooked Italian while Chef Torrisi leaned more to the French, Their partner comes from a family worth billions.Mr. Zalaznick's grandfather is financier and real instate investor Paul Milstein. His name graces the Milstein Hall of Ocean Life in the Museum of Natural History, Milstein Hospital in Upper Manhattan and the Milstein Division of the New York Public Library. There are connections to the city's most powerful families like the Tisches and the Le Fraks.

This does provide money to experiment and expand as it has for th e last ten years with them. They were able to open up Carbone in Greenwich Village and the sandwich shop Parm, They exploded on the MIami restaurant scene with  Carbone's South Florida extension. There is ZZ's Club,a private and posh food club that offers such dishes as the supremely tender Wagyu beef at $250 (!!!!) a plate and salmon teriyaki at $48 a plate.It also has a cigar and backgammon terrace. They also have Sadelle's, a homage to Jewish cooking in New York ,Miami and now Riyadh, Saudi Arabia along with the Dirty Laundry and The Grill which celebrate American cuisine.(their prices for a sit down Thanksgiving meal are outrageous - even for New York)Some fellow restauranteurs are skeptical of their success. Kevin Boehm and his business partner Rob katz are going for a low key approach and tailor their restaurants  like the Girl And Goat chain to the communitiues they're in. They also feel that expanding in different markets will be challenging down the road. However Major Food Group seems impervious to tis, even thriving in Miami during the Covid lockdown.

Will this trinity overtake the market? Probably on the high end range for a while. It's their time to shine and it shining brightly.