YS :: Blog :: Oprah holiday dinner

Ingredients:

Serves 10

Marinade:

• 1 1/2 cups Dijon mustard
• 3/4 cup soy sauce
• 3/4 cup fresh lemon juice (do not discard lemon rinds)

Turkey:

• 1 (15-pound) free-range turkey
• 2 bunches fresh poultry herbs
• 2 to 3 cups hot water

To make marinade: Combine ingredients in a bowl. Whisk until smooth and creamy.

To make turkey: Preheat oven to 350°.

Clean out cavity of the turkey and rinse well, inside and out. Pat dry and place turkey in a large roasting pan. Pour the marinade over the turkey.

Tie turkey legs together and cover tips with foil. Stuff cavity of turkey with lemon rinds and one bunch of poultry herbs. Place the second bunch of herbs in the roasting pan.  Place turkey breast-side up in roasting pan. Insert thermometer in the thickest part of the breast. Cover with foil and roast for 2 hours.

After 2 hours, add hot water to the bottom of the pan. Stir to make gravy for basting. Baste turkey and cover with foil. Roast turkey another 30 minutes and repeat basting process. Continue basting every 15 minutes until the thermometer reaches 180–185°, approximately 3 to 4 hours.

Remove turkey from oven and place on cutting board. Cover turkey well with foil to keep warm. Let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before carving.

 

Ingredients:

• 5 cups hot chicken broth
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup dry sherry
• 1/3 cup minced fresh chives
• Salt and freshly ground cracked pepper , to taste
• 1/2 cup fresh pomegranate seeds for garnish
• Pan juices from Turkey with Marinade

Skim the fat from the Turkey with Marinade pan juices and discard. Scrape the bottom and sides of the pan with a wooden spoon to release the cooked bits. Add 1 cup of chicken broth, strain into a sauce pan and add the rest of the chicken broth. Bring to a gentle boil.

In a separate sauce pan, combine 1 ladle of the hot chicken broth and cornstarch. Stir until lumps are gone and then pour back into stock pot. Repeat five or six times until gravy has reached your desired thickness. Add dry sherry and salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with chives and pomegranate seeds.

 

Ingredients:

Serves 10

• 3 pounds frozen spinach
• 4 Tbsp. butter
• 4 Tbsp. flour
• 1 tsp. freshly ground nutmeg
• 2 cups warm milk
• Pepper , to taste

Preheat oven to 350°.

Add spinach and water to a stockpot. Gently boil until the spinach has thawed. Strain the spinach, squeezing out water with a spatula. Place spinach on a dishtowel and squeeze out any remaining water. Put spinach back in stockpot.

In a saucepan, melt butter. Once it has melted, add flour. Mix together, forming a roux. Slowly add warm milk and stir until thick and creamy. Add salt and nutmeg and mix well. Pour the cream sauce over the spinach and mix. Pour mixture into a baking dish and cover tightly with foil. Bake for 30 minutes. 

Keep covered until you are ready to serve.

 

 

Ingredients:

Serves 8

Pie:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 3/4 cup milk
• 2 large eggs , separated, yolks beaten
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 cup heavy cream , whipped
• 1 (9-inch) graham cracker crust

Topping:

• 2 pints heavy cream , whipped
• Shaved dark chocolate

Combine gelatin, 1/2 cup of sugar, salt, cinnamon, allspice, ginger and nutmeg in a saucepan. Stir in milk, egg yolks and pumpkin. Cook over medium heat until thick. Chill saucepan in refrigerator until partially set—about 1 hour.

In a bowl, beat egg whites until soft peaks form. Gradually add 1/4 cup of sugar and continue beating until stiff peaks form. Fold in 1/2 cup of whipped cream. Fold egg white mixture into filling. Pour filling into pie crust and chill for 1 hour.

Just before serving, top with remaining whipped cream and sprinkle some shaved dark chocolate on top.