Still looking for new Thanksgiving recipes to try this year? Celebrity chefs have shared some of their favorites.
Sure, we all have our traditions when it comes to planning our Thanksgiving menu, but sometimes the urge to tweak it hits and if it does, we’re here to help. From starters to desserts to leftovers–yes, even leftovers–celebrity chefs Anne Burrell, Geoffey Zakarian, Donatella Arpaia, Judy Joo, Ed McFarland, and Rocco DiSpirito have some delicious recipes for you to try. Better yet, Chef Zakarian’s cookbook co-authors and daughters Madeline and Anna shared a sweet treat too!
Kicking off our multi-course journey through tasty new recipes is Anne Burrell’s Pumpkin Soup with Spiced Whipped Cream and Crispy Leeks. “I love this soup because it’s my favorite color and the garnishes bump us the fancy factor,” says Chef Burrell, adding that “it’s also totally seasonal. What could be more autumnal than a pretty pumpkin soup with spiced whipped cream and crispy leeks?” Since it’s often said that we eat with our eyes first, what could be better than a dish whose creator describes as “pretty”?
Anne Burrell’s Pumpkin Soup with Allspice Whipped Cream & Fried Leeks
Ingredients
FOR THE SOUP
• Extra virgin olive oil
• 2 leeks, white and light green parts only, cut in half lengthwise, washed and diced
• 1 large or 2 small carrots, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 celery ribs, cut into ½-inch dice
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely chopped
• Kosher salt
• 2 pounds’ pumpkin, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice (I recommend a sugar or cheese
pumpkin, or a pinch, butternut squash)
• 1 large russet potato, peeled and cut into 1-inch dice
• 2 cups white wine
• 2 quarts’ chicken or veggie stock
• 1 thyme bundle, tied with butcher’s twine
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 orange, cut in half
FOR THE FRIED LEEKS
• Canola or other neutral-flavored oil, for frying
• 1 leek, cut into 2-inch julienne, washed Kosher salt
FOR THE WHIPPED CREAM
• 1 cup heavy cream
• ½ teaspoon allspice
Instructions
1. Coat a large, deep pot with olive oil; add the leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic and bring
to medium-high heat. Season with salt and sweat the veggies until they start to soften
and are very aromatic, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the pumpkin and potato and sprinkle with
salt. Stir to coat the mixture with the oil and cook for another 5 to 6 minutes; add the
wine and reduce by half.
2. Add the stock, thyme bundle, and bay leaves. Squeeze the orange halves directly into
the soup, then add both halves. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed. Bring to a boil
(BTB) and reduce to a simmer (RTS); cook for 35 to 40 minutes.
3. Remove and discard the orange halves, thyme bundle, and bay leaves and use and
immersion blending or upright blender to purée the soup (if you’re using a regular
blender, cool the mixture for about 5 minutes and work in batches.) You want the purée
the crap out of it! If the consistency is too thick, add a bit of water. Taste and adjust the
seasoning as needed.
FOR THE FRIED LEEKS
Heat an inch of oil in a small saucepan set over medium heat. While the oil heats, set up your
drying situation next to the stove by putting a couple layers of paper towels on a baking sheet.
When the oil is hot, working in batches, fry the leeks until crispy and brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Use
a slotted spoon and fish spatula to remove the leeks and set them on the paper towels to drain;
sprinkle with salt.
TO WHIP THE CREAM AND SERVE
1. Use a hand or stand mixer – or if you’re feeling strong, a regular old whisk – to whip the
cream and allspice until the cream holds its shape in soft peaks.
2. Ladle the soup into service bowls, top with a dollop of the whipped cream, and garnish
with fried leeks.
Every festive meal needs something equally as joyful to drink, right? Well, Judy Joo has the perfect beverage for everyone.
According to Joo, this digestif is served during the Lunar New Year and Moon Festival celebrations. The fragrant, sweet and spicy punch is quite delightful. It can even be made in a big batch and drunk over several day. Or, consider transforming it into a Cinnamon and Persimmon Punch Sorbet.
Cinnamon and Persimmon Punch
Serves 8
Ingredients
- 10 cups water
- 12 cinnamon sticks, rinsed
- ½ cup thinly sliced peeled fresh ginger (from an 8-inch knob; about 3 ounces)
- 2h cup tightly packed brown sugar
- 4 dried persimmons (gotgam), stems removed
- Ice, for serving
- Pine nuts, for garnish
Instructions
Add the Water, cinnamon, and ginger, to a large pot. Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to maintain a simmer. Partially cover and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the sugar and stir until it has dissolved, then remove from the heat. Strain through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl or pitcher and add the persimmons. Set aside to cool to room temperature, then cover and refrigerate until well chilled, at least 2 hours.
To serve, pour the punch over ice in bowls or cups and garnish with pine nuts. The soaked persimmons can also be sliced or left whole as a garnish, if you like.
If you make this punch over the holidays, look for soft, plump, dried persimmons in the produce section of Korean markets. They can often be found pre-packaged.
Stuffing, dressing, sausage, chestnuts, etc., the debate springs eternal. While many people have traditional stuffing recipes, flavor always reigns supreme.
Donatella Arpaia sticks to her Italian roots with a version that is sure to please. If you aren’t a fan of bread stuffing, this rice forward dish is a great idea. It might start a new holiday food tradition at your family’s table.
Here’s how to make Arpaia’s stuffing.
Donatella Arpaia’s Italian Sausage Stuffing
Ingredients
- 1½ cup wild rice
- 1 ½ cup Arborio rice
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 stalks of celery, diced
- 4 large cloves garlic, finely chopped
- Container of mixed gourmet mushrooms, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 6 cups low-sodium chicken stock
- 1 ½ pound sweet Italian sausage casing removed
- 2 eggs
- 4-6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Bay leaf
Directions
1. In a large saucepan, heat chicken stock with a small onion, bay leaf and 1 ½ teaspoons coarse salt, add wild rice. Cover and bring to a boil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the rice is tender, about 1 hour; add a little water during cooking if necessary.
2. Cook Arborio rice in chicken stock according to instruction on box, set aside.
3. In a large nonstick skillet, brown the sausage meat over moderate heat, breaking it up with a wooden spoon, until cooked through, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a plate and let cool slightly, then coarsely chop.
4. Heat 2 tablespoon of the olive oil in the skillet. Add the onions, celery and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook over medium heat stirring often, until translucent.
5. Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil in the skillet. Add the chopped mixed mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, until softened and browned, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add mushrooms to the onion mixture. Stir in the wild rice, Arborio rice and sausage and season again with salt and pepper. Combine all together, add parsley, crack a raw egg and stir to bind together.
6. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cover the dish with foil and bake the stuffing for about 20 minutes, until heated through or if you wish to make ahead:
7. The recipe can be prepared to Step 4 up to 1 day ahead; cover and refrigerate. Let return to room temperature before baking.
Even Thanksgiving dishes can be healthy while still being delicious. Rocco DiSpirito delivers on both counts.
Sometimes a healthier twist on Thanksgiving side dishes can offer a nice break. This recipe has some bold flavors that make the healthy twist very satisfying. Who says that healthy eating is boring?
If you haven’t discovered ras el hanout, it is an ingredient that can be quite versatile. The bold flavor makes each bite more enjoyable. It might make you want to eat more healthy eating recipes.
Rocco DiSpirito’s Stuffed Zucchini
Ingredients
• 4 large zucchini
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 cups diced onions
• 1 cup diced celery
• 1 cup diced carrots
• 1 pound lean ground turkey
• 1 tablespoon ras el hanout
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 3 cups chopped tomatoes
• ½ cup chopped cilantro
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 375.
2. Halve the zucchini lengthwise and use a spoon to scoop out the insides.
Reserve the innards. Place the hollowed-out zucchini on a baking sheet.
3. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the onions, celery, and carrots and sweat until
soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.
4. Increase the heat to high, add the turkey, and brown for about 5 minutes.
Add the ras el hanout, tomato paste, tomatoes, and reserved zucchini insides
and cook until everything is soft and the mixture is almost try. Finish with
the cilantro.
5. Spoon the stuffing into the zucchini halves and bake until the zucchini is soft,
45 minutes to 1 hour.
Iron Chef Geoffrey Zakarian has taken the pedestrian sweet potato and punched it up for a fresh take on the traditional Thanksgiving accompaniment.
While sweet potatoes can be combined with pecans and maple, the spice from the ginger adds a bold balance. Plus, the use of ginger ale shows that many common foods can be transformed in innovative ways. If you haven’t used the pantry to elevate your traditional recipes, it is time to bring some more flavorful inspiration to the table.
Geoffrey Zakarian’s Pomegranate-Ginger Sweet Potatoes with Pecans and Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
Syrup:
• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1 12-ounce can ginger ale
• ¼ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Kosher salt
Sweet Potatoes:
• 3 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 2¼ pounds)
• 4 sprigs fresh rosemary
• ½ lemon, thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• ¼ cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted
• ¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1. Preheat the oven to 400°F. To make the syrup: In a medium saucepan, combine
the pomegranate juice, ginger ale, and ginger. Bring to a boil and simmer rapidly
until reduced to 1/3 to 1/2 cup. The mixture should be syrupy and coat the back
of a spoon. Whisk in the butter, season with salt, and keep warm.
2. To make the sweet potatoes: Toss the sweet potatoes with the rosemary, lemon
slices, and oil on a rimmed sheet pan. Season with salt. Roast until the sweet
potatoes are tender, tossing once or twice, 30 to 40 minutes. Toss with the
pecans and pumpkin seeds and roast 5 minutes more. Mound the sweet
potatoes on a platter and drizzle with the syrup, making sure you hit all of the
potatoes.
Once the tryptophan wears off and you’ve taken a break from eating, circle back for some delectable desserts.
Showing an obvious affinity for pumpkin-centric dishes on her holiday menu, Anne Burrell shares her Maple-Pumpkin Bread Pudding. “This is my idea of all and winter all wrapped up in a pudding dish! I take basic custard and ratchet it up by adding pumpkin and maple syrup.” effuses the popular chef.
She continues, “Then to keep it super-sexy, I use challah, which is a rich, buttery, and slightly sweet bread. This isn’t your ordinary, everyday, bread pudding: this bread pudding is more like cake–and I like cake!”
Here’s how to make Chef Anne’s amazing holiday dessert.
Maple-Pumpkin Bread Pudding
MISE EN PLACE
· 1 4-pound pumpkin, preferably a sugar pumpkin, or 3 cups canned pumpkin puree
· 2 cups heavy cream
· ¼ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
· 4 large eggs
· 1 cup REAL maple syrup
· 1½ teaspoons cinnamon
· ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
· ¼ teaspoon allspice
· 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
· 1 tablespoon unsalted butter for greasing dish
· 1 loaf of challah, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 cups)
· ½ cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped
· ½ cup dried cranberries or golden raisins
DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 375•F
2. Cut the pumpkin into quarters, place it on a baking sheet, and roast for about l hour or until the pumpkin is fork-tender. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and let cool (this can be done a day or two ahead). When the pumpkin is cool enough lo handle, peel off the skin, remove the seeds and guts, and puree the flesh in a food processor. If you’re using canned pumpkin, skip this step.
3. Reduce the oven temperature to 325•F.
4. In a large bowl, combine the pureed pumpkin, heavy cream, brown sugar, eggs, maple syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and vanilla, and mix well to combine.
5. Butter a 9 x 13-inch baking dish well. Toss the bread, walnuts, and cranberries together in the baking dish. Pour the pumpin mixture over the bread and let sit for 30 minutes.
6. Put the dish in the oven and bake for 50 to 55 minutes or until the custard is set.
If you are looking for a little different twist, Anne suggests using a cinnamon brioche of a pound cake instead of challah.
If you do not want to turn on the oven, consider using the air fryer to make dessert. What would Thanksgiving 2020 be without the use of an air fryer? The latest kitchen craze will come in handy when whipping up this dessert from Donatella Arpaia.
While baking a cheesecake can be difficult, this air fryer version is quite easy. Even the worst baker can feel accomplished.
Air Fryer Cinnamon Ricotta Cheesecake with Pears and Candied Hazelnuts.
Ingredients
Cheesecake
8 large eggs
2.5 cups Confectioners sugar
2.5 lbs. Whole Milk Ricotta
½ cup Marscarpone
½ cup heavy cream
¾ tsp. Vanilla extract
¼ cup orange or lemon liqueur, such as limoncello
Juice and grated zest of 1 lemon, strained
Teaspoon of cinnamon
Butter Baking spray (enough to cover springform pan)
2/3 tbsp hazelnut
2 pears (optional) or other stone fruit
10-12 inch spring form pan
Topping
1 tbsp. Confectioners’ sugar
1 cup Granulated sugar
2/3 tbsp hazelts (slightly crushed)
½ medium pears cleaned pits and skin removed.
Instructions
Turn on airfryer to bake at 325. (or Preheat oven to 350)
Spray pan thoroughly with baking spray
Separate egg yolks and egg whites.
Beat yolks in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light yellow, add in whole cream, marscarpone and half of confectioners sugar.
Beat for at least a minute on medium speed. Then slowly add in the remaining sugar. until fully incorporated. Then slowly add in remaining sugar until fully incorporated and smooth.
Add in Whole Milk Ricotta ½ a cup at s time and mix. Add lemon juice, lemon zest, vanilla, and liqueur to Ricotta and stir gently until incorporated.
In a separate cold bowl whip egg whites until soft peaks form. Gently fold egg whites into mixture.
Pour mixture into pan. Sprinkle cinnamon over top and with a toothpick swirl into mixture.
Bake for about 50 minutes to an 1 hour in Airfryer (regular oven up to 90 minutes)
Remove from airfryer to cool completely.
Dust top of cheesecake with confectioners’ sugar.
In a small saucepan melt cup of granulated sugar with a tablespoon of water when it starts to bubble add pears and nuts coat evenly until toasts and slight hardens and pour on cake.
As proven in their new cookbook The Family That Cooks Together, Madeline and Anna Zakarian are the power behind their dad Geoffrey’s throne.
Take two talented daughters, add some streusel and tart apples, and you have the foundation of a recipe for Madeline & Anna’s yummy contribution to our Thanksgiving dessert table.
The old phrase about a family cooking together shows that everyone can be a good cook. Why not show the kids how to make a recipe? It could be the family food memory that lasts a lifetime.
Heartwarming Apple Crumble
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
For the Streusel Topping
· 1 cup all-purpose flour
· ¾ cup rolled oats
· ½ cup packed light brown sugar
· ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
· ¼ teaspoon salt
· 8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, chilled and cut into small pieces
For the Apple Filling
· Unsalted butter, at room temperature, for greasing the pan
· 6 firm tart apples (such as Cortland), peeled, cored, and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices
· Juice of 1 lemon
· ½ cup granulated sugar
· 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Helpful Tools
· 2-quart baking dish
Directions
1. To make the streusel topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour, oats, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. With your fingers, rub the butter into the flour mixture until you no longer see butter chunks and the streusel clumps together easily.
2. To make the apple filling: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly coat the inside of a 2-quart baking dish with butter. In a large mixing bowl, toss together the apple slices, lemon juice, granulated sugar, flour, and cinnamon. Pour the filling into the prepared baking dish and spread in an even layer. Top with the streusel topping, pinching it together to form larger clumps.
3. Place the dish in the oven and bake the crumble for about 1 hour, or until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden brown. Let cool for about 30 minutes and serve warm.
Turkey Day is the culinary gift that keeps on giving, in the form of leftovers. Chef Ed McFarland has two great recipes that’ll keep us going through the holiday weekend.
Seriously, is there a better Thanksgiving leftover than a kicked-up sandwich that’s chock-full of goodies from your holiday table? Chef McFarland offers up the formula to creating the perfect one.
Ed McFarland’s Leftover Turkey Pressed Sandwich
Ingredients:
2 slices of thick white bread
Enough cold turkey gravy to line 2 slices of bread
One slice Swiss
One slice Gruyere
3 oz. chopped or sliced turkey
Enough cranberry sauce or cranberry butter to line 1 slice of bread
Directions:
Heat a grill to low-medium heat (depending on the strength of grill)
Line insides of two slices of thick white bread with cold turkey gravy
On each side, add one slice of Swiss or Gruyere cheese
On one side of the bread, add 3 oz. of chopped or sliced leftover turkey
On the other side of bread, coat with leftover cranberry sauce or cranberry butter
· To make cranberry butter, pulse 1 pint of cranberry sauce with ½ pound of butter
Combine the sandwich
Grill sandwich for 3-4 minutes on each side using a sandwich press
As appealing as Ed’s leftover sandwich sounds, it’s hard not to be intrigued by the ingenuity of his Thanksgiving Leftover Meatballs. What could possibly be better than a single creation that is a fusion of everything that’s great about the holiday dinner? Turkey? Check! Stuffing? Check! Cranberry Sauce? Yup! And of course, turkey gravy!
Thanksgiving Leftover Meatballs
Ingredients:
2 lbs. leftover turkey
2 lbs. stuffing
¼ c. cranberry sauce
Turkey gravy (enough to cover meatballs)
Directions:
Combine leftovers (turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce) in a food processor and pulse until chopped and well-incorporated
Move ingredients from food processor to mixing bowl
Ensure that ingredients are well mixed together by hand
By hand form 3-4 oz. round meatballs
Heat meatballs up in a saucepan of simmering turkey gravy until warm
Nothing spruces up a holiday meal like exciting new dishes. Thanks to these celebrity chefs, you’re only a few added items to your Thanksgiving shopping list away from beginning new traditions at your table.
Do you have a traditional holiday dessert? What are you making this year?