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Everyone around the table: sharing and feasting till we drop. That’s a Thanksgiving moment everyone looks forward to. We all have fond memories of our Thanksgiving gatherings, and whether it is a story revolving around family, friendships or food, this is a special day filled with over-the top memories.

With such a diverse palate of appetites and family traditions, our table is filled with many dishes beyond the traditional. No doubt, we’ll still have our roasted turkey, gravy and all the trimmings because everyone wants their first plate to be the classics. If we didn’t have those traditional classic dishes, we’d feel like we were missing something.

The second and third plates, however, will be filled with the non-traditional, more contemporary creative dishes that we’ve always wanted to share at the table, but until recently have been too worried would be too much food. This year, we’ll focus on making a sampling of different dishes so that our stomachs can accommodate everything that comes out of the double oven and off the cooktop.

We wouldn’t be able to accomplish our Thanksgiving feast without the power and output of our appliances, and because of how much food we really can cook from our little kitchen, we are able to get creative.

This year to add to the diversity of turkey on our table, we’ll be making a lovely turkey roulade filled with kale and Swiss chard. This elegant turkey roll is a great way to keep the love of turkey exciting and interesting. The dried fruit and savory greens add a perfect touch to the turkey breast. Add a touch of gravy and we’re in food heaven.

Pie will always have a place at our table, but to mix it up with the fall flavors of pumpkin, we’ll be serving creamy pumpkin crème brûlée as well. These small servings of spiced pumpkin treats are a perfect and elegant way to add a second helping to our dessert appetites.

Whatever you decide on your final Thanksgiving menu, we hope you enjoy every bite with those you care about because Thanksgiving comes just once a year, and it should be made with care, passion and creativity.

Recipe: Turkey Roulade with Kale and Chard

Serves: 4  

2 turkey breast halves (1 whole turkey breast) about 4-5 pounds total, de-boned and butterflied

Salt, to taste for turkey and for filling

Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste for turkey and for filling

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus additional for drizzling on top of turkey before roasting

1 medium onion, chopped

2 large cloves garlic, minced or crushed

1 bunch kale, stems removed and leaves chopped

1 bunch swiss chard, tough stems removed and leaves chopped

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon red chili flakes

1 cup breadcrumbs

1 cup chicken broth

About 2 tablespoons butter cut into slivers to top the turkey breasts when roasting

Chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees F.

Season the butterflied turkey breasts thoroughly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil and then set turkey breasts aside.  Set aside.

Heat large sauté pan on medium-high heat. Add oil and then add onions and cook until soft. Add garlic, kale, swiss chard and cook until greens are tender. Add ground cumin, red chili flakes, breadcrumbs and chicken broth. Cook until breadcrumbs soak up the broth. Remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper.

Flatten out the butterflied turkey breast (if needed, pound the turkey breasts with a flat sided meat tenderizer to make them into an even thickness) and spread the kale/chard filling across both of the breasts in a thin even layer. Avoid piling the filling too high because it will be difficult to roll. Don’t spread the filling all the way to the ends of the breasts. Leave about a 1/2 inch of border along the turkey breast.

Firmly roll the turkey filled breasts into a roll. Using kitchen string, tie the turkey roll to make sure the roll is tight and securely round.

On a parchment lined baking sheet pan or roasting pan, place the stuffed turkey breast seam side down. Add the slivers of butter evenly across the top of the turkey breast rolls and roast for 1-1/2 hours or more, until a thermometer reads 150 degrees F when inserted in to the center of the roll.

When fully cooked, remove the turkey roll from the oven and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for about 10-15 minutes. Cut into slices and serve warm garnished with the parsley.

Recipe: Pumpkin Creme Brûlée

Think pumpkin pie without the crust and a thin crackly caramel topping. As an added bonus, it is also perfect when you have gluten-free guests arriving. The custards can be made 2-3 days ahead of time if needed, and then kept covered in the refrigerator until ready to serve.
Serves: 8

Ingredients:
15 ounces Pumpkin Puree
3/4 cup Brown Sugar
5 Egg Yolks
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract
1 teaspoon ground Cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground Nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground Clove
1/4 teaspoon Kosher or Sea Salt
3 cups Heavy Whipping Cream
about 1/2 cup Sugar, for topping the creme brûlées

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Combine pumpkin puree, brown sugar, egg yolks, vanilla, spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, clove), and salt in a medium bowl.  Whisk to combine.

In a medium saucepan, heat cream just to a boil. While cream heats, also begin heating a teapot full of water to use in the bain marie for baking the crème brûlées. Gradually whisk the hot cream into pumpkin puree mixture.

Place 8 – 5″ diameter x 1″ deep ramekins (about 6 ounces each) into 2 large roasting pans. Carefully divide mixture evenly between the ramekins. Place roasting pans onto an oven rack pulled partially out. Fill the pans with water 3/4’s up the sides of the ramekins, then carefully slide rack into oven.

Bake until custards are just set, about 30-40 minutes (edges will be set but the center will still have a little wiggly when gently shook. If you over bake the custards they will get tough and loose their smoothness, and if you under bake they will be a little runny.) Carefully remove roasting pans with the custards from oven, then remove ramekins from water bath and place on a towel (a canning jar lifter is very handy for this step).  Cool slightly at room temperature, and then refrigerate custards until cold.

When ready to serve, spread an even thin layer of  sugar over each custard. Using a torch or under the broiler, melt and caramelize sugar.  Allow to cool for about 1 minute to set sugar, and then serve.