A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

Top Chef Season 2 cheftestant Elia Aboumrad's Roasted Chicken with Vegetables (main)


INGREDIENTS
One 7-pound organic roasting chicken, rinsed and patted dry
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened, plus 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3 medium carrots, cut into chunks on the diagonal
2 zucchini, thickly sliced
8 ounces button mushrooms, stemmed and halved
1 pound fingerling potatoes, halved
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken stock
4 fresh rosemary sprigs, plus more for garnish
8 fresh thyme sprigs, plus more for garnish

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Brush the chicken with the softened butter. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Tie the legs loosely together.

In a large bowl, combine the carrots, zucchini, mushrooms, and potatoes. Add the melted butter and toss to coat. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Put the chicken in a roasting pan and scatter the vegetables around the chicken. Pour in the stock and top with the herb sprigs. Roast the chicken for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, turning the vegetables a few times to evenly brown, until the chicken is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 180 degrees.

Remove the chicken from the roasting pan and cut it into serving pieces. Place on plates and, using a slotted spoon, remove the vegetables from the pan and place them alongside the chicken. Garnish with fresh thyme and rosemary sprigs. Serve immediately.

© Elia Aboumrad

A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

Top Chef Masters champ Rick Bayless' Quail with Parsnip and Prosciutto Stuffing over Wild Greens (main)


INGREDIENTS

POMEGRANATE-RED WINE GLAZE
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 cup red wine
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup balsamic

GRILLED QUAIL
2 quart water
1/2 cup salt
3 chipotle chilis, toasted
12 quail (bone-in)
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery, chopped
2 ribs of celery, chopped
1 cup red wine
1 sprig thyme
1 sprig marjoram
1 quart chicken stock

PARNSIP AND PROSCIUTTO STUFFING
2 red potatoes, peeled and chopped
4 large parsnips, diced
4 ounce prosciutto, diced
2 large red onions

WILD GREENS
6 ounce peppered pancetta, diced
2 quarts mustard greens, cut in 1 inch pieces
1 quart baby wild arugula
1/1/2 cup chicken stock

BUTTER-ROASTED ASIAN PEARS
4 ounce butter
2 large Asian pears
2 tablespoons chiffonade of sage leaves
2 teaspoons lemon zest
1 tablespoon lemon juice

KUMQUATS
2 cups kumquats, quartered
2/3 cup salt

DIRECTIONS

POMEGRANATE-RED WINE GLAZE
Simmer pomegranate, red wine, sugar and balsamic until syrupy.

GRILLED QUAIL
Blend water, salt and chipotle in vitamix.

Trim necks and wings from quail, reserve. Pour the brine over the quail and soak for 45 minutes. Rinse and dry.

Combine quail trimmings, carrots, leaks, celery on baking sheet. Drizzle with a little oil, toss and roast at 450 degrees until richly brown. Pour in the wine. Return to oven for five minutes. Scrape into large pot.

Add the thyme and marjoram and chicken stock. Simmer 1-1/2 hours. Strain and season with salt.

Grill quail, turning regularly until well browned. Transfer to sheet pan. Brush pomegranate glaze and roast at 325 degrees until leg meat is tender.

PARSNIP AND PROSCIUTTO STUFFING
In salted water, cook potatoes until tender. Remove and coarsely mash.

In same water, blanch diced parsnips until just tender. Drain. Stir into potatoes.

Simmer proscuitto in water until tender and liquid has reduced. Stir in potatoes.

Slice onions, coat with oil and grill until soft and well browned. Dice. Stir half with potatoes, use to stuff quail.

WILD GREENS
Cook pancetta in a little oil until brown. Add mustard greens and stock and cook until dry. Add arugula, toss to coat and season.

BUTTER-ROASTED ASIAN PEARS
Melt butter on sheet pan in 425 oven, leaving until browned. Add Asia pears and stir to coat. Roast until soft.

Mix together sage, zest and lemon juice. Drizzle over the pears, stir and roast five more minutes.

KUMQUATS
Mix kumquats and salt and cryovac, let stand two hours. Open pouch, rinse and finely chop.

TO PLATE
Plate quail over a spoon of pancetta and greens around. Ladle jus from the grilled quail around greens and drizzle quail with a little more pomegranate glaze add potatoes, Asian pears/kumquats over and around the quail. If desired, crisp fry thin slices of proscuitto and crumble over dish

© 2009 Rick Bayless

A Top Chef Thanksgiving: Recipe du Jour

And now for the main course!

Top Chef Season 5 cheftestant Ariane Duarte's Orange Braised Turkey Breast with Mushroom and Caramelized Shallot (main)


INGREDIENTS

TURKEY
1 Butterball turkey breast on bone

BRINE
1 1/2 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup salt
1 tablespoon sugar
8 sprigs of thyme
2 tablespoons orange zest
1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

TURKEY STOCK FOR GRAVY
Breast bone
2 carrots wash and chop 1 inch pieces
3 celery stalks, wash and chop 1 inch pieces
2 bay leaves
1 tablespoon white peppercorn
2 quarts Swanson low sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup Wondra flour

MUSHROOMS
1 pound baby portobellos, sliced
3 shallots, cleaned and sliced
3 tablespoons butter

DIRECTIONS

TURKEY AND BRINE
Remove breast meat from bone. Save bones.

Heat water, orange juice, salt, and sugar and let salt dissolve in a pot. Add thyme, orange zest, and peppercorns. Let steep and cool. Pour over turkey breast, let sit for 1-4 hours.

TURKEY STOCK FOR GRAVY
Chop up breast bone, preferably with a cleaver. Put in stock pot and add all ingredients. Let simmer for one hour. Strain into pot, let boil, and whisk in flour. Let cook for 15-30 minutes more on medium heat.

MUSHROOMS
Melt butter almost brown. Add shallots and mushrooms, raise heat and let brown. Season with salt and pepper. Add to thicken gravy.

TURKEY
For boneless turkey breast about 5 pounds sear the breast in a hot pan both sides then roast in 375 oven for about 45 minutes. Internal temperature should be about 160 then let rest for 15 minutes before slicing.

© 2009 ARIANE DUARTE