Your friends are the best. That’s why you’re having them over for Friendsgiving dinner. If your Friendsgiving is anything like it looks like on instagram, it will be filled with laughs, friends, and tons of gram-worthy food. Now if you add in a simple fundraiser, you and your friends can also provide food for hungry kids too. This year, your Friendsgiving can help feed kids in need.
Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry is an easy fundraising event that you can host with your friends in the comfort of your own home! No Kid Hungry is an organization dedicated to ending child hunger in America. 1 in 6 kids in America struggles with hunger, but you can help them.
HERE’S HOW:
STEP 1 Sign up to host a Friendsgiving for No Kid Hungry event (Nokidhungry.org/friendsgiving)
STEP 2 Invite your friends and/or family to attend and donate to your fundraiser
STEP 3 Celebrate knowing you’re helping to end childhood hunger in America!
Now, if you’re not sure what to bring to Friendsgiving dinner, we just made your life a little easier!
Start of with these cocktails courtesy of Will Elliott. Will is the bar director for critically-acclaimed Maison Premiere and sister restaurant Sauvage in Brooklyn.
Daybreak Boys
Ingredients
.25 oz. Demerara
.25 oz. Marolo chamomile
.5 oz. Gentian syrup
4 dash Angostura
1 oz. Blume Marillen
1 oz. Tawny Port
1 oz. Lemon
Build: In a Boston tin or cobbler
Glassware: Etched rocks glass on big ice
Ice: Big Rock
Garnish: none
Straw: None
Goodnight Moon
Ingredients
1 oz. Grenadine
1 oz. Lemon
1 oz. Ginger
Method: shaken, KD, collins, top ginger beer, skewered candied ginger, cherry, mint sprig
Build: In a poco grande glass
Glassware: Poco grande
Ice: Crushed
Garnish: Mint Bouquet and Lime Wedge
Straw: 1 Large
Jason Neroni is the chef and partner of the the iconic Rose Café – Restaurant in Venice Beach, CA. He has a Waldorf Salad recipe his grandmother made every Thanksgiving.
Waldorf Salad
Serves 4
8 pieces of endive
1 cup pickled golden raisins(follow recipe below)
4 honey crisp apples
½ cup walnuts
½ cup celery leaves
¼ cup toasted pumpkin seeds
4 apples
1 garlic clove
½ cup brown sugar
1 cup canola oil
juice of 3 lemon
¼ cup chopped shallots
2 sprigs of chopped parsley
2 sprigs of chopped tarragon
½ cup walnut oil
½ cup olive oil
1 cup apple cider
1 cup apple cider vinegar
Method
Pickle the raisins the day before by bringing vinegar solution to a boil and pouring over the raisins in a bowl, reserve and chill.
Peel and chop apples into bite size pieces. Macerate in apple cider and cider vinegar. reserve.
Heat oven to 350.
Toss walnuts in brown sugar, 1 tablespoon of salt and a touch of water. Place on baking mat and bake for 15-20 minutes. Cook until the sugar has melted. Place back in the bowl while hot and toss until nice and coated. Place back on baking sheet and cool for an hour. Break apart into bite size pieces.
Cut the bottoms of the endives off. Carefully pull apart the endive. Chill in the fridge. In a blender, add garlic clove and juice of 1 lemon. blend slowly and add canola oil slowly until emulsified. Season with salt.
In a bowl add chopped shallots, tarragon and parsley, ½ a cup of the juice left over from the apple maceration, juice of 1 lemon, walnut oil and olive oil. Whisk vigorously, season with salt and pepper. Reserve.
Assembly
Make a pool of aioli on the plate, spread it around. Arrange the endives to form cups, to catch all the ingredients when we assemble the salad. disperse apples, celery leaves, raisins, candied walnuts, pumpkin seeds like they fell from the sky, all over and generously disbursed. Whisk dressing again. spoon generously all over the salad. season with salt and pepper.
Serve right away
B&B Pickle
2 spanish onions white or yellow onions, thinly sliced
2 jalapeno/fresno, charred whole
1/4 cup kosher salt
1 1/4 cup champagne or white wine vinegar
1 cup apple cider vinegar
2 1/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon mustard seeds
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 cinnamon stick
6 whole cloves plus a pinch of ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
This recipe is a great way to use those leftovers. It’s a savory pancake that is fun to make not a lot of work after the big day. Add a fried egg to it to add that extra savory quality to it.
Johnny Cake with Smoked Turkey Red Eye Gravy
Serves 4-6
1 1/4 cups milk
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
Method
Preheat oven to 400. Heat the milk with the butter until the mixture begins to simmer. Combine the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Whisk to blend. Add the hot milk mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to blend. Whisk in the beaten egg. Using clarified butter or my favorite, bacon grease, pour batter into hot, greased cast iron pan and cook until golden brown on both sides.
Serve immediately smothered in turkey gravy. Topped with thyme and cracked black pepper.
For the Turkey Red Eye Gravy:
1 cup chopped bacon
1.5 cups of cooked turkey leg meat
3 tbsp butter
2 chopped shallots
1 clove of chopped garlic
1 sprig of chopped sage
1 sprig of chopped rosemary
1 sprig of chopped thyme
Tbsp on cracked black pepper
2 cup whole milk
¼ cup wondra flour
2 shots of espresso
Method
Melt butter. Add bacon, herbs, shallots, pepper and cook until caramelized. Add the milk and bring to a boil. Start to whisk in the flour. Once thick enough to coat the back of a spoon, add the espresso, cooking for a few minutes more. Season with sea salt. Keep in a double bain marie or over a warm flame. Spoon on top of johnny cake or even biscuits if u have them.
This is a fun side. I have a big green egg grill, and I love to use it every weekend. A fun thing i learned was cooking on the warm coals when the fire dies. If you don’t have a green egg or it’s to cold to use a grill you can always just use the oven for this application.
Coal Baked Sweet Potatoes, Charred Braised Cipollini Onions, Whipped Butter Milk
Serves 4-6
4 medium sized sweet potatoes
10-12 cipollini onions, or shallots
¼ cup butter
½ maple syrup
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
1 cup chicken stock
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves, fresh
1 tbsp of aleppo
1 bunch of scallions cut into fine rings
½ cup creme fraiche
½ cup of buttermilk
squeeze of ½ lemon
Method
Char onions over a grill or toss in a touch of canola oil and cook at 500 degrees until charred. Place in a pot cover with chicken stock add butter thyme, maple syrup, sherry vinegar pinch of salt and bay leaf. Once the onions are tender, about 15-20 minutes, remove them. Then reduce the braising liquid until thick enough to coat a spoon about ¾ of the way, add the onions back and reserve on a low flame.
Wrap the sweet potatoes in foil, poking small holes for some of the heat to escape and absorb the coal flavor. Place on hot coals in the grill, closing the cover of the grill. If you can’t use your grill cook the sweet potatoes in the oven at 375 for an hour. The potatoes should just barely be cooked. you want to be able to peel them. Whip the creme fraiche until medium peaks. Slowly add in buttermilk and a few drops of lemon juice.
Assembly
Place warm potatoes in a serving bowl. Top the sweet potatoes with the braised onions in their sauce. Garnish with whipped buttermilk, scallion coins and aleppo. Season with salt and pepper.
Remember when everyone hated brussels sprouts? I did. now you can’t through a sprout without hitting a menu that doesn’t have them. I’m here to show you how to do them the very best way. They will crispy and crunchy and should smell like popcorn and will catch the attention of the whole house.
Not Your Mama’s Brussels Sprouts
Serves 4-6
4 cups of brussels sprouts, cut in half
6 tbsp butter
4 tbsp canola
Juice of 1 lemon
3 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
Tbsp chili flakes
½ cup parmesan
2 sprigs of chopped tarragon
2 sprigs of chopped parsley
Method
Preheat oven to 450 degrees 20 minutes before cooking. Using a cast iron pan or heavy duty saute pan, heat canola oil, until smoking point. Add the cut brussel sprouts to the pan, cut side down. place the saute pan in the oven. Cook the brussels sprouts for 8-10 minutes until you start to smell the faint smell of popcorn, the brussels should be nice and brown, caramelized if you will. At this point remove the brussels from the oven. Place back on the stove top, to a medium flame of heat. Add the butter, cook the butter until brown and smells of nuts, brown butter.
Put the brussels in a bowl, season with parmesan, maple syrup, apple cider vinegar, juice of one lemon, the chili flakes, the chopped herbs, salt and pepper.
Serve immediately and garnish with parmesan cheese.
Zack Mills executive chef position at Wit & Wisdom, Michael Mina’s upscale American tavern located in Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore. At Wit & Wisdom, Mills is responsible for overseeing daily breakfast, lunch and dinner services, as well as Four Seasons Hotel Baltimore’s 24-hour room service.
The Four Seasons – Baltimore, MD
Braised Lamb Shank
4 ea Lamb Shank
1 ea Yellow Onion, Thinly Sliced
½ btl White Wine
1 Bay Leaf
10 oz Chicken Stock
1. Place a large, deep saute pan over medium-high heat. Season lamb shanks with salt and pepper. In batches, sear shanks well on all sides and place into a roasting pan.
2. Place sliced onions into the saute pan and turn to low heat. Allow onions to caramelize.
3. Once onions are caramelized, add white wine and reduce by half. Add chicken stock, thyme and bay leaves and bring to a simmer.
4. Pour liquid over the shanks to cover. Cover roasting pan with tin foil and cook in a 275 degree oven for 4 hours or until tender. Transfer shanks to a platter to cool.
5. Reduce liquid until thickened, and spoon over shanks. Garnish shanks with Herb Bread Crumbs and serve with Sea Island Pea Cassoulet and Roasted Turnips.
Sea Island Pea Cassoulet
1lbs Black Eyed Peas, Dried
28oz Chicken Stock
1/8 cup Fennel, Small Dice
1/8 cup Onion, Small Dice
1/8 cup Celery, Small Dice
1 clove Garlic, minced
1 sprig Rosemary, chopped
1 sprig Thyme, chopped
1 T Sherry Vinegar
3 T Canola Oil
16 oz Pureed Tomato
1. Cover peas in water and allow to soak for at least 12 hours before use.
2. In a large, round pan, heat canola oil and saute fennel, carrots, onions, celery, and garlic for 10 minutes. Season lightly with salt; add peas and saute for 5 more minutes.
3. Add tomato puree and chicken stock to cover peas. Bring to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes. Liquid will start to thicken.
4. Add chopped herbs and sherry vinegar; season with salt if needed.
Herb Bread Crumbs
1.5 cup Panko Bread Crumbs
3 T Butter
1/2 tsp Chopped Thyme
1/2 tsp Chopped Rosemary
1 tsp Chopped Tarragon
3 T Chopped Parsley
1 tsp Lemon Juice
1. Bake panko in the oven at 250 degrees until completely dry.
2. Allow to cool and then pulse in a food processor until the crumbs are very fine.
3. In a medium pan, heat butter.
4. Add all of the herbs and allow the flavor to absorb into the butter.
5. Add bread crumbs and stir until lightly toasted. Add lemon juice and lemon zest and stir once more to combine.
6. Lay on a sheet tray and cool.
Now, what’s for dessert? Emily Elsen and Melissa Elsen are the owners of Four & Twenty Blackbirds Pie Bakery in Brooklyn.
Brown Butter Pumpkin Pie
Makes one 9-inch pie
Serves 8 to 10
If you want to use your own fresh pumpkin or squash, by all means give it a try. Ask at
your local farmers’ market for a suggestion of which variety to use. Roast it in the oven until fork tender, scrape the flesh from the skin, and puree in food processor or blender. Use the same amount of fresh puree as the recipe calls for canned.
In the pie shop we are often asked if we roast our own pumpkins for our pies. Many
bakers do, but we’ve found that the consistency and texture of good canned pumpkin is
far superior, not to mention the shortcut on labor. This is one instance where we will
gladly open a can to make a pie filling. Since it’s technically a custard, a smooth and
creamy consistency is the goal, and processing the pumpkin helps break up any fibers for a smoother filling. The addition of browned butter gives the pumpkin a subtle butterscotch flavor.
All-Butter Crust for a 9-inch single-crust pie, to follow
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
1⁄2 cup heavy cream
1⁄2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
12⁄3 cups pumpkin puree
1⁄2 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1⁄4 teaspoon ground ginger
Pinch ground cloves
1 teaspoon molasses
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
2⁄3 cup whole milk
1⁄3 cup carrot juice
In a heavy-bottomed skillet, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Continue to cook; the butter will foam and then begin to turn golden, then nut brown; whisk occasionally.
When the butter is nut brown, immediately add the brown sugar, whisk, and then carefully add the water to loosen. Bring the mixture to a boil and continue simmering until a candy thermometer reads 225°F. (If you don’t have a candy thermometer, cook until the mixture smells caramelized and starts to darken.) Slowly add the heavy cream (the mixture will bubble rapidly) and whisk until smooth. Allow to cool for at least 10 minutes. Stir in the vanilla extract.
Meanwhile, position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the prebaked pie shell on a rimmed baking sheet. In a separate bowl, lightly whisk the eggs and yolks together with the salt. Set aside.
In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment, blend the pumpkin puree with the allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, molasses, and lemon juice until smooth. With the machine running on low, stream the brown-butter butterscotch through the food processor’s feed tube and process until combined. Stream in the egg mixture, followed by the milk and carrot juice; blend until smooth, stopping once or twice to scrape down the sides with a rubber scraper.
Strain the filling through a fine-mesh sieve into a separate bowl, pressing through with a rubber scraper. Pour into the prebaked shell. Bake on the middle rack of the oven for 45 to 55 minutes, rotating 180 degrees when the edges start to set, 30 to 35 minutes through baking. The pie is finished when the edges are set and puffed slightly and the center is no longer liquid but still quite wobbly. Be careful not to overbake or the custard can separate; the filling will continue to cook and set after the pie is removed from the oven. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours.
Serve slightly warm, at room temperature, or cool.
The pie will keep refrigerated for 2 days or at room temperature
Four & Twenty Blackbirds All-Butter Crust
Single-Crust Pie
Makes dough for one single-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart
11⁄4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1⁄2 teaspoon kosher salt
11⁄2 teaspoons granulated sugar
1⁄4 pound (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄2-inch pieces
1⁄2 cup cold water
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
1⁄2 cup ice
Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula. With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a large measuring cup or bowl. Sprinkle 2
tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, using the bench scraper or your hands (or both) to mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine.
Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.
Salted Caramel Apple Pie
Use a blend of sweet apples and tart apples – an easy combination is Granny Smith and Golden Delicious; however if you are sourcing from a local orchard, ask them to recommend a sweet softer apple and a tart firmer apple.
See All-Butter Crust for a 9-inch double-crust pie recipe, to follow.
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
¼ cup water
¼ pound (1 stick) unsalted butter
½ cup heavy cream
2 lemons
6 to 7 baking apples (about 2 ½ pounds)
2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
⅓ cup raw sugar
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
Pinch freshly grated black pepper
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
2 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon flake sea salt, plus more for finishing
Egg wash (1 large egg whisked with 1 teaspoon water and a pinch of salt)
Demerara sugar, for finishing
Have ready and refrigerated one pastry lined 9-inch pie pan and lattice strips to top.
Whisk together 1 cup of granulated sugar and the water in a medium saucepan, and cook over medium-low heat until the sugar is just dissolved. Add the butter and bring to a slow boil. Continue cooking over medium heat until the mixture turns a deep golden brown, almost copper. Remove from the heat and immediately but slowly add the heavy cream – be careful, the mixture will bubble rapidly and steam. Whisk the final mixture together well and set aside to cool while you prepare the apple filling.
Juice the lemons into a large mixing bowl, removing any seeds. Prepare the apples using an apple peeling machine or core, peel and thinly slice them with a sharp knife or on a mandolin. Dredge the apple slices in the lemon juice. Sprinkle lightly with the remaining 2 tablespoons granulated sugar. Set aside to soften slightly and release some of the juices, 20 to 30 minutes.
In a large bowl, sprinkle the Angostura bitters over the raw sugar. Add the cinnamon, allspice, nutmeg, black pepper, kosher salt and flour, and mix well. Add the prepared apples to the sugar-spice mixture, leaving behind any excess liquids. Gently turn the apples to evenly distribute the spice mix.
Tightly layer the apples in the prepared pie shell so that there are minimal gaps, mounding the apples slightly higher in the center. Pour a generous ½ cup to ¾ cup of the caramel sauce evenly over the apples (use the larger quantity if you like a sweeter pie). Sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of the flake sea salt. Assemble the lattice on top of the pie and crimp the edges as desired.
Chill the pie in the refrigerator for 10 to 15 minutes to set the pastry. Meanwhile, position the oven racks in the bottom and center positions, place a rimmed baking sheet on the bottom rack, and preheat the oven to 400 °F.
Brush the pastry with the egg wash to coast, being careful not to drag the caramel in to the pastry (it will burn). Sprinkle with the desired amount of Demerara sugar and flake sea salt.
Place the pie on the rimmed baking sheet on the lowest rack of the oven. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until the pastry is set and beginning to brown. Lower the oven temperature to 375 °F, move the pie to the center oven rack, and continue to bake until the pastry is a deep golden brown and the juices are bubbling, 30 to 35 minutes longer. Test the apples for doneness with a skewer or sharp knife, they should be tender and should offer just the slightest resistance.
Allow to cool completely on a wire rack, 2 to 3 hours. Serve slightly warm or at room temperature.
The pie will keep refrigerated for 3 days or room temperature for 2 days.
All-Butter Pie Crust
Makes dough for one double-crust 9- to 10-inch pie or tart
2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ pound (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch pieces
1 cup cold water
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 cup ice
Stir the flour, salt, and sugar together in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and coat with the flour mixture using a bench scraper or spatula.
With a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour mixture, working quickly until mostly pea-size pieces of butter remain (a few larger pieces are okay; be careful not to overblend).
Combine the water, cider vinegar, and ice in a small bowl. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of the ice water mixture over the flour mixture, and mix and cut it in with a bench scraper or spatula until it is fully incorporated. Add more of the ice water mixture, 1 to 2 tablespoons at a time, and mix until the dough comes together in a ball, with some dry bits remaining.
Squeeze and pinch with your fingertips to bring all the dough together, sprinkling dry bits with more small drops of the ice water mixture, if necessary, to combine. Shape the dough into a flat disc, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour, preferably overnight, to give the crust time to mellow.
Wrapped tightly, the dough can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month.
