Good Food and Great Décor
With the most wonderful time of the year fast approaching, it’s time to start thinking about dreamy tablescapes, delicious food and memories made with the ones we hold dear.
Once again, many people may be keeping our guest list intimate and our gatherings outdoors, especially those residing in milder climates. Planning for a smaller crowd can mean more freedom to dive deeper into details and create a magical event everyone will remember.
For those who wish to host their gatherings outdoors, be sure to have heaters strategically nestled throughout your space – a necessity to keep everyone comfortable – and imbue a warm ambiance with plush throws for cuddling and fire pits for a pleasant glow. Twinkle lights are always a good idea. Hang them around your outdoor space to bring a warmth from above and give the feeling of a cozy alcove.
For your tablescape, pick a color scheme and pattern and add texture from there. Think simple neutrals and metallics, dark rusts and forest greens, and wintry florals and plaids. Layer in coordinating flowers or branches to add in the elements of the season. If hosting outside, provide cozy throws in your color and pattern for guests to throw over laps or shoulders.
Holiday Menu Made Easy
Complicated and time-consuming doesn’t mean better when it comes to holiday dinners. Keep your menu simple yet sophisticated with Classic Roasted Turkey, Sweet Potato Gratin and No-Knead Bread. Turkey is easier than ever with Café’s latest downloadable upgrade, Turkey Mode, which automatically chooses the right oven cycle, adjusts the oven’s temperature, and keeps you updated on the progress of your main course. Turkey Mode yields a perfectly tender and juicy turkey every time.
No-Knead Bread is another delectable addition to the menu that will wow your guests without taking up all your precious event-day time. The secret? Baking in a preheated cast iron Dutch oven (like one of Le Creuset's timeless pieces) increases both humidity and radiant heat, resulting in a loaf worthy of your finest bread basket.
Side dishes and desserts
Finally, cap off the meal with individual Coffee and Cardamom Crème Brulées for dessert – paired, of course, with a handcrafted hot drink from the Café Affetto Espresso Machine.
This menu can adapt to any holiday from Thanksgiving to Hannukah, Christmas to New Year’s. With an easy-going menu and an assist from Café, entertaining this season will mean less stress and more time to focus on the ones you love.
Classic Roasted Turkey
Cook time: 2-3 hours | Servings: 8-10
This roasted turkey recipe is simple, delicious and fool-proof thanks to the new Turkey Mode available on Café ranges and wall ovens. It will exceed expectations as the centerpiece of your Thanksgiving feast.
Ingredients
1 turkey (10 to 12 pounds)
Coarse kosher salt
1 tablespoon ground black pepper
1 lemon, zested and quartered
1 bunch fresh thyme
1 bunch fresh sage
2 onions, peeled and quartered
½ cup salted butter, softened
Olive oil, as needed
How to make it
Thaw turkey (allow up to 4 days to safely thaw in the refrigerator). Remove any giblets from the cavity and reserve for stock or gravy.
Pat turkey dry with paper towels; rub all over with kosher salt (½ teaspoon per pound of turkey), pepper and lemon zest. Allow turkey to sit at room temperature for 1 hour or up to 24 hours in the refrigerator.
When ready to roast, fill the inside of the cavity with onions, lemon and herbs. Carefully separate the skin of the turkey from the meat and rub butter under the skin. Brush the skin of the turkey with oil.
Place turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack set inside the roasting pan. Insert the temperature probe into the thickest part of the breast, without touching the bone. Be sure to push the probe all the way in, the gray end of the probe touching the skin of the turkey.
Set the oven to Precision Cooking > Meat > Whole Turkey and follow the prompts. When the turkey is in the oven, plug in the other end of the temperature probe. The oven will alert you when the turkey is done (it should take about 2 to 3 hours depending on the size of your turkey). If the turkey is getting too browned during roasting, tent with aluminum foil.
Remove turkey from oven and allow to rest for 15-20 minutes before carving. Reserve any drippings to make turkey gravy. Slice the turkey and serve.
Probe Placement
Accurate probe placement is the key to a perfectly cooked turkey. Insert the metal tip of the probe into the thickest part of the breast, without angling it outward. Be careful to not hit bone. The gray end of the probe will be in contact with the skin of the turkey.
Probe Placement
Accurate probe placement is the key to a perfectly cooked turkey. Insert the metal tip of the probe into the thickest part of the breast, without angling it outward. Be careful to not hit bone. The gray end of the probe will be in contact with the skin of the turkey.
Sweet Potato Gratin
Prep Time 20 minutes | Servings 8 to 10
A great addition to your holiday meal, thinly sliced sweet and Yukon gold potatoes topped with fresh herbs, a silky sauce and plenty of cheese.
Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes
6 small Yukon gold potatoes
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¾ teaspoon garlic powder
1½ teaspoon fresh Italian parsley
½ teaspoon fresh thyme
½ teaspoon fresh sage
½ teaspoon fresh rosemary
8 ounces Gruyère grated (2 cups)
½ cup thinly sliced yellow onion chopped
½ cup half-and-half
½ cup low-sodium chicken broth
How to make it
Preheat oven to 375°F. Peel potatoes, and, using a mandolin or knife, cut into very thin slices (about ¼ inch). In a large bowl, gently toss potatoes with salt, pepper, garlic powder, parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, cheese, and onion, until everything is evenly mixed. Be careful not to break the potato slices.
Working with a small handful of potatoes at a time, gently line up coated slices in a greased 2-quart baking dish. Pour half-and-half and broth over potatoes. Cover pan with foil and seal around edges.
Bake 50 minutes and remove foil. Continue to bake until potatoes are tender and top is golden, 15 to 20 minutes more. You can test the potatoes with a knife to see if they are tender throughout. Cool slightly and serve hot.
No Knead Bread
Ingredients
3 ⅓ cups all-purpose or bread flour, plus more for dusting
Generous ¼ teaspoon instant yeast
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 ½ cups water
Cornmeal or wheat bran, as needed
How to make it
In a large bowl combine flour, yeast and salt. Add water and stir until blended; dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rest at least 12 hours, preferably about 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
Dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it; sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rest about 15 minutes.
Using just enough flour to keep dough from sticking to work surface or to your fingers, gently and quickly shape dough into a ball. Generously coat a cotton towel (not terry cloth) with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal; put dough seam side down on towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another cotton towel and let rise for about 2 hours. When it is ready, dough will be more than double in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
At least a half-hour before dough is ready, heat oven to 450 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart cast iron Dutch oven in the oven as it heats. When dough is ready, carefully remove pot from oven. Slide your hand under towel and turn dough over into pot, seam side up; it may look like a mess, but that is OK. Shake pan once or twice if dough is unevenly distributed; it will straighten out as it bakes. Cover with lid and bake 30 minutes, then remove lid and bake another 15 to 30 minutes, until loaf is beautifully browned. Cool on a rack.
Coffee and Cardamom Crème Brulée
Individual desserts are an elegant way to end a meal, especially when that dessert is a silky custard steeped with the flavors of roasted coffee and sweet-spicy cardamom. The custards can be made a few days ahead of time, simply brulée the sugary tops before serving.
Ingredients
4 cups cold heavy cream, divided
⅔ cup white sugar
Pinch of salt
½ cup dark roast coffee beans crushed
8 cardamom pods crushed
1 vanilla bean
12 egg yolks
2-3 tablespoons turbinado sugar
How to make it
In a medium sized saucepan combine 2 cups of the heavy cream and white sugar. Split the vanilla bean down the center and scrape the seeds into the cream. Add the vanilla pod, coffee beans and cardamom pods. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring to prevent scorching. Once mixture is at a boil, remove from heat and allow to steep for 15 minutes. Strain into a medium sized bowl.
Prepare the water bath. Add kitchen towel to bottom of pan 9x11 roasting pan. Place in 6-8 ramekins depending on size (4 or 5 ounce ramekins).
Preheat oven to 300°F and position a rack in the middle of the oven.
In a large bowl whisk egg yolks until combined. Add the remaining 2 cups of chilled heavy cream to warm infused cream. Add 1 cup of warm cream mixture to yolks, whisk until combined. Repeat with a second cup of the warm cream, whisk until combined. Add in the remaining cream and mix until smooth and thoroughly combined. Strain through a fine mesh strainer into a 2 quart measuring cup. Equally divide custard mixture into each ramekin.
Take prepared ramekins to oven, carefully pour hot water from a kettle ⅔ up the side of ramekins. Bake for 30-35 minutes. Use an instant read digital thermometer to check temp, 5 minutes before end time. Desired temp is between 170°F-175°F. Remove dishes to a wire rack. Allow to cool to room temp (about 2 hours)
Chill in fridge on rimmed baking sheet covered with plastic for at least 4 hours and up to 4 days.
When ready to brulee, remove custards from the refrigerator. Dab any condensation off the tops of the custards with a paper towel. Sprinkle each ramekin with 1 teaspoon of turbinado sugar. Evenly cover the top of the custard. Brulee with a small kitchen torch, caramelizing the sugar until melted and browned. Return the custards to the refrigerator for 30 minutes to chill before serving.