Posted by Katie MacphersonChef Rick Bayless-- owner of three esteemed Chicago restaurants: the Frontera Grill, Topolobampo, and XOCO --helps out our listener, Diana, who wanted to know whether she should mix fresh and dried herbs for her turkey rub. Chef Rick is all about the fresh herb -- —and he suggests roasting garlic, mashing it up with butter and chopped herbs (like rosemary, sage and thyme) and rubbing it under the skin. Check it out below!
Posted by Katie MacphersonChef Joey Campanaro of the famed Little Owl restaurant in NYC came totally clean this afternoon. His favorite way to cook a turkey? The Martha Stewart way! Joey is all about the butter, white wine and cheesecloth method. Listen to him describe it in detail below.
Posted by Katie MacphersonOur caller Kate’s mother-in-law is making a standing rib roast for Thanksgiving this year. Kate’s in charge of the sides, and called in to ask Chef Paul Liebrandt of Corton in NYC what he would serve. He told her the secret to making “the best roasted potatoes you’ve ever eaten.” Um… yes please? Listen below!
Posted by Katie MacphersonIf you’ve got a grill parked out back all covered up for the winter, it might just have one more use in it for the year. Grilled turkeys are a big-time favorite of Elizabeth Karmel, America’s female grilling expert. She was on call for the Thanksgiving Hotline, helping out listeners like Angela in Michigan. Angela is making two turkeys this year --way too much for her oven to handle. The answer? Throw one on the grill! Listen to the clip to find out more.
Posted by Alexis TiradoListener Brenna called the hotline and told the great Mario Batali (who has a cameo in the new film, "Fantastic Mr. Fox") that he inspired her daughter to become a chef! She asked Mario for his suggestion for one amazing side dish that can accompany the turkey. His response?
"I think everyone loves sweet potatoes. I would take sweet potatoes, peel them, cut them into 1 1/2 - 2 inch. relatively large cubes. Blanche them in water for about 4 minutes. Boiling water -- not long enough to cook them all the way through but enough to get them to soften. Take them out. Get a cookie sheet, put extra virgin olive oil on there, a little bit of chopped sage, a couple pieces of chopped garlic, and mix that all around in the oil. Then put the sweet potatoes on top of that -- toss them. Season them with salt and pepper and bake them at 500 [degrees] for 25 minutes."
"They will get insanely crispy outside, they'll be soft like everyone's favorite memory of the smushy ones [on the inside]. Instead of putting marshmallow-y stuff on it, go to the grocery store and pick up a pomegranate and break the seeds out of that. Sprinkle that over [the sweet potatoes} after you put it in the bowl. It will blow people away."
Posted by Alexis TiradoWe usually field calls from listeners who want expert advice from all the top chefs manning our Thanksgiving Hotline. But occasionally the boss lady, Martha Stewart calls the radio channel. Today Martha called the hotline and excitedly chatted with Pierre Schaedelin, executive chef at Alain Ducasse’s Benoit and her former personal chef. "Pierre worked with me for 2 years in Bedford. I miss you so much! I LOVE that you're participating in our hotline. All this information is so valuable to our listeners. Each and every one of you great chefs that are on today are so generous with your information and I really, really appreciate it," said Martha. Tune in to her phone call below.
Posted by Alexis TiradoOMG! Thanksgiving is less than 24 hours away! And luckily for you, we are still airing the Thanksgiving Hotline on Martha Stewart Living Radio! This morning, Franck Deletrain, executive chef of Cafe Centro answered Pam from Oklahoma call about the best way to cook pheasant. "Definitely in the oven. Just roast it in the oven. What I like to do with the pheasant is to wrap it with bacon, very thinly sliced apple smoke bacon. Season it, wrap it and put it in the oven at 350-375 [degrees]. About three quarters of the way [cooking] just remove the bacon. [It will leave] a nice color on the skin. I'd like to cook a pheasant meat medium- medium well, no more than that. Otherwise it's a dry piece of meat," he said. Tune in to hear hear him talk shop about Pheasant cooking and his wine suggestions to go with this game bird.
Posted by Alexis TiradoYES! Emeril Lagasse has joined the Martha Stewart Living Radio family! Tune in on Tuesday, December 1 for the premiere of "Cooking with Emeril" a show that takes you inside his kitchen at home, in his restaurants, and on the road. He'll have weekly guests on air such as his favorite chefs, sommeliers, and culinary experts. For Emeril's first show he has handsome chef and restaurateur Todd English as his guest! Did you know that Todd was once listed in People Magazine's "50 Most Beautiful People"? Emeril and Todd will talk about entertaining holiday menus. Check them out in the radio studio below!
Tune in to "Cooking with Emeril" every Tuesday and Thursday at 11 a.m.to 12 p.m. ET on Sirius 112 and XM 157.
Posted by Marc BailesWe’ve all heard the story of the first Thanksgiving. Settlers landed at Plymouth Rock, but in this story we call them pilgrims. But the word pilgrim predates the first Thanksgiving by four hundred years. Even before Columbus sailed across the Atlantic, the word pilgrim was used for anyone who moved around a lot, kind of like a nomad.
But pilgrim has always had a special meaning -- a trip with great importance attached to it. In ancient times, pilgrimages to sacred and historical sites were well established. Ancient Greeks traveled to the Sacred Court in Eleusis. Jews made pilgrimages to the Temple in Jerusalem. Muslims still make a pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in their lives. That pilgrimage, known as Hajj, is the largest gathering of human beings in the world, as 2.5 million Muslims descend on the small town in western Saudi Arabia beginning today. As for the pioneers in Massachusetts, we call them Pilgrims with a capital P, and for good reason. It’s believed that the English Puritans were alluding to the Book of Hebrews in the New Testament, in which the ancient Israelites were called pilgrims. The word is rooted in the Latin peregrinus, meaning “foreigner.” Like the peregrine falcons, which were captured in flight -- as opposed to those caught in their nests.
Image courtesy of Midtown Miscreant
Posted by Alexis TiradoA listener was on the search for an AMAZING mashed potatoes and bacon recipe. "Something more interesting that basic mashed potatoes with bacon sprinkles on top," explained the listener. Chef and restaurateur Charlie Palmer shared his thoughts for an outstanding bac-and mash-dish, in the mp3 below. Betsy Karetnick, co-host of Everyday Food and Morning Living, also suggested Martha's mashed potatoes with bacon and cheddar.
