Orange Sweet Rolls

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In my house growing up, orange rolls for breakfast on Thanksgiving morning was a tradition. I remember anxiously waiting to put them in the oven at 8:30 – so that they’d be ready to eat when the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade came on. Then, mom putting the turkey in shortly thereafter to perfume the air in the house all morning and afternoon long.

I always have preferred orange rolls to cinnamon rolls. Something about that sweet, citrusy zing that I just love. But I’d always made them from the tube, and for something as special as Thanksgiving morning breakfast – I wanted to learn to make them from scratch. I’ve made these a couple times now, and they’re always wonderful and well received. Light, yeasty and moist – with plenty of bright flavor.

I hope that you all have a Happy Thanksgiving, and spend the day treasuring the time with family and friends. I can’t wait to see the jolly man in the red suit pull into Herald Square on Thursday at noon – and bring the official start of the Holiday season along with him. Happy Holidays, everyone!

Orange Sweet Rolls

For the rolls:
1¼ cups milk, heated to 115°
2 1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, plus 16 tbsp., softened
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 egg, lightly beaten
4 cups flour
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup orange zest (from about 4 oranges)

For the orange-cream cheese icing:
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1 1/2 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp. orange extract
1 tsp. vanilla extract
3 tbsp fresh orange juice

Make the dough: Combine milk and yeast in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a hook; let sit until foamy, about 10 minutes. Stir in granulated sugar, melted butter, 1 tsp. salt, and egg; add flour, and mix on low speed until dough forms. Increase speed to medium-high; knead until smooth, about 8 minutes. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit until dough doubles in size, about 1½ hours.

Make the filling by combining the 1/2 cup softened butter, orange zest and brown sugar in a small bowl – mash with fork to combine.

Transfer dough to a work surface; using a rolling pin, roll dough into an 18″ × 10″ rectangle, and spread filling evenly over dough. Lift up bottom edge of dough and roll it into a log; trim ends and cut log into 12 rounds. Transfer rounds cut side up to a greased 9× 13 baking dish; cover with plastic wrap. Chill 6 hours or overnight.

To make the icing, beat cream cheese using a hand mixer until light and fluffy. Carefully add in the confectioners sugar, extracts, and juice and mix until smooth.

Heat oven to 375°. Uncover rolls and bake until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Pour over the warm orange rolls and serve.

Source: adapted from Saveur

Hard Cider Gravy

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I love gravy. I mean, who doesn’t? Let me just go ahead and put this out there – this gravy is the gravy to end all gravies. I was always a fan of white wine in pan gravy, but the use of hard cider just takes it to a whole new level. I first turned to it out of desperation. We were out of wine, but had some bottles of hard cider that we’d bottled the year before. It’s nice and dry, and is very similar to a white wine in flavor to begin with – but much more complex.

It was so good that I’ve been making it ever since – all year long. It’s equally good on chicken, and I’m looking forward to trying it with pork sometime in the near future. We enjoyed leftovers on hot open-faced turkey sandwiches the next night after making the turkey, and it was all I could do not to lick the plate clean.

Don’t let all those delicious drippings in the bottom of your roasting pan go to waste this year – turn it into a delicious gravy.

Hard Cider Gravy

pan drippings from a roasted turkey or chicken
1 cup hard cider or dry white wine
2-3 cups chicken broth or water
3 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water
kosher salt and black pepper

Strain the drippings into a large measuring cup or bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes, then skim off and discard the fat. (Alternatively, use a fat separator.)

Place the empty roasting pan over 2 burners over medium-high heat. Add the cider and cook for 1 minute, scraping up the bits stuck to the pan. Pour into the skimmed drippings and add enough broth to make a total of 4 cups.

Add the broth mixture to a large saucepan, and bring to a boil. Combine the cornstarch and cold water to form a slurry, then whisk into the broth. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste before serving.

Roasted Turkey

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Roasted Turkey. Those two simple words instill so much fear and worry into home cooks, all over this  country, this time of year. I remember being intimidated – I mean, 20 pounds can be a lot of bird! But, you really shouldn’t be. Since I started brining my turkey, there hasn’t been a dry bird in the house for years.

Another key component for a good turkey is a nice variety of aromatics stuffed into the cavity. You can use what you have around – but, I’ve settled on oranges, onions, and rosemary. It infuses the meat subtly with those wonderful flavors. And, the juices drip down into the roasting pan infusing the gravy with the flavors as well. I didn’t list it in the recipe, but I love this seasoning mix from Penzey’s. The dried orange peel and coriander really shine through, and I love using it on my turkey.

Then there’s the cheesecloth thing. It’s mainly to keep the breast from browning too much, but it keeps the skin constantly soaked in delicious basting juices – which I don’t think hurts, either. Martha’s original recipe called for white wine, but a couple years ago all I had on hand was some home brewed hard cider so I subbed that. And wowza, talk about awesome. Tomorrow I’m posting my recipe for hard cider gravy, made from pan drippings. So, be sure to check back – you don’t want to miss that one!

Roasted Turkey

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:
2 oranges, halved
1 small onion, quartered
4 sprigs rosemary
Canola oil

For the basting liquid:
2 sticks butter
1 (12 ounce) bottle hard cider
large square of cheesecloth (about 18″ x 18″)

2 to 3 days before roasting: Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

Early on the day or the night before you’d like to eat: Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Prepare the basting liquid by combining the butter and hard cider in a large saucepan. Heat over medium until the butter has melted. Stir to combine, and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine. Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add the aromatics to the turkey’s cavity. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes until the breast is starting to brown. Remove the roasting pan from the oven. Dip the cheesecloth into your basting liquid, gently squeeze to remove the excess liquid, and carefully spread it over the breast of the turkey in an even layer, covering the breast completely. Return bird to oven.

Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the thigh and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Baste the turkey (including the cheesecloth) every half hour or so, basting with the pan liquids if you run out of your butter/cider mixture.

Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the cheesecloth before serving and carving.

Source: adapted from Alton Brown and Martha Stewart

Cranberry Relish

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Cranberry sauce has long been my favorite thing at the Thanksgiving dinner table. For many years I preferred the kind from the can. There was something about that sweet-tart magenta cylinder of gelatin that I adored. Then I made my own a few years ago, and couldn’t go back to store-bought. Imagine that!

At first I started with a pure, unadulterated cranberry sauce. But over the years I’ve added things. Orange juice and zest, as well as toasted pecans. It’s sweet, it’s savory, it’s tart – it’s wonderful. And, leftovers are killer on turkey sandwiches. I’m looking forward to sharing a few other Thanksgiving recipes with you guys next week, so make sure to check back. Have a great weekend, everyone!

Cranberry Relish

12 oz fresh cranberries
3/4 cup sugar
zest from 1 orange or tangerine
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup pecan halves

Toast the pecans in a small, dry skillet over medium heat for a few minutes – until starting to brown and are fragrant. Set aside to cool, and then roughly chop.

In a large saucepan combine the cranberries, sugar, water, and orange juice. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once cranberries begin to burst, reduce heat to low and simmer for about 15 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in pecans and orange zest. Place into small serving bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and refrigerate until ready to use.