I hope that everyone enjoyed week 2 of Turkey Dinner 101.  During session 2 we made Glazed Carrots, Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes, Roasted Rosemary Potatoes, Stuffing and Gravy 2 ways.  We also reheated the frozen make ahead dishes from week 1.  We craved the turkey that came to class magically prepared and sat down to a full Turkey Dinner with a side of Cranberry Chutney.  For dessert we took the Pumpkin Pie challenge, frozen reheated pie vs. fresh pie cooked during class.  Please find the recipes from week 2 bellow:

Mascarpone Mashed Potatoes:

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 1 250ml tub mascarpone cheese
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 1/2 cups 10% cream
• 1/4 cup butter

Directions:
Peel and cut potatoes into small cubes.  Leave mascarpone cheese out to soften while potatoes are boiling.  Place potatoes into large pot, cover with water, salt and bring to a boil.  Once potatoes are soft, drain water.  Meanwhile sauté garlic and butter in a small frying pan (try to do this 5 minutes before the potatoes are soft).   Mash potatoes, fold in mascarpone cheese and butter/garlic mix.  Slowly add cream and stir.  Season with pepper (fresh black pepper as used in class), salt and serve.  Try to make mashed potatoes as the last dish you make before serving the turkey. 

     As promised here are the recipes from what we covered in week 1 of Turkey Dinner 101's class.  We made Cranberry Chutney from scratch, Sweet Potato Casserole with Marshmallows, Turnip Puff, Pumpkin Pie and prepped a Turkey for the oven.  Please find the recipes bellow:

Chef Jason's Cranberry Chutney (Specially developed for Turkey Dinner 101)

     So you've decided to have a BBQ and told your entire guests not to bring anything (pot luck may have been the way to go).  You have your menu planed which includes meat on the grill (needs your attention), a few appetizers (need to go out before the meal) and a multitude of side dishes (some you're making while juggling the BBQ).  You need that one dish that's a crowd pleaser, requires little babysitting and takes minimal prep time.  I recommend easy crock pot baked beans.

     If you like to entertain, host parties or BBQ's or even take a dish to a friend's party you have been invited to you need a few quick and easy dishes in your recipe repertoire.  One of my favourites (and my guest favourites) is hot artichoke dip.  I love it because it takes 5 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to bake.  My guests love it because of the richness of the dish's Umami components.  (Umami (savoury taste) is one of the 5 basic tastes, it is picked up by glutamate receptors and leaves a long lasting, mouth-watering and coating sensation over the tongue)  The Umami component in this dish is parmesan cheese with natural levels of glutamate at about 1200 (mg/100g). 

     I enter a beef cook off BBQ competition most years and decided to give Chimichurri beef a go.  I was in a rush the day before out buying ingredients for the Chimichurri marinade.  The recipe called for cilantro and the first store I went to was sold out.  I figured the Asian supermarket would have it because they have almost anything and everything.  In my rush I accidently picked up a pack of culantro instead.  Lucky for me culantro has a similar flavour profile to cilantro; it's just more pungent and stronger.    

     The good people at Grace Foods http://gracefoods.ca/ make an excellent bottle of Jerk Marinade for about $4.00.  This is usually my got to ingredient when I'm feeling jerk chicken.  You buy it, open the bottle and it's ready to use, convenience factor +10. 

     There is another way, all you need is about 16 ingredients and you're almost there (this is why Grace Foods is in business).  It will cost around $15 to make if you have some of the spices on hand, if you need everything expect double to triple that number.

       BBQ vegetables, steaks, burgers and more.  Before.....

       After.......

       That's right, Cheese Nips, the perfect ingredient for some cheese burgers sans cheese.  Probably not going to make the list of the healthiest burger but that wasn't going to happen with the burger toppings I had in mind anyways.  Here is what you will need:

       I was first introduced to macaroni pie on a trip to Antigua.  While staying at Jolly Harbour on a European meal plan the G.F. and I had a chance to explore some of the nearby eateries.  A particular favourite of ours was Miracle's South Coast Restaurant and Bar. ( http://www.miraclessouthcoast.com/ )  We had to go with the chef's special our first visit which was delicious Caribbean rock lobster.  On our second visit (I wish we found this place earlier during our stay, SO GOOD, for more info see: http://www.jayeatz.com/blog/so-your-at-jolly-harbour-antigua-and-your-hungry) I went with the curry goat with a side of macaroni pie.

       That's right, Lobster Alfredo.  No canned lobster or jarred Alfredo sauce for this guy.  The dish sounds so luxurious but it is actually very simple to make, plus you will look like a rock star in the kitchen for your next date night.  (Chef Coat and hat optional)

     Fall is here and so is Thanksgiving, another great holiday where the turkey fly's into our lives again.  For many of us the turkey will not fly back into our lives until Christmas.  This week Jay Eatz is going to explore not one but two ways to cook that perfect turkey for this weekend's holiday.

       I am going to say it, I might prefer sweet pickled pork cottage roll over ham.  It has the same kind of ham flavour but with just a little something more.  It is essentially a boneless pork shoulder butt roast but its cured in a sweet and salty brine.  It's cheaper than a bone in ham and not a formed ham (made from many different cuts of pork).  It is simple to make and would be very hard to screw up.  You cook it in liquid so it should never come out dry or over done like a messed up ham could.  

       I decided to go down a different path this week, sorry Old El Paso, no taco Tuesday for Jay Eatz this week.  Shrimply Tuesday inspired by one of my favourite restaurants Red Lobster or what me and the g.f. refer to as Red Lobby.  One of the best things about Red Lobster besides the seafood is those delicious biscuits they give you an unlimited supply of so we will take a look on how to do those at home.  Also on the menu, easy oven garlic butter shrimp and finally crab cakes with zesty lemon aioli.  

       Let's start with the biscuits.  What you need:

• 2 cups of Bisquick baking mix
  
• 1/2 cup of cold water
  
• 1 cup of shredded old cheddar cheese 
  
• 1/4 cup of butter
  
• 1 Tsp dried parsley
  
• 1/2 Tsp Italian seasoning

       Now how to make them, super easy.  Preheat the oven to 450.  Mix the Bisquick's, water and cheese in a bowl.  Roll out the mixture on a lightly floured surface until about an inch thick.  Cut the dough into 3 inch squares and place on a baking sheet,  Melt the butter and seasoning together and brush on top of the biscuits and bake for about 10 minutes.  

       The store was out of regular Bisquick's mix so I went with the gluten free kind.  Let's just say I wouldn't do that again unless I was entertaining someone with a gluten intolerance.  On a side note the flavour was still there even with the flour substitution.  Also a wine bottle makes for a great rolling pin if you don't have one.

       That's right Carib Lager BBQ beef shank.  My original intentions was to show case another under $6 a plate dish.  I figured something from the hooves or ass section of the cow would be my best bet.  I went slightly higher than the hoof and decided on beef shank but guess what?  Beef is expensive in Canada no matter what cut you are getting.  The shanks were one of the more reasonable cuts but still $12.10/kg.  I purchased two pieces costing slightly over $5 and weighing in at almost a pound each.  So the $6 a plate idea quickly went out the window.  I think this dish is coming in at about $10.50 per serving not including the two + hours of propane but hey, it was good.