5 Chef Approved Thanksgiving Dishes

These dishes will have your mouths watering, so whip them up for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner and watch your guests’ jaws drop too. We asked some of Los Angeles’ finest chefs what they prepare for Thanksgiving dinner and they came up with these fabulous dishes and the recipes to go with!

 

Haute Chefs LA, Chef Jeffrey Nimer

Green Beans, Roasted Delicata Squash, Almonds and Thyme Recipe

Ingredients:

3 ea whole Delicata squash
2 lbs of (fresh preferred, frozen OK if not available) green beans, trimmed
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon garlic salt
2 Tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/3 cup hazelnuts, lightly toasted

Directions:

1. In a heavy saucepan, spread the hazelnuts out in a single layer, leaving enough space for them to ‘breath’ – you don’t want to over crowd them.

2. Heat on medium-high, stirring or shaking constantly for 5-10 minutes or until hazelnuts become brown and have a warm, nutty aroma.

3. Nuts cooked on stove-top can burn easily, so key is to keep the saucepan moving constantly and don’t allow them to sit. Remove immediately from saucepan, as the heated oil in the nuts will cause them to continue browning. Once nuts are cool enough to handle, remove skins by rubbing with a dry, clean or use your bare fingers. A small amount of skin remaining on the nuts is OK.

4. Slice squash in half. Clean out the cavity – slice half moon shapes. In a mixing bowl – toss with fresh herbs and olive oil. Place on sheet pan and roast for 15 minutes at 400 degrees.

5. Cook the green beans in a large pot of boiling salted water until just crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain the beans and transfer them to a large bowl of ice water, cooling them completely. (The ice water will shock the beans into a vibrant green color.) Drain the beans well. At this point you can make the beans a day ahead and store in refrigerator. Alternatively you can steam the beans for 5 minutes and proceed directly to the skillet.

6. Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet over medium high heat. Whisk in half of the fresh thyme (1 Tbsp), the Dijon mustard and garlic salt into the butter. Add the beans to the skillet and toss until heated through, about 4 minutes. Toss with squash. Transfer to a serving bowl. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and the remaining 1 Tbsp of thyme.

 

Urban Palate

Roasted brussels sprouts, pork belly, maple, rosemary, fried shallots

Ingredients:

1 lb brussels sprouts trimmed and cut in half
¼ cup olive oil
1 garlic clove minced
4 mini sweet peppers cut in ¼ ‘’ rounds
¼ cup rosemary chopped
¼ lb pork belly cut in 1’’X1/2 ‘’ cubes – substitute bacon if needed
1/ 4 cup maple syrup
1 t salt
½ t pepper

fried shallots:
4 shallots peeled and julienned
½ cup buttermilk
2 cups all purpose flour tossed with salt and pepper to taste
3 cups peanut or corn oil
1 bunch parsley roughly chopped
juice of one lemon

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. Toss brussels sprouts with all ingredients.

3. Roast on a baking sheet until brussels are caramelized – around 30 minutes.

4. While brussels sprouts are cooking heat oil in a sauce pan to 325 degrees. Place shallots in buttermilk, making sure to coat them completely. Let sit for 15minutes.

5. Drain and toss in seasoned flour. Fry until golden brown. Drain on paper towel.

6. Toss brussels sprouts with shallots, parsley and lemon and enjoy!

 

Canyon Catering, Chef Marlin Salazar

Stuffed Pork Loin

Ingredients:

Pork Roulade Stuffed with Arugula
Golden Raisins
Caramelized Apples

Instructions:

1. Caramelize the Apples

2. Sautee the Golden Raisins

3. Chop Arugula

4. Mix everything together

5. Filet the Pork Loin

6. Season the Pork Loin (Inside & Outside with Salt & Pepper).

7. Stuff the Pork Loin with Caramelized Apples, Sautéed Golden Raisins & Chopped Arugula.

8. Roast the Pork Loin to Finish Off

9. Finish with a White Wine, Dijon, Honey & Crème Mustard Sauce.

 

Modern Art Catering

Sweet Potato Gratin with Chipotle en Adobo 

Ingredients (serves 6):

2 cups heavy cream
2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
1 heaping tablespoon chipotle pepper puree
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced 1/8-inch thick
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Chives

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2. Whisk together cream, butter and chipotle puree until smooth.

3. In a 9 by 9-inch casserole dish, arrange the potatoes in even layers. Drizzle with 3 tablespoons of the cream mixture and season with salt and pepper. Repeat with the remaining potatoes, cream, and salt and pepper to form 10 layers.

4. Cover and bake for 30 minutes, remove cover and continue baking for 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until the cream has been absorbed and the potatoes are cooked through and the top is browned.

To Serve: finely chop chives and sprinkle over the gratin – you can serve it right out of the oven and in the casserole dish, or for a more refined presentation, cool down the gratin, cover it with plastic wrap and press the top down with a weight (a smaller casserole dish, a brick, or anything that fits the top layer completely). You can then cut out rounds or square pieces of the gratin, place them on a sheet tray and reheat at 400 degrees. Those can be individually plated on a sit-down meal or platered for buffet style.

Enjoy the holidays and have fun with this twist on the traditional potatoes gratin – you will certainly be the talk of the dinner table!

Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranate, Vanilla and Pecan

Ingredients:

2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, halved
2 tbsp canola oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1/2 cup pomegranate seeds

Vanilla-Pecan Butter

6 tablespoons unsalted butter, slightly softened
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped (can use a bit of vanilla extract if we don’t have beans)
1/4 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

2. Place the Brussels sprouts in a medium roasting pan and toss with the oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven until lightly golden brown, 20 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the oven, add the pomegranate molasses and stir to combine. Return to the oven and cook until just tender, about 10 minutes longer.

4. Prep Vanilla Pecan Butter: Combine all ingredients except pecans in a bowl – fold in pecans, without breaking apart, season with salt and pepper and rest in fridge.

To Serve: Place heated brussels sprouts in bowl, toss with 2tbsp vanilla-pecan butter and top with fresh pomegranate seeds and serve