Le Cordon Bleu Chef Gives Tips for Putting a Modern Twist on Thanksgiving Classics at Home

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Nov 02, 2010, 08:02 ET

HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., Nov. 2, 2010 /PRNewswire/ -- To help home cooks spice up their tables this Thanksgiving, Le Cordon Bleu and Certified Master Chef Edward Leonard have created new recipes and tips for putting a unique twist on classic dishes.

"A simple way to shake up this year's Thanksgiving feast is to incorporate modern flavors," says Chef Leonard, certified master chef, Le Cordon Bleu and executive chef, Technique Restaurants. "Using new culinary techniques to create innovative dishes can update the traditional feast for a memorable meal everyone is sure to enjoy."

Home cooks can spice up a traditional dish by infusing it with modern ingredients or new garnishes, such as exchanging Roast Turkey with Herbs for the time-honored baked turkey. Chef Leonard's recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts uses modern cooking techniques to update a Thanksgiving table tradition.

Switching up holiday dishes does not have to mean: Out with the old, in with the new. Chef Leonard suggests deconstructing classic meals and putting them back together for an interesting way to reinvent tried-and-true dishes. These additional tips from Chef Leonard show how easy it is for home cooks to add contemporary twists to perennial Thanksgiving classics:

Update this year's turkey with a fresh take on the stuffing. Try Brioche Stuffing that uses diced brioche bread, ground pork sausage and several seasoning ingredients to punch up the flavor.
Incorporate some of your favorite fall comfort foods to spice up your Thanksgiving feast. Fall's bumper crop of fruits and vegetables offer a range of intense flavors and substantial textures for mouth-watering recipes, such as an Apple Sauce Cake that uses diced apples to bring a fall favorite to life.
Updating side dishes is an easy way to jazz up your holiday meal. Try a Roast Brussels Sprouts and Root Vegetables with Peas to anchor the star of the show.

For more information on Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts please visit www.chefs.edu. Follow Le Cordon Bleu on Facebook and on Twitter @LCBSchools.

About Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) is one of the largest providers of quality culinary arts education worldwide. Our network of 17 schools in the United States offers culinary students a hands-on education with faculty dedicated to providing students with the necessary skills, knowledge, support and guidance to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in the culinary arts. LCB does not guarantee employment or salary and is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ:CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information about Le Cordon Bleu, go to www.Chefs.edu.

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Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts

2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons duck fat or olive oil
1/3 cup small sweet onion, diced
1/2 cup bacon or duck confit, diced
2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon clove
1 quart butternut squash puree fresh or jarred
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 cup real maple syrup
4 tablespoons cold diced butter
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
To taste kosher salt
1/2 cup heavy cream, whipped until just thickened or creme fraiche
12 fresh or jarred chestnuts, roasted, peeled and thoroughly chopped

In a small heavy bottomed soup pot over medium heat, melt the butter and duck fat.
Add the onion, bacon or duck meat, pears, cinnamon and clove, and cook until softened for 10 to 12 minutes.
Stir in the butternut squash puree and 2 1/2 cups of broth. Bring to a simmer, then reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 20 minutes.
Using a blender, puree the soup in the pot until smooth. Place back in the pot.
Whisk in the cream, syrup and butter. Add more broth if needed to reach your desired consistency.
Season with salt and pepper. Reheat the soup gently to serving temperature.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Garnish each serving with a swirl of whipped cream and sprinkle with chestnuts. Serve immediately.

Serves 6 to 8

*For a vegetarian dish, leave out the bacon or duck meat.

Roast Turkey with Herbs

1/2 cup fresh thyme, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh sage, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh basil, coarsely chopped
1/2 cup fresh oregano, coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
2 tablespoons coarsely ground pepper
2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
1 1/2 tablespoons dried thyme
1 1/2 tablespoon rubbed or ground sage
11/2 tablespoon dried basil

1(l2-15 lb) turkey (neck & giblets reserved for brioche stuffing), rinsed & patted dry
2 small onions cut into 1/4 inch thick slices
2 carrots cut into l1/4 inch thick rounds
2 celery stalks cut into 1/4 inch pieces
2 leeks cut into 1/4 inch thick rounds
1 whole garlic head, halved crosswise
2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper as needed
4 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup melted butter

Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
Mix first 10 ingredients in medium bowl.
Rub mixture into turkey cavity well.
Pack onions, carrots, celery, leeks and garlic into cavity.
Truss turkey with string.
Rub turkey skin with oil, and season with salt and pepper.
Place turkey on rack set in heavy large roasting pan.
Pour 2 cups of the broth into the roasting pan, roast for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
Brush turkey with butter, roast 30 minutes more and brush with butter again.
Roast turkey about another 2 hours until thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers.
Baste and add broth as needed to keep juices from burning.
Roast turkey to 160 degrees F. Keep basting the turkey occasionally with the pan juices and fat.
Transfer turkey to platter. Degrease pan juices. Let turkey stand 20 minutes before slicing.