Thanksgiving Recipes From MICHELIN Chefs

Sweet potatoes from Soulé (Chicago) chef-owner Bridgette Flagg

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 1 hr

• 1 8qt pot
• 6-8 whole sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2 cups of water
• 2 cups vanilla extract
• 3 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup of brown sugar
• 1.5 sticks unsalted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg

Place sliced sweet potatoes in an 8qt pot. Sprinkle with sugar, nutmeg, and cinnamon. Pour in two cups of water and two cups vanilla. Slice butter and place atop sweet potatoes. Cover with lid and cook on stove on low for about 45 min. Uncover pot and let cook for an additional 15 min.

Poireaux vinaigrette from Daniel Rose of Le Coucou (NY) and La Bourse et la Vie (Paris)

• 8 pieces leek, cleaned, whites only
• 8 pieces baby leeks, whole
  

For the vinaigrette

• 50g shallots chopped finely
• 100g champagne vinegar (de Reims)
• 20g honey
• 10g lime juice
• 25g peanut or sunflower oil
• 15g olive oil
• Salt, Sarawak pepper

For finishing

• Salt, Sarawak pepper
• 30g toasted hazelnuts
• A few parsley leaves

Blanch the leeks in salted water (14g leaves per liter) until thoroughly cooked. Remove, place in ice water, and cool completely before draining. Place on a towel to absorb excess water. The large leeks can take up to 15 minutes to blanch depending on size and quality. Test every few minutes. A knife or cake tester should meet no resistance. The baby leeks will take 2 to 3 minutes. The leeks can be served cold, warm, or at room temperature. For vinaigrette, mix all ingredients together.Cut the large leeks in half and season lightly with salt and pepper. Serve on a flat serving dish or plate with the baby leaks scattered over the top. Spoon the vinaigrette over the top, sprinkle with parsley and chopped toasted hazelnuts.

Gougères au Comté from Daniel Rose of Le Coucou (NY) and La Bourse et la Vie (Paris)

Yields 8-10 gougères

• 250g young Comté
• 150g butter
• 300g flour
• 8 eggs
• 2 teaspoons salt
• Pinch of grated nutmeg
• Pinch of white pepper
  

Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F). Dice the Comté in small pieces. Pour 1/2 liter of water in a saucepan and gently heat with butter, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Add flour to pane pan, then work all on stovetop with a spatula until mixture is dry. Put the dough into a food processor bowl with the sheet (or paddle attachment), then add eggs one by one. Add the cheese. Put the dough in a pastry bag and squeeze 8 to 10 large cheese puffs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Slide the baking sheet in the oven and cook for 35 minutes. Enjoy warm.

Almond pound cake with lemon curd from Karen DeMasco, pastry chef at abcV, abc kitchen, and abc cocina (NY)

• 8oz almond paste
• 1.5 cup sugar
• 1 stick butter, soft
• 1 tsp vanilla paste
• 6 eggs
• 1/4 cup almond flour
• 1¾ gluten-free flour mix (Anson Mills preferred)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt

Line 4 8-inch cake pans with parchment and spray them well with pan spray. Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine almond paste and sugar in a food processor until the almond paste is broken down and well combined with the sugar. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and almond paste mixture. Add vanilla and eggs one at a time. Add dry ingredients last. Divide batter between 4 8-inch cake pans and spread evenly. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes, rotating the pans 180 degrees halfway through baking. Add more time if the cakes do not feel firm to the touch in the center.

Lemon curd

• 6 egg yolks
• 6 eggs
• Zest of 2 lemons
• 1 cup lemon juice
• 1 cup sugar
• 8oz butter, softened 

Combine the eggs, yolks, lemon zest and juice, and sugar in a large metal mixing bowl. Whisk over a bain marie of simmering water until thickened enough that a trail is left in the curd when a whisk is drawn through. Strain through a fine mesh sieve, then add the butter, piece by piece while whisking. Chill the curd for a few hours before filling the cakes.

White chocolate buttercream

• 1 cup egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 lb  butter, cubed and softened
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 6oz white chocolate, melted

Heat egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer over a simmering bain marie while whisking until the mixture is warm and the sugar is dissolved. Whip the mixture on a stand mixer with the whisk attachment until a thick meringue is formed. Add the salt, then the butter, piece by piece, as the mixer is going on medium speed. Once this comes together into a buttercream, stream in the melted white chocolate. Use right away to frost the cake.

Caramelized apple pie from Sean Considine, executive pastry chef at Jean-Georges (NY)

Pie dough

• 1 stick butter
• 580g pastry flour
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tbsp salt
• 1/4 cup ice water
• 1 tsp vinegar

Sift pastry flour, sugar, and salt. Cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the butter is the size of peas. Place in mixer with the paddle and add ice water and vinegar and mix only until just combined, 4-5 turns. Roll out to 3mm 10 inch disks.

Apple filling

• 10 apples (Granny smiths)
• 1 cup packed light brown sugar
• 4oz butter
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 4 tbsp cornstarch
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp salt

Peel and core apples and slice 1/8th inch thick. Caramelize the light brown sugar. Add the apples, cook for 5 minutes. The goal is to cook some of the liquid out of the apples but keep their integrity. Remove the apples from the pan, strain, and return the liquid to the pan. Mix the cornstarch with the cold lemon juice to make a slurry and combine with the cooking liquid in the pan. Add the cinnamon and salt. Bring up to a boil to thicken and add the butter. Glaze the apples with the liquid and cool over ice. Fill the unbaked pie with the cool filling and top with another disk of pie dough. Crimp the edges. Egg wash and sprinkle with sugar in the raw. Bake 350°F for 40-45 min until golden brown. Allow to cool before slicing.

If you'd rather buy dessert, you can order the pie here.

Roasted chicken, pan bread, fennel and salsa verde, from Mary Attea, executive chef at The Musket Room

• 1 4lb chicken, spatchcocked (you can have this done at butcher)
• 1 fennel bulb, cut into 6 pieces, keeping root intact
• 1-2 thick slices day old sourdough or country bread
• For garnish: ½ grilled/charred lemon
  

For marinade

• 2 tbsp finely-chopped garlic
• 2 tbsp chopped rosemary
• 2 tsp fennel pollen
• Olive oil to cover

For salsa verde

• 1 cup parsley
• 1 cup basil
• 2 tbsp chives
• 1 clove garlic
• 2 tsp Dijon mustard
• Olive oil to cover
• Salt to taste

Herb salad

• Parsley
• Basil
• Fennel fronds
• Lemon zest
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 2 tsp olive oil

1-2 days before serving, marinate chicken with rosemary, garlic and fennel pollen. Liberally season the skin with salt. It's best to let sit uncovered for 1 to 2 nights if possible in order to dry out the skin. 

Make salsa verde by finely chopping herbs and garlic. Mix with olive oil, dijon mustard and salt to taste until everything is incorporated. This can be made ahead of time, up to 1-2 days.

Preheat oven to 425℉. Season fennel with salt and olive oil. Put on sheet tray and roast until golden brown and tender, about 8-12 minutes. Reserve for plating with chicken.

Using a large cast iron pan, heat 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil until almost smoking. Season the flesh side of the chicken with salt and pepper. Place chicken skin side down and sear until skin starts turning golden and slightly crispy. Put in the oven for about 8-10 minutes so the skin can continue to crisp up. Pull the pan from the oven and very carefully remove the chicken and put on a tray or rack. Place the sourdough slice(s) into the pan and now place the chicken on top of the bread with the skin side facing up. Pour the chicken stock into the pan but be careful as it may splatter. Return chicken to the oven and continue to cook for about 10-12 minutes. The bread should start to crisp up on the bottom as well as absorb the chicken stock and juices from the chicken. Check that the chicken is cooked through, but not dried out. The juices will run clear from the leg and the internal temperature will be around 160℉.

Let the chicken rest atop the bread for 10 minutes. Reheat the fennel in the oven. Mix the herb salad with olive oil, lemon juice and salt. Slice the chicken breast into 3 pieces and cut the leg from the thigh. Cut the bread into large pieces and serve the chicken on top. Drizzle the salsa verde over the top and then garnish with the herb salad and fennel. Squeeze the charred/seared lemon over it all.

Pumpkin cheesecake from Wherewithall (Chicago) 

Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsp baking soda
• 1.5 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 3/4 tsp ground cardamom
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt 
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
• 1/3 cup molasses

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a mixing bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, ground cinnamon, ginger, cardamom, and salt. Set aside. In a small pot, melt butter, remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer. Mix in sugar, brown sugar, and molasses with the paddle attachment until fully incorporated. Now add the egg into the sugar mixture. At this point you can add your dry ingredients. Mix on low until a soft, almost paste like dough forms. Cover the dough and let rest at room temperature for 30 minutes. Using a sprayed fluted tart pan, press and spread the dough starting in the middle of the base and pressing outward towards the edges. The dough is very soft so flouring your hands helps it form sticking and makes it easier to work with. It should be just about a ¼ inch thick. Place the pan in the freezer to harden before baking. Spray parchment with pan spray and place inside the tart shell. Add beans or any grains inside the parchment to cover the bottom. Place in the oven and bake about 12-15 minutes. You want your shell to be almost fully cooked and crisp.

Filling

• 32oz cream cheese (tempered)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1/3 cup cream
• 2 tsp vanilla paste
• 15oz pumpkin purée
• 1 tbsp pumpkin pie spice

Preheat the oven to 325°F. In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, place the soften cream cheese, sugar, and brown sugar. Mix on medium until light and creamy with no lumps. Add in your eggs one at a time. In a separate bowl whisk the rest of the ingredients together. Once the cream cheese mixture is ready, add the pumpkin mixture and mix until fully incorporated. Pour mixture into the prepared crust until it reaches just below the top of the crust. I like to place the cheesecake on a sheet tray just in case of any leakage while baking. Place in the oven and bake about 20 minutes or until the edges are set but there is still a little wobble in the center. Cool at room temperature and then place in the refrigerator.

Sauce

• 2 cups pomegranate juice
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp cornstarch

In a small bowl mix 4 tablespoons of the pomegranate juice with the cornstarch and set aside. In a small pot place sugar and rest of pomegranate juice. Bring to a boil and whisk in cornstarch mixture. Continue whisking over the heat for about 2 minutes to cook the starch out. Strain through a mesh strainer and cool. To serve: Cut a slice and top it with the pomegranate sauce and fresh pomegranate seeds to garish.

Hero image: Wherewithall's pumpkin cheesecake. Photo courtesy of Wherewithall

• 3 Star Quince chef-owner Michael Tusk's porcini mushroom dish
• New additions to MICHELIN Guide NY
• MICHELIN Guide is coming to Florida!