‘Come together through cooking’: HGTC culinary department shares holiday recipes
Still looking for that perfect cranberry relish or pumpkin cheesecake recipe for your Thanksgiving Day meal?
Horry-Georgetown Technical College is sharing a few dishes from its culinary department that are perfect for the holidays as students and professors prepare to serve up a special five-course Thanksgiving feast at The James Beard Foundation in New York City.
HGTC culinary student Kayla Rabon recently cooked up dishes with The Sun News, and has recipes for a roasted turkey roll, cranberry pomegranate relish, holiday mashed potatoes, sauteed greens and pumpkin goat cheesecake.
“The holidays are always great,” Rabon said. “It’s a time where you can put stress on the back burner and come together through cooking.”
HGTC professors and students will present the five-course meal for for 65 guests Thursday at the historic James Beard house. The foundation was named in honor of food writer and teacher James Beard. The nonprofit based in New York City has a scholarship program that helps aspiring and established culinary professionals, according to its website.
Here are the recipes:
Roasted turkey roll:
- 3 pounds turkey breast lobe, skinless
- salt, to taste
- black pepper, to taste
- 4 ½ ounces egg whites
- 4 ounces toasted croutons
- ¾ ounce fresh sage, chopped
- ¾ ounce fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 ounce fresh thyme, chopped
- 8 ounces onions cut into julienne
- 4 ounces celery cut into julienne
- 4 ounces carrots cut into julienne
- 2 ounces butter
- 16 fluid ounces chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 24 ounces cranberry sauce
- Directions: Sweat the vegetables in the butter, add the herbs and croutons and cool. Add the egg whites and mix.
Butterfly the turkey breast into a rectangle shape and place it between two pieces of parchment paper or plastic wrap. Pound the breast gently with a tenderizing mallet 1/4 inch thick. Season the meat to taste with salt, black pepper and herbs. Place vegetable mixture neatly in center. Roll the turkey breast to form a tight 3- to 4-inch roll. Season the turkey roll to taste with salt and black pepper. Butter generously a large piece of aluminum foil, placing the roll in the middle of the foil and wrap the roll into a round cylinder rolling the foil tightly at the ends. Place the roasting pan in a pre-heated 450 degrees oven roast for 15 minutes. Turn the roll and cook an additional 15 minutes. Reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Cook for approximately 30 to 40 minutes until the turkey reaches a minimum internal temperature of 165 degrees for at least 15 seconds. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow to rest for at least 10 minutes before slicing. Remove from foil and reserve the juices to make your pan deglazing. Deglaze the pan with reserved juices and chicken stock. Combine cornstarch with deglazed pan liquid to create slurry. Add to a pot and heat stirring constantly until it reaches a boil for the cornstarch to slightly thicken the sauce. Remove from heat and keep warm until service.
Cranberry pomegranate relish:
- I bag fresh or frozen (thawed) cranberries
- 2 oranges, zested and segmented
- 1 pomegranate, seeds removed
- 1cup - 1 1/2 cups sugar, depending on preference
- Pecans or other nuts, rough chopped, optional
- Directions: Combine cranberries, orange zest and orange segments into a food processor and pulse until the mixture is diced and consistent throughout. Remove mixture and place in a mixing bowl. Add the pomegranate seeds and the sugar (1 cup for a more tart relish, add more if you prefer it sweeter) to the mixture. If using nuts, add to the mixture. Fold in everything with a spatula or a spoon until combined and let rest for 15 to 20 minutes.
Sauteed greens:
- 4 bunches Lacinato or Tuscan Kale, or other fresh green*, ribs removed, washed, ripped or cut into 2-in pieces
- 4 ounces onion, small dice
- 4 ounces celery, small dice
- 4 ounces carrot, small dice
- 5 slices bacon, cut into thin strips
- 1 quart chicken stock
- 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
- Salt and pepper, to taste
- Directions: 1.) Render bacon in large pot over medium high heat until almost crispy. Add the mirepoix and turn the heat down to sweat the vegetables, stirring, until soft. 2.) Add the chicken stock and deglaze the pan. Add the kale and stir. Cover with a lid, but leave it vented slightly, stirring occasionally until the greens are cooked down, about 45min-1hr. Add the balsamic vinegar and salt and pepper and stir thoroughly.
Holiday mashed potatoes:
- 3 pounds of potatoes, peeled, cooked and hot
- 1 package of cream cheese at room temperature
- 1/4 cup of butter
- 1/2 cup of sour cream
- 1/2 cup of milk
- 2 slightly beaten eggs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1 teaspoon of salt
- A dash of pepper
- Directions: In a large mixing bowl, beat hot potatoes until all lumps are removed. Add cream cheese in small pieces and butter. Beat well until cheese and butter are completely melted and mixed. Stir in sour cream. To the milk add the eggs and onion. Add to the potato mixture along with salt and pepper. Beat well until light and fluffy. Place in greased 0-inch round casserole. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Bake in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees for 45 minutes, or until lightly browned on top.
Pumpkin goat cheesecake:
- Crust ingredients: 1 1/2 cups of fine gingersnap crumbs; 3/4 cup of chopped pecans or walnuts; and 6 tablespoons of unsalted melted butter
- Filling ingredients: 10 ounces of goat cheese; 10 ounces of room temperature cream cheese; 1/2 cup of granulated sugar; 1/2 of brown sugar; 1 teaspoon of cinnamon; 3/4 teaspoon of ground ginger; 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves; 1/2 of freshly grated nutmeg; 2 cups of pumpkin puree; 5 large eggs; and 1/2 cup of heavy cream
- Directions: Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly butter a 10 by 2 inch round cake pan. To make the crust, combine the gingersnap crumbs, nuts and butter in a bowl and mix well. Press the mixture firmly into the bottom of the prepared pan. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- To make the filling, put the cream cheese and goat cheese in a large bowl and beat until smooth. Beat in both sugars and the spices, and continue to beat for 3 to 4 minutes until light in texture. Beach in the pumpkin puree. Beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. Beat in the cream. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Put the cake pan in a roasting pan and add enough hot water to come halfway up the sides of the cake pan. Bake in the center of the oven for 45 to 60 minutes until the cheesecake is firm to the touch and lightly puffed. Transfer the cheesecake to a wire rack and let cool. Then cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours. When it is completely chilled, if baked in a cake pan, dip the pan into a large bowl of hot water for about 2 to 3 minutes to loosen crust. Invert a large flat plate on top of the cheesecake and invert the cake onto the plate. Put a second plate on the bottom of the cheesecake and turn it right side up.
