Gluten Free
Wet Brine for Turkey
Cookbook author and culinary pro Molly Stevens created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. A wet turkey can be slow to brown, so for the best results, remove the turkey from the brine 8 to 12 hours before you plan to roast, pat it dry, and let it sit in the refrigerator, uncovered to dry the surface. If you don't have time to let it air-dry, do your best to thoroughly dry the surface after brining. Rubbing the skin with butter or oil will also encourage browning.
Keep in mind that it's best not to stuff a brined turkey, because the juices will concentrate in the cavity and overseason your stuffing. Instead, cook your stuffing in a baking dish alongside the turkey.
See our Complete Guide to Brining for more on wet and dry brining.
By Molly Stevens
Sweet Potato–Chickpea-Quinoa Burgers
Vegan
When it comes to sweet potatoes, American cuisine needs some imagination, and these irresistible burgers are here to help. Just throw a cooked sweet potato into your trusty food processor, along with chickpeas, scallions, and spices, and buzz it into orange tastiness.
Two complementary iterations of quinoa (whole cooked grains and flour) step in to balance the sweetness—and also to hold the burgers together—while upping the protein and calcium content. Green pea polka dots round it out in every way, making this taste and color fest even more fun and interesting.
• Be sure to use the moist, orange variety of sweet potato (not the drier, starchier white type).
• Regarding the quinoa flour: Don't panic. Just get out the inexpensive electric coffee grinder that you dedicated to spice grinding, wipe it out thoroughly, and add 6 tablespoons of whole quinoa. Buzz for less than 5 seconds, and you've got your ingredient—probably slightly more than the amount you'll need for the recipe.
• If you're using fresh peas, they'll need to be steamed or blanched for about 5 minutes. Frozen ones require only to be defrosted in a strainer— a brief encounter with room-temperature tap water, then a shake to dry. Either of these steps can be done ahead.
• Begin cooking the sweet potato well ahead of time, so it can cool before you assemble the batter. This is also a good use for leftover plain mashed sweet potatoes. You'll need 2 cups.
• Toasting cumin seeds is most easily done in a small, dry skillet over low heat. Shake the pan as you go and pay careful attention. It takes only a few minutes to toast them—and a blink of an eye beyond that to irreparably burn them. You can use the same pan (and same method) to toast the peanuts, if you wish.
• If you're cooking the burgers in batches, keep the finished ones warm on a baking sheet or an ovenproof plate in a 250°F oven while you make the rest.
• These freeze and reheat beautifully after they've been cooked.
By Mollie Katzen
Coconut-Mango Rice Noodle Salad
Vegan
Green beans, cashews, mint, carrot, cucumber, and lime shine through the pearly noodles in this pretty, uplifting dish. The noodles will seem undercooked at first, but they will soften as they absorb the marinade and the moisture from the other ingredients. If you cook them all the way, the finished dish will be mushy.
• Rice noodles of various thickness can be purchased inexpensively in most Asian-themed grocery stores, some supermarkets, and online. Use medium-thin ones for this recipe.
• You can freeze the unused coconut milk in an ice cube tray, then transfer the cubes to a heavy plastic zip-style bag for making this (or something else) in the future. Don't forget to label the bag.
• This tastes best within a few hours of being assembled, so plan accordingly.
• Make sure the cucumber is sweet.
By Mollie Katzen
Seasonal Fruit–Herb Saladitas
Vegan
The simplest saladitas in my repertoire are the ones that pair a single fruit with just one fresh herb. These are as flexible as they are easy. Extra-virgin olive oil, fresh lemon or lime juice, and salt and pepper are all optional. A small pile of Pickled Red Onions is always welcome on top. Make these shortly before serving.
By Mollie Katzen
Whale Steaks
This request and recipe originally appeared in the "You Asked for It" section of the February 1961 issue of Gourmet magazine. It was reprised later in the online series "The Way We Cooked: Vintage Gourmet."
Q. I could not locate any recipes for whale steak in your cookbooks.
Miss Armida Formichelli
Arlington, Massachusetts A. Mostly because we couldn't locate a whaleand still haven't. But if you find one, we have a recipe.
Arlington, Massachusetts A. Mostly because we couldn't locate a whaleand still haven't. But if you find one, we have a recipe.
Dry Brine for Turkey
Cookbook author and culinary pro Molly Stevens created this recipe exclusively for Epicurious. Dry brining involves sprinkling salt over the entire surface of a turkey and letting it sit for at least 12 hours and up to 2 days. It may look like a lot of salt, but keep in mind that the salt won't remain on the outside of the turkey and there needs to be enough salt to penetrate the entire thickness of the bird.
Keep in mind that it's best not to stuff a brined turkey, because the juices will concentrate in the cavity and overseason your stuffing. Instead, cook your stuffing in a baking dish alongside the turkey.
See our Complete Guide to Brining for more on wet and dry brining.
By Molly Stevens
Beef and Kale Tacos
Are you in love with a hard-core carnivore who simply won't touch the green stuff? Well, here's the perfect way to get your sweetie to eat less meaty. He'll never notice the veggies in this beef lover's delight. He probably also won't notice that the meat in his taco contains zinc, niacin, and vitamin B12, essential vitamins and minerals for robust health. Shh… it'll be our little secret.
By Drew Ramsey, M.D. and Jennifer Iserloh
Basic Duck Stock
This is my standard duck or goose stock. It is the stock that I call for in the recipes in this book. In other words, you need to make lots. Every time you get a carcass, save it for stock. If you dont have a lot of ducks around at one time, save them up for future rounds of stock making. You can chop up the carcasses before freezing, so they take up less space.
Make this stock when you have a day off, as it takes all day. The good news is that you will be rewarded with 4 quarts or more of rich stock that is a perfect base for stews, soups, or wintertime risottos or polenta—or even eaten on its own as a clear soup.
By Hank Shaw
Vanilla-Cinnamon Fruit Dip
Spruce up your fruit spread by adding this flavorful dip from CARNATION BREAKFAST ESSENTIALS®. Try this Vanilla-Cinnamon Fruit Dip recipe today!
Crunchy Chicken Salad Stuffed Pita
This sammie-side combo fulfills all your midday-meal needs.
By Nancy Rones
Quinoa Stuffing
Chelsea Lincoln
This dressing makes a tasty side dish baked on its own. The variations given below dress it up for holidays and make it especially good for stuffing a turkey or other bird—not to mention pork chops and chicken breast.
By Miriam Backes
Lemony Yogurt Sauce
This bright, creamy yogurt sauce is lightly flecked with herbs and is great for everything from drizzling over savory bowls of grains to spooning on top of fried rice, breakfast hash, or Buckwheat Crepes. Double the recipe for a larger group or to keep a little jar of the sauce in the refrigerator. It's season-less, really.
Morning Notes: Depending on the kind of yogurt you use and how you prefer the consistency of this sauce, feel free to add a spoonful (or two) of cold water to thin it out.
By Megan Gordon
Yam and Black Bean Burritos with Amaranth
Susan O'Brien (adapted by Lori Sobelson)
With yams, black beans, and amaranth, these burritos are seriously hearty fare. For a gluten-free meal, use brown rice tortillas, and for a vegan one, use a vegan sour cream substitute.
By Miriam Backes
Stir-Fried Buckwheat
Make ahead: Prepare the buckwheat in advance, through drying the grains on a baking sheet: Cover the cooked, separate groats on their baking sheet and store in the fridge for up to 2 days.
By Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough
Teff Gingerbread
Lori Sobelson
A moist and flavorful gingerbread with a cakelike texture, this snack cake is simply dreamy when served warm from the oven with a cold glass of milk. No one will guess it's gluten free. Note: Don't be fooled by a deep brown crust or a clean toothpick—this cake isn't done until it bounces back. The cake is vegan if made with flaxseed meal in place of the egg.
By Miriam Backes
Yam Kai (Thai Eggs) with Leftover Grains
gluten free
Thai-style eggs, most commonly made with softened glass noodles rather than a whole grain, are incredibly versatile, appealing to me as a quick but fun and satisfying breakfast or lunch or supper because I usually have everything I need on hand. In fact, every time I make this—and I make it often—I'm amazed that such a dish essentially just came out of my fridge. It's even easier if you have a little bag of cooked rice or other grains in the freezer: Just break off a chunk, put it in a sieve, and rinse under cool water until the grains separate. If you don't have fish sauce, you can use 1 tablespoon soy sauce instead, and if you don't have chile paste, use a couple good pinches of crushed red chiles.
The one secret to good yam kai, in my experience, is that you must cook the shallots until they're almost burned. And the more of them you use, the better—as many as you can stand to peel and slice in the morning as you down your first cup of coffee; four is my limit.
By Liana Krissoff
Chinese Black Rice, Orange, and Avocado Salad
China meets the Southwest in this unusual fusion salad. Glistening Chinese black rice—usually sold under the label Forbidden Black Rice—set off against bright orange segments and avocado's pale green gives the mixture striking visual appeal.
By Lorna Sass
Honeyed Ricotta
This may be my favorite accompaniment in the book. It's wonderful on pretty much everything, especially Buckwheat Crepes or Whole-Grain Buttermilk Pancakes, or stirred into The Very Best Oatmeal. Ricotta is traditionally made from the whey that's left over from the cheese-making process, and it's often extremely mild. This recipe brightens the simple cheese with a combination of honey, vanilla, and lemon zest¿transforming it into a light morning topping that could rival any high-end yogurt or jam.
By Megan Gordon
Farro Soup with Kale and Cannellini
Chewy nubbin of farro give special appeal to a hearty Mediterranean vegetable-bean soup that's loaded with calcium-rich kale. If you don't have time to cook the beans from scratch, check out the Express Farro and Chickpea Soup variation.
By Lorna Sass
Sweet Bavarian Mustard
This Old World mustard recipe is an authentic replica of the sweet-style mustard that is served at any Biergarten in Bavaria. Prepare it at least a few days, and preferably a week, before you plan to dip your pretzels.
By Andrea Slonecker