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TY Day menus?
http://cookaholics.org/viewtopic.php?f=25&t=4228		 Page 2 of 3
Author:  Emilie [ Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:26 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
My spread was similar to Lisa's except no sweet potatoes and I did glazed carrots (with shallots, yummy FC recipe I hadn't tried before). And no turkey and gravy -- I'd planned on doing a sous vide turkey breast based on Kenji's detailed recipe but decided it was too much of a gamble to try SV for the first time when I'm making all kinds of other things and under time pressure. So we had ham instead, plus Ina's roasted shrimp (so a dieting relative would have a no-fat low-cal protein option she could pig out on... which she did :o ). And I tried a new recipe from Fine Cooking for ginger/sesame asparagus that were really good and something different. (Prepping/blanching the asparagus the night before made it super easy to finish/cook yesterday.)

And FWIW, if anyone's in search of the holy grain of dressing recipes, I finally found mine last year. I might have posted about it then but I had tried different recipes over the years and DH never liked them nearly as much as the stuffing my mother used to make. In fact he liked the "stovetop" type better. Ugh. But then I came upon this "Grandma's best" recipe: http://www.thebakerchick.com/2013/11/great-great-grandmas-famous-stuffing/ and it is so good that the eaters here (including me) wanted to put their face in the dish yesterday. I bake it longer than the recipe calls for so it has a lot of crispy edges. The amazing part is it's so simple compared to most other recipes -- sturdy white bread (storebought), chicken stock, celery/onions, parsley, paprika, salt and butter. That's it! I'm sure the homemade stock ramps it up a bit, but even with boxed broth it would be good. I reaaaaaally wish we had some left.

Anyway, happy December (almost), everyone!

Emilie
Author:  SilverSage [ Sat Nov 28, 2015 8:33 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
My sous vide turkey breast was fabulous! I didn't use Kenji's technique of rolling & tying, but I did follow his time & temp guidelines. I just skinned & boned it, seasoned with s&p, sage, thyme, savory, added butter to the bag, and dropped it in. I also passed on his crispy skin business, because I've lost 10 pounds and have 20 more to go. Didn't want to spend calories on skin when there was so much other good stuff.

We wanted something approaching a traditional roasted texture, so I set it at 148F, and left it for 3 hours. We both agreed that it was the best turkey breast we've ever had. No work at all - just sliced it at serving time.
Author:  Linda [ Sat Nov 28, 2015 9:03 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
Sage, this sounds so good! I have a turkey breast that's been tucked away in freezer for some time, I think I'll follow your lead and try it SV the same way.
Author:  BeckyH [ Sat Nov 28, 2015 5:01 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
I don't know how it would work in SV, but turkey breast is great who cooked in milk with garlic, lemon and sage like a pork loin.
Author:  Emilie [ Sun Nov 29, 2015 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
SilverSage wrote:
My sous vide turkey breast was fabulous! I didn't use Kenji's technique of rolling & tying, but I did follow his time & temp guidelines. I just skinned & boned it, seasoned with s&p, sage, thyme, savory, added butter to the bag, and dropped it in. I also passed on his crispy skin business, because I've lost 10 pounds and have 20 more to go. Didn't want to spend calories on skin when there was so much other good stuff.

We wanted something approaching a traditional roasted texture, so I set it at 148F, and left it for 3 hours. We both agreed that it was the best turkey breast we've ever had. No work at all - just sliced it at serving time.
Thanks so much for posting this, Silver Sage, It's just the encouragement I needed to try one for Christmas.

When I was scanning Kenji's recipe originally (it was the rolling and tying that was what made me decide it was too labor intensive -- glad to know it's not essential), there was one thing I didn't understand. And just a disclaimer -- because I haven't yet broken open my Anova, I've basically forgotten all of the technical S-V info. I read when I was deciding which one to buy, etc.

Anyway, his "Turkey Temperatures and Time" chart has "Cook Time After Reaching Core Temp" as one of the columns. How do you know the core temperature when you don't have a probe in it? The answer is probably really simple and I'm just not firing on all S-V cylinders, but I'd appreciate any "sage" advice regardless ;).

Thanks!

Emilie
Author:  SilverSage [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 1:58 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
A couple years ago, when I first got my SV Supreme, most of the advice here and elsewhere on the interwebs was stating a 'rule of thumb' of 1 hour per inch of thickness'. I have since added an Anova to my kitchen (yes, I have both now), and lacking any other instructions, I still use the same rule of thumb. It has never let me down.

My boned turkey breast halves, stacked back-to-back think end over thin end in the bag, measured about 3 inches thick, so I used 3 hours. Remember, with sous vide, you can leave it in twice as long without hurting anything, so if dinner is held up, just leave it in the hot water till you're ready (within reason - don't leave it there overnight).

There are 2 major exceptions to the above and both exceptions have to do with longer cooking times breaking down texture, not with 'doneness'. First, are tough cuts that have to break down to be tender, like brisket, short ribs, corned beef, etc. The 1 hour per inch rule is to get 'done', not to get tender on the tough cuts. They can take much longer. The other exception is delicate seafood. Leaving it in too long will break down the texture. For example, shrimp (depending on size) at 30 minutes is great - after an hour it can be a bit mushy.

You really don't need recipes. Just throw your proteins in the bag with herbs, aromatics, butter, whatever strikes your fancy. Drop it in the water and come back when you're ready to eat. The only critical variable is setting the temperature. My brother could do it!

Just remember that sous vide makes real tasty food, but often not pretty food. Things that you expect to look browned or be crispy need a finishing step when they come out of the bag. I didn't bother trying to do anything to the turkey - I just sliced it up in the kitchen and arranged it on a pretty platter because, well, it's turkey. But steaks & stuff gets tossed in a screaming hot skillet before serving.
Author:  Cubangirl [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 3:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
Emily you mark the time from when the water reaches desired temp. So if you want 135 °F (for medium rare sirloin steaks) you start counting the time when the Anova shows 135 °F (e.g., 45 minutes for 1" steak). After 45 minutes, the steak will be medium rare and not cook more even if you leave it in the water for a while. I generally only like NY and filets, but sirloin steaks cooked sous vide are just as good if not better.

I did Kenji's turkey with the crispy skin last year and it was great (I posted a review both here and on Facebook I think). However, if I was to do it again, I'd just use a skinned boned turkey breast. My hips don't need the crispy skin, and I don't care much for gravy or turkey soup.
Author:  JesBelle [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 5:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
Tonight we are having Thanksgiving Dinner: The Leftovers Return -- turkey pot pie with stuffing crust and sweet potato ice cream with toasted marshmallows.
Author:  Emilie [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 7:20 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
Cubangirl wrote:
Emily you mark the time from when the water reaches desired temp. So if you want 135 °F (for medium rare sirloin steaks) you start counting the time when the Anova shows 135 °F (e.g., 45 minutes for 1" steak). After 45 minutes, the steak will be medium rare and not cook more even if you leave it in the water for a while. I generally only like NY and filets, but sirloin steaks cooked sous vide are just as good if not better.

I did Kenji's turkey with the crispy skin last year and it was great (I posted a review both here and on Facebook I think). However, if I was to do it again, I'd just use a skinned boned turkey breast. My hips don't need the crispy skin, and I don't care much for gravy or turkey soup.
My hips don't need it either! Thanks so much for the SV explanation, Alina.

Emilie
Author:  TheFuzzy [ Mon Nov 30, 2015 10:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: TY Day menus?
JB,

Sweet potato ice cream?
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