FOX 9 Good Day: Thanksgiving Special with recipes

(FOX 9) - The FOX 9 Good Day Crew took a field trip to the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum to get some tips on cooking the perfect holiday feast. Kelly, Shayne, and Garden Guy Dale K. are sharing tips for growing your own herbs at home, plus recipes from Arboretum Chefs on cooking the turkey, side dishes and dessert.

Find the full recipes featured in the episode below:  

Leftover Turkey & Brie Melt with Spiced Cranberry Mayo

Recipe by Beth Fisher

2 slices large sourdough bread

4 tablespoons spiced cranberry mayonnaise ~ recipe follows

4 thick slices of brie cheese

¼ lb. turkey, sliced

Small handful of fresh spinach leaves

2 tablespoons plain mayonnaise

Preheat a skillet or griddle with a tight-fitting cover over medium heat. Lay out the bread and generously spread cran-mayo evenly over both slices of bread. Top each with 2 slices of brie, then the spinach. Add the sliced turkey to the top of one and place the other on top of the turkey. 

Spread 1 tablespoon of plain mayo on the top slice of bread and place that side down into your preheated pan/griddle. Spread the remaining plain mayo on the top slice of bread while in the pan. Toast the sandwich until the bread's golden brown and the cheese has begun to melt. Carefully flip (use another spatula or tongs), keeping it together, and toast the other side until golden brown and the cheese has fully melted.

Buttermilk Brined Turkey Breast 

Recipe by Beth Fisher

1 boneless turkey breast

1 pint buttermilk

2 tablespoons *Diamond Crystal Kosher Salt or 1½ tablespoons fine sea salt

Optional before roasting:

1 tablespoon black pepper, freshly ground

5 fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried sage

Marinate:

In a medium-sized deep bowl, large enough to hold all ingredients, stir together the buttermilk and salt. Place the turkey breast in the bowl and turn a couple of times, coating well in buttermilk mixture. Press the turkey breast to the bottom of the bowl, making sure it’s completely covered, adding more buttermilk if needed. Place a plate over the bowl and refrigerate 24–36 hours. 

Roast:

Line a baking pan with parchment paper and place a baking rack on top. When you remove the buttermilk marinated turkey breast from the bowl it will be a wet mess, try to shake/wipe away as much of the buttermilk marinade over the bowl as possible, then place skin side up onto the roasting rack. If using, sprinkle black pepper and sage over/under the skin (the whole fresh sage leaves look beautiful under the skin and impart a lot of flavor). Set the turkey aside and allow it to sit at room temperature while you prepare the oven. 

Position an oven rack in the middle of your oven and preheat the oven to 425°F. Roast turkey for 30 minutes then reduce the oven temperature to 350°F, roasting another 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and place a thermometer into the thickest part of the breast. If it doesn’t race up to 150°F, put it back in the oven at 10 minute intervals until it reads 150°F. Remove from the oven and allow it to rest for 20 minutes before slicing into the turkey breast. I find that flipping the breast skin side down and slicing it that way works best and then when you place it on a platter or plate, flip it back over so you see the beautiful browned skin.

A couple of notes:

*Salt: it’s important that you use the brand specified or use 1½ tablespoons of fine sea salt.

If your turkey skin is getting too brown before it reaches 150°, loosely place a piece of foil over the turkey.

The thermometer should race up to 150° before removing the turkey from the oven.

Flip the breast skin side down to slice, then flip back when plating.

Harvest Salad with Warm Cider Dressing

1 (1½-pound) delicata squash, unpeeled and diced

2 tablespoons olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper

¾ cup apple cider

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

1 large shallot, minced

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

¼ cup toasted walnut oil (or a good olive oil/mild oil mix)

5 oz. mixed baby greens and/or spinach

½ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds), toasted

¾ cup freshly grated Parmesan

¼ red onion, very thinly sliced

Preheat the oven to 400°.

Place the squash on a sheet pan. Add olive oil, salt and pepper and toss. Roast the squash for 25 to 30 minutes, turning a few times, until tender and crispy around the edges. 

While the squash is roasting, combine the apple cider, vinegar, and shallots in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Simmer for 6 to 8 minutes, until the cider is reduced to about ¼ cup. Turn off the heat, whisk in the mustard, walnut oil, salt, and pepper. Taste for seasoning, add salt and pepper if needed. 

Place the greens and/or spinach in a large salad bowl and add the roasted squash mixture, the pecans, red onion and parmesan. Add a few tablespoons of dressing over the salad to moisten and toss well. Save the extra dressing for another salad. 

Serves 6

Pumpkin Mousse

1½ cups (360g) cold whipping cream, divided

8 oz. package cream cheese, room temperature

¼ cup brown sugar 

½ cup (130g) pumpkin purée

½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon vanilla paste

Pinch of salt

4-6 (about) ground gingersnap cookies, roughly crumbled

In a large bowl, whip the cream until stiff peaks form, set aside.

In a food processor, whip the cream cheese, brown sugar, pumpkin purée, cinnamon, vanilla until the sugar is dissolved. Scrape down the sides of the processor.

Add half of the whipped cream to the pumpkin mixture and gently fold until completely combined.

Spoon or pipe into pretty glasses and place in the fridge until completely chilled. Serve with the remaining whipped cream and garnish with cookie sprinkles.

Serves 6-8