Chef Chris Black to the rescue with delightful Thanksgiving recipes

Looking for some new recipes to spice up your Thanksgiving meal? Try out these two irresistible dishes created by LongHorn Steakhouse's Executive Chef Chris Black.

The dishes work well with an alternate entree, too. Chef Chris Black celebrates "Steaksgiving" with a standing rib roast. Oh, my…just imagine the leftovers from that!

Mushroom Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 2 cups Shiitake mushrooms, sliced ¼” thick
• 1 cup green onions, sliced thinly
• 1 cup celery, sliced thinly
• ¼ cup EVOO
• Salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• 1 tbsp. fresh sage, rough chop
• 2 cups chicken stock
• ½ cup heavy cream
• 3 eggs
• Cornbread

Preparation:

• Heat oven to 350F. Grease 9x13 baking dish.
• In a saute pan warm the EVOO.
• Add mushrooms, onions, celery, sage, S&P. Sweat vegetables over medium heat for about 5 minutes. Cool mixture in refrigerator.
• Crumble cornbread into bite size pieces. Scramble eggs in a bowl and combine with cornbread, cool vegetables, stock and heavy cream. Pour into baking dish.
• Bake for 35 minutes.

Feeds 4 people.

Cornbread for Mushroom Stuffing

Ingredients:

• 1 cup self-rising white cornmeal
• ½ cup self-rising flour
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 egg
• 1 cup buttermilk, more or less
• 1 to 2 tablespoons green onion, minced
• Dash hot pepper sauce (optional)
• Pepper or garlic powder, if desired

Preparation:

• Heat oven to350F. Heat 9” Cast iron skillet.
• Combine the cornmeal and flour with the salt and sugar.
• Blend in the egg and add enough buttermilk to make a thick batter.
• Add any green onion and other optional ingredients you want.
• Grease skillet well.
• Pour batter into hot skillet and bake about 45 minutes. Until tooth pick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool.

 

Brown Butter Cake

Ingredients:

• 2¼  sticks unsalted butter
• 2 cups sifted cake flour (not self-rising; sift before measuring)
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ cup packed light brown sugar
• ½ cup granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs
• ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preparation:

·       Preheat oven to 325°F with rack in middle. Butter and lightly flour an 8 1/2-by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan.

·       Heat butter in a 10-inch heavy skillet over medium heat until it begins to foam, then you can turn the heat down to low. This will help to control the browning process, when the milk solids turn color to deep brown, it will be done.

·       Transfer to a shallow bowl and chill in freezer until just cool, about 10 minutes.

·       Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt.

·       Cream together the cooled brown butter and sugars with an electric mixer until fluffy, about 2 minutes.

·       Add eggs 1 at a time, continue to mix well after each addition. Mix in vanilla.

·       At low speed, mix in flour mixture until just incorporated.

·       Transfer batter to pan, smoothing top, then wrap pan on counter to settle batter. Bake until golden-brown and a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean, 1 to 1 1/4 hours. Cool in pan 30 minutes, then invert cake onto a rack and cool completely, right side up, 1 hour.

Feeds 5 people.

Wine Poached Pears

Ingredients:

·       2 cups white wine

·       1 cup sugar

·       1 lemon, juice and zest

·       ¼ star anise

·       ½ stick cinnamon

·       1 vanilla bean, split

·       20 each black peppercorns

·       4 ripe pears, Bartlett, Bosc or Sekel

Preparation:

• Combine all of the ingredients except for the pears, in a small sauce pan and bring to a boil.
• Add the pears and cook for about 25 minutes or until tender when pierced with a knife.
• Cool the pears in the poaching liquid.
• Remove cool pears.
• Return liquid to a pan then heat to reduce to a syrup.
• Cool. Drizzle over pears and cake. Top with whipped cream.

Feeds 5 people.