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| Rooftop view from The James in Soho |
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| Scuptural installation at The Sculpture Center |
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| Check out Bens webpage to see some more art |
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| THe gallery was an old trolley factory- just beautiful! |
This week we
continued with the theme of visiting our children in their exciting
homes away from home. Kris and Bev ventured to New York to see Ben's
show at The Sculpture Center in Brooklyn.
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| Ben and Elaine enjoying a night out with Mom! |
Meanwhile, Andrea was busy in Montreal, helping out a friend (and sneaking in a visit with Reid, of course!) Needless to say, there were a few meals eaten out this weekend.
Now our thoughts are turning toward next weekend's Thanksgiving dinner. Inspired by Andreas trip through Kensington market in Toronto with Teddy, we are thinking about sweet potatoes and turkey.
Sweet Potato Soup with Crispy
Sage and Stilton
5 large
sweet potatoes
2 russet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
¾ cup
onion, finely chopped
2 leeks, cleaned and chopped
2
large garlic clove, minced
3 large carrots, sliced thin
1 bay
leaf
5 cups
chicken broth
¾ cup
dry white wine
5 ½
cups
water
salt
and pepper, to taste
1 bunch sage
8 ounces Stilton cheese, crumbled
No need to waste precious minutes peeling
potatoes! Scrub and pierce the sweet
potatoes and russet potatoes and place them on the barbecue early in the day.
Roast potatoes on HIGH for 45-50 minutes.
Let cool for 15 minutes, then simply scoop out the flesh, for use in the
soup later.
When you have 15 minutes of free time,
complete the soup!
In a large dutch oven, melt butter and add the onion,
leek, garlic, carrots and bay leaf. Cook
over low heat, stirring, until the vegetables have softened.
Add the chicken broth, wine and water and
simmer, covered, for 15 minutes. Add the flesh of the sweet potatoes and russet
potatoes and simmer 10 minutes, discard the bay leaf. In a blender, puree the soup in batches,
until it is very smooth. season the soup with salt and pepper. This soup may be made a day or 2 in advance.
Thin with additional stock, or water, as required.
TO MAKE CRISPY SAGE GARNISH: Heat 3 Tbsp of
oil in a frying pan. When oil begins to sizzle, gently drop in clean and dry
sage leaves and allow to fry for 1 -2 minutes. Remove carefully and let cool on
a paper towel. Sprinkle with coarse sea salt.
Serve soup in a wide mouthed bowl, topped
with a crispy sage leaf and a tablespoon of Stilton cheese.
Turkey on the Smoker
1 12-lb turkey
2 yellow onions, quartered
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh thyme
2 sprigs fresh parsley
2 sprigs fresh sage
Prepare the turkey by rinsing under cool water and
patting it dry. Rub the outside with
canola oil and stuff with onion quarters and fresh herbs.
Meanwhile, set up theBroil King Keg
1.
Pour
3-4” deep layer of True’Cue lump charcoal on the bottom of the smoker.
2.
Use
2 True’Cue match-light charcoal starters to ignite the charcoal.
3.
Open
the top and bottom vents to the widest position (#5).
4.
Let
the coals burn for 10 minutes until the smoker reaches 200°F
5.
Dial
down the top and bottom vents to the #2 position
6.
This
should maintain a smoker temperature of 225°F for about 6 hours.
4”
of charcoal will burn for 6-8 hours.
Once
the coals are ready, place soaked wood chips on top of coals and place a drip
pan filled with water on the rack holder. Place prepared turkey on lower grids and
close lid.
Allow the turkey to cook slowly for 6
hours, at a temperature of 225⁰F. Use a
meat thermometer to monitor the cooking progress. Once the internal temperature
of the breast meat has reached
170°F/72°C, remove the turkey from the smoker and wrap in foil. Let rest
for half an hour, while the other parts of the meal are being organized. This is a step that you should never skip when making a roast or whole poultry. Resting allows all of the juices to regroup within the muscles of the meat. The result will be a very moist and
flavourful turkey that the whole family will enjoy.
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