The next best thing to being in New Orleans for Thanksgiving is preparing some of our hometown holiday favorites. With recipes for Turducken from Paul Prudhomme, Pecan Pie from John Besh and Carrot Souffle from Emeril Lagasse, you can’t go wrong!
Turducken by Chef Paul Prudhomme
It’s a lot of fun to let your guests think you’re serving them a regular holiday turkey. When you start to carve the “turkey,” they’ll be quite surprised to see you cut through its bones!
Make a truly unique Louisiana specialty - Turducken! Image from www.chefpaul.com
Ingredients
- 1 chicken (3 to 4 pounds)
- 1 duckling (5 to 6 pounds)
- 1 turkey (15 to 20 pounds)
- 2 lbs. duck or chicken giblets
- 2 1/2 lbs. Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Andouille Smoked Sausage
- 1 1/2 lbs. shrimp, peeled
- 9 cups celery, chopped (total)
- 7 tablespoons garlic, minced (total)
- 8 cups green bell peppers, chopped
- 12 cups onions, chopped (total)
- 2 garlic heads, whole
- 4 1/2 lbs. medium onions, whole (about 6)
- 3 lbs. sweet potatoes, whole (about 4)
- 2 lbs. whole eggplants (about 2)
- 3 whole eggs
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups milk
- 5 sticks unsalted butter
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 7 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 7 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup corn flour
- 1 cup cornmeal
- 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 1 cup evaporated milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 cups very fine dry breadcrumbs, unseasoned (preferably French bread)
- 21 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Meat Magic
- 4 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Poultry Magic
- 7 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Seafood Magic
- 1 teaspoon Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Vegetable Magic
- 11 tablespoons Chef Paul Prudhomme’s Magic Pepper Sauce
- 1 (15x11inch) baking pan, at least 2 1/4 inches deep
- 1 pan larger than the 15×11 inch pan
- 3 metal or bamboo skewers
- 6 sheet pans
- Vegetable oil
- Aluminum foil
- 1 small hammer
STEPS FOR MAKING THE TURDUCKEN
An Important Note About Refrigeration: As you complete the steps for making the Turducken, you will be refrigerating the fowl and dressings. It is very important to keep the meats as cold as possible before preparing them, and to chill all the finished items as quickly as possible after preparing. The best way to accomplish this is to spread the prepared items (or lay them flat in the case of the de-boned fowl) on a sheet pan and place them in the coldest part of your refrigerator. While the items are chilling, keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible.
STEPS TO BE DONE ONE DAY AHEAD
- Prepare the Cornbread for the Cornbread Dressing
- De-bone the turkey, chicken and duck
- Bring the water to a simmer and prepare the Poultry Stock
- Prepare the Roasted Vegetables for the Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy
- Prepare the Andouille Sausage Dressing
- Prepare the Cornbread Dressing
- Prepare the Shrimp Dressing
- Assemble the Turducken – See Detail Below
“TURDUCKEN” DAY!
9. Bake the Turducken – See Details Below
10. Let the Turducken rest for 1 hour before serving
11. While the Turducken is resting, bake the extra dressings
12. Prepare the Sweet Potato Eggplant Gravy
STEP 8. Assemble the Turducken – Click Here for Photo Tips
TURKEY: Spread the turkey, skin down, on a sheet pan exposing as much meat as possible. Sprinkle the meat generously and evenly with a total of about 4 tablespoons of the Meat Magic, patting it in with your hands. (Be sure to turn the leg, thigh and wing meat to the outside so you can season it also.)
Stuff each leg cavity with about 1½ cups of the Cornbread Dressing, pressing it into the cavities with your fingers or the round handle of a wooden spoon. Pack each cavity well, but not too tightly. (If too tightly packed, it may cause the skin to burst open during cooking.)
Stuff each wing cavity with about 1 cup of the cornbread dressing, pressing it in as before.
Fill the center of the breast cleavage with about 1 cup of the cornbread dressing. Shape the dressing with your hands to fit the space and smooth it so that it is level with the rest of the breast meat. Shape 2-3 cups of the dressing into an even layer over the remaining exposed meat, about ¾-inch thick. (Do not put any dressing over the exposed skin flap at the neck.) You should use about 8 – 9 cups dressing. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
DUCK: Place the duck, skin down, on a sheet pan. Season the exposed duck meat generously and evenly with about 3 tablespoons Meat Magic, pressing it in with your hands. Then, place the Andouille Dressing on the duck meat, using the same technique as before, filling and leveling the cleavage area first, then making an even layer over the meat, about ½-inch thick. You should use about 4 cups dressing. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
CHICKEN: Arrange the chicken, skin down, evenly on a sheet pan. Season the exposed chicken meat generously and evenly with about 1 tablespoon Meat Magic, pressing it in with your hands. Repeat the filling process with the Shrimp Dressing, using about 3 cups of dressing and making the layer about ½-inch thick. Return the stuffed bird to the refrigerator.
Place the remaining dressing in a baking pan. Cover with plastic or foil and refrigerate until ready to bake.
ASSEMBLY: Have the 3 skewers, 15 x 11-inch baking pan and the larger pan nearby for the next steps. Starting with the chicken: Roll one side of the chicken around the dressing towards the middle. Repeat with the other side, returning the bird to a chicken shape. If necessary, use a skewer to hold the flaps together.
Place the rolled up chicken on top of the stuffed duck, placing it in the center and rolling up the duck meat around the chicken. Use a skewer to close the flaps of the duck. When the duck is securely skewered, pull out the skewer from the chicken.
Place the rolled up duck/chicken on top of the turkey, placing it in the center and rolling up the turkey meat around the duck/chicken in the same way as before. Fold the sides (and neck flap) of the turkey together and secure them by piercing them onto the tip of the skewer to close the bird. Invert the 15 x 11-inch baking pan and place it over the top of the Turducken. Pull out the skewer and press down so that the pan is firmly wedged on top of the bird. Enlist another person’s help to carefully turn the Turducken over so that it is sitting breast side up in the 15 x 11-inch pan. Roll up two pieces of aluminum foil and place them under the front and back openings of the Turducken (this will help to keep the stuffing from falling out of the openings.) Cover the tips of the wings with aluminum foil.
Place the Turducken pan in the larger pan with sides at least 2½-inches deep, so that the larger pan will catch the overflow of drippings during cooking. Season the exposed side of the Turducken generously and evenly with about 3 tablespoons more Meat Magic, patting it in gently. Refrigerate the Turducken until ready to bake.
At 8 hours: Check temperature in the center of the Turducken. When the interior temperature reads 165°F, remove the Turducken from the oven.
Step 10: Let the Turducken rest for 1 hour before serving. While the Turducken is resting, bake the extra dressings.
STEP 11: Bake the extra dressings
Increase the oven temperature to 375°F.
Remove covers from the three dressings and place them in the oven.
Drain all the drippings from the Turducken and add them to the gravy.
At 8:40 hours: Check the dressings. If they are not browned on the top, increase the oven temperature to 425°F.
At 9 hours: Remove the Dressings from the oven.
Carve the Turducken
With strong spatulas inserted underneath (remember there are no bones to support the bird’s structure), carefully transfer the Turducken to a serving platter and present it to your guests before carving. Then place the Turducken on a flat surface to carve. Be sure to make your slices crosswise so that each slice contains all three dressings and all three meats. Cut each slice in half for serving. Serve with a scoop of each dressing and ½ cup of the gravy, or serve additional bowls of the dressings on the side.
Recipe by Chef Paul Prudhomme on www.chefpaul.com.
Serves 24-30 people
Carrot Souffle. Photo by Randy Mayor; Melanie J. Clarke
Ingredients
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 3 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped
- 6 large eggs
- 2 cups packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
- Pinch salt
Topping
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1 cup pecans, chopped
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted (1/2 stick)
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9 x 13-inch casserole with the oil and set aside.
- Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add the carrots and cook until they are tender, about 15 minutes; drain. Combine the carrots with the remaining ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Spoon the mixture into the prepared casserole.
- Combine the brown sugar, pecans, flour, and butter in a medium bowl. Stir to blend. Scatter the mixture over the top of the casserole and bake until the topping is lightly browned, about 55 minutes to 1 hour. Serve hot.
Recipe from Chef Emeril Lagasse on the ABC News website.
Serves: 8
Pecan pie is a Thanksgiving favorite at Arnaud's. Photo by Sarah Essex Bradley, courtesy of New Orleans CVB.
Bourbon Pecan Pie from “My New Orleans” by Chef John Besh
Ingredients
- 3/4 cup blackstrap molasses
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup bourbon
- 1 1/2 cups pecan halves
- 1 9″ pie crust
- Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
- Put the molasses, brown sugar, corn syrup, butter, and salt into a medium saucepan over moderate heat. Stir with a wooden spoon until the butter has melted and the sugar has dissolved.
- Increase the heat to high and let the mixture boil for 1 minute. Remove from the heat, then pour into a mixing bowl and set aside to let cool to room temperature.
- Whisk the eggs, vanilla and bourbon into the molasses. Stir in the pecans, then pour into the prepared pie crust. Bake until the pie is set around the sides and nearly set in the middle (it shouldn’t wobble when you give it a nudge), about 1 hour. The color should be mahogany and the crust golden. Allow to cool completely before serving.
Serves: 8
-From My New Orleans by John Besh/Andrews McMeel Publishing on
FREE Weekly Roundup!
Enter your email address for updates on all the best things happening in New Orleans.
Follow Along!