Lentil Soup with Homemade Turkey Stock - Amazingly Delicious Soup

Thanksgiving: THE best time to make the turkey stock.
That roasted turkey carcass, will make an extraordinary rich delicious poultry broth.
Chop up that carcass or pull it apart so that it fits into your biggest pot. Cover it with water, enough so it’s covered by an inch or so of water. Bring it to a simmer. Skim off anything that rises to the top that you wouldn’t want to eat if you saw it floating in a bowl of soup. Cook for about two hours then add a couple carrots and a couple big onions, cut up, celery, parsely, thyme, garlic, bay, peppercorns, these are good to add as well, and continue cooking for another hour. Strain through a colander. Then, strain it through a kitchen cloth, cheese cloth if you have it, or any kind of cloth. Now it’s ready to use. Great to try a consomme with. Make a risotto. Any soup or souce. And it freezes great.

Ingredients:

• 6-8 cups homemade turkey stock
• 1 cup smoked turkey, diced
• 1 cup dried lentils, rinsed well and drained
• 1/2 cup split peas, picked over and rinsed
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 1 yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 2-3 potatoes, peeled and diced
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• salt and freshly ground black pepper
• thyme sprigs (optional)

Directions:
In a large pot over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion, smoked turkey and cook, stirring frequently, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes.



Stir in the homemade turkey stock, the lentils, split peas, potatoes, paprika, salt and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer until the lentils are very tender, about 20-25 minutes. Stir in the thyme.
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Serve immediately.

Mushroom and Red Onion Tart with Gorgonzola Cheese and Parsley

The wonderfully mild and sweet taste of red onions and mushrooms when cooked goes perfectly with Gorgonzola cheese and parsley in this tart.

Ingredients:

• 1 disk (pate brisee) tart dough
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter
• 1 1/2 lb. mixed fresh mushrooms, halved or quartered
• 1 large red onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1/3 cup Gorgonzola cheese
• 1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
• Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Directions:
To bake the tart shell, preheat an oven to 375°F.
On a floured work surface, roll out the dough into a 12-inch round. Fit into a 9-inch round tart pan and trim the dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold the overhang back over itself and pinch to create a sturdy edge. Pierce the dough all over with a fork.



Line the pastry shell with aluminum foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or raw short-grain rice. Bake for 20 minutes, then lift an edge of the foil. If the dough looks wet, continue to bake, checking every 5 minutes, until the dough is pale gold, for a total baking time of 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack.



To make the filling, in a large fry pan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the mushrooms and red onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Add the honey and parsley, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Add the Gorgonzola cheese, mix and remove from heat.
Spread the mushroom mixture in the pastry shell. Garnish with a few parsley springs and cut the tart into wedges and serve with any Jerez, we had Matusalem from Spain and it was wonderful!

Salmon Mousse - Gorgeous Appetizer for Holiday

The best thing about this appetizer that you may prepare it one or two days before the Holiday.

Ingredients:

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
• ¼ cup cold water
• ½ cup broth from poached salmon
• 1/2 cup mayonnaise
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon finely grated onion
• dash of Tabasco
• ¼ teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh dill
• 1 pound finely flaked poached fresh salmon
• 1cup heavy cream
• Toast, tomatoes, boil egg, dill, salmon fish row, slice of lemon for serving

Directions:
To cook poached salmon you need to put 1/2 cup of wine, 1/2 cup of water, dill, parsley and a few thin slices of yellow onion in a saute pan, and bring to a simmer on medium heat. Place salmon fillets, skin-side down on the pan. Cover. Cook 5-7 minutes or to desired done-ness. Do not overcook.
Soften the gelatin in the cold water in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the boiling broth from poached salmon and whisk the mixture slowly until the gelatin dissolves. Cool to room temperature.
Whisk in the mayonnaise, lemon juice, grated onion, Tabasco, paprika, salt, and dill. Stir to blend completely and refrigerate until the mixture begins to thicken slightly, about 20 minutes.
Fold in the finely flaked salmon. In a separate bowl, whip the cream until it is thickened to soft peaks and fluffy. Fold gently into the salmon mixture.
Transfer the mixture to a 6 to 8 prepared ramekins, or decorative mold. Cover and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Garnish with toast, tomatoes, boil egg, dill, salmon fish row.
Yield : 12 portions

Crunchy Sesame Seed Cookies

IMPORTANT Note: The WINNER of Box of Tea Forte with porcelain tea cup ensemble, and Pear and Vanilla Jam is Penny Hayes Snyder. Penny, send over your mailing address to cooking [at] melangery [dot] com and I'll send the gift right away. CONGRATULATIONS!

Cookie time. -)
Awesome cookies, very crunchy, very light, addictive, a little hard, so you need to make them thin.

Ingredients:

•  1tbsp black sesame seeds or chia seeds
•  1 tbsp white sesame seeds
•  1 tbsp flax seeds
•  ¼ cup raw sugar
•  2¼ cups all-purpose flour
•  1 tsp cream of tartar
•  1 tsp baking soda
•  ¼ tsp salt
•  1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, very soft
•  1 cup granulated sugar
•  1 large egg
•  2 tsp bourbon

Direction:
Center the oven rack and preheat the oven to 375F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
Mix the seeds and coarse sugar in a shallow bowl and set aside.
Combine the flour, cream of tartar, baking soda,and salt in a medium bowl and whisk thoroughly.
With a spoon in a medium bowl or with a mixer, mix the butter with the granulated sugar until smooth and well blended but not fluffy. Add the egg and bourbon and mix until smooth. Add the flour mixture and mix until completely incorporated.



Using a small ice cream scoop (or just a tablespoon), measure out the dough and roll into 1-inch balls. Press each ball into the seed mixture on both sides, flattening the ball to about 1/2-inch thick. Place the cookies onto the prepared baking sheet spacing them 2 inches apart.



Bake the cookies, in batches, for about 14 minutes, until the edges are lightly browned, rotating the baking sheet from front to back halfway through the baking time to ensure even baking. Set the baking sheet or just the parchment on rack to cool. Cool completely before stacking or storing. May be kept in an air-tight container for at least 2 weeks.