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Thanksgiving Feast -- Southern Style!

This Thanksgiving, how about adding a taste of the South to your traditional family dinner?

Brothers Matt and Ted Lee agreed to put their Southern twist on "The Early Show Saturday Edition"'s holiday feast, in accepting our "Chef(s) on a Shoestring" challenge.

They're the authors of the new cookbook, "Simple Fresh Southern," and they made a name for themselves with their mail-order "Lee Bros. Boiled Peanuts Catalogue." It features Southern pantry staples such as stone-ground grits, fig preserves and of course, boiled peanuts.

mattleeandtedlee.com

For Thanksgiving, the Lee Brothers got a special holiday budget of $70 to use in making a feast for eight.

MENU

• Buttermilk Fresh Cheese & Crackers
• Herb-Salted Turkey with Red-Eye Gravy
• Cornbread and Oyster Dressing
• Cranberry Ginger Sauce
• Skillet Green Beans
• Baked Sweet Potatoes with Lime Sour Cream
• Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin
• Georgia Pecan Pie

"Early Show" recipes galore!

FOOD FACTS

Red-Eye Gravy: A traditional southern gravy made by combining the drippings from fried ham (purists insist on COUNTRY-CURED HAM only) with water and hot coffee - the latter being optional. The mixture is cooked until thickened. It's served with the ham and spooned atop biscuits, cornbread . . . and whatever else the diner fancies. (Source: Food Lover's Companion)

Molasses: During the refining of sugar cane and sugar beets, the juice squeezed from these plants is boiled to a syrupy mixture from which sugar crystals are extracted. The remaining brownish-black liquid is molasses. (Source: Food Lover's Companion)

RECIPES

Buttermilk Fresh Cheese

Makes one 6-ounce round, enough for 4 as a snack

If you can boil water, you can make this buttermilk cheese-kin to Italian ricotta and Mexican queso fresco, which has become as much a part of our southern kitchen as cornbread or grits. It could not be easier to prepare: just heat a quart of milk with a cup and a half of buttermilk and any salt or dried seasonings, and when the curds have separated from the whey, pour the whole slosh through a fine mesh strainer or cheesecloth to drain off the whey. Serve the cheese immediately, warm and soft like ricotta, with a drizzle of olive oil, some sea salt, and freshly ground black pepper, or let it cool down and firm up a bit. That's all!

We think it's even more versatile than butter or cream cheese. You can spread it on cornbread and top it with a drizzle of honey or sorghum syrup. Make tomato sandwiches with it at the height of summer. Wrap little morsels up with country ham in collard-green wrappers to make deliciously creamy-salty hors d'oeuvre parcels. Crumble the cheese into all manner of salads and side dishes.

INGREDIENTS:
1 quart whole milk
1 1/2 cups whole or low fat buttermilk
2 teaspoons kosher salt
Crackers to serve

METHOD:

Line a colander or a medium strainer with a triple layer of cheesecloth that's 12 inches square. Set the colander in the sink.

Combine the milk, buttermilk, and salt in a large heavy-bottomed pot, and heat over medium-high heat until the mixture has separated into white curds and translucent whey, about 8 minutes. (If using low fat buttermilk, separation occurs at about 180°F, and the curds will clump together readily; if using whole buttermilk, separation occurs closer to the boiling point, about 212°F, and the curds are finer-grained. When using whole buttermilk, let the pot of curds and whey stand off the heat for about 3 minutes after separation, so the curds cling tighter and facilitate the straining step.)

Ladle the contents of the pot into the cheesecloth-lined colander. Once the whey has drained (1 to 2 minutes), lift the corners of the cheesecloth and gather them together. Gently twist the gathered cloth over the cheese to press any excess whey out of it.

You can unwrap the cheese at this point and serve it immediately; or you can leave the cheese to drain further and cool to room temperature, about 10 minutes, before serving it. To serve a firmer cheese later, transfer the cheese, in its cloth, to a small flat-bottomed plate or pie pan and let stand in the refrigerator until cool, about 10 minutes. Then unwrap the cheese, gently invert it onto the plate, and discard the cloth. Tent the cheese with plastic wrap and keep it in the refrigerator until 10 minutes before you're ready to serve it, but not more than 2 days.

For more recipes, go to Page 2.

Pimento Cheese Potato Gratin

Pimento cheese, sometimes called the South's "house pate," is a simple cheese spread made with extra-sharp cheddar, mayonnaise, and diced roasted red peppers. It's a very mildly peppery blend straight from the mid-century, and it's delicious on celery sticks, sandwiches and hamburgers.

We hosted two parties, one in New York and one in Charleston, for our first book (which contains two recipes for "P.C."). For the New York shindig, we booked a crack team of four kitchen-savvy transplanted Southerners, and we all pitched in to make 1,800 pimento-cheese tea sandwiches over the course of two days.

All 1,800 sandwiches disappeared in the first twenty minutes of the party (that's 90 per minute!).

One editor at a major food magazine was spotted with a stack of six in her hand, and later, wrapping more in napkins to stuff in her purse!

This recipe hit like a thunderclap - why not juice up a gratin with the peppery double hit of sweet roasted peppers and hot crushed red chile? We went into the test kitchen and developed this casserole that has dethroned our macaroni and cheese for the title of favorite cheesy dish in the house!

INGREDIENTS:
3 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and sliced into 1⁄ 4-inch thick rounds
3/4 cup heavy cream
3 shallots, finely diced (scant 1/2 cup)
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried red chile flakes
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
One 9-ounce jar roasted red peppers or piquillo peppers, with their liquid
8 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (about 2 cups)

METHOD:

Heat the oven to 375°F, with racks positioned in the middle and the top third of the oven.

In a 3- to 4-quart stockpot, bring 2 quarts water and 2 teaspoons of the salt to a boil. Add the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes. Then drain, and set them aside.

Combine the cream, shallots, chile flakes, remaining 1 teaspoon salt, the black pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the liquid from the jar of roasted peppers in a small saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook until the chile flakes have begun to stain the cream, about 2 minutes. Add half of the cheese and stir until it melts, about 1 minute.

Remove the pan from the heat.

Layer roughly a third of the potatoes in a 6-cup baking dish, overlapping them slightly so that they fit in an even layer. Scatter half of the roasted peppers on top of the potatoes (cut up any peppers that have remained whole so that they lie flat), and repeat layering potatoes and peppers until all the peppers and potatoes have been used.

Pour the cream mixture over the potatoes and peppers, and agitate the dish to distribute the liquid throughout. Cover with aluminum foil and bake on the middle rack for 15 minutes.

Uncover the dish, sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top, and place the dish on the top oven rack. Bake for 8 minutes, or until the cheese is bubbly and gently browned on top. Serve immediately.

Skillet Green Beans with Orange

The slender, tender French haricots verts that have emerged in upscale food markets in recent years bear no resemblance to the leathery-skinned, stout green beans our parents grew when we were kids, the kind that seemed suited only to long simmering in a pot with a chunk of really good bacon. In this recipe, we "skillet-toast" those fat beans, which adds a charred, smoky dimension to them, transforming even the toughest beans-which, truth be told, is the kind we find most often in the precincts of the U.S. we inhabit-into something as addictively delicious as salted popcorn.

INGREDIENTS:
1 large navel orange
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 pound green beans, ends trimmed
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon white wine vinegar, champagne vinegar, or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD:

Finely grate the zest of the orange, and reserve it. Segment the orange, and keep the sections and juice in a bowl.

In a large cast-iron skillet or sauté pan, heat the canola oil over high heat, swirling it around the pan so it coats the bottom thinly and evenly. When the oil begins to smoke, add the beans (in batches, if necessary-don't crowd the pan) and scatter 1/2 teaspoon of the salt over them.
Cook, stirring only every 1 1/2 to 2 minutes, until the beans are half blistered and blackened, about 8 minutes. Transfer the beans to a serving platter or bowl. Lift the orange segments out of their juice (reserve the juice), and scatter them over the beans. Sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon of the orange zest over the beans and oranges.

Add the vinegar, olive oil, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt to the bowl of orange juice, and whisk until thoroughly combined.

Pour the dressing over the beans. Toss and season to taste with salt, black pepper, and the remaining orange zest.

Roasted Sweet Potatoes with Lime Sour Cream

INGREDIENTS:
3 pounds sweet potatoes (8 6-ounce potatoes; orange-fleshed varieties only)
4 limes
2 cups sour cream
kosher salt to taste

METHOD:

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F degrees.

Wash and dry the sweet potatoes. "Prick" each potato with a fork (about ¼ inch deep) about eight times all over its surface. Place the potatoes on an un-greased cookie sheet and bake about 40 - 45 minutes, or until easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife.

While the potatoes bake, zest both limes, preferably with a microplane grater, and reserve. Juice the limes. Whisk 2 tablespoons of the lime juice into the sour cream. Season to taste with salt and the remaining lime juice.
Remove the potatoes from the oven and with a sharp knife, slice each potato into rounds about 3/4-inch thick. Fan them on a plate and spoon the lime sour cream over them. Garnish by scattering pinches of lime zest over the sour cream.

For more recipes, go to Page 3.

Oyster Dressing

This dressing (in the old-fashioned sense of the word) is a great stuffing for poultry: a tasty, homemade cornmeal-and-flour bread tossed with a soupy mixture of onions and celery cooked in butter and oyster liquor. We prepare it most often as a side dish for roast turkey, but it also makes a smashing lunch with poached eggs draped over the top or paired with a simple green salad.

INGREDIENTS:
1 recipe Crispy Corn Bread (recipe follows)
1 pint shucked oysters
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 1/4 cups chopped celery (about two 12-inch-long stalks)
1 1/4 cups chopped yellow onion (about 1 large onion)
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup dry, flavorful white wine, such as Sancerre or Chardonnay
1/2 cup Chicken Broth

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 350°F degrees.

Cut the bread into 1-inch dice and place in an even layer in a 9-inch-square roasting pan. Toast on the top rack of the oven until gently browned, about 8 minutes. Remove and reserve in a large bowl.

Drain the oysters over a 12-inch skillet or sauté pan and reserve in a bowl. Add the butter, salt, and pepper to the oyster liquor and cook over medium heat until the butter has melted, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and onion and cook, stirring, until the vegetables have softened, about 10 minutes.

Add the vegetables and oysters to the bowl of toasted bread and toss gently with a wooden spoon to distribute evenly.

In a small bowl, beat the eggs. Add the wine and broth and whisk to incorporate. Pour the mixture evenly, in a thin stream, over the contents of the oyster bowl and toss again with the wooden spoon. (At this point you may stuff the dressing into a chicken or turkey. This recipe will easily stuff an 18- to 20-pound turkey; if you are stuffing a smaller bird, bake the excess dressing in a small roasting pan, loaf pan, or skillet.)

Transfer the dressing to the roasting pan and bake until the top is golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Serve immediately.

Crispy Corn Bread

INGREDIENTS:
1 tablespoon lard or unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups stone-ground cornmeal
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups whole or low fat buttermilk
2 tablespoons unsalted butter

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 450°F degrees. Grease a 12-inch skillet with the lard, leaving any excess in the pan, and place it in the oven.

In a large bowl, sift the dry ingredients together. In a medium bowl, whisk the egg until frothy and then whisk in the buttermilk. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ones and mix thoroughly. Melt the butter in a small skillet over low heat, and whisk the butter into the batter.

When the fat in the large skillet is smoking, carefully remove the skillet from the oven and swirl the fat around to coat the bottom and sides evenly. Pour the batter into the skillet; it should sizzle alluringly. Bake for 15 minutes, or until the top of the bread is golden brown and the edge has pulled away from the side of the skillet. Remove from the oven.

Herb Salted Turkey with Red-Eye Gravy

INGREDIENTS:
Herb Salt:
2 1/2 tablespoons mixed dried herbs such as thyme, sage, and marjoram
1/2 cup kosher salt

Turkey:
One 12 - 14 pound turkey
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, cut into quarters (optional)
8 cups Turkey Stock (or chicken broth)

Gravy:
8 ounces country ham or smoked slab bacon, finely diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups brewed coffee

METHOD:

Herb Salt:
In a small bowl, combine the herbs with the salt using your fingertips until the herbs are evenly distributed throughout the mixture, and reserve.

Turkey:
Place the turkey in the center of a large roasting pan. Sprinkle all but 1 1/2 teaspoons the Herb Salt liberally in the main and neck cavities, and all over the skin of the bird. Cover the turkey and pan tightly with plastic wrap or aluminum foil and set in the refrigerator overnight.

Rinse the turkey thoroughly with cold water, and pat dry. Pour off any liquid from the roasting pan and rinse the pan well. Place a rack in the pan and let the turkey stand in the rack at room temperature for an hour. Preheat oven to 375°F degrees, and set the oven rack in the lowest position of the oven. Massage the legs and breast with the butter, and season the turkey with the reserved Herb Salt and the black pepper. Stuff the main and neck cavities loosely with a total of 4 cups of Oyster Dressing. (If not stuffing the turkey, place the onions in the main and neck cavities). Tuck the neck flap underneath the turkey to close, and loosely tie the turkey legs together. Pour 3 cups turkey stock into the pan.

Roast the turkey 45 minutes, and baste with the pan juices. Reduce the heat to 350°F, and continue to roast, basting every 45 minutes and adding stock by cupfuls to maintain the level of stock in the pan, until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours more. Transfer turkey to a platter, tent loosely with foil, and let rest a half-hour. Reserve pan juices for gravy.

Gravy:
Pour pan juices into an 8-cup measuring cup or large glass pitcher, and allow to settle about five minutes until most of the fat has risen to the top. Spoon off the fat, discarding all but 1/2 cup.

Pour the reserved fat into the turkey pan and set it over two burners turned to medium-high. Scatter the country ham (or bacon) in the pan, and sauté in the fat, stirring occasionally until the pieces have browned, about 4 minutes. Add the flour, whisking it into the ham and the fat, and pour the degreased liquid into the pan (if you maintained the level of stock in the pan, you should have about 4 cups; if you have less, simply add enough turkey stock to make 4 cups total to the pan).

Pour in the coffee and bring to a boil. Continue to boil until the gravy has reduced by a third, about 6 to 8 minutes. It should be glossy and coat the back of a spoon.

Serve turkey with gravy.

For more recipes, go to Page 4..

Cranberry Ginger Sauce

INGREDIENTS:
2 large ruby red grapefruits
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 medium red onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, plus more to taste
1/2 cup sugar
12 ounces fresh or defrosted frozen cranberries (about 3 cups)
1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger (from 1 2-ounce piece, peeled and grated)

METHOD:

Peel about ten thin curls of peel from one of the grapefruits, then juice the grapefruits into a bowl and reserve (you should have about 1 cup).
Melt the butter in a 3 - 4 quart pot over medium-high heat and add the onion, grapefruit peel, and salt. Saute until the onion is fragrant and softening, about 3 minutes. Add the sugar, grapefruit juice, and cranberries and bring to a simmer. Continue to simmer until the berries have completely softened and collapsed, about 12 minutes.

Stir in the ginger, and let cool. Cranberry sauce will keep, covered, in the refrigerator about a week. Bring to room temperature before serving.

Molasses & Georgia Pecan Pie

The secret to the most delicious Pecan Pie you've ever tasted is to retire that bottle of pallid corn syrup and replace it with sorghum molasses, cane syrup, or molasses, whose deeply nuanced flavors, with notes of dried fruit, caramel, and nuts, are a superb match for the richness of pecans. Honestly, using anything less than great syrup would be an insult to your pecans. Serve this pie warm, with scoops of buttermilk ice cream.

INGREDIENTS:
1/4 cup tightly packed dark brown sugar
3 large eggs, beaten
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 cup pure sorghum molasses, cane syrup, or molasses
1 1/2 cups chopped Georgia pecans
1 Sweet Pie Crust (see below), pre-baked

METHOD:

Preheat the oven to 375°F degrees.

In a large bowl, beat the brown sugar with the eggs using a hand mixer or a whisk until they're just incorporated, about 1 1/2 minutes. Add the butter, the cornstarch, and the salt and mix until thoroughly combined, about 1 1/2 minutes. Pour the sorghum and pecans into the bowl and stir to incorporate (the pecans will float on the surface of the filling, which is fine).

Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake on the middle rack until the center has risen and is quivery, like gelatin, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a rack for 1 hour.

Serve warm, topped with lightly sweetened whipped cream or with a scoop of ice cream. Alternately, let the pie cool to room temperature, about another 30 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and store it in the refrigerator (if you do, heat it in a warm oven for 15 to 20 minutes before serving). It will keep for several days.

Sweet Pie Crust

INGREDIENTS:
1-1/2 cups sifted bleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons cold lard, cut into small pieces
4 tablespoons cold butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 cup ice water

METHOD:

Sift the dry ingredients together in a medium bowl. Sprinkle the pieces of lard and butter over them and place the bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. Dust your work surface with flour. If pre-baked, preheat the oven to 325°F degrees.

Using a pastry blender or your fingertips, cut the lard and butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs, with a scattering of pea-sized pieces throughout. Add ice water a tablespoon at a time, and toss with a fork to combine after each addition, until the pastry holds together when pinched (you may not use all the ice water).

Gather the pastry together into a round disk, wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for 15 minutes or until ready to use.

With a floured pin, roll out the dough on the floured surface to a 12-inch round. To make a pie shell, transfer to a 9-inch pie pan. Fold any excel dough that hangs below the rim of the pan on top of the rim so you have enough material to crimp. Cut off any egregious excess and use it to patch any holes or tears. Refrigerate for 15 minutes before filling or pre-baking.

To pre-bake the crust for Molasses Pecan Pie, lay a sheet of aluminum foil over the dough and carefully scatter pie weights, dried beans, or pennies in the pan. Bake on the middle rack for 12 to 15 minutes. Remove the pie weights and the foil, prick the bottom of the crust with a fork, and bake for 10 minutes more, or until the bottom of the crust appears dry.

So, how did Matt and Ted do with our special, $70 budget?!:

Turkey & Trimmings
milk $1.09
buttermilk $2.29
crackers $.99
potatoes $2.68
heavy cream $1.29
shallots $.47
red peppers $1.79
cheddar cheese $1.99
sweet potatoes $3.35
limes $.80
sour cream $.99
oysters $2.39
celery $1.29
onion $1.24
white wine $1.99
chicken broth $.95
cornmeal $1.19
orange $.33
green beans $1.99
grapefruits $1.98
butter $1.99
red onion $.97
cranberries $2.50
ginger $.80
turkey $18.59
onions $1.69
bacon $1.99
total $59.61

Pecan Pie
eggs $1.29
cornstarch $1.49
molasses $2.59
pecans $.99
shortening $2.69
total $9.05

Grand total: $68.66

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