Great Ideas for Thanksgiving Leftovers

Thanksgiving dinner is great, but it's really the leftovers that keep on giving. Kerry Heffernan, executive chef of New York's South Gate restaurant, is going to use those leftovers to prepare some dishes that blow the turkey sandwich out of the water.

Deconstructed Turkey Shepherd's Pie:
INGREDIENTS:
4 cups cooked diced turkey meat (light or dark, free of fat and skin)
2 cups white sauce (see recipe)
1 1/2 cups cooked diced vegetables (optional)
1/2 small bunch sage, shredded
1 bunch parsley, chopped

METHOD:
In a 6 quart saucepan, gently heat sauce; check and adjust seasoning, if needed, as it warms. Place turkey and veggies in a microwaveable covered container and sprinkle with water to moisten; heat for 2 minutes then "toss" and reheat for another minute. Add herbs to sauce, check seasoning, add warmed turkey and veggies and continue to heat on stove, gently folding with rubber spatula until just hot.

White Sauce*
METHOD:
2 quarts peeled pearl onions, cipollini or other small onion (leftover creamed or roasted onions work well)
3/4 cup carolina rice
2 qts chicken stock
6 sprigs fresh thyme
1 cup heavy cream

(*This is basically creamed onions from Thanksgiving thickened with rice and pureed)

METHOD:
Put all ingredients except cream in a 6 quart saucepot; season well, simmer slowly until onions are cooked through and remove (if some of the overcooked ones remain that is fine, too). Add cream to rice and stock mixture; reheat to simmer, check seasoning. Cool for 1/2 hour for safer blending.

Place in blender (in batches if needed) so that the mixture never fills more than half of the blender. Puree slowly at first then build speed, until completely smooth.

Potato Croquettes:
INGREDIENTS:

3 cups leftover mashed potatoes

For breading;
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 whole eggs beaten with 1 /4 cup milk
2 cups Panko bread crumbs

For Frying
2 cup Canola Oil

METHOD:
Form leftover mashed potatoes into approximately 8 thin disks; brush each disk evenly with egg wash and dredge in flour and Panko mixture. Fry at a high temp until both sides are golden brown, carefully flipping between each side. Remove and drain on a plate with paper towels.

To serve, lay crisp sautéed potatoes in four bowls and spoon equal amounts of hot turkey mixture on top. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Granite:
INGREDIENTS:
2, 12 ounces bags fresh cranberries
3 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
Pinch salt
Zest of 1/2 an orange

For Thanksgiving use (if not purchasing canned sauce), combine all ingredients in a 4 quart saucepot and simmer until cranberries "pop" and are softened but still distinguishable; reserve and cool.

Purée leftover cranberry sauce and residual liquid blender. Taste and adjust seasoning (sweetness and orange flavor) while the mixture is still in the blender. Depending on your taste, add additional sugar and orange rind (tarragon, cinnamon or allspice are great additions and can be added now). Blend until the mixture is perfectly smooth.

Place puree mixture in small shallow pan that can fit in freezer and freeze overnight or until frozen through.

To serve, using a large fork, "scratch" the frozen cranberry mixture to create a "granite" (almost like shaved ice). Serve alongside the sweet potato flan (see recipe) or on its own as a refreshing dessert.

Sweet Potato Flan:
INGREDIENTS:
2 large sweet potatoes (or one pint fully cooked and "compressed") sweet potatoes
1 pint half and half
5 egg yolks
1 whole egg
1/2 cup brown sugar
Pinch salt

METHOD:
Any leftover sweet potatoes you have will likely be cooked until very soft so they would work fine for this recipe; be mindful of the amount of sugar and adjust as needed.

(If using fresh sweet potatoes, peel and cut into large cubes; boil in water until just tender, drain VERY well and compress enough sweet potatoes into a measuring cup to create 1 pint)

For leftover sweet potatoes, warm them in the microwave for 1-2 minutes to soften and allow them to be easily measured to 1 pint and combined with eggs.

Add half and half, salt, sugar, egg yolks and whole egg to blender; mix on low speed to combine for approximately 20 seconds. Turn off blender, add sweet potatoes and blend with egg mixture until smooth, about 30 -45 seconds.

Heat oven to 350 F, then very lightly butter 6 ramekins (approx 7 oz each); alternatively, you can use a 9"glass pie plate.

Create a water bath or "Bain Marie" with a roasting pan or rectangular baking dish (whose sides are at least 2') and large enough to hold all the ramekins. Place the buttered ramekins inside and pour flan mixture to fill 3/4 the way up the sides of the molds or pie plate; add hot water from the tap to fill pan up to ½-inch up the sides of the ramekins or pie plate (creating the water bath). Carefully place in the oven for 25 minutes; check doneness by inserting the point of a small knife in the center of the custard, it should come out nearly clean with no indication of any sort of "liquid" center.

Let cool and unmold; using a large fork, "scratch" the frozen cranberry mixture to create a "granite" over top of custard. You could also reduce pure maple syrup by half in a pan and pour over top as a kind of Vermont-inspired "creme caramel." Serve immediately.

Savory Bread Pudding:
INGREDIENTS:
1 pint leftover stuffing, any kind
1 Pint half and half
4 whole eggs
1 egg yolk

METHOD:
Warm stuffing for about one minute in microwave and carefully work the mass with a fork to make sure the heat is well distributed. Heat again for another minute and work the mass again to insure that it is warmed through.

In a large bowl, blend well the eggs, yolks and half and half. Season with salt and pepper, then add warmed stuffing and combine well.

Heat oven to 350 F, and then very lightly butter 6 ramekins (approximately 7 ounces each); you can also bake in a 9 inch glass pie plate.

Create a water bath or "Bain Marie" with a roasting pan or rectangular baking dish (with sides at least 2 inches tall) and large enough to hold all the ramekins. Place the buttered ramekins inside and pour mixture to fill 3/4 the way up the sides of the molds or pie plate, then add hot water from the tap to fill pan up half-way up the sides of the ramekins or pie plate. Carefully place in the oven for 25 minutes, check doneness by inserting the point of a small knife in the center of the bread pudding, it should come out nearly clean with no indication of any sort of "liquid" center.