The Tastes of Thanksgiving
Katharine Eneguess, President of White Mountains Community CollegeI walked by the Culinary Arts kitchen the other day and stopped to watch the students at work as they busily prepared the dishes for guests who had come to the college to enjoy a special luncheon. I enjoy watching all our students here at White Mountains Community College while they learn, but I have to say I may be a little bit biased towards watching the Culinary Arts students. I hope our other students don't take offense, but how many other programs produce such delicious food?
It's in the late fall that we all, I think, pay more attention to what we are eating and take more time in preparing that food. With the leaves off the trees there is a certain lack of visual stimulation and the colors gone from our foliage palette we want for our food palate.
I like the deep orange of butternut squash, and the tasty redness of cranberry sauce. It's small wonder that these are two of the main dishes that grace the traditional Thanksgiving table in late November. Not only are they made from plants that are native to North America, but their colors mimic the colors of the leaves that so recently fell from our hardwood trees.
As much as I like these dishes, we all have to agree that for Thanksgiving dinner, turkey is king. With the upcoming holiday in mind, I asked Chef Kurt Hohmeister of our Culinary Arts Program, for some hints on how to cook a perfect turkey. I also asked for a little help when it comes to making gravy. I’m not saying I haven’t mastered the art of smooth gravy, but I can always use a reminder on how to avoid those lumps!
These are the helpful hints that Kurt provided us:Turkey tip 1: Roasting at a lower temperature (300-325) will make for a moister more tender turkey.
Turkey tip 2: The turkey can finish cooking hours before serving and you can hold it in a 160 degree oven for hours and it will only get more tender and not dry out. This stops any worry about whether the turkey is done and helps insure everything else is ready at the same time.
Turkey tip 3: Always use roux (fat and flour) to thicken gravies. This will eliminate pasty flavors, grease floating on top, improve flavor, and lessen lumping. Make the roux by combining equal parts flour with rendered fat in turkey pan, add to pan, add water or stock (not hot) whip and heat and bring to a boil. If too thick add more water or stock.
We would just like to remind you, if you don't want to do your own cooking for the holiday season, many of the North Country's restaurants employ chefs who were taught by Kurt and his fellow Culinary Arts faculty members. The two-year Culinary Arts program begins with courses such as Soup, Sauces and Basic Techniques and Introduction to Baking. The skills taught in these two classes are essential to the preparation of a good holiday dinner. If your interest is in desserts, learn about all the sweet yummies by joining our new associate degree in baking and pastry arts this January, and we will share those secrets! Chef Travis Giles is the master of all things sweet!
Whether you stay in or eat out, we wish you good eating and a thankful time to reflect on this great North Country that we live in!
Back to News List11/25/2008
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