Holiday & Christmas

Particularly around the fall and winter holidays (though it came up today with the daffodils on a comment thread at chefsteps.com) readers often raise the question: can I cook a whole turkey sous vide?

The answer is sure! You just have to do it in parts!

But that’s not really what the questioners mean, of course.  They mean the whole, intact bird. And that presents a few problems for the sous vide method.  In order to cook a whole bird by the sous vide technique, you’d need a chamber vacuum sealing appliance to vacuum seal the carcass, because with a simple suction vacuum sealer, you aren’t going to be able to extract the air in the cavity of a whole bird and thus, the pouch will float and the meat will cook unevenly.  But even there, some issues arise, because you would need:

•  a chamber vacuum sealer large enough to accommodate a whole turkey.
• very large cooking safe pouches that would accommodate a whole turkey.

To get around the need for a chamber vac, you could:

• Spatchcock the bird, flatten it, and vacuum seal it, but… (see the two points above).  Spatchcocking (butterflying) is admittedly an easier technique with a game hen, chicken, or duck than with a turkey, but the same rules apply!
• Simply split the bird from neck to tail into halves and vacuum seal them (see same two points above!)

Any of these methods will let you cook a turkey more or less all at once, but, apart from the big ta-da presentation of a whole bird–even a flattened one–why would you want to do that?

One of the reasons to choose sous vide cooking is to bring out the very best in the food in question.  And the very best in white meat poultry, where it is juicy and succulent and never dry or stringy, occurs at around 146F/63.5C.  The best in dark meat poultry occurs at a somewhat hotter temperature (we like 176F/80C for turkey ourselves) which would be most unkindly hot to the muscle fibers of the white meat!

Thus, the perfect solution (and one that doesn’t require a chamber vacuum sealer, though will work with one just fine!) is to separate the turkey into fore and aft and cook the breasts as they prefer and the legs and thighs as they prefer.  The result is that you’ll have something your guests will most surely prefer — a tender, juicy, perfectly-cooked bird!

With Good Friday and Easter Sunday falling on the same weekend as Passover this year, the coming weekend promises to be a busy one full of good food and guests. But even with a packed holiday weekend approaching, there’s always room for some sous vide in your kitchen. Here are some of our Easter and Passover-approved recipes that will wow you guests … with lots of egg recipes, of course!

• Using your SousVide Supreme to color Easter eggs will quickly become one of your favorite tricks. Keep your hands and counters dye-free by using our zip pouches to dye the eggs.
• Homemade gefilte fish is a rarity these days. Good homemade gefilte fish is even rarer. You’re guaranteed a delicious hit with Yair Feinberg’s recipe for Gefilte Fish Sous Vide.
• Serve up a delicious Easter Ham and Egg Scramble Sous Vide to your guests if you’re having company for Easter brunch. Or turn brunch into a Sous Vide Omelette Party by letting your guest make their own omelettes.
• Lamb is a traditional part of both the Passover and Easter meals. Create a flavorful dish that will keep your guests talking till next year with the Herb Roasted Spring Lamb Loin Sous Vide.
• Whether you’re dashing through the garden or just observing the organized chaos, it’s important to be well-fueled for that Easter egg hunt. The Perfect Sous Vide Eggs Benedict will give you the energy you need to keep pace with even the most enthusiastic egg-hunters.
• It’s easy to overlook the hardboiled egg on a seder plate because it feels so mundane. Make even your hardboiled egg serve as a reminder of why this night is unlike all other nights by hardboiling the egg sous vide.

These aren’t our recipes, but we’re pretty crazy about them:

• A poster over at Cooking Sous Vide bought a semi-cooked supermarket smoked ham and cooked the ham sous vide. The results were so good, the poster concluded, “You will never, ever bake another ham, I guarantee.”
• Don’t let the lamb shanks from your seder go to waste! Cook them sous vide, then create Sous Vide Lamb Shank Wraps – minus the pita, of course, if you’re observing Passover.

If all these recipes aren’t enough for you, two years ago we compiled a huge post of great egg recipes from amazing food blogs like Serious Eats and Sleepless Foodie. Check out our High-Tech Easter Eggs post for tons more egg-centric recipes!

The Easiest Egg-coloring Method Ever!

Avoid all the muss and fuss (and mess and smell) of coloring eggs this spring by letting the SousVide Supreme do all the work.  With this method, you can cook and color the eggs in one easy step.  Here’s all there is to it. Per dozen eggs, you’ll need:

• 4 SousVide Supreme Zip Pouches – Quart Size
• food coloring in your favorite colors
• 1 quart (0.9 liter) water
• 8 teaspoons (40 ml) white vinegar

Instructions:

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 167F/65C.
2. Put a cup (240 ml) of water into each zip-closure bag. Add 20-40 drops food coloring, 2 teaspoons (10 ml) of the vinegar, and 3 eggs to each bag.
3. Use the Archimedes Principle to evacuate the air and seal the bags. Submerge the bags and cook at 167F/65C for 1 hour.
4. Remove the eggs from the coloring solution (which you can reuse to color another batch of eggs if you choose) and cool them in cold water for 15 to 20 minutes.
5. Refrigerate the colored eggs for up to 3 days, if planning to consume them.

Serves 2
(Easy to make in multiples, but keep each pouch to this amount for even cooking.)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 spears asparagus, trimmed and diagonally cut into 1/2-inch (1.25 cm) pieces
• 1/4 red bell pepper, seeded, cored, and diced small
• 1/4 sweet onion, peeled and diced small
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) butter
• 4 eggs, beaten well
• 2 ounces (57 g) cooked ham, diced small
• 1 ounce (30 ml) heavy cream
• 1/2 teaspoon Herbes de Provence
• Salt and pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 167F/75F.
2. In a skillet, over medium high heat, sauté the asparagus, bell pepper, and onion the butter until just tender.
3. Put the eggs, ham, veggies, cream and seasonings into a Zip Pouch and, using the displacement method (Archimedes principle), remove the air and zip the pouch closed.
4. Submerge in the water bath and cook for 15 to 18 minutes, removing the pouch every so often to massage the contents and return to the water bath.  When the eggs have reached your preferred consistency, remove the pouch and divide the scrambled eggs between two warm plates.

With Passover approaching, we asked Israeli chef Yair Feinberg if he had a great sous vide recipe for the holiday. Not only did he share his special recipe for sous vide gefilte fish, but he also wrote a guest blog post to accompany it. We thank Chef Feinberg for creating a moist, flavorful take on a traditional recipe.

‘Gefilte fish’ is a classic fare in the Ashkenazi-Jews’ kitchen. A popular holiday dish that is usually served as first course on Rosh HaShana, Pesach and Shabbath, ‘gefilte’ means stuffed. The original dish was made from chopped freshwater fish and then stuffed in Pike or Carp skin. Most modern versions have done away with stuffing the skin and instead the ‘stuffing’ itself is formed into balls (or patties) and then poached in fish stock. The dish is always prepared in advance and thus served cold and garnished with a slice of carrot and the jellied fish stock (aspic).

For this recipe I used White Drum, because I love how this fish retains most of its texture and flavor even after cooking.  The advantage of ‘sous vide’ cooking technique is that the fish gets cooked at  its ideal temperature, thus avoiding overcooking (take note that it is very easy to overcook fish). As a result, the fish remains succulent and full of flavor.

Preparing the fish stock separately allows us to reduce it to the right consistency without sacrificing flavor and texture.

As a nice twist, I added Ouzo to infuse this dish with a delicate anise flavor.

Hag Pesaj Sameach! (Happy Passover)

– Chef Yair Feinberg

Gefilte Fish Sous Vide

Ingredients
12 slices (5 ounces/150g) white drum, about 1-1/4 inch/3cm
Zest of one lemon
Zest of one orange
2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil
Salt
Ground black pepper

For the ‘Gefilte’ you will need:
1 scant pound (500 grams) white drum filet, without bones and skin (substitute striped bass, corvina, rockfish, grouper or any white, firm-fleshed fish with a small flake)
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 tablespoons (30 ml) flour (use Matzoh cake flour for Passover)
2 egg yolks
1 teaspoon (5 ml) sugar
1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) coarsely ground black pepper

For the fish stock you will need:
2 pounds (about a kilogram) fish bones and heads
2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil
1 onion, washed, peeled, and quartered
1 carrot, trimmed, washed and sliced (approx.  2cm each slice)
10 stems of parsley
1 bay leaf
2 fennel bulbs, washed, trimmed, and quartered
1/4 cup (60 ml) ouzo or arak
3 -1/4 quarts (3 liters) water
2 stars of anise

For the garnish you will need:
1 carrot peeled and sliced (approximately ½-inch/5 mm each
Minced tarragon (or parsley leaves)
12 lemon wedges

Instructions
1. Throw in all the ingredients for the ‘gefilte’ in your Thermomix (or a really powerful food processor). Mince until you have a smooth and homogenous mixture. Take care not to over-process the mixture because your machine might heat up and ‘cook’ the fish.
2. Season the mixture with salt and pepper, zests from both lemon and orange and a little bit of olive oil. Form the mixture into balls (about the size of a small lemon) and stuff them in between the fish slices. Arrange the stuffed slices inside the cooking pouches and close with a vacuum seal.
3. Arrange sealed pouches inside your SousVide Supreme which has been pre-heated at 131F/55C for 30minutes.
4. Take out pouches from your SousVide Supreme straight into a prepared ice-water bath. Leave the pouch in the ice-water bath for an hour and then transfer to your fridge until serving time.
5. Raise the temperature of your SousVide Supreme to 180F/82C, arrange sliced carrots for garnish inside cooking pouch and then vacuum seal. Cook for 15 minutes. Take them out and place the pouch in the ice-water bath for 30minutes. Transfer pouch in the fridge to cool until serving.
6. For the fish stock you will need a wide pot that can hold all the fish heads and bones. Heat pot and olive oil. Saute fish heads and bones and gently cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes (or until fish has a slightly golden color). Next, add your vegetables and let it cook till translucent (about 15 minutes). Add the Ouzo and let simmer for 3 minutes until most of the alcohol has evaporated. Add water and bring to boil. Adjust heat to low and let simmer for an hour.
7. Strain fish stock in a fine mesh strainer. Transfer to a clean pot. Add your star of anise for flavor and let simmer until it has reduced to a thick consistency. Let cool then pour into small ‘muffin’ molds and cool completely in the fridge (this is your aspic).
8. To serve, arrange a stuffed fish on each plate. Garnish with a slice of carrot and minced tarragon (or parsley) and several cubes of aspic (jellied fish stock). Don’t forget to add a wedge of lemon.

On St. Patrick’s Day, whether you’re Irish or just wish you were, there’s no better way to celebrate than with good food, good drink, and good friends! We recommend a steaming bowl of our hearty sous vide Irish Stew, a slab of hot soda bread with creamy Irish butter, and a cold Guinness to celebrate! So gather together with your friends around a pint and a bowl for the wearin’ o’ the green! You’ll find more delicious stews, soups and delicious one pot sous vide meals in our Sous Vide One Pots cookbook.

Erin go bragh!

Makes about 12 servings

Ingredients

• 2 cups (480 ml) apple cider
• 1 cup (240 ml) orange juice
• 1 (750 ml) bottle full bodied red wine, such as Zinfandel or Cabernet Sauvignon
• 1/4 cup (60 ml) honey
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) whole cloves
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) whole allspice
• 2 oranges, sliced thinly, for garnish

Instructions

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 137F/58C
2. Put all ingredients into a large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip closure pouch and, using the displacement method (Archimedes’ Principle) remove the air from the pouch and zip the seal.
3. Submerge the pouch to cook for 1 hour.
4. Strain the wine through a fine mesh sieve into a pretty punch bowl, float the orange slices atop, and serve, hot.
5. If not serving immediately, strain and return to the cooking pouch, zip the seal and quick chill in an ice bath (1/2 ice, 1/2 water) for 20 minutes and refrigerate until ready to reheat in the water oven (137F/58C for 30 minutes) or on the stovetop.
6. Serve garnished, if desired, with a thin slice of orange floated atop the wine.

Makes 750 ml

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bottle (750 ml) vodka
• Zest of 3 tangerines
• 1/2 cup (115 g) pomegranate seeds**

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 153F/67C.
2. Put all ingredients into a large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip closure cooking pouch and use the displacement method (Archimedes’ Principle) to remove the air and zip the seal.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven and cook for 2 hrs.
4. Strain the infusion (to remove the seeds and zest) and pour into a clean stoppered or screw-top bottle, cool, label, and refrigerate for up to 6 weeks. (The bottle of the vodka you used works fine.)

** Pomegranate seeds are widely available, pre-cleaned, in containers in many grocery stores. The juice of pomegranates stains hands and cutting boards (and everything else) a deep red. However, to easily seed a fresh pomegranate, put a few thicknesses of paper towel on your cutting board to catch the juice. Cut the pomegranate into quarters with a sharp knife and put the quarters into a bowl filled with water. Working in the water, gently tease the seeds away from the peel and pith with your fingers; the seeds will sink and the pith will float to the top. Scoop away and discard the peel and all bits of white pith, including any that cling to the seeds. Discard any discolored seeds.

Use it to make the Pom Pom Champagne/Prosecco Cocktail.

Adapted from a recipe of the Winecask Restaurant, Santa Barbara, CA
Makes 1 cocktail

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ounce (30 ml) Clear Creek Douglas Fir Eau de Vie
• 1 ounce (30 ml) apple brandy
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) orange juice
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) lemon juice
• 1/2 ounce (15 ml) cranberry juice
• 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) vanilla bean simple syrup
• 1/4 ounce (7.5 ml) cinnamon simple syrup
• Cinnamon sugar and orange juice for rimming glass (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Combine all ingredients in an ice shaker and shake until chilled.
2. Pour orange juice into a flat saucer. Put cinnamon sugar into a separate flat saucer.
3. Dip the rim of a cocktail stem first into the orange juice and then into the sugar to rim the glass.
4. Strain the cocktail into the rimmed glass.

Makes 1 quart (0.9 liter)

INGREDIENTS

• 4 cinnamon sticks
• 2 cups (480 ml) water
• 2 cups (383 g) castor (superfine) sugar

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat the SousVide Supreme to 190F/88C.
2. Put all sugar and water into a large (gallon/3.8 liter) zip-closure cooking pouch and whisk until the sugar has mostly dissolved then add the cinnamon sticks.
3. Use the displacement method (Archimedes’ Principle) to remove the air and zip the seal.
4. Submerge in the water oven to cook for 1 hour.
5. Remove the pouch, strain the contents into a clean, stoppered bottle, and refrigerate for up to 4 weeks.

Recipe courtesy of Lars Ringnes (SousVide Norge)
4 servings

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds (800 g) inside round of reindeer
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) pepper
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter

For the potato and celeriac mash

• 1-1/2 pounds (750 g) potato, peeled and diced
• 1-1/2 pounds (750 g) celeriac, peeled and diced
• 3 ounces (85 g) butter
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) milk
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and finely minced
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper

For the creamy chanterelle stew 

• 1 cup (60 g) chanterelles, cleaned and sliced
• 2 medium onions, peeled and sliced into thick wedges
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) butter
• 1 cup (240 ml) single cream
• 1/2 teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt
• 1/4 teaspoon (1.25 ml) pepper
• 2 tablespoons (5 g) chopped flat leaf parsley

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 135F/57C.
2. Put the meat into a cooking pouch and vacuum seal it.
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven to cook for 2 hours
4. Meanwhile, make the mash:
   1. On the stove top, put the potatoes and celeriac into a large pan of cold, unsalted water, making sure the water covers them by about 1 inch (2.5 cm); bring to a boil and cook until fork tender, about 20 to 25 minutes.
   2. Drain the vegetables and return to the hot pan to let them steam dry, stirring occasionally to avoid their burning.
   3. Mash the potatoes and celeriac with the butter, adding the milk until the mash has a smooth consistency.
   4. Season with minced garlic, nutmeg, salt and pepper. Keep warm.
5. While the potatoes are boiling, cook the chanterelles and onions on a medium heat with the butter until limp; let simmer for about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add chopped parsley just before serving.
6. Remove the meat from the water oven and pouch, pat it dry with a paper towel, and season with salt and pepper.
7. Heat a skillet on the stove top to high heat and sear the meat on all sides (or use a kitchen torch if you have one.
8. Cut the meat into steaks and plate atop the mash and stew.

Courtesy of Vivian Peterson of  V Top Secret Chef 
Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

For the turkey breast

• 2 pounds (0.9 kg) turkey breast, skin on
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) applewood smoked sea salt
• Freshly cracked pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cinnamon
• 1/4 cup (29 g) chopped chestnuts
• 1/4 cup (25 g) cranberries
• pinch sea salt
• 4-5 toothpicks
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) rendered bacon fat (save the fat from the sprouts, below)
• 1 tablespoon (14 g) pasture butter

For the brussels sprouts

• 8 pieces nitrate-free bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled
• 2 pounds (0.9 kg) Brussels’ sprouts, washed, trimmed and sliced in half
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) heavy cream
• pinch of salt and chili flakes

For the yams

• 4 garnet yams, peeled
• 2 tablespoons (28 g) pasture butter
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon (5 ml) ginger
• Salt and pepper to taste

• Fresh pomegranate seeds, for garnish, if desired

INSTRUCTIONS

For the brussels sprouts and yams

1. Fill and preheat the SousVide Supreme to 185F/85F.
2. Put all brussels sprouts ingredients into a zip-closure cooking pouch and seal using the displacement method (Archimedes Principle), remove the air and zip seal. (If using a standard vacuum seal pouch and suction vacuum, take care not to allow the liquid to enter the suction portal.)
3. Submerge the pouch in the water oven to cook for 1-1/2 hours.
4. Cut garnet yams into round slices, about 1/2-inch (1.3 cm) thick.
5. In a small bowl combine the butter and spices.
6. Put the yams and butter mixture into a cooking pouch and vacuum seal.
7. Submerge in the water oven along with the Brussels’ spouts and cook for 1 and 1/2 hours.
8. When the vegetables have cooked, drop the temperature of the water oven to 140F/60C for the turkey. You may leave the vegetables in the water oven to stay warm (they won’t over cook) or remove the pouches from the water oven and submerge them in an ice water bath (½ ice and ½ water) for 20 to 30 minutes and refrigerate until 30 minutes before serving.

For the turkey breast and serve

1. Rub the skin of the turkey breast with applewood smoked sea salt and fresh cracked pepper.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the chestnuts, cranberries, cinnamon, nutmeg and a pinch of the salt.
3. Gently stuff the seasoning mixture under the turkey breast skin and pin down with toothpicks, so that it secures it tightly.
4. Heat a skillet over high heat; melt a tablespoon of bacon fat in it and sear the turkey breast, skin side down, in the pan until it is golden brown.
5. Let it cool slightly, put it into a cooking pouch with the butter, and vacuum seal it.
6. Submerge the pouch in the water oven to cook for at least 4 hours.
7. (If reheating the vegetables, put them into the water oven with the turkey for at least 30 minutes.)
8. When the turkey has cooked, remove it from the pouch, and pat dry with paper towels.
9. Heat a skillet on the stovetop and sear the breast once again to get the skin crispy.
10. Remove toothpicks and let the meat rest for 5 minutes before slicing into it.
11. Brussels’ sprouts and yams are good to go straight from the pouch. Simply pour into a serving bowl.
12. Garnish the plate with a few scattered fresh pomegranate seeds for a festive holiday touch!