The flood gates have opened, the holidays are here!! So, lets plan that party and spread the good cheer!!

The holiday planning season has started with vigor!  Despite the economy, maybe even because of it, people are planning holiday gatherings with family and friends.  We have several Thanksgiving packages available for pick up and of course we offer full service catering.  We are almost sold out of pre-ordered Turduckens as they are so labor intensive and done fresh the day before!

For Christmas and Cocktail parties we have put together lots are really great packages to fit all budgets and of course, Becky, Amanda, and Jacquie are always available to customize a menu with you, arrange a tasting, or a site visit.  Please call soon as Christmas and Holiday Parties book fast during the last half of November!

Our newest facility, The RiverVine is scheduled to open next week and can accomodate groups of any size.  This new event space, on the Housatonic River in Derby has fantastic views of the river and is next to the famed Yale Boathouse!  This is the perfect place for Weddings, Bar Matzvahs, Bat Mitzvahs, School dances, Birthday Parties, Graduation Parties and more…  New Haven Counties newest wedding reception site is now in business!!

Call us for simple cost cutting holiday entertaining tips as we demonstrated on Fox News New York.  And, don’t forget to sign up for our monthly news letter on the homepage.

Turducken
Preparing a Turducken for the holiday requires a certain commitment to your dinner, a theatrical flair, and a sense of culinary adventure! A Turducken is a turkey which has been stuffed with a chicken that has been stuffed with a duck. As your guests sit at the table expecting the same old dried out turkey with no flavor they will be in total shock as you slice through this moist, tender, flavorful concoction like a loaf of bread!

Use your favorite stuffing recipe, be sure to use the giblets – that’s where the real flavor is! I used a Grand Marnier and Dried Apricot Stuffing with a little Andouille sausage to give that little extra kick!

Ingredients:
1, 18-19 pound fresh Turkey
1, 7 pound fresh Duck
1, 3-4 pound fresh Chicken
1 recipe, Dried Apricot and Grand Marnier Stuffing (recipe follows)
4 oranges
Buy the birds at your local butcher shop and bat your eyelashes until he agrees to debone them for you! This will save a LOT of time If you must debone the birds yourself get a nice bottle of wine, a good sharp paring knife, and a whole uninterrupted afternoon. You must remove every bit of bone and cartilage from the chicken and the duck. Leave the drumsticks and the wings on the turkey – they are necessary for the appearance of the final product. (Instructions on deboning follow).

To assemble the Turducken:
Lay all three birds skin side (breast) down on a clean flat surface. Starting with the turkey, press firmly into the flesh a coating of about ¾ of an inch of the stuffing. Lay the duck on top of the turkey and stuffing, spread it out repeat the process only this time use about ½ inch of stuffing. Next, lay the chicken on top and put a small mound of stuffing in the center.
Here is the tricky part… Cut 5 pieces of butchers twine into 30” lengths. You want to tie the turkey back together so that it looks like a turkey again. Slide each piece of the cut twine under the turkey. Gently fold the sides of the turkey up and tie it back together. It may take a few tries, or a few extra pieces of twine but that is ok!

Lastly, flip your bird! Turn it over and place in a roasting pan. Squeeze the juice of the oranges over the skin, cover in foil and put it in the oven at 225F. You want to cook it slow and low! You need to cook a Turducken this size for about 8 hours. During the last 2 hours you can uncover it to brown the skin. To make sure it is done stick a meat thermometer into the deepest part of the Turducken. You have to be sure that the internal temperature is 165F. Take the temperature in a couple of places to be safe. I like to serve the Turducken on a nice wooden platter garnished with apricots, currants, berries, whatever is fresh, colorful, and available.

Stand over your creation and cut right through middle with a sharp bread knife! Your guests will be amazed!

For the Dried Apricot and Grand Marnier Stuffing
Ingredients:
1 cup dried apricots; chopped coarsely
1-1/2 cups Grand Marnier Liqueur, enjoy the rest as you stuff the birds!
4 cups homemade poultry broth – make this with the carcasses of the deboned birds
The liver and heart from the turkey
2 cups celery, coarsely chopped
1 yellow onion, chopped
1 pound Andouille Sausage
1 cup Gala apple pieces, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh thyme
16 ounces bread crumbs (day old brioche is fantastic!)
Freshly ground black pepper
Kosher Salt
1 cup slivered Almonds

Instructions:
Place apricots and 1 cup Grand Marnier in a small saucepan. Heat to a boil to plump the apricots. Remove from the heat and set aside. Simmer the turkey liver and heart in just enough water to cover in a small saucepan for 5 minutes; set aside to cool

In a medium saucepan, heat chicken broth to boiling. Add celery and onion. Simmer 10 minutes or until tender.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage. Remove from heat and chop coarsley.
In a large mixing bowl, combine bread crumbs, apricots with liquid, sausage, chopped apple, onion, celery, almonds, and broth. Stir to combine. Add remaining Grand Marnier. Stir well to moisten stuffing. Season with thyme and pepper to taste.