Chapter Three

THE FOREST

Our house sits right where the southern and the northern forest come together, between Mt. Agamenticus, one of the largest undeveloped forests in coastal New England, and the sea. It’s one of the most diverse ecological areas as well with an impressive variety of rare plant and animal species like wild onions, winterberry, and sassafras as well as myriad wild mushrooms and ferns. We walk in it, run in it and we’re privileged to have it right outside our back door. We have some of the best water we’ve ever tasted too, sweet and crystal clear from five watersheds that run off from the Mountain.

It’s easy to think that this forest was untouched when the settlers arrived, but that’s not the case. The Penacook tribe cultivated here and had a managed ecosystem. When the settlers came, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, and Southern Maine became wealthy because of the timber industry and cleared the land in a more industrial way for farming and orchards. Now, when we look out the back door of Arrows, we see forests that one hundred years ago we would not have seen. We see wild apple trees there from old orchards, overgrown meadows from past cultivation, and rock walls that separated pastureland.

This forest is really only about a century old, but it’s rich with wildlife and with food. Even if the land isn’t cleared for farms, Mainers will scour the forest floor for wild mushrooms, fiddleheads, thickets of wild blueberries and raspberries, cranberry bogs, acorns, and honey. And while Vermont and New Hampshire get all the credit, Maine has wonderful maple syrup as well.

Mainers really get giddy in the early spring when the grass turns green and we can hear the peepers in the long night. That’s when the royal trio of the season begins to arrive—ferns with the curly, crunchy tops we call fiddleheads; sharp, wild onions known as ramps; and the exotic to some, but not at all to us, coveted morel mushrooms. Long into the fall, we go out with the staff to forage for golden peppery chanterelles, huge hen-of-the-woods growing from oak bark—yes, they do taste like chicken—and the robust black trumpets great for sautéing or even tempura. There are huge rocky fields of wild blueberries. We’re bombarded with TV, tweets, and texts but what we really need to do is slow down and take a look at what’s right outside. That hillside we’re driving past at sixty-five miles per hour is filled with blueberries and look, that black and gray patch is filled with the most delicious mushrooms.

Then there is the game from the forest. We’ve become such an urban society that many Americans avoid rabbit and venison or pheasant and quail. They think it’s strong tasting and tough, but now local farms are raising these game animals and birds and they’re delicious. It’s really not what one thinks it is. It’s flavorful and not loaded with fat and chemicals. It’s easy to cook too. Cooking venison can be as simple as grilling a steak, or chicken. Every year we do game dinners, and frequently our diners are a little apprehensive, but when they sit at the table they start to see it as an opportunity to learn something they didn’t know. We’re learning all the time that all around us is this food that just tastes really good.

FIDDLEHEAD FERNS with BROWN BUTTER

BECAUSE OUR WINTERS ARE SO LONG, WE GET VERY EXCITED AT THE FIRST SIGNS of spring. Out come the cell phones to take photos of those first signs only to have our friends on the West Coast ask us why we just sent them a picture of a bleak winter. One of the most enjoyable things to find when spring first arrives are the ferns in the forest, which seem to burst within minutes after we hear the first peepers and see the first purple crocus coming up through the dense earth. On the tops of the ferns are the fiddleheads, and we’ve found plenty of ways to cook them, although it’s easy to cook them badly. It’s important to cook them long enough, but they’re hideous when undercooked too. Fern mush is no one’s favorite. When cooked just right, and with brown butter that imparts a nuttiness to the super green fern, we wager you’ll never find a better way.

YIELD: 6 SIDE DISH SERVINGS

2 quarts water

½ teaspoon kosher salt

4 cups fiddleheads

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¼ teaspoon lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring the water and salt to a boil in a large pot. Add the fiddleheads and blanch for 1 minute. Drain and plunge them immediately into an ice bath. Remove the fiddleheads as soon as they are cool. Melt the butter in a saucepan on medium-high heat and cook until just brown. Turn the heat to low and then add the lemon juice and the fiddleheads. Season with salt and pepper to taste and cook until the fiddleheads are fork tender. Serve at once.

FIDDLING WITH FIDDLEHEADS

THE COILED LEAVES OF THE FERN JUST BEGINNING TO BURST through the earth are called “fiddleheads” because they look something like the carved decorative piece on the top of a violin or cello. All ferns have them but the ostrich fern reigns supreme as the tastiest. We get them in Maine in the early spring and for just a few months you’ll find them in salads, custards, omelets, quiche, and with grilled steak in just about every home in the state. We’ve even seen them made into ice cream.

The ostrich fern fiddleheads are about an inch in diameter with a deep groove on the inside of the stem and a light scale-like covering on the unfurled fern. Get them before they open and start to grow because at that point they’re inedible. They should be very green and wrapped up tight. Some liken the flavor to asparagus, and they do have a “grassy,” earthy flavor.

We find them near the banks of rivers and streams in our area and pick them when they are about an inch or two out of the ground. It’s important to wash them well several times until the water runs clean. They can be steamed, boiled, sautéed, and pickled, but we have yet to make them into ice cream.

GRILLED RAMPS

LIKE THE FIDDLEHEADS AND MOREL MUSHROOMS, RAMPS ARE ANOTHER SIGN OF spring. At our restaurants we are excited to offer all three together as soon as they mature. While they look like the average scallion, wild ramps have an intense onion flavor with a touch of sweetness. These grilled ramps are great draped over meat or fish, or served as a first course in a salad.

YIELD: 6 SIDE DISH SERVINGS

24 ramps

½ cup olive oil

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Rinse the ramps and peel off the outer layer. Trim off the ends. Toss the ramps in the olive oil and season with the salt and pepper. Grill lengthwise until slightly translucent, about 2 minutes each side. Serve at once.

MUSHROOM PIE

IT TOOK A LOT MORE OF OUR TIME THAN WE EXPECTED TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO get this just right, but after many years, we nailed the texture and the moisture. You can use the common domestic mushroom if you’re on a budget and it will still taste luxurious. Or if you like, use more exotic m ushrooms—there are plenty in the supermarket or at the farmers’ markets. A slice of mushroom pie and a salad with a green vegetable makes a great dinner. It’s hearty enough for fall or winter and makes a good side dish for a holiday meal.

YIELD: 6 SLICES

PIECRUST

2 cups all-purpose flour

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold butter, cut into small cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup ice water

 

FILLING

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped Spanish onions

1 pound domestic mushrooms, sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

2 cups heavy cream

1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme

1 teaspoon chopped chives

1 teaspoon chopped fresh parsley

½ cup sour cream

½ cup grated Reggiano cheese

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

4 large eggs, beaten

FOR THE PIECRUST: Place the flour in a food processor and add the butter cubes, a few at a time, pulsing to mix. The piecrust can also be mixed by hand. Add the salt and pulse again. With the processor running, add the ice water, a little at a time, until the mixture begins to form a dough but is not too wet. It should just hold together. Place on a cutting board and knead six times until all the cubes of butter are incorporated. Make a ball, wrap in plastic, and chill for 1 hour. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Roll out the dough and press it into a 9-inch tart shell. Line the tart shell with parchment paper and fill with dried beans or a pie weight. Bake for 15 minutes.

FOR THE FILLING: Increase the oven temperature to 400°F. In a skillet melt the butter over medium heat and then sauté the onions until translucent. Add the mushrooms and cook until all liquid is gone. Add the flour and cream. Cook until thick, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the herbs, sour cream, and Reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let the mixture cool and then add the Gruyère cheese and the beaten eggs. Place the mixture in the pre-baked shell and bake until the crust is lightly brown and the filling is firm, about 20 minutes. Cool for 15 to 20 minutes. Slice and serve.

MUSHROOM SOUP with SOUR CREAM

THIS IS A DECADENT AND LUXURIOUS HOLIDAY DISH, THE PERFECT WAY TO START A festive occasion. We often serve it as a first course for a Christmas meal, calories be damned! You can just walk it off the next day. Serve this with an old-fashioned wine pairing, such as a dry sherry, which is traditionally served with cream of mushroom soup. Lustau Solera from East India, unique but inexpensive, would be perfect.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

6 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 cup finely chopped Spanish onions

2 pounds domestic mushrooms, sliced

1 quart chicken stock

2 cups heavy cream

1 cup sour cream plus some for garnish

Chives, for garnish

Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Sauté the onions in the butter until soft. Add the mushrooms and cook until soft and dark brown. Add the chicken stock and cook for 10 minutes. Lower the heat, add the cream, and cook for 10 more minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Blend in a food processor or blender in batches until smooth. Incorporate a little of the sour cream in the mushroom purée, return it all to the soup pot and then add the rest of the sour cream to the soup. Warm the soup in a pot over medium heat. When hot, divide into bowls and top with a dollop of sour cream and chopped chives.

FORAGING

THERE’S NOTHING MORE ENJOYABLE THAN GOING THROUGH THE forest and finding something you can take home for dinner. We have many varieties of mushrooms in Maine, two thousand in fact, but only a few show up on the table in our restaurants. Don’t go out and find your own unless you have proper training or go out with an expert, although foragers guard their favorite spots like Egyptian tombs. Edible and Medicinal Mushrooms of New England and Eastern Canada by Maine’s own David L. Spahr or Foraging New England: Finding, Identifying, and Preparing Edible Wild Foods and Medicinal Plants from Maine to Connecticut by Tom Seymour are two books we suggest that will help get you started, but here are some of the mushrooms we like to find and taste. Some say you should never wash mushrooms with water, just sweep off the dirt with a small, soft brush, but it’s okay to use a little water as long as you dry them immediately and well so the water isn’t absorbed into the spongy mushroom. There’s no need to peel them, in fact, peeling will remove much of their flavor.

 

 

PORCINI. Also called Cepe, Steinpilz, or King Bolete, you’ll find these robust mushrooms in Italian and French cuisine as well as here in our own native New England fare. We get them in the early fall and love to use them in tarts, pasta dishes, and eggs.

OYSTER. With its hint of anise and thick flesh, autumn’s oyster mushrooms are perfect with beef, pork, and lamb, but we also love them just sautéed in a rich first-pressed olive oil and drizzled with aged balsamic vinegar as a first course. They’re particularly good in a stir-fry with Asian ingredients, a little ginger, a touch of soy, and some tender beef—an easy, delicious meal.

CHANTERELLE. There’s gold in the forest during the late summer in Maine, and we look for these prized mushrooms long into the fall. They’re meaty, fragrant with touches of peach and pepper, and are wonderful in all kinds of cooking. They’re terrific in egg and potato dishes and can even be pickled.

BLACK TRUMPET. Just a gorgeous mushroom, purple-black, soft yet chewy, black trumpet has a subtle sweetness with a buttery finish. Sound a bit like a fine wine? We treat them that way, savoring the delicate trumpet all summer and fall. Use in soups, stews, and stirfries, with fish, eggs, and poultry, or just sauté in fresh creamy butter.

HEN-OF-THE-WOODS (OR MAITAKE). Around Labor Day, this versatile mushroom looks like a scaly mess, some weighing as much as ten pounds, but they’re absolutely delicious. Luckily, they dry well, so if your friends don’t call “dibs” on some of your harvest, dry them or freeze them raw for winter cooking. Subtly flavored with a bit of a citrus, you can even grind them up into a powder after drying and use the powder as a seasoning.

CHICKEN-OF-THE-WOODS. Like Hen-of-the-Woods, these mushrooms grow around tree trunks and have a similar petal-like construction, but their flavor is very different. It does have a bit of chicken flavor and is great in pasta and risotto or simply sautéed in butter with garlic and herbs.

MOREL. All of Maine’s edible mushrooms are delicious, so it’s with some reluctance that we say, “We’ve saved the best for last,” but we really have. The flavor of morels is so intense and unique, we count the days until they come up in the spring. Try these lightly breaded and fried just like tempura or, as always, simply sautéed in butter. They’ll make a great flavoring for sauces for chicken, shrimp, and flank steak. Never eat these raw. Cooking takes away toxins. You’ll also need to be more careful when cleaning; the deep grooves in these mushrooms hold plenty of hidden soil.

ROASTED QUAIL with CHESTNUT STUFFING

WE ALWAYS ASSOCIATE WARM FAMILY HOLIDAYS WITH CHESTNUTS. THERE’S something to the whole “chestnuts roasting on an open fire” thing, and they are delicious right out of the oven or hearth. We almost lost chestnuts in America due to a blight in the early 1900s, but since the 1930s, efforts have been made to bring them back. We’re glad they’re back so we can make this elegant dish, a terrific showcase for these sweet and nutty treats. No one’s going to stuff a quail for a casual family night, but they will when company is coming or for a night of romance. This dish is lovely paired with our Mushroom Pie (page 139) or Mushroom Soup with Sour Cream (page 140). Serve it with a good quality Pinot Noir or an elegant red Burgundy. Serve two quail as a hearty main course or one for an appetizer or lighter supper.

YIELD: 6 APPETIZER SERVINGS OR DOUBLE FOR 6 ENTRÉES

1½ cups chestnuts

½ pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided

1 cup finely chopped Spanish onion

½ cup chopped celery

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

4 cups diced and dried sourdough bread

¼ cup chicken stock

6 (3-ounce) quail

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Score an X into the chestnuts and boil in a pot of water for 5 minutes. Peel them while hot, but not hot enough to burn your hands. After they are peeled, finely chop the chestnuts. Melt 12 tablespoons (1½ sticks) of the butter in a skillet over medium heat and sauté the onion, celery, thyme, and chestnuts until the onions are translucent. Put the diced bread in a large bowl and pour the chestnut mixture over the bread. Boil the chicken stock in a pot and pour it over the bread mixture. Wait for the stuffing to cool and then stuff each quail, dividing the stuffing equally.

While the stuffing is cooling, preheat the oven to 400°F. Place the quail in the oven on a cookie sheet greased with 1 teaspoon of the butter. Melt the remaining butter in a small skillet and pour on top of the quails. Season with salt and pepper to taste and then roast until the internal temperature of the stuffing is 130°F. Serve at once.

CORN FRITTERS with MAPLE SYRUP

FRITTERS ARE VERY BIG IN OLD-YANKEE COOKING AND WHILE FRIED FOOD WASN’T a huge tradition in New England, there were some dishes you’d see over and over including donuts and boat steerers, but we just call them corn fritters. It might be worth your while to invest in a small deep fryer if you think you might make these or our crab or clam fritters on a regular basis. If not, just use a deep heavy pot and invest in a deep-fat thermometer. By adding corn and thyme to this pâte â choux pastry, you have a great “corn fritter.”

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

1 cup water

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt

⅛ cup unsalted butter

1 cup all-purpose flour

5 eggs

2 cups shucked corn, blanched

2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

3 cups canola oil

Combine the water, salt, and butter in a heavy 2-quart saucepan and bring to a boil. Add the flour all at once and stir until very smooth with a wooden spoon, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat. Allow to cool for 3 minutes in the saucepan. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating with the wooden spoon thoroughly after each addition. The paste should be smooth and shiny. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes. Add the corn and thyme and stir in gently. Cook the dough by dropping tablespoons into a deep fryer. Cook until they float and are golden, about 3 minutes. You can practice with one to check the time by cooking and then breaking open to check for doneness. They should not be too runny or liquid inside.

GRILLED RABBIT with JUNIPER and BAY LEAVES

RABBIT IS QUICKLY RESURGING IN POPULARITY IN AMERICAN COOKING. IT WAS wildly popular until World War II. After that, Americans clamored to get their food out of a box, and we forgot that food didn’t come out of TV tins or a cell ophane package in the supermarket. Now, with the return to artisan-raised livestock and game, where the old ways have become new again, we can even get rabbit in the supermarket. There are some important things to keep in m ind when cooking rabbit, and number one is that you have to brine rabbit to make it tender and not dry. It only takes about an hour and a half to brine and requires virtually no effort. It is also essential to marinate rabbit to keep it from drying out when grilling. Juniper and bay are a traditional combination when cooking wild game, and they impart intense, unexpected flavors. Ask your butcher to break down the whole rabbit for you.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

9 quarts cold water

9 tablespoons kosher salt

24 peppercorns

3 rabbits, cut into hind legs and saddle, with rib cage removed

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

24 bay leaves, crushed

¾ cup juniper berries

Make a brine solution by combining the cold water with the salt and peppercorns. Place the rabbit pieces in the brine and let sit for 1½ hours.

Remove the rabbit from the brine, and place the rabbit pieces in a bowl with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Marinate for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat a grill to medium high. Place the crushed bay leaves and the juniper berries in the rabbit. Grill until the meat is brown on one side, about 10 minutes, and then flip and brown the other side. Divide the rabbit among six plates and serve.

GRILLED VENISON with HUCKLEBERRY SAUCE

HUNTING IS STILL A TRADITIONAL PART OF LIFE IN MAINE AND FOR MANY FAMILIES, a necessity. There are now farmers who are raising venison, so it’s available year-round. If your family isn’t used to it, we’re here to tell you, there’s nothing weird about the flavor and texture of venison. In fact, many who’ve tried it for the first time say it’s the “best tenderloin of beef” they’ve ever had. Nowadays, people are turning to leaner meats like bison and venison, and a saddle, the loin of the venison, is tender, lean, and delicious. The huckleberry sauce here adds brilliant color. We’ve had a bumper crop of huckleberries in our garden for a number of years. At first we used it in desserts, but then experimented, using it with savory dishes. It’s very traditional in Yankee cooking to use fruits with meat, and it adds brilliant color and a lightly sweet flavor. Obviously this isn’t a dish you’ll make every day so crack open that great red Meritage wine, fine quality Cabernet, or red Bordeaux you’ve been saving for that special occasion. Serve it with our Root Cellar Gratin (page 275).

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

1 quart beef stock

2 cups fresh or frozen huckleberries

½ cup red wine vinegar

½ cup sugar

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 venison loins (about 2½ pounds total)

¼ cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Simmer the beef stock in a heavy saucepan until the liquid is reduced to ½ cup. Place the huckleberries, vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper in a stainless steel pot and cook on medium heat until thick and syrupy. Add the reduced beef stock and simmer until combined.

Heat the grill as hot as it will go. Toss the venison in the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Grill the venison for 3 minutes per side for medium rare (about 5 minutes per side for medium). Take the venison off the heat and let it rest for 4 minutes. Slice the venison, place the sauce on a hot platter, and arrange the meat on top. Serve at once.

A MAINER’S THANKSGIVING

THANKSGIVING IN NEW ENGLAND MEANS GOING TO THE PLACE where it all started, and we like to include those classic ingredients in our holiday meal as well as dishes from our own family heritage. On our table we’ll have our famous prosciutto paired with the old-time Johnnycakes and cranberries from nearby bogs with molasses as well as dishes from the sea, such as the delicate peekytoe crab, an ingredient that gives a nod to our seafarers.

Many Mainers take advantage of our natural food resources at Thanksgiving including oyster stuffing, mashed potatoes made from huge Maine potatoes, and cornbread using corn dried after the summer’s harvest. In Maine at Thanksgiving time, bagging one of our native birds makes any Mainer a hero, at least at the dinner table. Their meat is richer than their domestic counterparts and they’ve been ranging on the delicious fruits of the forests for additional great flavor.

We’re never surprised to see lobster on the Thanksgiving table either. While there might not have been any potatoes or even turkey at the first “thanksgiving,” more like ducks and geese as well as venison, records do show that there were lobster and clams at the first harvest feast in 1621 at Plymouth. Every year the cry goes up, “Is lobster the new turkey?” It could very well be, but we wouldn’t want to miss our turkey and stuffing.

Mark’s Traditional Turkey Dinner

AT ARROWS, WE BRINE OUR TURKEYS IN AN ANTIQUE CLAW-FOOT bathtub because we need to cook so many for our annual Thanksgiving dinner. We think brining is crucial to making a moist turkey. When we were on the Today Show a few years ago they asked if we needed anything for our segment. We asked for an antique claw-foot bathtub, and they got us one! Al Roker had a blast throwing the turkeys into the tub. After dinner is served to our restaurant guests, and they’ve gone home happy, we sit down with the entire staff and have our own turkey dinner. It’s our tradition to tell our most embarrassing story of the year, and there are some doozies. In Maine at Thanksgiving time, you’ll see wild turkeys all over the place, trucking over the overpass on I-95 or right in the backyard.

Menu

PROSCIUTTO WITH POMEGRANATES
JOHNNYCAKES WITH PEEKYTOE CRAB
HERB-BRINED TURKEY WITH PEAR GRAVY
CRANBERRY COMPOTE WITH GINGER AND MOLASSES
BOSTON BROWN BREAD STUFFING WITH SAUSAGE AND TARRAGON
YUKON GOLD POTATO AND WILD MUSHROOM GRATIN
WARM BRUSSELS SPROUTS SALAD (PAGE 121)
CARAMEL-PUMPKIN PIE WITH MINCEMEAT ICE CREAM

Prosciutto with Pomegranates

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

24 prosciutto slices

2 pomegranates, separated into pips

Extra virgin olive oil

Freshly ground black pepper

Divide the prosciutto slices among eight plates. Arrange the pomegranate pips decoratively around the plate. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with freshly ground pepper to taste.

 

 

NOTE: To remove the pips, first peel the pomegranate by cutting off the top and then scooping out the core. Try not to disturb the seeds. Score the outer rind in quarters with a sharp knife. Pull apart the sections. Peel off the white skin around the seeds and invert the skin. The seeds will pop out. To make it easier, place the cut pieces in a bowl of cold water to separate the seeds. The white part will float.

Fohnnycakes with Peekytoe Crab

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

 

 

9 ounces fresh Peekytoe crabmeat or other fresh crabmeat

¾ cup mayonnaise (see Herb Mayonnaise, page 49, but omit the herbs)

½ cup finely chopped fresh chives

1½ teaspoons lemon juice

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Johnnycakes (page 80)

Mix the crabmeat, mayonnaise, chives, and lemon juice in a medium bowl to blend. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Make the Johnnycakes according to the recipe. Divide them among eight plates and top with the crab mixture.

Herb-Brined Turkey with Pear Gravy

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

TURKEY

5 gallons water

1 (1-pound) box coarse kosher salt

½ cup whole black peppercorns

½ cup fresh thyme sprigs

½ cup fresh marjoram sprigs

½ cup fresh sage sprigs

12 bay leaves

1 (13-pound) turkey

4 tablespoons butter, at room temperature

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

 

PEAR GRAVY

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

½ cup all-purpose flour

2 cups low-salt chicken broth

1 cup pear juice

2 tablespoons dark rum

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

3 tablespoons chopped fresh marjoram

FOR THE TURKEY: Select a container large enough to hold the turkey. Add the water and the salt and stir until the salt dissolves. Stir in the peppercorns, thyme, marjoram, sage, and bay leaves. Add the turkey to the brine. Place a large plate on top of the turkey to submerge it. Place in a cold place and soak for 8 to 10 hours.

Remove the turkey from the brine. Rinse and pat dry. Preheat the oven to 450°F. Place the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan. Rub the butter over the turkey. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Place the turkey in the oven and reduce the heat to 325°F. Roast until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 175°F, about 2½ hours. Transfer the turkey to a platter and tent with foil. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before carving.

FOR THE PEAR GRAVY: Spoon off the fat from the drippings in the roasting pan, reserving ¼ cup of fat. Measure ⅔ cup of pan juices and set aside. Melt the butter and the reserved fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Mix in the flour. Stir and cook until light brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the chicken broth, pear juice, and the pan juices. Simmer until thickened, stirring frequently, about 10 minutes. Stir in the rum. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle the turkey with marjoram and serve with the gravy.

Cranberry Compote with Ginger and Molasses

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

4 cups fresh cranberries

1½ cups water

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot

¼ cup light molasses

Kosher salt

Combine the cranberries, the water, sugar, ginger, and shallot in a large heavy nonreactive saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Cover the pan and cook until the berries burst, about 10 minutes. Stir in the molasses. Season with salt to taste. Cool to room temperature. Cover and chill until cold, about 5 hours. This dish can be made one week ahead if kept in the refrigerator.

Boston Brown Bread Stuffing with Sausage and Tarragon

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

1 (16-ounce) can Boston brown bread, cut into ½ -inch cubes.

½ pound soft Italian bread, crusts trimmed, cut into ½ -inch cubes.

4 ounces Italian sausage, crumbled

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup chopped Spanish onion

¼ cup chopped fresh chives

3 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1½ cups low-sodium chicken broth

Preheat the oven to 250°F. Divide all the bread cubes between two rimmed cookie sheets. Bake until the bread is dry, about 1½ hours. Transfer the bread to a large bowl. Sauté the sausage in a large sauté pan until cooked through and browned, about 12 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the sausage to paper towels. Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the drippings in the sauté pan. Add the butter to the sauté pan and melt over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until soft, about 7 minutes. Add the sautéed onion, the chives, tarragon, salt, pepper, and sausage to the bowl with the bread. Toss to combine. This can be prepared one day ahead if covered and refrigerated.

Butter a 9 x 9-inch baking dish. Add the chicken broth to the bread mixture and toss to moisten. Transfer the stuffing to the buttered dish. Cover the stuffing with foil and bake for 40 minutes. Uncover and bake until lightly browned on top, about 20 more minutes.

yukon Gold Potato and Wild Mushroom Gratin

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

7 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

12 ounces assorted fresh wild mushrooms, sliced

3 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes

1½ teaspoons kosher salt, divided

¾ teaspoon ground black pepper, divided

2 cups heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Melt 6 tablespoons of the butter in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms and sauté until brown and soft, about 6 minutes. Generously butter an 11 x 7-inch baking dish with the remaining butter. Peel and cut the potatoes into ⅛inch-thick slices. Arrange two layers of potatoes in the buttered dish. Spoon one-third of the mushrooms over the potatoes. Sprinkle with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Repeat two more times with the same proportions of potatoes, mushrooms, salt, and pepper. Pour the cream over the potatoes. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 45 minutes. Uncover and continue baking until golden brown and set, about 20 minutes longer. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

Caramel-Pumpkin Pie with Mincemeat Ice Cream

YIELD: 8 SERVINGS

CRUST

1⅓ cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon sugar

½ teaspoon kosher salt

3 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes

3 tablespoons chilled lard, cut into ½-inch cubes

2 tablespoons (or more) ice water

 

FILLING

⅔ cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

2 tablespoons unsalted butter

¾ cup half-and-half

⅔ cup whipping cream

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

1 cup canned pumpkin puree

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

¾ teaspoon ground ginger

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon kosher salt

FOR THE CRUST, mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a food processor. Add the butter and the lard, using the pulse, and process until a coarse meal forms. Add 2 tablespoons of ice water and process until moist clumps form, adding more ice water by teaspoonsful if the mixture is dry. Form the dough into a ball. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

Roll out the dough onto a floured surface until it’s a 12-inch round. Transfer to a 9-inch diameter pie dish. Fold the overhang under the rim and crimp the edges decoratively. Chill for 1 hour.

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bake the crust until the edges begin to brown, pressing the crust with the back of a fork if bubbles form, about 15 minutes. Cool slightly. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F.

Meanwhile, make the filling. Dissolve the sugar in the water in a saucepan over medium heat. Increase the heat and boil without stirring until the sugar turns dark amber, occasionally swirling the pan and brushing the sides with a pastry brush, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat. Whisk in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time. Stir in the half-and-half and the cream, stirring until the caramelized bits dissolve.

Whisk the 2 whole eggs and 1 yolk in a bowl to blend. Whisk in the pumpkin, cinnamon, ginger, cloves, and salt. Gradually whisk the caramel mixture into the pumpkin mixture. Transfer the filling to the crust. Bake until puffed and set in the center, about 50 minutes. Cool the pie on a rack.

Mincemeat Ice Cream

YIELD: ABOUT 5½ CUPS

VANILLA ICE CREAM

2 cups heavy whipping cream

2 cups whole milk

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

10 large egg yolks

1½ cups sugar

 

MINCEMEAT

2 Golden Delicious apples (about 1½ pounds), peeled, cored, and cut into ¾ -inch cubes

1½ cups raisins

1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped

1 cup sugar

¾ cup apple cider

¼ cup Calvados (apple brandy)

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

2½ tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon ground cloves

½ teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

FOR THE ICE CREAM: Mix the whipping cream and the milk in a large heavy saucepan. Scrape in the seeds from the vanilla bean and add the bean itself. Bring to a simmer and then remove from the heat. Whisk the yolks and the sugar in a bowl to blend. Gradually whisk the hot cream mixture into the yolk mixture. Return the mixture to the saucepan. Stir over medium heat until the mixture thickens and leaves a path on the back of a spoon when your finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes. Strain this custard into a bowl and chill, covered, about 4 hours.

FOR THE MINCEMEAT: Bring all of the ingredients to a boil in a heavy saucepan. Reduce the heat to medium and cook until almost all of the liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Discard the cinnamon stick. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours.

Process the custard in an ice cream maker. Transfer the ice cream to a bowl. Fold in 3 cups of the cold mincemeat. Cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours.

TURKEY POT PIE

WHEN EVERYONE IS SICK OF LEFTOVERS, THIS IS SOMETHING DIFFERENT TO DO with turkey. Meat pies are very traditional European fare and our French Canadian neighbors love to cook them too.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

FILLING

8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped red onion

1 cup chopped carrots

2 cups quartered button mushrooms

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

½ cup all-purpose flour

3 cups chicken or turkey stock

3 cups peeled, cubed potatoes, cooked

1 pound leftover roasted turkey, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 teaspoon kosher salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

 

PASTRY

2½ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ cup unsalted butter

⅓ cup ice water

FOR THE FILLING: Heat the butter in a sauté pan and sauté the celery, onion, carrots, mushrooms, and thyme for 2 minutes on medium heat. Add the flour and cook for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add the stock and slowly bring to a boil. Add the potatoes and turkey and remove from the heat. Pour the mixture into a shallow dish and allow to cool.

FOR THE PASTRY: Preheat the oven to 325°F. Place the flour and salt in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Cut the butter into ¼-inch cubes and add to the dry ingredients. Using your hands, cut the butter into the flour until the mixture forms pea-size pieces. Add the water and gently form into a dough, without over-mixing.

Once the filling is completely cool, roll out the dough into two pieces and place one piece in the bottom of a 10-inch pie pan. Place the turkey filling in the pan and cover with another layer of dough. Crimp the edges together to seal. Cut vents in the top layer of the dough to allow steam to escape. Bake until the filling is gently bubbling and until the crust is golden brown, about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool for 20 minutes before serving. Serve with all of your leftover vegetables or a salad.

TURKEY BREAKFAST SAUSAGE

TURKEY IS A HEALTHY ALTERNATIVE TO PORK AS WELL AS A SAVORY SUBSTITUTE for those who don’t eat pork. People tend to try to make turkey taste like pork in sausages but it’s not like it at all so even if you love the usual pork sausage, try this in your sausage biscuits and gravy or with your eggs for a very different flavor. You don’t even need to use casings, just make patties.

MAKES 1 POUND SAUSAGE

1 tablespoon cornstarch

2 tablespoons cold water

¼ cup finely chopped onion

1 teaspoon chopped garlic cloves

1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

½ teaspoon chili flakes

⅓ cup finely chopped fatback

1 pound ground turkey

2 tablespoons kosher salt

⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

⅛ cup maple syrup

Mix the cornstarch with the cold water. In a bowl mix together all of the other ingredients. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the turkey mixture and combine. Form into patties and sauté over medium-high heat or cook on a hot grill. Serve at once.

ROASTED DUCK with GARLIC and THYME

DUCK IS ONE OF THOSE DISHES THAT CAN TURN INTO A HORRIBLE FIASCO WITH friends and family complaining it’s greasy and tough, but this cooking method is just about foolproof. The water keeps it tender and moist, and the heat removes the fat. Like all things, starting with the right ingredients is very helpful so be sure to choose a good-quality duck, such as a Long Island variety, and while duck freezes well, fresh is always best. Serve this duck with wild rice, our Peach Chutney (page 290), and roasted vegetables.

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

2 (5-pound) fresh ducks

6 garlic cloves, cut into ⅛ -inch pieces

24 sprigs of thyme

3 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

¾ teaspoon kosher salt

¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven 500°F. Stuff each duck with half the garlic and sprigs of thyme, divided evenly. Sprinkle the top of the duck with chopped thyme, salt, and pepper. Place ½ inch of water in a roasting pan. Place the ducks in the roasting pan, breast side up, and place in the oven. Turn the temperature down to 400°F. Flip the duck after 30 minutes and again after another 30 minutes. The bird should appear golden brown and the leg should move easily. If it is not yet done, roast the ducks for another 15 minutes. Remove the ducks from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board. Allow the birds to rest for 10 minutes. Carve the ducks and give each person some of the breast meat, leg, and thigh.

ROASTED DUCK with LINGONBERRY SAUCE

MAINERS LOVE THEIR MEAT WITH FRUIT AND WE HAVE MUCH TO CHOOSE FROM. Lingonberries are from even further north than Maine, far up in Canada, and they’re often called high-bush blueberries. While they used to be stored in sawdust and peat in the old days, now you can get them in cans in the supermarket. They’re much like cranberries and their bold tartness will cut the fat of the duck. Experiment with different berries from tart to sweet, such as raspberries and blackberries. Serve with our Corn Pudding (page 102), Root Cellar Gratin (page 275), or Grilled Ramps (page 138).

YIELD: 6 SERVINGS

2 cups red wine

1 cup port wine

2 cinnamon sticks

2 star anise

¼ teaspoon ground cloves

¼ teaspoon cardamom

Juice and zest of 2 oranges

Juice and zest of 2 lemons

16 ounces lingonberry jam

2 (5-pound) fresh ducks

Preheat the oven to 500°F. In a nonreactive saucepan over medium heat, cook the red wine, port, cinnamon, star anise, cloves, cardamom, orange juice and zest, and lemon juice and zest until the mixture is reduced by one-half. Remove the cinnamon sticks and add the jam. Stir and heat the sauce. Drizzle the sauce on the duck to baste and reserve some of the sauce for basting during cooking. Place ½ inch water in a roasting pan. Place the ducks in the roasting pan and place in the oven. Reduce the temperature to 400°F. Flip the duck after 30 minutes. Baste periodically. Flip again after another 30 minutes. The bird should appear golden brown and the leg should move easily. If it is not yet done, roast the duck for another 15 minutes. Remove the ducks from the roasting pan and place on a cutting board. Allow the birds to rest for 10 minutes. Carve the duck and give each person some of the breast, leg, and thigh meat. Serve the remainder of the sauce on the side.