Beggars Purses Filled With Shrimp And Scented With Lemon And Thyme Recipes

PROSECCO-ROASTED TURKEY WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Position an oven rack in the lowest position (remove the other racks); preheat to 350 degrees F. Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey and set aside for the gravy. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and rub inside and out with 2 tablespoons each salt and pepper. Stuff the cavity with the onion, fennel, apple, thyme sprigs and lemon halves. Tie the legs together with kitchen twine. Put the turkey on a rack set in a large roasting pan and tuck the wings under the body. Let sit at room temperature while you make the lemon-thyme butter.
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat; whisk in the lemon zest and chopped thyme. Let cool slightly, then brush all over the turkey. Transfer to the oven and roast 1 hour. Meanwhile, start your gravy (use 1/2 cup of your prosecco in place of the white wine in your gravy).
• After the turkey has roasted 1 hour, pour the remaining prosecco all over the turkey (about 2 1/2 cups). Continue roasting, basting with the pan drippings every 30 minutes, until the skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 165 degrees F, 1 1/2 to 2 more hours.
• Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest 30 minutes before carving; reserve the drippings for the gravy. Stir the herbs into the finished gravy.

BEGGARS' PURSES

Steps:

• Make crêpe batter:
• Melt butter in a 10-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and set aside 2 tablespoons for cooking crêpes. Continue to cook butter remaining in skillet until it has a nutty fragrance and is golden brown, about 2 minutes. Blend brown butter with remaining crêpeingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blend brown butter with remaining crêpe ingredients, except chives, in a blender until smooth. Add chives and pulse 1 or 2 times to just combine. Let batter stand 30 minutes.
• Blanch whole chives:
• Blanch chives in a small saucepan of boiling water 10 seconds. Drain and plunge into an ice bath. Pat dry.
• Make crêpes:
• Lightly brush skillet with butter, then heat over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Stir batter. With skillet off heat, add a scant 1/4 cup batter, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom. (If batter sets too fast, reduce heat slightly.) Cook until golden around edges, 15 to 30 seconds. Loosen with a heatproof plastic spatula, then flip crêpe over with your fingertips. Cook until underside is set, about 30 seconds. Slide onto a plate. Make more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter and stacking crêpes on plate.
• Assemble purses:
• Top each crêpe, browned side up, with about 1 1/2 tablespoons sour cream and 2 teaspoon caviar. Gather crêpe around filling and tie 1 or 2 blanched chives in a knot to close purse. Trim ends of chives if necessary.

SAFFRON AND PRESERVED LEMON SCENTED SHRIMP RICE PILAF

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, add 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and heat. Add the onions and saute for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Add the garlic and saute for another 2 minutes. Add the saffron threads and saute for 1 minute. Season with salt. Add the rice and saute, stirring constantly for 2 minutes. Add the water and cover the pot. Lower the heat to simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered for 5 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. While the rice is cooking, in a saute pan, over high heat, add the remaining vegetable oil. When the oil is hot, add the tomatoes and the cayenne pepper. Saute for 5 minutes, or until the liquid begins to evaporate. Add the olives, shrimp and preserved lemons and cook until the shrimp turn pink and their tails curl completely, about 4 to 5 minutes. Be careful not to overcook. Season with salt and pepper. Add the shrimp mixture to the rice mixture and mix well. Check for seasoning. Garnish with almonds and parsley.

RASPBERRY PUFFS WITH GOAT CHEESE MOUSSE AND THYME

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Unfold pastry sheet; cut along fold line to make 3 strips, trimming rough edges. Cut each strip in half crosswise. Place pastry rectangles on an ungreased baking sheet and bake until golden brown, 12 to 14 minutes. Transfer pastry to a rack and cool (about 8 to 10 minutes), then cut horizontally into 2 layers.
• While pastry bakes, in a medium bowl whisk the goat cheese, 6 tablespoons powdered sugar, vanilla, and salt until blended. Using electric mixer, beat whipping cream in another medium bowl until peaks form; fold into cheese mixture. Chill 10 to 15 minutes.
• Heat the jam in a medium microwave-safe bowl until just melted (about 10 seconds). Add berries. Toss to coat.
• Just before serving, put bottom halves of pastry on plates; top with mousse and raspberries. Sprinkle with minced thyme, cover with top half of pastry, and dust with powdered sugar. Garnish with thyme sprigs.

BUTTERFLY CHICKEN WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Turn the chicken breast-side down. Use kitchen shears to cut out the backbone of the chicken. Flip the chicken back over and press it down flat with the palms of your hands against the cutting board to open it up like a book. Place the chicken in a large zip-top bag.
• Whisk together the olive oil, fennel seeds, thyme, garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Pour the marinade over the chicken and place in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
• Preheat the grill to medium-high heat.
• Use a clean tea towel and wipe the grill grates with oil. Remove the chicken from the marinade and place skin-side down on the grill and close the lid. Grill until the skin is nice and golden and crisp, about 15 minutes.
• Once the chicken has nice golden grill marks, turn the grill to medium-low heat. Flip the chicken again, close the grill lid and continue cooking until a thermometer reaches 165 degrees F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh, 20 to 25 minutes longer. Check the chicken occasionally to make sure it's not burning and rotate as necessary.
• Cut into 6 to 8 pieces before serving. Serve the chicken on a platter with the Simple Green Salad.
• Add the greens to large bowl. Add the mustard and lemon juice to another bowl. Drizzle in the olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Season the dressing with salt and pepper. Toss the greens with the dressing and transfer to a platter.

BEGGARS PURSES FILLED WITH SHRIMP AND SCENTED WITH LEMON AND THYME

Steps:

• Start by making the aromatic shrimp filling: Combine the first 5 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to combine. Season the mix with salt and pepper, to taste. Set aside. In a small saucepan, bring 1-inch of water to a boil over medium-high heat. Place the chives in the water and blanch for 1 minute. Remove the chives and squeeze them dry in a paper towel. The chives will be all bunched up in a ball at this point, so carefully separate them and set them aside. To assemble your purses: take a crepe and cut it in half. Place a heaping tablespoon of the shrimp filling in the middle of each half of crepe and draw up the sides of the crepe as to make a pouch of filling resembling a purse. Carefully twist the crepe around at the top and lay it on its side, holding the crepe closed at the top. Slip a chive under the crepe and tie it around the twisted top in a knot to secure the purse. Trim away any extra crepe and length of chive. After practicing this technique a few times you will get the hang of it and they will come together nicely. These may be made ahead of time and frozen for up to 1 month. Crepes: 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 cup milk 1/4 cup water 2 eggs 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted Pinch salt Crepe batter: combine flour, milk, water, eggs, 2 tablespoons of butter, and salt in a blender. Blend on high until smooth. Cover and let sit for 30 minutes. This is essential in creating strong crepes which will hold up to the stress of tying them into your beggars purses. Place a 7 1/2-inch nonstick crepe pan over medium heat. Brush a little of the remaining melted butter into the pan with a pastry brush. Ladle 2 tablespoons of batter into the pan and swirl to coat the entire pan evenly. Cook until it is set and the bottom is golden brown. Flip the crepe over and cook on the second side until it is lightly browned as well. Set aside covered with a dish towel until you are ready to assemble your beggars purses. Yield: 12 crepes