Good wine, skilled cooks and water views are ingredients for perfect holiday feast

Sometimes, you can never have too many cooks in the kitchen. We asked Coast Monthly food stylist Alicia Cahill to gather professional chefs and really good cooks from around the county to serve up some of their favorite Thanksgiving recipes. What they brought to the table was a lot of fun and the perfect potluck feast for a seaside holiday gathering.

Philip & Helen Gerding

This couple owns Galveston Bread. The popular breads are available at Galveston’s Own Farmers Market each Sunday downtown.

Rustic Sourdough Whole Wheat Bread

This bread is adapted from a King Arthur Flour recipe for basic sour dough bread. By combining whole wheat flour with organic bread flour, a wonderful firm textured, slightly nutty bread is created. It’s much softer than traditional whole wheat bread. It does require that the baker use a “fed” starter. Most good bread books will offer a variety of ways to get your starter going.

INGREDIENTS
1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 cups to 12 ounces warm water. 85-105 F.
2  teaspoons of fine sea salt
1 table spoon sugar
2 teaspoons of dry instant active yeast
12.75 ounces of organic bread flour
8.5 ounces of organic whole wheat flour

DIRECTIONS

Mix the dry ingredients together, first, dumping them all in a sifter. Combine all ingredients together slowly until a smooth, soft ball of dough. Grease a bowl big enough for dough to expand. Place dough in it, cover with a towel and let sit while it doubles in size, about 1 to 1.5 hours.

Divide the dough and place in two separate large bowls, each big enough to allow for expansion. Let the dough rise for about 1 hour, it may not double.

Heat oven to 450 F. Prepare baking pan or pans with parchment paper, invert the bowl of dough on to the paper and slash the top or cut with scissors and place in the oven for 30 minutes. Deep, golden brown color is desired. Let cool for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Bread is still cooking internally when removed from the oven and will be gummy if you slice too soon. After cooling, slice and enjoy.

 

Chef Mary Bass

Executive chef at Haak Winery in Santa Fe

Turkey Breast and Sage Sausage Roulade with Dried Fruit

INGREDIENTS
4 turkey breasts
1 pound of ground sage sausage
cup dried cranberries
cup dried golden raisins
6 large sage leaves, small dice
chopped pecans
Salt, pepper, garlic powder to taste
Vegetable oil for sautéing
Kitchen twine

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Butterfly the turkey breasts and pound them until equal in thickness. Place 2 breasts together with the smaller ends touching and overlapping to create a long roll.

Mix sausage, cranberries, raisins, pecans, sage and small amount of seasonings.

Divide mixture between the 2 rolls and fold over as to close the rolls.
Take twine and truss the rolls to hold them together during cooking.

Prepare a baking sheet to roast the turkey breast on after searing.

In a hot skillet, add vegetable oil and sear off each side of the turkey breast rolls until browned. Remove from pan and put on the sheet pan to finish in the oven.

Cook about 45 minutes to 1 hour until the internal cooking temperature reaches 165 F.

Allow to rest before slicing, remove twine and slice at the twine marks. Pour any juices over the top of the sliced turkey so it doesn’t dry out.

Vu Nguyen

This Friendswood foodie offers cooking demonstrations at Beerfoot Beach Bar’s Flights & Bites and sushi classes at The Kitchen Chick, both on the island.

Shrimp, Wild Hog, Venison Dressing     

INGREDIENTS
Dressing
1 pound shrimp peeled, deveined, chopped
1 pounds wild hog, venison ground sausage
1 red onion diced
4 cups mushrooms chopped
2 bundle green onions chopped
4 cups breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 sliced avocado
1 tablespoon of butter
2 teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
teaspoon salt
1 cups shredded Monterey Jack cheese
2 cups milk

Sauce
3 roasted red bell peppers with skin and seeds removed
3 roasted garlic cloves
1 teaspoon sugar
teaspoon salt
1 juice of a lime
1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
4 tablespoons olive oil

DIRECTIONS
Dressing

Preheat oven to 400 F. Grease a baking dish and set aside.

Saute red onions and mushrooms in pan with butter. Add black pepper, salt and garlic. Once onions have become translucent, remove mixture from pan and place in bowl. Add chopped shrimp to pan and add lemon juice.

Cook shrimp half way through and remove to mushroom and onion bowl.

Brown wild hog and venison ground sausage in pan. Once sausage has browned, return shrimp, mushroom, onions to pan and remove from heat. Mix in cheese, milk and breadcrumbs. Add in chopped green onions. Mix thoroughly.

Remove mixture from pan and add to baking dish. Cook in oven for 20 minutes. Remove and let cool for 5 minutes and serve with sliced avocados.

Sauce

In a blender, add all ingredients except olive oil. Blend on high and slowly add olive oil until a thick sauce forms.

 

Alicia Cahill

Food stylist for Coast Monthly and owner of The Kitchen Chick in the island’s downtown

Roasted Root Vegetables

INGREDIENTS
1 pounds Brussels sprouts, cleaned, brown ends removed and cut in half
1 pound parsnips, peeled and chopped
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped
5 tablespoons good olive oil
Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt to taste

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 425 F.

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Transfer vegetables to pan. Drizzle with olive oil and generously sprinkle with Jane’s Krazy Mixed Up Salt.

Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp on the outside and tender on the inside. Periodically stir veggies so they brown evenly. Serve immediately.

Susan Walker-Benson

A Galveston resident and foodie known for her gracious entertaining.

Apple Mallow Yam Yums

INGREDIENTS
2 apples sliced
6 precooked medium size sweet potatoes
cup chopped pecans
cup brown sugar (packed)
1 teaspoon cinnamon
cup of butter
2 cups mini marshmallows

INGREDIENTS
Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Set aside.

In a large bowl combine the sliced apples with pecans, brown sugar and cinnamon. Mix thoroughly.

Slice sweet potatoes and begin layering with apple mixture in the baking dish, dotting with half of the butter. Finish with the second half of butter.

Place dish in preheated oven and bake for 30 minutes. Scatter marshmallows over the top and return to oven until marshmallows are browned on top.

 

Chef Sarah Penrod

This League City resident and Texas charmer rose to celebrity status after becoming a finalist on “Food Network Star.”

White Chocolate Pumpkin Mousse with Ginger Snaps and Caramel Drizzle

INGREDIENTS
2 cups whipping cream
cup powdered sugar
can canned pumpkin
1 bar Ghirardelli white chocolate
Pumpkin pie spices:  teaspoon nutmeg,  teaspoon clove, 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Tiny pinch of salt
1 box ginger snap cookies
1 bottle of caramel sauce (recipe follows)

DIRECTIONS
In the microwave heat the bar of white chocolate with  cup of cream in 30-second increments until melted. Stir very well to form a sauce consistency.

Whisk in the pumpkin and salt and pumpkin pie spices. Set aside to cool.

In a large bowl beat the cream (1 cup) and powdered sugar to soft peaks.

Fold half the cream into the pumpkin mixture and then fold the cream-pumpkin back into the whipped cream.

In dessert glasses, spoon the mixture into individual portions and chill until ready. Top with crushed ginger snaps and drizzle of caramel.

Sarah’s Easy Homemade Vanilla Caramel Sauce

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
cup water
1 cup heavy cream
4 tablespoon butter
Pinch of salt
Vanilla bean or vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine the sugar and water over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves. Increase the heat and bring to a boil, without stirring. Boil until the syrup is a deep amber color, about 5 to 6 minutes.

Remove the sugar from the heat and carefully whisk in the heavy cream. (The mixture will bubble madly.) Stir in the unsalted butter, vanilla bean and salt. Transfer the caramel to a squeeze bottle when cool.

 

Tina Davis

This Bayou Vista resident is owner of newly opened The Cupcake Cowgirls in Galveston’s downtown.

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cups vegetable oil
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups finely chopped apples

DIRECTIONS
Mix all dry ingredients and then add oil, eggs, vanilla and chopped apples.

Fill liners with a level scoop and bake at 350 F for 18 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Apple filling
In a sauce pan place 4 cups chopped apples with  cup brown sugar and  teaspoon of cinnamon. Cook over medium heat until apples are soft.

Remove from heat and add 2 tablespoons of butter. Set aside to cool.

Core each cooled cupcake and add filling. Top with Brown Sugar Swiss Meringue Buttercream.