St. Johnsbury People

Holidays are a special time where family and friends get together to celebrate, catch up with each other, and maybe watch a little football.

Here are some recipes for holiday treats provided by St. Johnsbury area residents. If you have a holiday recipe you’d like to add, please write us at info@discoverstjvt.com and we’ll add your recipe to this blog.

Here are a couple of recipes from Janis Raye of St. Johnsbury:

Beautiful Thanksgiving Turkey

This makes a gorgeous brown herb-flecked skin on the turkey, just like the ones in those Norman Rockwell paintings!

1 12-14 pound fresh turkey, rinsed and dried
2 onions, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
2-1/2 tablespoons fresh thyme or 2-3/4 teaspoons dried thyme
2-1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage or 2-3/4 teaspoons dried sage
24 whole black peppercorns
6 whole allspice berries
2 bay leaves, crumbled
1/2 tablespoon ground pepper
3 cups chicken stock or canned low-salt chicken broth

1. If you like, you can rub the turkey inside and out with salt the night before and place it all in a plastic bag and refrigerate it. Then when you’re ready to start, wipe or rinse off the salt. This takes the place of brining the turkey.
2. Season turkey cavity lightly with salt and pepper.
3. Mix onions, celery, carrots, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 tablespoons thyme, 2 tablespoons sage, peppercorns, allspice, and bay leaves in medium bowl. Spoon half the mixture into the turkey cavity. Sew or skewer the cavity closed.
4. Combine 4 tablespoons oil, 1/2 tablespoon thyme, 1/2 tablespoon sage and ground pepper in small bowl. Rub oil mixture all over turkey skin.
5. Place rack in roasting pan and place turkey on rack. Arrange remaining vegetable mixture around turkey in bottom of pan and pour in chicken stock.
6. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roast about 2-1/2 hours – until thermometer inserted in thigh registers 175 degrees. Baste every 30 minutes with pan juices. When done, take turkey out and place it on carving board. Tent it loosely with foil and let it stand about 20-30 minutes while you’re making gravy. Then carve.

Serves 10-12 people. We always have a big crowd, so I roast two turkeys rather than one huge one – we like the drumsticks and I think the smaller turkeys are usually more tender and flavorful. But if you only have one oven, make a huge turkey if you need to and double everything in this recipe!

Triple-Cranberry Compote

1 cup cranberry juice cocktail
1/3 cup sugar
1 12-ounce package fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup dried cranberries (about 2 ounces)
3 tablespoons orange marmalade
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice (about 1/2 orange squeezed)
2 teaspoons minced orange peel (about one whole orange)
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice

1. Combine cranberry juice and sugar in saucepan. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring until sugar dissolves.
2. Add fresh (or frozen) and dried cranberries and cook about 7 minutes – dried cranberries will soften and fresh cranberries will pop. Stir often.
3. Remove from heat and stir in orange marmalade, orange juice, orange peel, and allspice. Cool completely. Cover and chill until cold, about 2 hours. This can be made up to 3 days ahead, but keep refrigerated.

Makes about 2-1/2 cups. Double it if you’re having a big crowd!

And here’s a recipe from Flo Bisson of Concord, VT

Deviled Eggs

This is one of our family’s favorite Thanksgiving appetizers – I make them every year!

2 dozen eggs
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dry mustard
salt and pepper to taste
paprika
capers, diced ham, carrot curls or other decorations for the eggs

1.    Bring large pot of water to a boil. Carefully put the eggs in the pot and after one minute, stir slowly in one direction, then slowly in the other direction for a minute or two. This will help keep the yolks in the center of the eggs. Cook eggs for 5 minutes, then let sit in the water another 5 minutes off the heat.
2.    Make a large bowl of ice water. Using a slotted spoon, take out each egg and carefully immerse it in the ice water. After a few minutes of cooling, the eggs will peel easily and cleanly.  Peel the eggs and half them neatly.
3.    Remove the yolks carefully with a spoon and put in a bowl. Add the mayonnaise and dry mustard. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4.    Spoon a generous teaspoonful of the yolk mixture into each egg half, rounding the mixture a bit.
5.    Arrange on your platter. Sprinkle paprika on the eggs. I decorate every other egg with a few capers on top, and decorate other eggs with diced ham or carrot curl flowers. Chopped parsley is good, too. Use your imagination and enjoy!

Makes 48 deviled eggs, minus the one or two that might break while they’re boiling.

Here’s a recipe from Chef Gerard Prevost,who has been teaching culinary arts at St. Johnsbury Academy for the last 17 years. This recipe is made by the students at the Academy every holiday season:

Pork Pie (Tourtiere)
yield: 8 9 inch pies

Ground Pork 10 lbs.
Mashed Potato 5 cups
Ground Raw Onions 1 lb.
Salt 5 teas.
Pepper 2 teas.
Bell’s Poultry Seasoning 4 teas.

Cook the ground pork until it is well done. Drain the grease from it.
In a mixing bowl add the remaining ingredients and mix well.

Pie Dough as needed

Roll out eight bottoms for 8 nine inch pie tins. Divide the meat mixture between the tins and cover with 8 tops. Egg wash and bake at 350 degrees until they are golden brown.

Do you have any recipes you’d like to share with visitors and residents? We’re collecting recipes and we want yours! Just click the comments below if you have a recipe you want to share.