Tuesday, November 2, 2010

What Are Your Holiday Food Wishes?

I'm going to be filming a bunch of holiday-themed videos for a special feature on YouTube, and I'd love to know what kinds of things you'd like to see! I've done some fairly standard turkey, gravy, and stuffing video recipes, as well as a bunch of side dishes that work nicely around the holidays, like glazed sweet potatoes, but maybe you'd like to see something a little more exotic? Please leave a comment and let me know. Thanks!

67 comments:

Anna said...

How about a turduckin but with your spin on it? maybe the same idea but using other types of meat, like seafood version or other 4 legged animals? can't wait!

tracey said...

How about brussel sprouts? I think there are about 4 of us that love them, but maybe if you told everyone how amazing they are when prepared right, they could knock green bean casserole right off the holiday menu!

Chef John said...

have you tried these? http://foodwishes.blogspot.com/2007/09/theyre-bigger-theyre-better-and-theyre.html

Power Stranger said...

Dear Chef John,

I am a college student. There was one time that a student brought in a crock pot with shredded turkey meat in it. It was the best tasting dish that I have ever tasted. Could you recreate this dish? The following link will lead you to a recipe image that the student gave me.

http://b.imagehost.org/0357/FH_Turkey.jpg

Anonymous said...

I would like to see a classic pumkin pie.

Shans said...

Chestnuts! What can I do with chestnuts besides roasting them on an open fire? (or in the oven). I would love to see a savoury recipe that really brings out the flavour of this holiday treat.
Thank you!

Lia said...

Lasagna!!! XD I realized that you didn't have a lasagna recipe :( thanks!

tracey said...

Thanks! They're on the menu for tomorrow!

Katie said...

anything with mushrooms, cranberries, winter squash or kale. Cookies to blow away the cookie exchange. Fruitcake. Gingerbread. Greenbean casserole. New Years pork roast. Using turkey leftovers. Im excited for the Holidays, can you tell?

Anonymous said...

Fruitcake?

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Turducken (sp?) is the first thing that pops into my mind. I've never seen one done very well. I bet you could come up with a great video.

:)
ButterYum

Patricia @ ButterYum said...

Here's another idea - how about a scratch version of green bean casserole.

Anonymous said...

i would like to see some pie recipes. preferably savory pie. i liked the shepherd pie but there are still many kinds of pies.
but a fruit and nuts pie cake sounds good too.

Anonymous said...

How about a quality Holiday Ham? With pineapples and everything!

Unknown said...

Chef John,

My wife's tricky condition has kept her cravings going for 8 months now, and her latest desire is (you won't believe this): CREAMY mac&cheese - very important - not cheesy, but creamy in the full sense of that word. She is very excited for find out how you would recreate this dish to satisfy everyone's obvious need for the CREAMY part of the mac&cheese recipe. I hope my sCREAMs for help are desperate enough for you to consider looking into what can be done for all the men in the world facing a similar rage of women in need of creamy Mac&cheese. It is in your power to bring peace to these men through a single recipe - perhaps, it is your destiny.
In any case, whatever you will decide to make, I am sure we will enjoy it as always! Thank you!

Tim & Irena Korshin

Anonymous said...

Moroccan Thanksgiving Feast.

darcyholte said...

How about an old world classic...REAL EGG NOGG! We had a hot mug last year at a phenomenal restaurant here in Victoria BC and it was to die for. Please make the authentic adult version with all the booze too. Prohibition has been over for like... ever. The stuff we had contained three types of liquor, rum bourbon and something else I forget now. Pleeease make this one!

Darcy

Angela said...

How about Ratatouille??

The Procrastinator said...

something that I can do on the stove - no oven. OOH and a great bark recipe!

Anonymous said...

A homemade pumpkin pie 100% from scratch with FRESH pumpkin.

Julia said...

I would love to see anything made from an actual pumpkin (not canned pumpkin puree). I've always been intimidated to buy a whole pumpkin for cooking purposes.

Paulie Walnutz said...

Some cannoli !!!!

Jill Drapcho said...

Something with oysters!!

marenamoo said...

I have my basics down for Thanksgiving - turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing - any way to get some new sweet potato, pearl onion, green bean recipes.

Also - if I may presume to add another category - I am responsible for Christmas appetizers - new appetizer recipes are always welcome.

janice said...

How about some simple, "I ate too much" recovery food recipes for the holidays like, great salads with maybe a cranberry/balsamic type dressing, or turkey salad with maybe dried fruit and nuts in it, or your best version of turkey soup. What about a festive chili that can be made in a crock pot.

I'd also like to have great recipes for Christmas Eve. Seafood, great desserts, appetizers?

By the way, the family says hi. They think they know you because you are perched on my kitchen counter so often on my Ipad as I listen to the videos while cooking. You and your recipes are a HUGE hit around here.

Chris K. said...

I would like to see more recipes using Thanksgiving leftovers. I think there's still some stuffing in my freezer from 2005.

Sheila said...

Hello Chef John,
First, thank you for the great blog and videos. Second, for both you and Tracy, I love brussel sprouts, I have a very similar recipe to yours with the exception that I fry bacon and onions in the pan first, remove them, drain some of the fat then fry the sprout slices, after 60 seconds mix back in the onions and bacon and you have heaven!
I would love to see a video for traditional mincemeat pie. I have a real aversion to it, I am not sure why, but I would love to see how it is made so that maybe someday I could attempt it myself.
Sheila

Anonymous said...

I'm by no means a professional chef, but here's my personal experience with pumpkin pie made from a fresh pumpkin. I was similarly enamored with the idea of a pumpkin pie completely from scratch, so I made one a couple of weeks ago. Used a fresh local organic pie pumpkin. Although it was fun to do, it really was not worth the extra work taste-wise. The fresh pumpkin tasted pretty similar to the canned stuff. And especially after it goes in the pie with all those spices, any difference was covered up. So while I'd recommend doing it for the learning experience, I wouldn't expect a much different pie.

Chef John - Wikipedia says that seafood was a big part of the first Thanksgiving. Maybe some sort of seafood dish that would go well with the more traditional fare?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thanksgiving_dinner

Jill Drapcho said...

Every year our son & nephew do an extra stunt turkey outdoors. Sometimes they grill or smoke it or put it on a spit over a fire pit. One year they wrapped it in banana leaves & put it on a bed of coals. Turkey Day is cold here, but everybody loves running in & outside with beer or wine or champagne. A side dish or special dessert would be fun to get up & go see about too.

Chase Saunders said...

Duck with Cumberland sauce!

Larry said...

I love homemade eggnog, but people rarely serve it. It was a Christmas tradition in my house growing up.

One of my new favorite fall foods is roasted brussel sprouts. I add chopped up chestnuts when I can get them. A bit of olive oil, salt and pepper and into the oven at 425 until just getting brown on the edges.

Kris said...

Every Christmas my mother would make a cranberry English steamed pudding with brandy sauce. I remember the first time she made it. I thought it was going to be like regular Jello type pudding and was so surprised to see it was much more like cake. I haven't had it since she died and would love to make it. I even have her mold tucked away in a cabinet.

Noel said...

Every year we make "Buckeyes"(chocolate covered peanut butter balls) with my in-laws, but their recipe has paraffin in it(eww....wax?!) so I eat my curtesy Buckeye and that's all I can stomach, lol. I would love to see a non-wax version!

JollyG15 said...

Stuffed Cabbage....yummy!!

Travis said...

I have always wanted to try cooking a whole ham, so I'd love to see a recipe for that!

Also, I wouldn't mind some sort of demo on what could all be prepared the day before thanksgiving. I always have the hardest time timing it all so the last half hour isn't a hectic mess.

Anonymous said...

Oyster stuffing!!

Dinner For One said...

how about a traditional yule log?

Anonymous said...

Hi Chef John,
We have a frozen 6 pound Duckling whole with an orange sauce packet in the freezer. Any suggestions on how to cook this for a Thanksgiving dinner? Much appreciated. As always, we love your blog!
Martin

Jamie said...

Authentic paella! :)

Anonymous said...

How about a turducken or a ham or a yule log? can't wait!

Anonymous said...

Hey Chef John,

How about making your Walnut Chocolate Fudge pie that you showed in your Thanksgiving video back in 2008?

Our family loves your blog!

Lyndse said...

I have a serious problem. Everywhere I go, they have Green Bean Casserole on the Holiday table. I love mushrooms, I love onions (especially french fried), but I HATE GREEN BEANS. This is above your average hate: the smell actually has made me physically sick.

I'd like to find a way to make this dish - since everyone loves it - but with a creative alternative to green beans. I tried making it with fresh steamed cauliflower one year, but nobody really liked it. :(

Jordan said...

Fried Turkey

Coolkit said...

We are fed up of Turkey! We are going with a Mediterranean faire..... so lamb comes to mind and also salmon ..... help please with something different.... Thanks

Anonymous said...

How about a great turkey brine recipe???

JoAnn said...

Chef John,
How about a salmon mousse or baked oysters for apps? Your 24 apps post is fantastic.
Here's my 1969 recipe for pumpkin pie from fresh pumpkin. Give this a try.
http://thisdamecooks.com/?p=1311

Happy Turkey Day,
JoAnn

JoAnn said...

From my Scandinavian roots, a crown rib of pork, crusted with Dijon mustard and bread crumbs and roasted until golden brown. Soooo moist. Fill the center with buttery brussel sprouts. This is usually an Easter dish but certainly can work for any holiday.

If roasted lamb is on, be sure its marinated with lots of garlic, rosemary and olive oil for at least 2 days. Don't forget the mint sauce.

Whatever happened to jello-molds? Are they just passe now?

Anonymous said...

classic chestnut stuffing recipe pls, also pecan pie recipe

Anonymous said...

some sort of oyster dish would be AWSOME!

Anonymous said...

something with persimmons!

HeeYoun said...

This is probably pretty simple, but during the holidays we always had couscous. I know making it is pretty simple, but what I loved was the flavor (olive oil and garlic is my favorite). If there's a home-made version (no flavor in specific, just something delicious that compliments other dishes) I'd love to see a recipe for it.

Thanks,
HeeYoun ^_^

Sue Doman said...

Hi Chef -- as a new vegan (3 months), I'd love to see some tasty holiday recipes that don't involve things like "tofurkey" ... recipes that combine healthy vegan ingredients with some of the traditional holiday flavours (e.g., grains, root vegetables, squash, sage, cranberry, etc.). I'm finding I can adapt many of your excellent recipes by substituting margarine for butter, soy milk for regular milk, etc., but I'd love to see what your fertile imagination could come up with around this particular challenge. Thanks Chef!!

Anonymous said...

Id love to see your take on a good brined turkey, ive seen brines before that use stocks and seasonings with the salt, as apposed to just water and salt.. Also, I MAY be doing a roast beef this year and would LOVE a recipe for really great yorkshire puddings! most recipes ive tried either A) are WAY to dense and dont rise or B) rise WAY to much and turn into more of a crunchy hollow shell.. OH I agree with everyone that said TURDUCKEN! I'm sure turducken has peaked everyones interest at one point! and maybe you could put a different twist on it! Incorporate a ham instead of a duck or something of the sort! All the popular holiday roasted animals in one dish! If anyone can do it.. you can

Anonymous said...

something done via Sous Vide. would love to hear what you have to say about the results.

ShoopDeville said...

You mentioned seafood as an early Thanksgiving dinner. How about a nice fish stuffed with some other seafood goodies. Maybe some sort of drink too. You mentioned drinking as one of your favorite things to do. You've only 3 drink recipes? I think you don't really like to drink. Just kidding. Eggnog sounds great. How about Coquito? Anything is fine. Just keep up the good work Chef John.

ShoopDeville said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

I would enjoy a nice, fool proof how to on dressing (eats, not clothes). What I am looking for is super savory, no nuts or fruit that is firmish yet poufy and moist inside, but on top it is super crunchy and buttery flavory.

I also, since I am wishing, would like to see an appetizer that is not a cheeseball or that involves crudite, but is not too heavy (since all that is coming). Maybe do ahead?

Love your videos (did your farmer's cheese this week - BABY! simple and good. I made round two to fill pierogies).

Billy the Fish said...

Shall we ever witness Chef John's take on homemade cream soda? (...with a dollop of ice cream maybe)?

Anonymous said...

What about some christmas candies and cakes? And some christmasy appetizers?

Love you John !!

Unknown said...

I used to be able to participate in cooking a giant Thanksgiving spread with my parents, grandmother and sister, and I really miss that. My family moved away and we can't always get together for holidays. It's just me and my husband, here. He had a fairly troubled childhood, so I try to create warm family occasions for us. We never had kids, but that doesn't preclude us from wanting to have special holidays. I want to make a special Thanksgiving meal for us, but we can neither afford nor store nor eat an entire turkey. Furthermore, I'm 48 and cooking alone, and I don't have the stamina I once did to stand in the kitchen for hours and hours.

I'd like to cook a meal that is reminiscent of the signature Thanksgiving flavors, but scaled down for two people, affordable and with prep time that isn't an endurance test. Leftovers and freezables are fine - great even. I know this is a tall order, but I bet there are many couples, young and old, in the same boat.

Unknown said...

I posted earlier about making a Thanksgiving meal for two, and said I don't have the endurance to spend hours and hours in the kitchen. Just to clarify: I realize a Thanksgiving meal will take some time. I'm just thinking something closer to 2 or 3, rather than 6 to 8.

P.S. Love your videos. I came to you by way of your roasted corn salad.

Anonymous said...

Just read through all the comments so far. I like JoAnn's request for a crown rib of pork. Have seen these at the butcher from time to time but I have no idea how to deal with one.
My holiday foodwish is to learn how to make toutiere. Do you have a great recipe? I love it with mango chutney on the side. Divine.

Anonymous said...

Aleatha, Hi, this is the anon poster from November 5, 2010 9:07 PM. If Chef John does not do your post - I'd like to suggest turkey legs for you and your honey or if you are white meaters then just the breast. You can brine the breast if you are worried about it drying. I do Thanksgiving over a few days (Like pie 3 days ahead, pre cut/cook mashers, chop onion and celery, yams... on THE day I am sitting back sipping cocktails!

Sepi said...

Too late but maybe for next year:

creamed onions!

JeannieGuzman said...

How about a good old-fashioned Colorado Recipe for "Rocky Mountain Oysters? I guarantee that'll get some interest on Youtube! Jeannie

Unknown said...

Fruitcake pleaseeeee

Unknown said...

Fruitcake pls...