Thanksgiving may feel a little different this year. Due to the ongoing global COVID-19 pandemic, gatherings will be limited and extended family may have to be excluded, but that doesn’t mean the beloved holiday is canceled by any means.
Turkey Day traditions are still alive and well, particularly those you can eat and drink. And celebrities are no different. Sure they may lead a glamorous life, but on the fourth Thursday of November, they love to get in the kitchen just like us to whip up their favorite dishes
From Alicia Keys’ turkey in a bag to Zooey Deschanel’s famed pecan pie, check out eight recipes from some famous faces below.
Jessica Alba’S Cornish Game Hens
Ingredients:
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• 1 cup chopped onion
• 1 cup chopped celery
• 1 cup chopped white mushrooms
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tsp poultry seasoning
• 6 slices day-old white bread, cubed
• 1 cup cooked wild rice
• ½ cup each dried cranberries, dark raisins, chopped walnuts
• 2½ cups chicken broth, divided
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 Cornish hens (about 1¼ lb. each)
• 1½ cups apricot-flavored brandy
• 2 sprigs each rosemary, sage and basil
• 1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
Directions:
1) Preheat over to 375°F.
2) In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic and poultry seasoning. Cook until vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes.
3) In large bowl, combine bread, rice, cranberries, raisins and walnuts. Stir in vegetable mixture. Add 1 cup broth and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 cups mixture for stuffing hens.
4) Lightly grease 9″x9″ baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into dish. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes.
5) Meanwhile, in measuring cup, combine remaining broth and brandy. Set aside.
6) Discard neck and giblets; season hen cavities with salt and pepper. Stuff each with ½ cup stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Arrange breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Pour in half of brandy mixture; scatter herbs and oranges around poultry. Roast for 30 minutes basting occasionally.
7) Pour 1 cup brandy mixture into roasting pan. Continue roasting 15 to 20 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in hens registers 175°F.
8) Transfer to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Remove rack from pan and pour in remaining ½ cup brandy mixture.
9) Deglaze pan over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Toss in herbs. Transfer liquid to saucepan and bring to boil until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8.
Antoni Porowski’s Caesar Salad With Almond Vinaigrette
• 2 (6-oz.) bunches kale, stemmed and thinly sliced
• 1 large heirloom tomato, cut into ¼-in. wedges
• 1¼ cups sliced toasted almonds, divided
• 2 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
• 2 tbsp. honey
• 1 tbsp chopped shallot (from 1 small shallot)
• 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1 tsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• ¼ tsp black pepper
• 1 medium garlic clove
• 1/3 cup olive oil
1) Toss together sliced kale, tomato wedges and 1 cup of the almonds in a large bowl; set aside.
2) Place vinegar, honey, shallot, thyme, mustard, salt, pepper, garlic and remaining ¼ cup almonds in blender; blend until smooth, about 45 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly drizzle in oil, blending until dressing is fully combined. Add almond dressing to kale mixture; toss well to coat. Serves: 4.
Lea Michele’s Vegetable Lasagna Roll-Ups
Ingredients:
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 large bunch broccoli, stems removed, finely chopped
• 1 16 oz. bag baby carrots, chopped
• 1 16 oz. box lasagna noodles
• 1 32 oz. container ricotta cheese (for vegan option, use 24 oz. extra-firm tofu)
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp oregano
• 1 tsp basil
• Salt to taste
• ¼ cup Parmesan cheese (for vegan option use ground sesame seeds)
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese (for vegan option use sliced mozzarella-style rice cheese)
• 2 24 oz. jars tomato sauce (reserve half for final topping)
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) In large skillet, heat olive oil and sauté chopped broccoli and carrots until tender, about 7 minutes.
3) Place in large bowl and refrigerate until cool.
4) Cook noodles, drain, and lay flat until cool.
5) Mix ricotta with garlic powder, oregano, basil, and salt to taste.
6) Add ricotta mixture, Parmesan, and mozzarella to bowl of broccoli and carrots; mix well with spoon.
7) Using a spatula, spread ½ cup filling onto length of each lasagna noodle, leaving ½ inch at each end so roll-ups don’t overflow; roll each one tightly.
8) Spread half of tomato sauce on bottom of deep baking pan; place roll-ups seam side down.
9) Cook in oven for 45 minutes. 10) Remove and top with remaining tomato sauce; cook for 15 more minutes. Serves 6-8.
Kourtney Kardashian’s Cornbread
Ingredients:
• 2 eggs 1 1/4 cups organic yellow cornmeal (use fine- to medium-grain)
• 3/4 cup gluten-free flour
• 1/4 cup coconut sugar
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/3 cup almond milk
• 1 cup vegan buttermilk (1 cup coconut milk, 1 tablespoon lemon juice)
• 8 tsp vegan butter
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 425°F.
2) Combine cornmeal, flour, salt, sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.
3) Whisk in almond milk, buttermilk, eggs, and add melted butter.
4) Use coconut oil to grease a 9-inch cast iron skillet or casserole dish.
5) Pour batter into skillet and bake for about 25 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Serves 6-8
Alicia Keys’ Turkey In A Bag
Ingredients:
• 1 12–14 lb. turkey
• ½ cup white vinegar
• 2 cloves garlic, peeled and halved
• 2 tbsp softened unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp paprika
• 2 tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• ¼ tsp dried basil
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 4 bay leaves
• 4 Granny Smith apples, cored and roughly chopped
• 2 onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tbsp all-purpose flour
Other Materials:
A large roasting pan, a meat thermometer, and a turkey-size oven bag (available in the paper-goods section of the supermarket).
Directions:
1 Preheat oven to 350°F.
2) Remove neck and giblets.
3) Rinse turkey with cold water inside and out, then rub with vinegar. Pat dry with paper towels.
4) Rub skin with garlic cloves, then butter.
5) In a bowl, mix garlic powder, paprika, salt, pepper and basil. Rub half of spice mix under skin, on breast and back. Tuck two sprigs of rosemary and one bay leaf under breast skin and two rosemary sprigs under back. Rub outside skin with remaining spice mix.
6) Stuff turkey with two chopped apples, one chopped onion, and three bay leaves.
7) Rub inside of oven bag with flour to prevent bag from bursting.
8) Add some of remaining chopped onions and apples to oven bag and leave some in the roasting pan, outside of bag, to use as garnish later.
9) Place turkey, breast side up, on onions and apples in oven bag. Cut six y-inch slits into bag to allow steam to escape. Tie bag closed with provided tie or butcher’s string. Place bag into roasting pan.
10) Cook in oven for 2–3 hours. Pierce bag with meat thermometer, and poke into thickest part of inner thigh. The turkey is ready when it reaches 180°F. 11 Cut open top of bag, and carefully remove turkey. Discard vegetables. Place turkey on serving dish and let rest for 20 minutes. Garnish with roasted apples and onions. Serves 8.
Gwyneth Paltrow’s Cranberry Chutney
Ingredients:
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 4 cups fresh cranberries
• 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• grated zest of 1 small orange or tangerine
Directions:
1) Combine the sugar and water in a saucepan, bring to a boil and add the rest of the ingredients.
2) Turn the heat to low and let the mixture simmer for about ten minutes or until thick. Let the chutney cool before serving. Serves 12.
Oprah’s Pomegranate Martini
Ingredients:
• 1 1/2 cups pomegranate juice
• 2 oz absolute citrus-infused vodka
• 1 oz Cointreau liqueur
• 1 cup ice
• sparkling water, splash (optional)
• lemon, a squeeze (optional)
Directions:
Shake ingredients in a shaker and put in chilled martini glasses. Put pomegranate fruit into glass as garnish. Serves 2
Zooey Deschanel’s Pecan Pie
Ingredients:
For the pie crust
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
• a pinch of salt
• 1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
• approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
• 1 cup dark Karo syrup
• 3 eggs, beaten
• 2 tbsp butter, melted
• 1 tbsp flour
• 1/8 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• a mound of pecan halves, enough to fill the crust
• molasses, for garnish, about 1/4 cup
Directions:
1) Preheat oven to 425F.
2) For the pie crust, using a pastry cutter, combine the flour salt, and butter until it looks like a coarse meal. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, just enough until the dough comes together. Form into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3) Roll disk out into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, transfer to a pie plate and crimp the edges of the crust.
4) For the filling, in a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the Karo syrup, eggs, butter, flour, salt, brown sugar and vanilla.
5) Fill the crust with pecans to the top and pour the filling over the top of the pecans. Drizzle with molasses.
6) Bake for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 40 minutes. Serves 8-10
