Hollandaise Sauce

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3 egg yolks

1 ½ tsp. lemon juice

4 T. cold, unsalted butter

1 ¼ stick melted, unsalted butter

Salt

White pepper

Directions:  Vigorously whisk the egg yolks in the saucepan for a good minute or so, 

until they are thick and pale yellow.  Then whisk in lemon juice.  Add 2 T. of cold 

butter, which while slowly melting, will act as a kind of anti-curdling insurance.

Set the pan over low heat, whisking at a moderate pace and watching carefully until 

in a minute or more the egg yolks have thickened and you can see the bottom of the 

pan between strokes.  At once remove from heat and beat in the remaining cold 

butter a tablespoon at a time to stop the cooking process.

By driblets, beat in the warm, melted butter to make a thick sauce.  Whisk in the 

seasonings, adding a little more lemon juice to taste.

Comment:

Cranberry Fruit Relish

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1 lb. cranberries      2 oranges

2 apples      1 tsp. lemon juice

1 can drained, crushed pineapple

1 ½ cups sugar

2 ounces Brandy or Grand Marnier

Garnish: chopped pecans

Directions: Chop the cranberries (by hand or in food processor). Cut the apples and

the oranges into small cubes with their skins. Add the remaining ingredients and stir

well. Allow the flavors to blend overnight or for several hours in the refrigerator.

Sprinkle with pecans before serving.

Comment: If you want more of a jellied recipe, add 1 box of cranberry jello (no

water) and add the juice from the crushed pineapple and 3 ounces of Brandy.

The sugar, lemon juice and Brandy syrup over any fruit makes a nice fruit salad. If

no cranberries (which are bitter) you can cut back on sugar.

Cajun Spicy Poultry Injection

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2 T. Worcestershire sauce

¼ cup apple cider

1 T. liquid crab/shrimp boil

¾ cup honey

1 T. ground allspice

1 T. salt

½ cup Creole seasoning

2 tsp. pepper

¼ tsp. cayenne pepper

1 beer

½ cup olive oil

4 T. Kosher salt

1 to 2 cups chicken stock

¼ cup minced garlic

Shots of Tabasco

Directions:  Mix all ingredients together.  Place in a blender or food processor and 

process to make as smooth as possible for injection. May need to lightly heat after 

processing to ensure honey blends in, but not always.  

Inject the bird liberally, trying not to break the skin.  Use as much of the spicy liquid 

as desired for your family’s spice tolerance and given the size of the bird.  When 

making in the oven, you can reserve some liquid for basting.  

Comment:  This is the template.  Feel free to substitute.  It can be difficult to find the 

crab/shrimp boil, and I’m not sure anyone ever notices. Garlic powder can be 

substituted for the minced garlic.  The key to the heat is the cayenne and black 

pepper and the Tabasco.

Turkey Brine

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1 cup Kosher salt

1 cup brown sugar

2 gallons cold water

2 oranges, quartered

2 lemons, quartered

6 sprigs thyme

4 sprigs rosemary

Directions:  Dissolve the salt and sugar in 2 gallons cold water.  Add the oranges, 

lemons, thyme, and rosemary.  If you have a big turkey and need more brine, use ½ 

cup salt and ½ cup sugar for every gallon of water.  Brine the turkey overnight.

Comment:  Option to add a beer to the brine.  Sometimes it helps to place a heavy 

plate on top of the turkey to keep it submerged.