How To Make An Intimate Turkey Dinner for Two

An Entire Intimate Dinner Recipe

Making an intimate holiday meal has long been scorned upon as the season is designed for gathering together family and friends. However, on some occasions it is nice to simply pull your favorite person aside and offer up a new and refreshing Thanksgiving or Christmas meal (or anytime of the year for that matter) idea. Taking the time to peer into each others' eyes and communicate on a deeper more intimate level is rare in our hustle and bustle world. Show the main-squeeze in your life how much you treasure your one-on-one time by cooking up a special intimate holiday meal, just for her or just for him. The gift you receive this year may actually surprise you both!

This article is going to give you some intimate holiday menu ideas and recipes as a guideline. It is up to you to add in your own personal touches to refine the intimate meal for you and your main squeezes personal desires. Nothing says "I care" better than time spent sharing a meal designed around a particular persons' taste, and this is your opportunity to shine as you develop a special and intimate Thanksgiving or Christmas meal to show how much YOU care.

TURKEY INGREDIENTS:

• One 3-pound whole turkey breast
• Two 1-pound turkey thighs
• Two 1-pound turkey drumsticks
• 1 TBL Seasoning salt (Lowery's is best here)
• 2 tsp Poultry seasoning
• 1 TBL dry mustard
• 1½ cups of chicken broth (low sodium)
• Orange slices and parsley for garnish

ORANGE GLAZE INGREDIENTS:

• One 6-ounce can of frozen O.J. concentrate
• ¼ cup orange liqueur (try Cointreau)
• 4 TBL unsalted butter (room temp)
• 2 TBL finely chopped fresh herbs (thyme, sage, parsley)
• 1 TBL finely diced ginger (only use 1 tsp if dried)
• 1 TBL honey
• seasoning salt
• Fresh ground black pepper

NOTE: You can make this dish one hour ahead up to step 3. keep turkey loosely covered, and keep at room temp.

5 STEPS TO AN INTIMATE DINNER FOR TWO

1). Make the glaze: In a microwave safe cup, combine the concentrated O.J., liqueur, and butter. Place in the microwave until the mixture is liquid, about 1 minute (or you can heat over medium-high heat in a saucepan ). Stir in the herbs, honey and salt and pepper to taste.

2). Preheat oven to 325ºF. In a shallow roasting pan, arrange the turkey parts so they have room between each (about ½ inch will be fine, leaving a 2 inch perimeter between the sides of the pan and the turkey parts). Make sure the turkey parts are placed so the skin-side is up. Pour the glaze liquid over the turkey parts and rotate each piece so it is coated in the liquid evenly. Scatter a little salt on each piece and pour ½ cup of the broth from the side of the pan (try not to rinse away the glaze you just covered the turkey parts with).

3). Cook, and bast every 35 minutes. When you baste the turkey parts, be sure to turn the leg pieces over until cooked through and the turkey skin is crispy. You are going to want to add more broth during the cooking time as the pan gets dry and dark brown, please watch this carefully so you don't burn the drippings. Total cooking time is between 1¾ to 2¼ hours. Check the temp on the breast as it may cook sooner than the rest, the internal temperature should read 160ºF on an instant read thermometer. The dark-meat pieces should read 170ºF to 175ºF.

4). When completely cooked through to safe temperature readings, move the turkey breast to a cutting board, resting it for about 15 minutes. Neatly place the remaining leg pieces on a warmed platter. Carve the breast and add it to the platter.

5). While you are allowing the breast to rest, place your roasting pan over a medium-high heat. Add 1 cup of broth to de-glaze the pan and scrape up all of the tid-bits of brown cooked-on drippings. Season to taste. Drizzle the glaze over your cooked turkey, and garnish the platter with orange segments and parsley. Serve this dish right away.

SQUASH SOUP INGREDIENTS

• 2 TBL olive oil
• 2 leeks (white and light green portion only) cleaned and chopped finely
• 1½ pounds peeled, seeded, and diced winter squash
• 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced (if both eat garlic it cancels-out any later breath issues, right?)
• 5 cups chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 TBL fresh thyme, chopped
• Salt and fresh ground pepper

CITRUS CREAM INGREDIENTS

• ¼ cup sour cream (or crème fraîche)
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
• Freshly grated nutmeg

• 2 TBL fresh finely chopped chives, for garnish

NOTE: This can be done up to three days in advance if kept covered in the refrigerator. You will want to reheat it very slow and gently so not to scorch the soup.

4 STEPS TO A ROMANTIC MEAL FOR TWO

1). In a large saucepan, warm the oil over medium-high heat. Sauté the leeks until they are soft, about 6 minutes. Add the squash and continue to sauté for an additional 3 minutes. You want to make certain that they are nicely coated with the oil. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for 1 more minute. Gently stir in the broth, thyme, and salt and pepper to taste. Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat ti simmer, place a lid on the pan. Allow the soup to simmer for 25 to 30 minutes, checking that the squash is tender.

2). While your soup is simmering, make the gentle citrus cream: In a smaller sized bowl, mix together the cream, lemon zest, and juice. Grate-in the fresh nutmeg to taste and blend well.

3). Returning back to the soup, while still in the pan, purée it using a stick blender, or in a food processor (a blender will work as well, however, be very sure that the lid is on tightly and using a dish-towel hold the lid in place—the soup is hot and can burn you should it spin out of the device). Return the soup to the pan once the purée process is completed. Taste and adjust for seasoning.

4). To serve your soup, ladle it into warm bowls. Using a spoon, and a gentle swirling motion, add the citrus cream to the soup. It should take on a gentle marbling appearance with high contrasting white and amber swirls. Garnish with the chives.

MASHED POTATOES WITH A GARLIC FLAIR

ingredients:

• 4 pounds of Yukon gold potatoes (cut into 3-inch pieces)
• 8 garlic gloves (peeled and halved lengthwise)
• 2 TBL extra virgin olive oil
• 1¼ cups milk (for a really decadent dish use half-and-half)
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

NOTE: You can prepare these up to 4 hours ahead of time, cover and keep at room temperature. Reheat carefully over a double boiler over medium-heat. Add extra milk if needed to reconstitute the creaminess and adjust seasoning.

3 STEPS TO GREAT MASHED GARLIC POTATOES

1. Bring a big pot of water to a boil. Add potatoes, garlic, and salt and simmer, partially covered for 15 to 20 minutes or until the potatoes and garlic are fork-tender. (Because the spuds are cut into smaller pieces you can boil the water before adding them, if the potatoes were whole, start them in cold water to prevent them from over cooking on the outside before the inside has cooked through.)
2. Drain off the water leaving the potatoes and garlic on the pan and place over high heat. Cook them for about 1½ minutes, until the liquid has evaporated. Remove to a large bowl and for best results, mash with a potato masher or hand operated food mill.
3. In a saucepan, heat the butter, oil and milk over medium-heat until the butter is melted. Add this mixture to the mashed potatoes and whip with a wooden spoon or whisk (be careful not to over mix or the spuds will become like paste). Be sure to mash any pieces of garlic until smooth. When the liquid is absorbed season to taste and serve immediately.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts Ingredients

• 2 pounds of fresh Brussels sprouts (trimmed and halved if big)
• 2 TBL olive oil
• ¼ tsp powdered ginger
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 2 TBL pomegranate seeds for garnish

NOTE: You make these up to 2 hours ahead through step 2. Cover and keep at room temperature. Reheat in a 350ºF oven for about 10 minutes.

3 Steps To Baked Brussels Sprouts

1. Preheat oven to 425ºF. IN a large bowl, combine the halved Brussels sprouts and all ingredients except the pomegranate seeds, and toss to coat thoroughly.
2. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown and cooked through (turn once during cooking). The timing will depend entirely on the size of the sprouts.
3. Place in a warmed serving dish, garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve immediately.