Holiday Food And Wine Tips From Chef Marcus Samuelsson
If anyone knows what they're doing for a holiday, it is a professional chef. If you want to have a tasty Thanksgiving, try chef Marcus Samuelsson's tips and recipes that can help both the experienced chef and the home cook!
Holiday Food Tips From Chef Marcus Samuelsson:
• Get as much of your meal prepared and ready early so you can spend quality time with loved ones, instead of alone in the kitchen.
• Celebrate your year by choosing foods from your favorite travel destinations over the last 12 months. Or, for a wishful thinking approach, choose ingredients from places you'd like to visit in 2014.
• Embrace the nostalgia that comes with the season. Cooking, for Samuelsson, is also a way of looking back and there's no better time to do that than the holidays. When he makes apple cake, he sees my mother. So get together with your loved ones, and create something that binds you as a family.
• If you're hosting a dinner party, add a bread course, so guests can break bread with one another.
For more turkey talk, visit The Daily Meal's Ultimate Guide to Thanksgiving!
Holiday Wine Tips From Chef Marcus Samuelsson:
• The highest prices don't necessarily guarantee the best wines.
Just pick something you like and go with that. First created in 1976, the Penfolds Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet is a good example. It's an easy-drinking wine that most red wine lovers like and it happens to not cost too much, which is an added bonus.
• Samuelsson likes his white wines the way he likes his travel, multi-regional and diverse. You don't have to follow the rules of what wines are supposed to go with what food — again, drink what you like.
• Consider the tradition of your wine, as you establish your own traditions this holiday season. One of Samuelsson's job hazards is that he usually tends to cook, so he relies on his friends to bring the wine. If they know it's something he likes, he can usually expect it on his holiday table.
• Enjoy a special wine for your special meal that can be appreciated immediately. Penfolds Bin 8 Cabernet Shiraz is one of those bottles. When Samuelsson and his wife are preparing a nice long short rib braise, or she's making her Chicken Doro Wat, this is a great blend to drink while cooking and eating!
For the Experienced Chef:
Click here for the Lobster Roll Recipe!
Click here for the Parsnip Soup Recipe!
Click here for the Spiced Duck Recipe!
Click here for the Lamb Rack Recipe!
For the Home Cook:
Click here for the Lobster Roll Recipe!
Click here for the Spiced Duck Recipe!