Helga and Ine share their signature Thanksgiving recipe

Giving thanks and being thankful is all what Thanksgiving is about. Thanksgiving is often celebrated by giving gifts to the people you love and cherish the most. But the best gift of all to give during this holiday is your time. At KAAI we think there is no better way to spend time with your family than sharing a homecooked meal together. That is why Helga and Ine decided to share their signature Thanksgiving, so that you can enjoy your family Thanksgiving dinner with a lovely new recipe. 

Helga's Thanksgiving recipe: Lamb's crown with green beans and roasted tomatoes

My preferred food is pure and natural. Therefore, Lamb’s crown is one of my favorites. Imagine lamb’s crown on your plate with green beans and a red touch of tomatoes. You immediately feel yourself being in the English countryside

I start with the vegetables because preparing them takes time. I rinse the beans under cold water, cut off the ends, and cook them slowly in a pan with shallot, pepper, olive oil, and freshly cut tomato cubes. This way you get a pure vegetable flavor, and all the vitamins are preserved.

The cooking takes about 20 minutes, you need to monitor it carefully and add a little water if needed.

Step 1: I then take the lamb’s crown out of the fridge half an hour in advance.

Step 2: Now two things must be done simultaneously. I have the oven preheated at 120° and I heat the pan at high temperature.

Step 3: I keep another pan on the side with aluminum foil, medium heat.

Step 4: Rub the lamb crown with arachide oil and pepper it on both sides.

Step 5: We sear it shortly and heavily shortly on both sides until you get a nice crust but, it should still be red on the inside. Then wrap the lamb in aluminum foil and place in the oven for about 10 minutes. When you take it out, it will be crusty on the outside and nice and red on the inside, and integrally hot.

Traditionally « pomme dauphinoise » is a perfect side dish. If you have time; this is a perfect combination. If you have less time, like me, use your air fryer.

Step 6: Fresh potatoes, peeled, cleaned under the tap, dried off, cut into 4, rub them with very little oil (1 tablespoon for 400 gr) cook in the air fryer for 15 to 17 min at 170°. (I am not a fan of higher temperatures. For health reasons I prefer lower temperatures and longer cooking times when it comes to baking

And as always in cooking, the biggest challenge is getting everything « al dente » at the same time…. 

Ine’s Thanksgiving recipe: Turkey roast with sage, pancetta and a crumble of nuts and fruit.

I really love cooking and like to experiment with exotic recipes from all over the world. As I traveled a lot during my career as a Buyer of fashion accessories, I always enjoyed tasting the local food and purchased many cookbooks during my trips.

But when the time is there for a traditional Family dinner in winter, my favorite dish is a Turkey roast with a little twist, which I invented myself.

The combination of the salted pancetta with the sweet crumble makes this dish looks quite spectacular for your guests, although it is very easy to make. What I like about it is that you can prepare everything in advance so you can enjoy the time of dinner fully with your family.

What do you need for 4- 6 persons

Turkey roll:

• 1 Turkey thigh boned or a 1 Turkey breast fillet
• 10 Fresh sage leafs
• 80 gr pancetta (thin slices)
• 100 gr Ricotta
• 2 egg yolks
• 40 gr Pistachio nuts chopped
• 2 Red onions (chopped in 4)

Crumble:

• 60 gr pecan nuts
• 300 gr fresh cranberries
• 2 tablespoons pumpkin seeds
• 8cl maple syrup
• 20gr butter

Mix the sage pancetta, ricotta, and egg yolks, and add the chopped pistachio nuts with salt and pepper

Step 1: Preheat the oven to 180 C°

Step 2: Put the turkey on a tray, add the pancetta mix on top, roll it up and tie it up with kitchen twine. 

Step 4: Sear the turkey for 5 minutes in a casserole so that all sides are golden brown and season with salt and pepper. Put the roll in an oven tray, add the onions, and roast in the oven for 30 minutes.

Step 5: Time to make the crumble. Chop the pecan nuts (not too small). Melt the butter in a saucepan together with the cranberries and heat (softly) for 15 minutes. Add the pecan nuts, and pumpkin seeds and mix them all together. Add the maple syrup and caramelize the crumble for 5 minutes. 

Step 6: When the turkey is ready, place it on your favorite serving plate and garnish it with the crumble and onions.

I love a table with many dishes and a variety of colors and flavors. Therefore, as a side dish, I suggest a whole roasted celery root (from Ottolenghi‘s cookbook Nopi, you can find the recipe on google easily) and a plate of roasted pumpkin with red onion, sesame seeds, and some feta cheese on top.

We would like to say thank you to all of our clients and we wish you all a lovely Thanksgiving.

Helga and Ine