The Stove on Sunday: Barefoot Contessa's Truffle Butter Turkey

Thanksgiving always holds a special place in my heart after spending it with friends in Massachusetts, back in 2005, so my mum always tries to create a pseudo Thanksgiving dinner for me.  Our guilty pleasure is American TV chef Ina Garten, aka the Barefoot Contessa.  We love her and her recipes as well as finding some of her idiosyncrasies quite irritating.  Her poor husband, Jeffrey, only ever seems to be cooked chicken because it's his favourite and she says "How good is that?" an awful lot.  On the build up to Thanksgiving, the Food Network were running all of her Thanksgiving episodes, including this rather indulgent recipe for truffle butter turkey.  We decided to test run this for a potential new way of cooking our turkey at Christmas, as it's no secret that it's not the most delicious of poultry.

Ina only used the crown of the turkey rather than the full thing, which we never do, as some of the more tasty meat is the dark meat in our eyes and cooking without the bones can make it dry also.  However, we decided for the sake of the test run, we would just use the crown too.  After all, we're not really American and it's not really Thanksgiving to us, so a whole proper turkey seemed a little bit extravagant for a Thursday evening.

You will need:

Turkey Crown (or whole Turkey)

3 oz Truffle Butter

Fresh Thyme

Some Black Garlic (this was our own addition)

Salt

Pepper

Olive Oil

How To:

1. Place the turkey in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels

2. Release the skin from the meat carefully, so as not to tear and begin to place the truffle butter underneath.  We actually mixed our truffle oil with standard butter instead.  We also had black garlic recommended to us by a friend, so we also placed a few cloves of this under the skin too.

3.  Press your hands across the turkey skin in order to evenly distribute the butter.

4.  Season with salt and pepper and drizzle olive oil across the meat before placing into the oven at 325 degrees F for approximately three hours, remember half way through to cover the turkey with foil so as not to burn the skin.

5.  Serve with your favourite roast vegetables.

On tasting the meat it was a little dry, which we attributed to the fact we were just using the crown but it was quite impressively flavoursome considering it was cooked without the bones and the dark meat.  It had a richer taste than usual but it did not overpower.  Considering we spent somewhere near the region of £70 for our turkey last year and it didn't taste as delicious as this one we figured that we could actually get away with purchasing a much cheaper turkey and instead cook it in this manner to ensure the flavour.  To ELLE and Back brings you another credit buster, in the form of a turkey dinner, of all things!

We also took on board Ina's table decoration ideas...

"How good is that?" *wink*

Way Back When...A Trip Down Memory Lane

I can hardly believe that I wrote this post, "Way Back When..." a year ago.  It documented a Thanksgiving I shared with friends in Massachusetts when I lived there for a short time, back in 2005.  I have many fond memories of that day and am always recollecting them to anyone who will listen.  My mum, in her very sweet nature, has decided to create a Thanksgiving dinner for us all as compensation that, yet again, another year has passed.  We are trying to re-create the Barefoot Contessa's (one of our favourite American TV chefs) Truffle Butter Turkey, which shall feature in this Sunday's The Stove on Sunday post.

If you have the time please check out Way Back When.  Although a post from last year, many of you will not have been readers then as I haven't really wholeheartedly committed to the blog until mid this year and it really embodies what To ELLE and Back is about.  An inspirational lifestyle that I am always striving for, filled with good food, good friends, good memories and some pretty fun and indulgent products to help bring a smile to our faces on some not so smiley days.

On a final note, I may not be American but I have so much to be thankful for, friends and family but I would also like to express my thanks at anybody that takes the time to read, comment and support To ELLE and Back.  I'm leaving you with one of my favourite songs that reminds me of my Thanksgiving back in 2005.

Have a blessed day xxx

The Stove on Sunday: Starbucks' New Breakfast Menu

"The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are, can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall! Decaf! Cappuccino!"

~Joe Fox, You've Got Mail

 

That would be me then.  My name from time to time has been known as Starbucks due to my sheer adoration of coffee and my utter distress at not having one near me at Uni, years ago.  So, okay, I'm sure there is better coffee BUT there is something about this entire brand that me and I guess the rest of the world have a deep rooted obsession with. 

Train from Boston to Bridgewater, MA February 2007

Starbucks, London, December 2007

Starbucks, Bluewater UK, April 2007

New York cab August 2008

Starbucks, Boston, nr South Station February 2007



Friends house July 2009



I visit this establishment every day for my tall skinny cappuccino or, if weather permits, skinny iced caramel macchiato but the only food I actually enjoy consuming here is the cheese and marmite breakfast panini.  I've built up somewhat of an addiction to this moorish delight.  Overall I am quite underwhelmed with Starbucks' food offering.  Their sandwiches, for me, don't have enough filling and although I love a good cake I'm never really enticed by any of theres and think they're a tad overpriced in comparison to other baked goods stores.  With lunch competition like Pret and Eat in London, I can't ever see Starbucks being able to win market share of the food lunchtime trade with their current menu.  I have been known on occasion to purchase my lunch elsewhere and visit Starbucks solely for my beverage and I think a lot probably do the same.  Where they could really nail it is in the breakfast business. 

 

 We're not like the States, there's not a million and one pancake joints or breakfast bars, even brunch is strictly a weekend event and even then it tends to be a bit of a wild goose chase to find a reputable restaurant to indulge.  From living in Massachusetts for a while and with three Dunkin' Donuts on campus a breakfast out was always easy to come by so I was more than impressed when I visited the Holland Park Starbucks to discover that they have dipped their toes a little further into the breakfast pool.

 

If you haven't spotted it yet in your local Starbucks, their new breakfast menu consists of...

 

Buttermilk Pancakes

 

Porridge

 

Natural Yoghurt

 

and of course, all their trusty favourites.

 

The coolest thing about the three meals mentioned above is the fact that you can customise these to your mood.  Fruit compote, mango compote, maple honey and granola are all available for 35p to add to your order.  More than reasonable. 

 

On Friday I picked up the buttermilk pancakes, which were warmed through for me, and two mini tubs of the maple honey.  The pancakes, on consumption, were nice.  They weren't "wowee out of this world" nice but they filled a whole and I had no complaints.  If you want wow factor then of course you're going to have to visit somewhere that actually cooks them fresh but good luck with that.  One tub of the maple honey would not have been enough for the pancakes but two, I have to admit, was a little too much, the sugar rush was immense!  I think Starbucks should have thrown a butter or two in the bag though as well, maybe if you ask they would but personally I think it should be a requirement with every order.

 

My pancakes were, I think £1.60, I can't quite recall and I also can't find it anywhere on their site.  With the added extras amounting to 70p my total breakfast cost was £2.30 which for what I got was just right.  I'd think twice if I had to pay any more.

 

For food on the go when your mornings just not working out these breafasts are more than adequate.  I'll be visiting again for sure, although my heart is still reserved for my cheese and marmite panini.  In summary, if you're bored of the choice between a croissant or a chocolate croissant that EVERYBODY else just sells then head to Starbucks for a little more choice!  (Or if you want to learn how to make super low in fat pancakes that are still delicious then check out this post here.)

 

Now for some weekend hilarity, here's a little Love Story (read a post about the real movie here) meets Starbucks skit I did back in the day when I dreamed of being a comedy actress and potentially Starbucks new advert.  Eh Starbucks?  Wadda ya say?!  If you've seen the movie you'll get the references and if you know me, then this might be mildly amusing...

 

 

*Images taken from http://www.brandchannel.com/ and http://www.starbucks.co.uk/ 

Way back when...

As I sit here with my Christmas pudding slice and my cup of tea on this chilly night, I am reminded of the saying on my Starbucks cup today..."Stories are gifts to share..."

I am so lucky to have so many wonderful memories, including much loved friends and family, many jovial laughs, heartwarming moments and overwhelming feelings of contentment.  I have decided to make Way back when... a regular piece that documents moments I keep close to my heart.

Today is Thanksgiving.  In 2005 I was studying at Bridgewater State College, MA and I shared Thanksgiving with my good friend Jen Corey, her family and friends. 

It was a bitter cold night and we had rehearsals for our Lab Theatre Project, the "Theatre on the Edge" Festival, that was to take place the following week.  As we wrapped at 10.30pm, myself, Jen, Jamie, Mike and Alison made our way to the cinema to see Rent the movie.  It had just been released at the cinema and my friends were dying to see it.  I wasn't bothered either way, as had never seen it on stage anyway.  We were the last into the showing and had to take seats at the very front.  It was a late showing, I was exhausted and ten minutes in I fell asleep, only to wake just in time to see the final scene.  We hugged and said our farewells to Jamie and Alison in the car park.  Mike dropped Jen and myself back to her house. 

I had visited Jen's once before but only sat in the car.  We bundled into her home with her massive bag of laundry.  Both her parents were still awake, their Christmas tree was up and their home smelt of freshly baked apple pie.  The cinnamon was intoxicating. They were beyond welcoming and I truly felt as if I was part of their family.   I even remember their distinct candied apple hand soap from Bath and Body Works, perfect for such a holiday. The following morning Jen and I headed out to Mary Lou's for coffee for everyone later and then prepared for the rest of the day.  A multitude of relatives arrived to a feast of turkey, mashed potato, meatballs, amongst other delicious foods. 

As the day drew to a close, numerous friends appeared for dessert.  Some bringing their own but either way Jen's mum had prepared enough for all.  Baklava, pumpkin pie, apple pie, brownies, cookies...the list goes on.  Us college lot headed down to the basment, ate, chatted and generally laughed until late.  Friends for dessert, since 2005, has been a Corey Annual Thanksgiving Event and every year, depsite the large ocean that seperates myself from all of them, I am still invited via Facebook.  Next year, I hope to attend.

Happy Thanksgiving!

You don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies

My current guilty pleasure is YouTubing The Social Network trailer due for release in October for both the UK and US.  The Screenplay has been adapted from Ben Mezrich's book The Accidental Billionaires (which I am making my number 1 priority to get a hold of and read) based on the creation of Facebook by Harvard student Mark Zuckerberg and all the controversy it received at the time, including accusations that the idea was stolen from fellow classmates.  The movie set for release later this year is enticing me for several reasons...

1.  I remember the hype of Facebook back in 2005 when I was on an exchange program to MA, USA.  You had to have a US college address to even sign up to the site and no one in Britain had ever heard of such a thing, nor did they understand the overwhelming capacity for it to take over your life and ultimately lead you to procrastinate from doing pretty much anything.  It was a huge part of my college experience in the US and therefore is very evocative of an amazing time for me, a memory that the current Facebook just can't manifest. 

2. Justin Timberlake is starring in it.

3.  The trailer.  There are a few knocking about on YouTube but I would be lying if I didn't say that it is this one (see below) that I watch over and over and probably one of the main reasons I am so hyped up for this movie.  The trailer is edited together in rather a dramatic form, of course but it is the music used that has really caught my attention and builds the intensity.  Scala and Kolacny Brothers have covered Radioheads Creep (not that I'm aware of what the original sounds like) and it is such a haunting track, one that I desperately need to download , if anything just to stop me from watching the trailer over and over.