Butter-Basted Rib Eye Steaks

INGREDIENTS:

• Two 1 1/4-pound, bone-in rib eye steaks
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons canola oil
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 thyme sprigs
• 3 garlic cloves
• 1 rosemary sprig

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. 1. Season the rib eye steaks all over with salt and freshly ground pepper. Let the meat stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
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3. 2. In a large cast-iron skillet, heat the canola oil until shimmering. Add the steaks and cook over high heat until crusty on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn the steaks and add the butter, thyme, garlic and rosemary to the skillet. Cook over high heat, basting the steaks with the melted butter, garlic and herbs, until the steaks are medium-rare, 5 to 7 minutes longer. Transfer the steaks to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes. Cut the steaks off the bone, then slice the meat across the grain and serve.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Pair boldly tannic Cabernet Sauvignon with these indulgent rib eyes.

Barbecue Spice–Brined Grilled Turkey

Ingredients:

SERVINGS: 12

• 2 tablespoons hot smoked paprika
• 1 tablespoon dried savory
• 1 tablespoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon mustard powder
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ¼ cup (packed) plus 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• ½ cup kosher salt
• 1 12–14-pound turkey, halved (backbone removed, breastbone split)
• Vegetable oil (for grill)

Special Equipment

• A disposable foil pan and 1 cup wood chips soaked in water at least 1 hour (optional); oven thermometer

Preparation:

• Mix paprika, savory, cumin, mustard powder, cayenne, and ¼ cup brown sugar in a small bowl. Transfer 3 Tbsp. spice mixture to a medium bowl; mix in salt and remaining 3 Tbsp. brown sugar. Set remaining mixture aside for the next day. Cover turkey with dry brine, packing on until you’ve used it all. Chill on a rimmed baking sheet uncovered 8–12 hours. 

• Thoroughly rinse turkey to remove brine; pat dry. Rub with reserved spice mixture and let sit 2 hours to bring to room temperature.

• Prepare grill for medium-high, indirect heat (for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side of grill; for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off) and lightly oil grates. If using wood chips: Scatter over coals, if using a charcoal grill; place in a disposable foil pan and set over lit burner, if using a gas grill. 

• Place turkey, skin side up, over indirect heat, breast halves facing each other, with legs closest to direct heat. Place oven thermometer in center of indirect heat zone; cover. Grill 20 minutes, then rotate halves so neck end is closest to coals. Check temperature inside grill; thermometer should register 325° (open or close vents as needed). Continue to grill turkey, checking for doneness after 20 minutes, then again every 10 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part of breast registers 150°, about 1 hour total. 

• If desired, carefully move turkey over direct heat and turn skin side down. Grill to lightly char skin, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and let rest at least 30 minutes before carving.

Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel

Drying out and toasting the cornbread in the first step guarantees a crisp, flavorful dressing.

Ingredients:

SERVINGS: 8

• 8 cups ½” cubes Easy Savory Cornbread (click for recipe)
• 1 pound bulk breakfast sausage or links, casings removed
• 10 tablespoons (1¼ sticks) unsalted butter, divided, plus more for baking dish
• 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped, plus fronds for serving
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 8 scallions, white and pale-green parts only, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 Bosc or Comice pears, peeled, chopped
• ½ cup dry white wine (such as Sauvignon Blanc)
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram or oregano
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried sage leaves
• 2 cups (or more) low-sodium chicken broth, divided
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 300°. Divide cornbread between 2 large rimmed baking sheets. Bake, tossing occasionally, until beginning to brown in spots and dry out, 40–45 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cook sausage in a large skillet over medium-high heat, breaking up with a spoon, until dark brown, 6–8 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sausage to a small bowl; let cool.
• Reduce heat to medium and heat 8 Tbsp. butter in same skillet. Add fennel, celery, scallions, and garlic and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Add pears and wine, increase heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring occasionally, until wine is almost completely evaporated, about 5 minutes.
• Increase oven temperature to 400°. Butter a 13x9x2” baking dish. Combine sausage, fennel mixture, parsley, marjoram, thyme, sage, and 1½ cups broth in a large bowl. Add cornbread and toss to combine; season with salt and pepper. Let sit 10 minutes, then add remaining ½ cup broth and toss, adding more broth if needed (bread should be very moist but not soggy). Add eggs and mix gently just to combine. Transfer dressing to prepared baking dish and dot with remaining 2 Tbsp. butter.
• Cover dressing with foil and bake until heated through, about 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until dressing is golden and crisp on top, 20–30 minutes longer.
• Serve topped with fennel fronds.
• Do Ahead: Cornbread can be toasted 1 day ahead; store tightly wrapped at room temperature. Fennel and sausage mixture can be cooked 1 day ahead. Cover and chill separately.

Easy Savory Cornbread

A simple, straightforward cornbread that we’d happily serve alongside a bowl of chili on any other day of the year.

Ingredients:

SERVINGS: 8

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, cooled, plus more for baking dish
• 1⅓ cups all-purpose flour
• 1⅓ cups cornmeal
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• ¾ teaspoon baking soda
• 3 large eggs, beaten to blend
• 1 cup buttermilk
• ½ cup whole milk

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Butter an 8x8” baking dish. Whisk flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Whisk eggs, buttermilk, and milk in a medium bowl. Whisk egg mixture into dry ingredients until just combined (batter will be slightly lumpy). Mix in 3 Tbsp. butter.
• Scrape batter into baking dish and bake cornbread until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25–30 minutes.
• Do Ahead: Cornbread can be made 1 month ahead. Wrap tightly and freeze.
• Cornbread Dressing with Sausage and Fennel:

Easy Savory Cornbread:

Cranberry Margarita

Ingredients:

SERVINGS: MAKES 4

Cranberry Jam

¾ cup fresh cranberries

¼ cup sugar

1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

2 tablespoons fresh orange juice

Assembly

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon sugar

1½ teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder

1 lime wedge, plus 2 oz. fresh juice

4 oz. fresh orange juice

6 oz. tequila

Preparation:

Cranberry Jam:

Bring cranberries, sugar, orange juice, and ¼ cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan; reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thick and jammy, 30–40 minutes. Mix in orange zest; let cool.

Do Ahead: Jam can be made 5 days ahead. Cover and chill.

Assembly

1.Mix salt, sugar, and five-spice powder on a small plate. Rub rims of Old Fashioned glasses with lime wedge; dip in salt mixture and fill glasses with ice.

2.or each cocktail, combine ½ oz. lime juice, 1 oz. orange juice, 1½ oz. tequila, and 2 Tbsp. cranberry jam in a cocktail shaker; fill with ice. Cover and shake until outside is frosty, about 30 seconds. Strain into prepared glass.

Butter-Roasted Turkey Breasts

Ingredients:

SERVINGS: 8

• 2 skin-on, bone-in turkey breasts (3½–4 lb.)
• ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 sprigs thyme
• 4 sprigs rosemary
• 1 head of garlic, cloves peeled, crushed

Preparation:

• Preheat oven to 425°. Gently loosen skin from turkey breasts and rub butter under the skin and all over outside of breasts; season with salt and pepper.
• Scatter thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs, and garlic over a large rimmed baking sheet and arrange turkey breasts, skin side up, on top. Roast turkey breasts, rotating halfway through, until skin is crisp and golden brown and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of breasts registers 160° (for optimal moistness, you will want to cook the white meat of the turkey breasts to a lower temperature than you would if cook the whole bird), 45–55 minutes.
• Transfer turkey breasts to a platter and rest 10 minutes before carving.
• Serve turkey breasts with pan drippings alongside.
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Chicken alla Diavo

INGREDIENTS:

• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
• Two 3- to 3 1/4-pound chickens
• 2 teaspoons dried sage
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon pimento d' Espelette or Aleppo pepper, or 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

INSTRUCTIONS:

1.   In a small jar, combine the white wine vinegar with the dried oregano. Cover and let stand at room temperature for 2 days. Strain the oregano-infused vinegar into a small bowl and stir in the olive oil
2. Using kitchen shears, remove the wing tips and the backbones from the chickens. Set the chickens on a large rimmed baking sheet, skin-side up, and press down firmly on the breastbones to flatten them so that the legs face the breasts. Score each breast, drumstick, thigh, and wing halfway to the bone in two places per part. Drizzle all but 2 tablespoons of the vinegar-oil mixture over both sides of the chickens and rub the mixture into the meat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
3.   In a small bowl, combine the dried sage with the kosher salt, pigment d' Espelette, dried rosemary and ground black pepper. Rub the seasoning all over the chickens. Let the seasoned chickens stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
4.   Preheat the oven to 425°. Roast the chickens in the upper third of the oven, skin side up, basting both chickens with the remaining vinegar-oil mixture halfway through, until the chicken is just cooked, and an instant-read thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 165°, about 45 minutes.
5.   Preheat the broiler. Pour the pan juices into a small saucepan. Broil the chickens about 4 inches from the heat, rotating the pan, until browned and crisp, about 3 minutes. Carve the chickens. Reheat the pan juices and serve with the chicken.

MAKE AHEAD

The oregano vinegar can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

This variation on Pollo all Diavolo is less fiery than the classic version and definitely more exotic. Yet at its heart it's still a luscious roast chicken, making it an ideal match for a medium-bodied red wine—especially one with a touch of exoticism itself. Look for a blend of Sagrantino, Montepulciano, and Sangiovese.

Deviled Salmon

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 ancho chile, stemmed and seeded
• 2 tablespoons Sriracha
• 1 tablespoon sambal oelek or other Asian chile sauce
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 hot pickled cherry pepper, stemmed, seeded and minced, plus 1 tablespoon brine from the jar
• Four 6-ounce skinless salmon fillets, about 1 inch thick

INSTRUCTIONS

1. 1. In a small bowl, cover the ancho chile with hot water and let stand until softened, about 20 minutes. Drain and mince the ancho. In a small bowl, whisk the ancho with all of the remaining ingredients except the salmon.
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3. 2. Add all but 1/4 cup of the marinade to a baking dish. Add the salmon fillets and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate the salmon for at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
4. 
   
5. 3. Light a grill. Grill the salmon fillets over moderate heat, turning once, until lightly charred and nearly cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the salmon to plates and serve with the reserved marinade.
6. 
   

MAKE AHEAD

The marinade can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

SUGGESTED PAIRING

Lively, full-bodied rosé.