Chefs' Thanksgiving Recipes

Randall Baldwin, Executive Chef, Dyron’s Lowcountry Restaurant

Dyron’s Lowcountry in Crestline Village is known for Carolina coast classics like shrimp and grits and slow-braised pork with pirlau. But at Thanksgiving, executive chef Randall Baldwin is eager to get back to his Alabama Gulf Coast roots.

“I grew up making this Oyster Gratin every Thanksgiving. My dad and I would go out to the Mobile Bay and get them directly off the boat and shuck them right there. Now I use oysters from Bon Secour which are plumper,” Baldwin said.

Oyster Gratin

Serves 6-8

1 medium yellow onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

8 tablespoons butter (1 stick), divided

½ cup chopped parsley

¾ pound fresh spinach, blanched and chopped

¼ cup Worcestershire sauce

1 quart raw shucked oysters

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

½ cup, plus 2 tablespoons, fresh bread crumbs

Salt and pepper, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt 5 tablespoons butter. Add onions and celery and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
3. Add parsley, spinach and Worcestershire sauce to the pan and toss to coat. Remove from heat and gently fold in ½ cup breadcrumbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
4. Use remaining butter to grease a shallow gratin dish, about 8 inches in diameter. Drain oysters and place in an even layer in the bottom of the prepared dish. Top with spinach mixture.
5. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and sprinkle Parmesan cheese and remaining 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs over. Bake for 10 minutes more. Serve warm.

Tiffany Denson, founder and CEO of T. Lish Dressings and Marinades

There are two culinary requests Tiffany Denson gets each Thanksgiving. The first is that she makes her signature creamed spinach gratin, and the second is that she makes plenty of her cranberry chutney.

“Both dishes not only bring color and flavor to the table, but each makes a fantastic counterpart to the leftover turkey sandwich,” she said. You can find the chutney recipe below, an online exclusive.

Creamed Spinach Gratin

Serves 8-10

4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

3-4 cups chopped sweet onions

¼ cup all-purpose flour

¼ teaspoon grated nutmeg

1 cup heavy cream

2 cups milk

5 (10-ounce) packages frozen chopped spinach, thawed

1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided

1 tablespoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup grated Gruyere cheese

1. Melt butter in heavy pan over medium heat. Add onions. Cook and stir until translucent, about 15 minutes. Add flour and nutmeg, cook, stirring constantly for two more minutes. Add cream and milk and cook until thickened, stirring constantly.
2. Squeeze as much liquid as possible from spinach and add spinach to the sauce mixture. Add ½ cup Parmesan cheese and mix well. Season to taste with kosher salt and pepper.
3. Transfer spinach mixture to a prepared baking dish and top with remaining ½ cup Parmesan and the Gruyere. Bake for 20-25 minutes at 400 degrees, or until hot and bubbly. Serve immediately.

Cranberry Chutney (make about 6 pints)

6 cups fresh cranberries (1 1/2 lbs)

1 cup raisins

1 1/2 cups honey

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

3/4 cup water

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup chopped almonds

1/2 cup chopped sweet onion

1 medium apple, pared cored and chopped

1/2 cup thinly sliced celery

Combine berries, raisins, honey, water, vinegar and spices in large saucepan and simmer for 15 minutes. Add remaining ingredients and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Cool. Pour into jars. Chill.

Chris Newsome, Executive Chef and owner, Ollie Irene

Chef Newsome’s wife, Anna, will be the first to tell you that choosing just one dish to share was really hard after the number of holidays they have spent together. Ultimately, they chose a perfect example of the food they serve in the restaurant.

“This is a twist on Thanksgiving dressing – familiar flavors, but elevated,” she said.

They like to serve this savory pudding in individual ramekins, cooked in a bain marie, or water bath.

“It is rich, but not dense, which is what we love about it.”

Cornbread Pecan Bread Pudding

Makes (12) 6-ounce ramekins

3 ¾ cups prepared cornbread, diced into ¼ inch pieces

3 ¾ tablespoons butter

1 cup celery, finely diced

1 ½ cups onion, finely diced

1 ¼ tablespoons fresh sage, chopped

1 cup toasted pecans, chopped

1/3 teaspoon nutmeg, freshly ground

¾ tablespoon salt

¾ teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

2 ½ cups heavy cream

1/3 cup milk

6 egg yolks

2 whole eggs

Non-stick spray

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cubed cornbread piece in a single layer on a large rimmed cookie sheet. Toast until crisp, just a few minutes. Remove from oven and set aside. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add celery, onion, sage, salt and pepper. Sauté until translucent.
3. Add pecans and nutmeg, and sauté one more minute. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, combine heavy cream, milk, yolks, and eggs, and whisk to incorporate.  Gently fold in the toasted cornbread and the sautéed mixture.
5. Spray ramekins with non-stick spray and place them in a roasting pan. Pour mixture among each ramekin evenly. Fill the roasting pan with very warm water, until it reaches the halfway mark on the ramekins. Carefully place the pan in the oven and bake for 30-45 minutes or until set.
6. To serve, Chef Newsome recommends letting the ramekins cool slightly, then running a knife around the inside, and flipping the pudding onto individual plates.

Daniel Briggs, Executive Chef, daniel george

Every chef likes to add a personal signature to family favorites. Growing up in Daniel Briggs’ house, serving collard greens was a Thanksgiving tradition. When he decided to add this dish to the dg lunch menu, he changed it up a bit with the addition of pineapple and chili paste—a now-popular addition to the menu.

Spicy Pineapple Collard Greens

Serves 6 – 8

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 ½ cups fresh pineapple, diced

2 large tomatoes, diced

½ cup basil

1 cup pineapple juice

¼ cup samba garlic chili paste

½ cup soy sauce

¼ cup rice wine vinegar

1 bunch collard greens

1. In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, melt the butter. Add the onions and sauté until translucent.
2. Add all remaining ingredients except for the collard greens. Reduce heat and let simmer for two minutes.
3. De-rib the collard greens by using a sharp knife to remove the tough center stem of each leaf.
4. Add the greens to the stockpot, cover and cook for 25-30 minutes. Serve warm.

Christiana Roussel lives in Crestline and enjoys all things food-related. Follow her culinary musings online at ChristianasKitchen.com or on Facebook or Twitter (Christiana40).