Thanksgiving Tips, Dry-Brined Turkey Tutorial, Roasted Harvest Vegetables & Recipe Round-Up

Brussels sprouts, nicely browned.

Acorn squash, ready for the table!

Thanksgiving is essentially the ultimate celebration of food. This holiday combines the notions of seasonality, tradition, family and (let’s face it) excess into a single meal the represents all for which we are thankful. Here at OurLocaltopia we have spent the past few months gearing up for Thanksgiving through a series of recipe and technique focused posts that run the gamut from traditional to nouveau. As the big day approaches, we of course have even more of these recipes and techniques to share! In this post, Jonathan Dye reveals a variety of his own hints for taking some of the stress and work out of Thanksgiving dinner prep, including his suggestion for quicker cooking, spatchcocked turkey prep. Jonathan Duffy Davis takes us through a step-by-step tutorial on dry-brining and whole roasting your turkey, and shares his recipes for perfectly roasted harvest vegetables. Finally, we recap the various recipes we have explored this fall so they can be used on your own holiday table!

Thursdays in the Kitchen: An Elegant New Year’s Eve – Final Class of 2013 on 11/21

Hello friends! Don’t forget… on Thursday November 21st at 6pm, we will be hosting the final Thursdays in the Kitchen class of 2013, our “Elegant New Year’s Eve” celebration.  This class will be team taught by Jonathan Duffy Davis and Jonathan Dye and will serve a dual purpose: to explore a wonderful menu of elevated cuisine, perfect for end of the year parties AND to celebrate the success of the Thursdays in the Kitchen series, all while enjoying a fabulous evening!

Jonathan Duffy Davis’ Pickled Green Beans: Recipe and Method

Most vegetables are takers but bean give back. Along with the rest of the legumes beans have formed an amazing symbiosis with nitrogen-fixing bacteria (Rhizobium). These bacteria that call the roots of legumes home are capable of taking the inert nitrogen gas (n²) that constitutes almost 80% of every breath that we take and turning it into a form of nitrogen that plants can use. Nitrogen is the most limiting nutrient to plant growth in the garden. The more nitrogen your soil contains, the better your garden will grow. Thus, beans nourish not only the gardener but the garden as well.

A Creepy Cocktail for Halloween: Fresh Beet Gin Fizz

Beet Cocktail: It’s bloody good!

We love beets! Beets taste of the soil in which they were grown and they are our icon, our mascot. Beets were also a major staple in the kitchen when the three of us starting cooking and working together – so we are and always will be fond of beets.

Our writing often focuses on seasonality and this beet-based cocktail is certainly one that will fit the bill for this immediate season – Halloween night.

Thursdays in the Kitchen are BACK!

Thursdays in the Kitchen: Exploring the Autumn Harvest classes start this week at the Fullerton Arboretum!

Don’t forget, folks! The Jonathans are back on Thursday nights at the Fullerton Arboretum this fall! Our three part, holiday focused cooking series kicks off this week with an Early Fall Dinner Party. The menu

Thanks To All Our Tailgaters!

Thanks to everyone who came out tonight to OurLocaltopia’s Tailgating Party at the Yorba Linda Public Library! Check back soon for the recipe packet and more pictures from class. A special thanks to the Library and its great staff for having us!

Crafting A Lemon Verbena Gimlet – A Recipe & Gallery

We suggest fresh picked lemon verbena, but store bought will do as well.

Wash leaves. Choose leaves that have a healthy look and feel.

Take your first sip and enjoy the tart and refreshing cool down! Remember to share!

It’s hot as $@&#, right? This type of weather calls for a cocktail. OurLocaltopia has you covered!

Melon & Tequila Cocktail – Recipe and Gallery

 

We have had quite the melon-filled August here at OurLocaltopia. And it ain’t over yet! Yes, of course we have a recipe for a melon cocktail. This delightful drink can be altered to suit your tastes, and has a beautiful color that shows well in a pre-chilled glass. Thirsty yet? Click through for our full recipe and photo galley guide…

In Praise of Gin and the Elderflower Greyhound – Recommendations & A Recipe

An OLT favorite.

There are certain truths in life. The sky is blue; you are bound to pay your taxes, and after taxes (or life or work) things are better with a little nip from the bottle. At OurLocaltopia we believe in many things; one of which is an abiding respect of and praise for the nectar known as gin. While we have explored drinks with different gins (sloe gin, sweet gin, infused gin), there has been one constant gin from the very beginning: Hendricks. We adore this exceptional gin, which is floral, deep, and outright spectacular. It’s worth seeking out if you haven’t tried it, and it’s now readily available in most markets. This will work with any gin, just remember that the quality of your booze is important. At least for the first drink! In the early days of our blog we would gather at a table planning classes or events around this iconic dark bottle, with no accompaniments but soda and limes. While that still passes, now and then we like to ante-up a bit. So here is a recipe for a pretty little drink, as refreshing as it is colorful, and one that is enjoyed under a blue sky, after taxes, in the midst of life, after work, or – any time you please. Enjoy it as we have, with friends, coworkers, and great company.

Gin Greyhound with Elderflower Liqueur
Into an ice filled low-ball or high-ball glass (depending on how heavy you want your drink to be, choose the glass that fits your needs!), fill with the following ingredients…
3 measures dry gin
½ measure elderflower liqueur
Top with strained fresh grapefruit juice
Optional: add a splash of seltzer
Garnish with fresh citrus. Remember, garnishes are important! A good cocktail garnish is like a Christmas present that has been expertly wrapped with care and detail. It’s like receiving two presents in one. You’ve spent money on the gin and the elderflower liqueur… why stop there? Make it beautiful!
Drink and repeat until life gets better!

An OLT favorite.

Aquire some St. Germain. This is elderflower liqueur, with a sophisticated floral note that plays well with the juniper of the gin. And you’ve got to lovely that art nouveau bottle.

Prep your garnishes. Thin-sliced kumquat or other citrus (or a combo!), plus thyme or another fun herb.

Ready some fresh squeezed grapefruit juice. (Red is beautiful, but regular is fine!) Always use fresh squeezed and STRAIN it before mixing. We used a reamer to juice grapefruit halves.

Fill a glass with ice. We like large ice chunks with this drink.

Add your measured elements to the ice filled glass. Top with a spash of seltzer if you’d like. Stir gently, garnish and ENJOY!

Good drinking!

~Jonathan Dye

A Photo Gallery From The Muck’s Summer Farm Dinner, Have A Look!

This historic house in the hills of Fullerton is a gorgeous setting for a summer farm dinner. The Muck, as it is know, is a center for community and culture serving the citizens of north Orange County and beyond. We recommend you check it out!

These organic beauties were grown on the Fullerton Arboretum’s farm and used in The Muck’s farm dinner.

Farm dinner patrons enjoy passed appetizers and drinks in the main gallery before sitting down to dinner.

A refreshing libation to start the evening off right, Rhubarb and Elderflower Bellinis, served in the main gallery.

The table waits for guests.

The Muckenthaler family had their farm dinners in this same location. This festive table harkens back to the soul of this historic property.

Crisp and fresh, a vareity of peppers grown at the Fullerton Arboretum.

Chef Jonathan Dye, making the pasta for the ravioli course right in The Muck’s kitchen! Talk about fresh!

Farmer and Chef Jonathan Duffy Davis prepares the homemade herbed ricotta filling for the ravioli.

Guests fill the table and get excited for the meal, as the sun begins to set on Fullerton.

This beautiful chilled avocado and corn soup with cilantro oil is made with Fullerton Arboretum produce!

These colorful squash adorn the farm table and remind us that fall is just around the corner. They were grown on the Arboretum’s Farm!

This toothsome treat was garnished with browned butter and garden fresh sage and chives.

Guests raise a glass to friends and family.

Arboretum nectarines being prepared for desert!

Chef Jonathan Dye and Farmer Jonathan Duffy Davis speak to the table about food being eaten.

Incredibly flavorful balls of delight! Charentais & Musk Melons paired with prosciutto, basil and mozzarella make a delightful summer salad.

As evening comes to The Muck, the table and grounds grow more gorgeous.

The evening comes to a close with the nectarine crisp the summer heat giving way into a cool evening. What a beautiful night!

A beautiful evening, in a beautiful setting. Click through the gallery above for more photos of the Summer Farm Dinner at The Muck.