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GourmetGrrl Bites
GourmetGrrl.com: Food with 'tude
November 4, 2009
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Turkey Preview. Why wait til Thanksgiving for the bird? This week we have a few tasty things to get you ready for the big day.

Cin Cin!
GourmetGrrl, aka Laura Holmes Haddad

Grrl with Corkscrew
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The Two P's. When we think of Thanksgiving we think of cherries - maybe it's all the cranberries lying around. Regardless, we love drinking a cherry-kissed Pinot Noir from California, and Pfendler Vineyards in Sonoma makes one of our favorites. The gorgeous, cherry-pie-and-plum '07 Pinot has a lovely velvety mouthfeel and shows off the Sonoma Coast fruit. It's pricey at $45 but definitely worth the splurge - and worth bringing to the inlaws for Thanksgiving.(Pfendler is a small, family-owned winery that makes a fantastic Chardonnay and a juicy Rose of Pinot Noir, too. Owner Kimberly Pfendler and winemaker Greg Bjornstad are dedicated to making wines that show off the terroir, and we expect exciting things to come.)

Grrl with Knife
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Stir-fried Turkey. For a twist on turkey we love serving this fried rice recipe from chef Ming Tsai. Ground turkey, dried cranberries, and rice combine for an East-meets-West weekday dinner.

CRANBERRY TURKEY FRIED RICE
4 tablespoons canola oil
3 eggs, beaten lightly
2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh ginger
1 pound ground turkey
1 bunch scallions, white and green parts sliced thinly, separated
5 cups leftover cooked rice*
1/3 cup chopped dried cranberries
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon white pepper
Kosher salt, if needed
Heat a wok or large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of the oil and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the eggs, which will puff up. Allow to set, about 5 seconds, and using a wok spatula or similar tool, push the sides of the egg mass toward the center to allow uncooked egg to reach the pan and solidify. Flip the mass, allow it to set, about 5 seconds, and slide onto a paper towel-lined plate; do not overcook. With the edge of the spatula, break the eggs into small pieces. Set aside. Dump out any remaining oil. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of the oil to the wok and swirl to coat the pan. When the oil shimmers, add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry until soft, about 2 minutes. Add the turkey and the white parts of the scallions and cook through, breaking up any large chunks, about 5 minutes. Add the rice and cranberries and toss thoroughly until heated through. Add the soy sauce, white pepper and reserved eggs and toss. Correct the seasonings, add salt if necessary, transfer to a platter and garnish with the scallion greens. Serve immediately.
*If you don't have leftover rice, try this trick to get it to the correct consistency: cook your rice as usual, then lay it out on cookie sheets and place in the freezer to dry out-it takes about 30 minutes.
Serves 4