SHOW & RECIPE FOR NOV. 17

THOUGHTS ON STAR CHEFS
Recently, Delicious Mischief traveled to New York City – to a new highrise overlooking the site of the former World Trade Center, in fact – for an annual event called the Star Chefs Congress. Though at times no more impactful than the Congress in Washington, this event offered a chance to record several shows for you featuring chefs whose reputations transcend the ones we know in Houston. It also was a great chance to check out dishes and ingredients and ideas destined to turn up on all our plates very soon, since that’s what all the chefs in attendance were talking about.

WINES FROM BRAZIL
It’s a safe statement that these days the wines we find on the shelves of Spec’s hail from countries we didn’t even knew produced wine a mere generation ago. That doesn’t mean the wine operations there are “new,” since some have histories going back a century or more. But our awareness of them is new. On this week’s Grape & Grain segment, we sit down for a tasting in New York City with two leading wine people from Brazil to tell us all the whys and wherefores – one a representative of the industry itself, the other a member of the Miolo family that brought its Italian winemaking heritage to this brave new world.

THE ART OF THE DEAL
Most people who talk about opening a restaurant assume they’ll make a small fortune doing it. And, to quote the old joke, unless you’re starting with a large fortune, that’s highly unlikely. Restaurant ownership is a complicated and difficult way to make a few bucks, even though most of the chefs attending the StarChefs Congress were hoping for their own place someday. In our final segment, we talk seriously with a globetrotting consultant named Adam Block, who has put together a lot of those “celeb chef” restaurant deals that have transformed Las Vegas and virtually everywhere else.

This Week’s Delicious Mischief Recipe…
APPLE-BRINED SMOKED TURKEY

1 ¾ quarters apple juice
2 cups brown sugar
1 cup kosher salt
3 quarts water
3 Texas oranges, quartered
6 slices fresh ginger
15 whole cloves
5 bay leaves
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 (14-pound) turkey, cleaned
¼ cup olive oil

Bring the apple juice, brown sugar and salt to a boil. Dissolve the sugar, cook for 1 minute and remove from heat. Let mixture cool to room temperature. In a large (5-gallon) container, combine the water, oranges, ginger, cloves, bay leaves and garlic. Stir in the apple juice mixture. Submerge the turkey in this apple “brine,” cover and refrigerate for 24 hours. (Use heavy weight to keep turkey submerged, if necessary.)

Set up your grill for indirect cooking using soaked wood chips for smoke. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat dry. Tie the legs together with string. Lightly brush the turkey with olive oil. Set on a rack inside a heavy foil pan and cook over medium heat until wings are golden brown, about 45 minutes. Wrap the wings in foil to prevent them from burning. Continue roasting until the breasts are golden brown, about 1 hour. Cover entire turkey with foil and cook until the juices run clear when the meat is pierced with a knife, or the internal temperature reaches about 180 degrees. Estimate: 12-14 minutes per pound. Transfer turkey wrapped in foil to a cutting board and let meat rest for 20 minutes before carving. Use the pan drippings to make a gravy, if desired. Serves 8-10.