Turkey & Cranberry Chowder
Submitted by bcool3
A from-scratch turkey chowder simmered from the carcass with carrots, celery, potatoes, and diced turkey, served with a caramelized cranberry compote and sour cream. The most elegant way to use your Thanksgiving leftovers.
YIELD
4 servingsPREP
45 minCOOK
60 minREADY
2 hrsThis is what smart cooks do the day after Thanksgiving: turn that picked-over turkey carcass into liquid gold.
The carcass gets wrapped in cheesecloth with bay leaves and peppercorns, then simmered for nearly an hour to extract every last bit of flavor into a rich, homemade broth.
Diced carrots, celery, onion, and potatoes thicken things up into proper chowder territory, and a pound of leftover turkey meat goes back in so every spoonful is hearty.
But the genius move is the cranberry compote: vinegar and sugar caramelized together until dark and glossy, then fresh cranberries burst into a tart, jewel-red sauce that you swirl into each bowl alongside a dollop of cool sour cream.
Sweet, tart, savory, creamy, all in one bowl.
Chef Tips
- Wrap the carcass in cheesecloth so you can pull it out cleanly without leaving bone fragments in the soup
- Caramelize the sugar until it turns dark golden brown before adding the cranberries; this gives the compote a deep, complex sweetness
- Strain the broth before serving for a clear, elegant presentation; arrange the diced vegetables and turkey in each bowl, then ladle the soup over
- This chowder tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to deepen
Ingredients
Directions
Remove the meat from the turkey carcass and reserve.
You’ll need about 1 pound of meat for dinner.
Break up the carcass, wrap it in cheesecloth with bay leaves and peppercorns and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large pot, add carrot, celery and onion and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes.
Stir in the flour, then slowly add the water and broth.
Add the carcass, cover and bring to a boil.
Uncover and cook 45 minutes.
Remove and discard the carcass.
Add potato and cook 10 minutes.
Place the turkey and salt in the pot and cook 10 minutes more.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, combine the vinegar and sugar.
Let cook until there is no liquid left and the sugar begins to turn dark golden brown.
Immediately add the cranberries.
Lower heat, cover and let cook 5 minutes, or until the cranberries compote.
Pour into a serving bowl.
When it’s time for dinner, strain the soup into a tureen.
Decorate each soup bowl with a mixture of diced vegetables, potato and turkey.
Ladle the soup at the table and pass the cranberry compote and sour cream.
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