This year, we’ve all got to face a hard fact: the holidays are going to look a lot different. We may not travel for as long or as far as we normally do, have less people at our table and miss out on Grandma’s stuffing or cousin Tony’s candied yams. But when things change, we can always make the best of them! Even if we’re missing out on all the norms of spending time with loved ones, we can clink our glasses and laugh at bad dad jokes over zoom.
It also means it might be time to re-invent some of those old dishes we’re used to. Imagine your mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce with a twist and a little more zest than usual. Here are some tasty recipes for a main, side dish and dessert all incorporating our favorite beverage: coffee.
Let’s start with the star of the show, the turkey. There’s no way your immediate family can eat a whole one, right? So we’ve made it easy by creating a unique marinated turkey breast recipe that will pair perfectly with all the sides.
Coffee Marinated Turkey Breast
6 turkey breast filets
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup strong coffee or 2 shots of espresso
1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
3 tsp brown sugar
1 tsp dijon mustard
Salt & pepper
If your turkey breasts are particularly thick, we recommend filleting them in half before starting this recipe. Each fillet should be about ½ inch thick.
Add all ingredients except for turkey breasts into a bowl, and whisk together. Place turkey breasts in a large plastic bag and pour marinade into bag over them. Push any air out of the bag and seal before evenly coating the turkey breasts with marinade by massaging it in for a minute or so.
Marinate in the fridge for about two hours.
When ready, preheat a large pan or griddle. Sear the breasts on each side for 3-4 minutes or until they are cooked through. Allow to rest for 5 minutes before slicing and serving.
Our next dish is a new take on the classic green bean casserole. This is normally a very heavy dish, which can be overwhelming alongside stuffing and mashed potatoes. Our version is much fresher and lighter so you have more room for other classics!
Coffee Dressed Green Beans
12oz bag of green beans, stems chopped off
½ cup slivered almonds, toasted
1 small onion, chopped
1⁄3 cup olive oil, plus two tablespoons
1⁄4 cup coarsely ground coffee beans
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon maple syrup
salt and pepper
Bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil and blanche the green beans for 3-4 minutes until they are barely cooked.
Meanwhile, add 2 tbsp of oil to a small sauté pan. Add the onions and coffee, browning them until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Let cool. In a bowl, mix the onions and coffee remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Arrange the green beans on a plate and sprinkle the toasted slivered almonds over them. Next, drizzle the vinaigrette over them so that they are all coated. For a richer version you may also choose to add a pat of butter on top. Serve.
Next up is a spin on a classic dessert that finds a home on every Thanksgiving table. We love the combination of sweet, gooey pecan pie filling with butter crust. Adding coffee to this dish balances out the sweetness a bit better and provides a depth of flavor you didn’t even know you were missing.
Coffee Pecan Pie
Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp sugar
¼ tsp salt
½ cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
¼ cup ice water
Filling:
⅓ cup butter, softened
¾ cup brown sugar
4 eggs
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup corn syrup
¼ cup strong coffee or 1 shot espresso
1 & ½ cups pecans
In a bowl, sift together flour, sugar and salt. Add the pieces of cold butter to the dry ingredients and use a dough cutter to incorporate until it achieves the texture of coarse meal with pea-size pieces of butter. You can also do this in a food processor by adding the dry ingredients first and pulsing together with the butter until it reaches the same consistency.
Form a well in the center of the mixture and add the ice water, quickly working it into a ball of dough. Wrap with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Flour your work surface before rolling out the dough into a large circle. Use your rolling pin by draping the dough over it to transfer to a 10-inch pie plate. Lightly press into fit the plate and trim any excess overhang. Using a fork, crimp the edges for a nice design. Then prick the bottom of the dough and bake for 12 minutes.
Remove the pre-baked crust and reduce the oven temperature down to 350°F.
Then, in a new bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer. You may also use a stand mixer. Add the eggs and mix together well. Then add the corn syrup, coffee and salt while before mixing once more. Fold the pecans gently into the mixture to keep them whole.
Pour filling into the crust and bake for 35 minutes until the pie is set and golden brown. Remove and let cool for two hours before serving.
We have a bunch of other great pie recipes on our Top 3 Fall Pie Recipes article if you prefer fruitier pies or the more classic pumpkin.
Looking for something festive to wash it all down? Our Spiced Apple Old Fashioned is all the flavors of fall in a punchy cocktail. Or, for an alcohol-free option, our Apple Spiced Latte gives you all of the warming spices you love with a coffee kick.
