THANKSGIVING DINNER 2015

 THANKSGIVING DINNER 2015

DINNER AT HOME

Very thankful to be home with my Wife and Daughter on Thanksgiving.  Really nowhere else I would rather be.  So blessed to have family, love and great food along with friends on this special day.

We began prepping for Thanksgiving Dinner the night before with me making the Compound Herb Butter, Roasted Garlic,  Sausage, Apple and Sage Dressing, Garlic Mashed Potatoes and Creamed Corn in advance.  From experience we have found that trying to make everything on Thanksgiving day is just too much stress with too much going on in the kitchen and in the oven.  This meant that we only had to cook the Turkey and a few other dishes prior to our guests arriving.  Worked out very well and allowed us to relax, take a nap and enjoy the day before we dug into this huge feast.

THANKSGIVING DINNER

WE ALWAYS START THANKSGIVING WITH SEARED AHI

FRESH AHI TUNA SEARED WITH CAJUN SPICES

SHRIMP COCKTAIL

TRUFFLE CHEESE WITH RASPBERRY JAM ON TOAST

CHEESE AND MEAT PLATTER

DEVILED EGGS 

LIVER PATE (CENTER) - CRACKER WITH CREAM CHEESE AND SUN DRIED TOMATO

CRAB CAKE

LUMP CRABCAKE WITH YOGURT SAUCE

BACON WRAPPED TURKEY

TABLE IS SET SO LETS DIG IN! 

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ROASTED WALNUTS

GRAVY - BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH - MASHED POTATOES WITH BACON

GRAVY MADE FROM TURKEY DRIPPINGS AND BACON

BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH BUTTERNUT SQUASH

MASHED POTATOES WITH CREAM CHEESE, CREAM, BUTTER AND BACON

SAUSAGE, APPLE AND SAGE DRESSING - GREEN BEANS - CREAMED CORN

CREAMED CORN WITH PIMENTO AND ONION

GREEN BEANS WITH SHALLOTS AND BACON

SAUSAGE, APPLE AND SAGE DRESSING

ROASTED TURKEY IS READY

TURKEY MOIST AND FULL OF FLAVOR

ONE LEG IS GONE!

MY FAVORITE IS THE CHOCOLATE PIE

ROY'S KO'OLINA

ROY'S KO'OLINA

92-1220 ALINUI DRIVE

KAPOLEI, HI  96707

808-676-7697

HOURS:  Daily 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM / 5:00 PM - 9:30 PM

www.roysrestaurant.com

Disappointed once again at Roy's Ko'Olina.  Don't know why but the food here is always worse than Roy's Hawaii Kai or Waikiki.  I am pretty much done with Roy's.  What once was one of my favorite Hawaii restaurants has now become old, predictable and not as good as it used to be.  The meal on this visit was probably the worst ever with disconnected dishes that totally were confusing and lacking the bold flavors Roy's was once known for.  

Click below for previous post on Roy's Ko'Olina:

http://greateatshawaii.blogspot.com/2012/04/roys-koolina-golf-club.html

ROY'S KO'OLINA

ROY'S KO'OLINA IS LOCATED AT THE KO'OLINA GOLF COURSE

WELCOME TO KO'OLINA

ROY'S KO'OLINA ENTRANCE

SMALL BAR AREA JUST PAST ENTRANCE

WRAP AROUND DINING ROOM

OUTDOOR SEATING AND BAR OVERLOOKING THE 18TH HOLE AT KO'OLINA

OPEN KITCHEN OVERLOOKS MAIN DINING ROOM

EDAMAME

COMPLIMENTARY APPETIZER FOR KIDS

ROY'S CRAB CAKES

HOUSE APPETIZER SENT OVER BY WAITER.  WAS A BEEF SUSHI DISH

THIS APPETIZER WAS A MESS AND MADE NO SENSE AT ALL

ROY'S TRIO WAS ALSO A MESS

FAR LEFT IS BALL WITH SMALL CHUNKS OF LOBSTER AND LOTUS ROOT CHIPS WITH SAUCE

CHICKEN

KIDS SALMON MEAL

OPAKAPAKA WITH LOBSTER RISOTTO WAS VERY OILY

ROY'S CHOCOLATE SOUFFLE 

GREAT NIGHT OUT WITH MY BEST FRIEND IN THE WORLD

ROY'S CRAB CAKES - COOKED AT HOME

ROY'S CRAB CAKES

COOKED AT HOME

We have always loved Chef Roy Yamaguchi's Crab Cakes when dining at his restaurants.  Several years ago we found the recipe printed in a Honolulu Supermarket flyer and have been making them for friends and family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.  Now you can simply Google and download the recipe along with a Lobster Cream Sauce.  We use Lump Crab Meat that is available at Costco.  I use a different sauce recipe but always stick to the Roy's Crab Cake recipe.  It is a winner.  

ROY'S  CRAB CAKES COOKED AT HOME

CHEF ROY YAMAGUCHI CRAB CAKES ARE DELICIOUS!

THE PERFECT APPETIZER

Serves 4 as an appetizer

Crab Cakes

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/2 tablespoon minced garlic

3 tablespoons minced onion

3 tablespoons minced red bell pepper

3 tablespoons minced green bell pepper

3 tablespoons minced celery

3 tablespoons minced carrots

2 tablespoons minced fresh basil

6 tablespoons heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

1 1/2 pounds fresh lump crabmeat, preferably Kona crab, picked over for shell

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups Panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

2 large eggs

1 cup peanut oil

1/2 each red and green bell pepper, seeded, deribbed, and finely diced

4 strips lemon zest

4 small basil sprigs

Lobster Cream Sauce

2 lobster shells and heads, chopped into quarters

1/4cup olive oil

1/2 cup yellow onion

1/2 cup chopped carrot

1/2 cup chopped celery

2 cloves garlic

2 sprigs basil

1 bay leaf

1 Roma tomato, chopped

1/4cup dry white wine

2 cups water

2 cups heavy cream

Salt and freshly ground white pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. To prepare the sauce, place the lobster shells and heads in a roasting pan and roast in the oven for about 15 minutes, or until orange and slightly browned. Remove and set aside. Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the garlic, basil, ay leaf, tomato, and roasted lobster heads. Add the white wine, stir to deglaze the pan, and cook for 1 minute. Add the water, bring to a simmer, and decrease the heat to low. Cook at a low simmer for 15 minutes. Increase the heat to high and cook to reduce the liquid by three-quarters. Add the cream and cook 10 minutes longer, until slightly thick. Remove the pan from the heat and strain the liquid into a clean saucepan, pressing down on the solids with a wooden spoon to extract as much of the liquid as possible. Set over medium heat and cook for about 10 minutes, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and let cool. Cover and refrigerate.
While the sauce is cooking, prepare the crab cakes. Melt the butter in a large sauté pan or skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and onion and sauté for about 1 minute, or until golden brown. Add the red and green bell pepper, celery, carrot and basil and sauté 1 minute longer. Add the cream and continue cooking until the liquid is reduced by half. Season with salt and pepper to taste and transfer to a nonreactive bowl. Let cool. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.
Add the crabmeat to the chilled mixture and stir thoroughly. Form in to 8 balls and squeeze gently to remove any excess liquid; then form the balls into patties. Place the lour and Panko on separate plates and beat the eggs in a shallow bowl. Lightly coat the crab cakes in the flour, then in the egg, and finally, in the Panko. Heat the peanut oil in a heavy sauté pan or skillet over medium heat until it reaches 350 degrees. Add the crab cakes and sauté for about 1 ½ minutes on each side, or until evenly browned.
Warm the sauce over low heat and ladle onto serving plates. Serve 2 crab cakes per person. Garnish with the red and green bell pepper and lemon zest. Top with a basil sprig.