Dad / Chef / Author
Carlo3b
Freeper since January 7, 2000
Houston Area, The Lone Star State
As the father of five and grandfather of five more, Carlo knows how important it is to raise a family and places that task above all else, including helping budding young chefs navigate their way around the kitchen. The Chef has earned respect and a sterling reputation in every aspect of the food industry.
He is an accomplished Dad, Chef, Author, Restaurateur, Designer, and Entrepreneur Extraordinaire.
Carlo’s career started at a very tender age. At 11 years old, after winning a citywide art festival, Carlo won an art scholarship. At 16, he became the youngest artist on staff in the headquarters of Sears Roebuck and Company.
At the age of 23, he held a much acclaimed International Debut of Fashion and quickly launched The House of Carlo fashions. He soon was recognized as an accomplished Couturier and Costume Designer. His fashion career led him to Hollywood where he was a wardrobe and costume designer on productions such as The Dean Martin Show, The Perry Como Show, Red Skeleton, Bonanza, and Hogan’s Heroes; and feature films such as The Son’s of Katie Elder, War Lord, and Harlow!
Later he landed a great job designing uniforms for the Century Plaza Hotel in Beverly Hills, sparking his interest in the hospitality industry. As Director of Food and Beverage, he opened luxurious hotels in cities from coast to coast.
In the early 1970s, Carlo was appointed The Chief of Protocol for The State of Texas. He insured that every major state function came off with flare and panache. He was responsible for the United States Southern Governor’s Conference, the first ever held in The State of Texas.
Entrepreneur Extraordinaire!
Over the years, Carlo has owned or managed over 56 restaurants and hotels, many of them having multiple locations. In 1974, he bought Houston’s Le Pavillon, an offshoot of New York’s acclaimed restaurant, and quickly turned it into the area’s first Four Star French restaurant. He has owned or operated Élan, the award-winning chain of 14 private clubs with nationwide locations; the Cowboy Club, the Rice Rittenhouse Hotel, and the Cadillac Bar.
At age 38, he retired and soon tackled his most important challenge of all, as a stay-at-home dad with his young sons. As a popular homeroom dad, he has shown children how to make funny faces on pizzas and taught students how to make muffins. "I’ve never had so much fun as cooking with kids,"” says Carlo.
Carlo is in constant demand for cooking demonstrations, motivational speeches, radio and TV appearances. Schools, charity organizations, cruise lines, and restaurants call on him when they want an extra special draw for their events. His appearance as the Featured Chef on a recent Royal Olympic Cruise, for example, enticed hundreds of people away from a ship’s-worth of other fun activities.
His books are more than a collection of recipes. They also provide the shopping, preparation, and cleanup know-how kids need to become self-sufficient cooks. It’s about mixing good times with good eats. And it’s about the bond formed when youngsters and their parents share the process of meal preparation.
 Carlo was also a dear friend of FReeper Angelique, who passed away this summer. Two beautiful and touching threads -- one bidding her farewell and one celebrating her life -- were authored by him. The links to those threads are here:
au revoir mon cher Angelique
Remembering Angelique
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I asked Carlo to share a few of his own Thanksgiving recipes with us, and he was happy to do so. Most of you know his involvement with the "Clinton Legacy Cookbook" ... recipes and humor collected from many FReepers for many months and on many fun threads, links of which can be found on his profile page. The Baked Apple Dumplings are from that cookbook; the other recipes are taken from some of his other cookbooks.
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Old Fashion New England Roasted Turkey
Orange-Maple Marinated
This wonderful, old northeastern method of marinating the turkey overnight in maple-orange produces a remarkably moist and flavorful bird. Combine the reserved marinade with the pan drippings and reduce to a scrumptious tangy gravy.
Marinade:
2 cups orange juice
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup bourbon
Turkey:
One 12-pound fresh or frozen whole turkey, thawed
3 oranges, peeled and quartered
3 small bay leaves, plus more for garnish (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup unsifted all-purpose flour
Citrus garnish (such as oranges,
orange wedges, and kumquats; optional)
Fresh thyme leaves (optional)
1) Prepare marinade: In a large bowl, combine orange juice, broth, maple syrup, and bourbon.
2) Remove giblets and neck from turkey. Rinse turkey thoroughly with cold water; pat dry.
3) Place turkey in a 2 gallon heavy-duty plastic food storage bag. Carefully pour in marinade. Seal; place in large roasting pan. Refrigerate overnight, turning bag occasionally. Prepare Turkey: Heat oven to 350 degrees F.
4) Remove turkey from plastic bag and reserve marinade. Insert orange quarters and bay leaves into cavity. Sprinkle salt in cavity. Skewer neck skin to back or tuck wing tips under shoulder joints, holding skin in place. Tie drumstick ends together with string. Place turkey on a wire rack set in a large roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into thigh, making sure it doesn't rest on the bone.
5) Roast turkey until thermometer registers 180 degrees F -- about 3 hours. (Cover turkey loosely with foil if it gets too brown before reaching required temperature.)
6) Remove turkey from oven; transfer to serving platter. Remove and discard oranges and bay leaves. Let turkey stand at least 20 minutes before carving.
7) Pour reserved marinade into a 2 quart saucepan; bring to a boil over high heat. Skim and discard any foam from mixture with a slotted spoon. Reduce heat to medium; cook until reduced to 3 1/2 cups -- about 15 minutes.
Preparing Gravy.
8) When turkey has been transferred to platter, skim off all but 1/4 cup fat from drippings in roasting pan; stir in the flour until well mixed. Gradually stir in the reduced marinade and cook over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
Presenting the masterepiece.
Garnish turkey with whole oranges, orange wedges, bay leaves, and fresh thyme, if desired, and serve with gravy.
Carving the Turkey:
9) Holding a drumstick securely with one hand, use a carving knife to cut through the skin between the thigh and body of the turkey. Gently pull out and back on drumstick, cutting through remaining meat and skin; disjoint and remove drumstick. Repeat with other drumstick. Slice downward along breastbone and rib cage to remove meat on one half of the turkey breast. Cut through turkey, removing the wing. Repeat process, removing remaining breast meat and wing.
10) Place two turkey breast halves on cutting board. Holding breast steady with carving fork, cut slices of breast meat against grain. Transfer slices, wings, and drumsticks to serving platter.
Serving: 12
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Turkey Stuffing a la Crockpot
When preparing a specialty Turkey as in a fancy marinated, it helps to fix your dressing apart from the bird, and healthier as well. Preparing your dressing in a crockpot allows you to beat the rush on a holiday morning. Making the stuffing in the slow cooker is one less thing to worry about and it takes up less of that valuable oven space.
1 cup butter
2 cup chopped onion
2 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup parsley sprigs
1 lb fresh button mushrooms, sliced,
or 2 x 8 ounce cans mushrooms
12 cups bread cubes, day old dried
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
1 1/2 teaspoon sage
1 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
3 1/2 cup chicken or turkey broth
2 eggs, well beaten
1) Melt butter in a skillet and sauté onion, celery, parsley, and mushrooms.
2) Pour over bread cubes in a very large mixing bowl.
3) Add all seasonings and toss well. Pour in enough broth to moisten. Add eggs and mix well.
4) Pack lightly into slow cooker.
Cover and cook on low and cook for 6-8 hours.
Serves 12.
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Holiday Golden Apples and Yams
"This was so delicious. The three flavors of apples, raisins, and yams combine perfectly and the syrup added just enough sweetness."
2 large or 3 medium yams or sweet potatoes
2 Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored,
and sliced crosswise into rings
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cloves or apple pie spice mix
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup Raisins
2 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts
1 cup miniature marshmallows (Optional)
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
1) Bake yams 50 minutes or until soft but still hold their shape. Can also be done in the microwave. Let yams cool enough to handle.
2) Reduce oven to 350 degrees. Peel and slice yams crosswise.
3) In 1 1/2 quart baking dish, alternate apple rings, and yam slices, overlapping edges slightly.
4) In small saucepan, combine sugar, cornstarch and spice; stir in orange juice and raisins, and mix well.
5) Heat orange juice mixture over medium heat, stirring until thickened. Pour over apples and yams. Sprinkle with nuts and bake for 10 minutes, add the marshmallows* and bake for additional 10 minutes or until apples and yams are tender.
* (Optional) You may top with miniature marshmallows, it encourages the kids to taste this. Once they do, it becomes their favorite.
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Baked Apple Dumplings
Syrup:
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cup red hots
1/4 cup butter or margarine
Dumpling Crust:
2 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup shortening
1/2 cup milk
Apple filling:
4 small Granny Smith apples,
peeled, cored, and cut into small pieces
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1) Mix syrup ingredients together, except butter.
2) Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the butter and set aside.
3) Combine the flour, baking soda, and salt. Cut in the shortening. Add the milk all at once. Stir just until moistened.
4) Form into a ball. Roll out into an 18 x 12-inch rectangle on a lightly floured surface. Cut into 6-inch squares.
5) Mix apples with the sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Place 1/6 of the apples on center of each square. Moisten edges of dough and fold corners to center top and pinch edges together. Place in a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
6) Pour the syrup over the dumplings. Bake at 375°F for 45 minutes or until the apples are tender.
Serves 6
Thank you, Carlo3b!
Finest Freeper / Finest Chef!
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A Few of FR's Finest.....Thanksgiving
