Fowl Fare

NICE SLICE: Honey-Grilled Turkey Tenders with Peanut Sauce.

You've got it because your poultry-loving customers want it. And they continue to demand creative menu ideas for chicken, turkey and duck. In our recipe section, you'll find various inspirations for promoting poultry-on-the-plate. Turkey recipes we're providing include Honey-Grilled Turkey Tenders, from Chef Guy DeSerio at The Machine Shed in Des Moines, IA, and the Turkey Carnitas Mesclun Salad from Chef Dean Thomas of The Inn at Essex in Vermont.

From Chef Anne Quatrano (of Bacchanalia, Floataway Cafe and Star Provisions, all in Atlanta) comes a fresh idea for Cured Duck Breast with Fresh California Grape Salad. Chef Christopher Dutka of Marina Cafe in Destin, FL, has shared a flavorful creation of Duckling Confit, Golden Chanterelle Mushroom and Mascarpone Potato "Ravioli," served with Sage Amaretti Cookie Brown Butter.

Our chicken recipes range from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean, with lots of inspirational stops in between. Chef Mark Ferguson of Wolfgang Puck's Trattoria del Lupo, an Italian bistro in Mandalay Bay, Las Vegas, creates a "Tuscan meets Sicilian" atmosphere at the restaurant. The menu offers items such as Chicken Scaloppini, as well as the Chicken Bolognese recipe we're featuring.

Chicken Little

RAISIN THE BAR: California Raisin Pan-Seared Chicken Breast.

Chicken offerings on kids' menus around the country come with as many names as they do side dishes and sauces:

Orbital Chicken Strips are served with french fries at Sky City in Seattle's Space Needle.
Chicken Dinosaurs on the Lil' Wrangler menu at Hereford House in Leawood, KS, are a milder version of classic chicken fingers, served in fun dinosaur shapes.
Little Chicken Crispers are on the menu at Chili's, along with the Grilled Chicken Platter.
Chick-Chick-Chicken Fingers at Red Robin restaurants are offered with a choice of melon, celery, a side salad or steak fries.
Grilled Chicken Strips at Bob Evans come with a choice of BBQ, honey, ranch or honey mustard sauce, plus a fresh garden salad.

Turkey Tally

GET THE BLUES: Smoked Turkey and Blueberry Salad.

In 2005, the National Turkey Federation reported a 53 percent increase over the previous year in foodservice recipes viewed on its web-site (www.EatTurkey.com) by industry professionals. The top five recipes were:

Creamy Turkey Soup
Turkey Vegetable Soup
Bourbon Smoked Turkey Wrap
Roasted Turkey Reuben
Turkey Filet Mignon Wrapped in Turkey Bacon.

Winning Ideas

Recipe contest winners are also among this month's menu ideas. Look for the Cherry Apricot Chutney Chicken recipe from Chef Bob Wagner of Red Lion Hotel at the Quay, Vancouver, WA. It was the winner of the Red Lion Hotels Cherry Recipe Contest conducted in conjunction with the National Sweet Cherry Foundation.

Another winner is the Asian Grilled Squab with Peanut Vegetable Slaw, the creation of Mark T. Bole, who was a student at the Art Institute of Pittsburgh when he earned the $1,000 Entrèe Category first prize in the 2005 Peanut Advisory Board Chefs' Recipe Contest.

NATIONAL TURKEY FEDERATION

CALIFORNIA AVOCADO COMMISSION