my centerpiece from 2017
my turkey from 2013
Do we really need to muse about the Thanksgiving table every single year? I think so. If for nothing else, it is just fun to go through the process and consider all the ideas that you have floating around in your head.
Is Thanksgiving the most emotion-driven and nostalgic holiday of the year? For me, many factors play a role in how I approach this day. Foremost is the weather, which motivates me in all sorts of ways. The change in temperature and the brisk, fresh winds that blow send all manner of motivating impulses through my brain and I begin to imagine tastes, aromas and visual delights. It has turned chilly and, if we are lucky, bright and sunny. Sun streams in the kitchen window in the morning as I work and I play my favorite classical music. Pies are baked fresh early in the day and are the first things into the oven……..
Every year I spend a good amount of time thinking about the Thanksgiving menu. My first reaction is usually one of ajeda. I actually have a son who won’t eat turkey and wants a roast chicken instead – don’t ask. I have my Dad to thank for those genes – ones that are so sensorially specific, aka damned picky, that they won’t budge from their own stubborn place of decision, no matter what. That incisive palate and sensibility does have its attributes, but in terms of food selection, it can be downright frustrating. But, I digress. I’m guessing that everybody has some degree of trepidation as we approach this holiday, for one reason or another, but really, it can be downright fun to consider all the options. If you can’t make all your favorite recipes for this one day, either repeat the meal in a couple of weeks or try one or more of these recipe ideas on another occasion. Tis the season for great cooking and baking, and so, enjoy!
The thing about Thanksgiving is that it really calls for the most classic of dishes as so very much about this holiday is about nostalgia. Deviating from the set menu seems to be some kind of sacriledge of sorts for most of us. Virtually no one I know wants anything new on the Thanksgiving table. The whole ritual, food wise, really seems to be etched in stone.
So, the question becomes, what can you do differently to keep it fresh, but still keep the menu in the acceptable tradition? I read a comment a couple of days ago, that said the only acceptable berry in or around the Thanksgiving table is the cranberry and I heartily agree. No day for the other berry selections, in season or not.
I usually make my sweet potato rolls but I’d like to try something different this year. Any time there is a brioche like bread item anywhere within striking distance of the table, I tend to prefer to eat those in lieu of anything much else, which of course sort of spoils your appetite for the main event. The Toasty Corn Loaf from the Staub cookbook via Matt Lewis and Renato Poliafito of Baked sounds dreamy, too. I could make it into muffins………
I have been playing with the idea of making herbed biscuits but think my family will balk. “Where are the sweet potato rolls? I can hear it now.” But, I think this is one idea for a change.
A word about stuffing – mine is fairly simple – toasted old brioche or challah, lots of Bell’s seasoning, lots of butter, chopped celery and onion, salt and pepper and, my secret ingredient, instead of hot water is warmed white wine to moisten the melange.
I have made my own cranberry chutney for several years now and really like it – however, I may try to sneak something new in there, too. I like the idea of the Samatsu Mandarins in the sauce and hope to play with the ratio of cranberries to mandarins in the recipe. I love to add star anise- this has been my big thing lately. – see below for Dorie Greenspan’s recipe!
Mashed Potatoes – hmmm, other than adding roasted garlic, I am not fooling with these. Years ago, I used to make a casserole with cheese in it from the Winterthur cookbook but my kids (one mostly) would balk. This particular one wants me to make pureed potatoes a la Martha Stewart and I’m not going to do it. He is obsessed with puree vs mashed and I kind of like mine lumpy, even with skins on. No dice.
I found a very beautiful Sweet Potatoes Pommes Anna in the Staub Cookbook as well. This looks and, with the additon of Chinese 5 Spice Powder no doubt smells dreamy as well. I very well may add this to the table. I find myself thinking about adding a splash of cream here……
A couple of years ago I made a 4 Onion Gratin that was beyond delicious and decadent. This recipe is worth a try, if not on this day, on another – it is great with a roast filet of beef.
FOUR ONION GRATIN – adapted from Bon Appetit 10/91
1/4 cup (1 stick) butter
6 Leeks, white and pale green parts only, sliced
2 large onions, cut into eighths
8 shallots, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 10 oz. bags frozen baby onions, thawed and drained
2 cups whipping cream
2 tblsp butter
2 tblsp bread crumbs
2 tblsp chopped fresh parsley
1 cup grated gruyere
1/4 – 1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 – 3/4 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Melt butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add leeks, large onions, shallots and garlic and saute until all are tender, about 20 minutes. Add baby onions, nutmeg, salt and pepper and cook 10 minutes longer, stirring occasionally. Mix in 2 cups whipping cream. Boil until cream is thickened to sauce consistency, about 10 minutes. Cool to room temperature in a large bowl. When mixture is cool, mix in gruyere.
Transfer vegetable-cream mixture to a 6 cup shallow baking dish. Preheat oven to 425F.
In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs and parsley and cook until the breadcrumbs are just slightly browned. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over onion mixture. Bake until breadcrumbs are golden brown and onion mixture bubbles, about 20-30 minutes. Sprinkle with parsley.
This recipe can be made one day in advance. Cover and refrigerate before placing breadcrumbs on top. Return mixture to room temperature before baking.
Every year I want to make the Wild Rice Casserole from Dandelion Catering that was served at my neice Kaitlin’s wedding. It is really scrumptous. The problem is that when you start trying to add side dishes and you are already having mashed potatoes and stuffing, it starts to get to be too much very quickly. recipe courtesy Dandelion Catering Co. I might play with dried apricots (my favorites come from Murray’s Cheese on Bleecker Street).
Butternut Squash Wild Rice Gratin
ingredients
- 1 cup wild rice
- 4 Tbsp olive oil
- Coarse kosher or sea salt
- Freshly ground pepper
- 4 Tbsp butter (1/2 stick)
- 3 1/2 pounds butternut squash (2 medium) peeled, seeded, cut into 3/4-1 inch cubes
- 4 medium leeks, sliced (white & pale green parts only)
- 2 Tbsp fresh sage, chopped
- 10 oz goat cheese
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup hazelnuts, toasted, husked, coarsely chopped
directions
- Toast hazelnuts in 350° oven until they start to smell toasted -10 minutes or so. When they are cool enough to handle, enclose them in a clean dish towel and rub firmly to remove the husks. Chop roughly and set aside.
- Cook wild rice by simmering in a large pot with enough water to cover by 1 inch. Add more water as needed to fully cook rice. It takes a while to cook, 45 minutes or so. When rice is tender, remove from heat and drain any excess water. Set aside.
- Heat oven to 400°. Toss butternut squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread on sheet pan. Roast until tender, stirring occasionally, about 35 minutes.
- Melt 3 Tbsp in a skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add sliced leeks, sage, salt & pepper. Sauté until tender but not browned, about 15 minutes.
- Coat 11×7 baking dish with remaining 1 Tbsp butter.
- Spread 1/2 of the wild rice over the bottom. Layer 1/2 the leeks next, followed by squash. Crumble 1/2 the cheese over squash. Repeat with rice, leeks, squash, and cheese.
- Pour cream evenly over gratin.
- Top with chopped hazelnuts.
- Bake at 375° until gratin is heated through, about 30 minutes.
When I was growing up we never had a salad with our Thanksgiving dinner and I have by and large kept this tradition – even though I love the idea of something refreshing – like Kale, Fennel, Cranberries and Pecans?
The table does seem to call for something refreshing however and apples seem to fit that bill. I love this recipe that I found years ago.
SHERRIED SWEET POTATOES WITH APPLES – adapted from Gourmet 11/90
3 large sweet potatoes, cut into large pieces
3 Granny Smith apples
4 tblsp unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 tsp fine sea salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup medium-dry sherry
In a large saucepan combine sweet potatoes with enough cold water to cover by 1″. Boil until just tender, about 35 minutes. Drain and cool until they can be handled. Can be prepared in advance to this point and kept chilled, overnight. Peel, cut lengthwise into sixths, and cut lengths crosswise into 1/2″ pieces.
Peel, core and cut apples lengthwise into sixths, and cut crosswise into 1/2″ pieces.
In a large, heavy skillet, cook apples in the butter over moderate heat, stirring for 3 minutes or until softened. Stir in the lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, thyme and half of the sherry. Bring the liquid to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. Taste mixture and see if you want the balance of the sherry. If yes, add and cook for an additional three minutes. Note: I have found that, depending on the particular sherry you are using, it can overwhelm this dish. So, add whatever quantity you like.)
Add the sweet potatoes and cook the mixture, stirring gently and trying not to break up the sweet potatoes for 2 minutes, until well combined and heated through. Transfer to a heated serving dish and serve at once.
Somehow, I keep thinking of how to add Apricots into this equation. Where and how, I haven’t gotten to yet. Of course, there are no fresh apricots to be found but I could see roasting some dried turkish apricots, soaked in maybe cognac? around the bird or at least dressing up the platter.
From Dorie Greenspan, a recipe for Cranberry Sauce with Apricots – love it! (courtesy Community Table and Dorie Greenspan) This hits all the notes I am thinking of!
5. Cranberries by Dorie Greenspan
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without cranberry sauce! Acclaimed baker and cookbook author Dorie Greenspan spikes hers with ginger and dried apricots.
2 bags (12 oz. each) fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 cup apricot jam
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp ginger
1/4 lb. dried apricots, finely diced
Stir all the ingredients together in a large, heavy pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, stirring, until the berries pop and the sauce starts to thicken—it will thicken much more as it cools—about 8 minutes. Cool to room temperature, cover, and chill.
Serves 20. Per 1/4 cup: 100 calories, 27g carbs, 1g protein, no cholesterol, and no fat.
And for those who love Chestnuts? Well, I’d like a souffle, either savory or sweet.
I adore Craig Claiborne and Pierre Franey recipe collections and I used to watch Pierre on tv many years ago. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/2072-white-chocolate-and-chestnut-souffle
And, from one of my all time favorite pastry chefs, Claudia Fleming, https://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/chestnut-armagnac-souffle-with-bittersweet-chocolate-sauce-350760 . If you don’t have her book, The Last Course, ask for it for Christmas. Or, give it as a gift to someone special. It is out of print so it is quite pricey – but so worth the investment!
Well, all of those recipes make my mouth water and send my imagination running – however, the real trick is to not eat too much so that you are still looking forward to dessert, isn’t it? There is little point in groaning your way back to the dessert table. If you are inclined to make any or all of these ideas, try to eat small portions so as to not be “overdone” as dinner gets to 2/3 finished!
my Mom’s apple pie
Dessert is inevitably my Mom’s apple and pumpkin pie. (her pumpkin pie was essentially the recipe from the Libby’s can but I have played with it a bit to brighten the flavors – my family doesn’t like me playing around with this recipe, but I can tell you that substituting eggnog for the milk – my friend Roseann Tully’s idea, is a great one! I can’t bring myself to deviate from them even though I adore several Pear and Frangipane tarts I have in my repertoire. Somehow, I’d like to try dinner at Gotham Bar and Grill and have their Pear Souffle which I love and do the whole dinner on the weekend before or after, or as I have done in the past, both.
Maybe thinking about the Thanksgiving Dinner is actually a whole lot more fun than actually executing it, I don’t know. But, I like to think about all the possibilities and avoid the narrowing down process. As you go through your own process, enjoy and experiment ahead on a couple of dishes. Whatever you serve, make it heartwarming. Enjoy your family, friends and traditions. Whatever the weather, light a fire in your fireplace and have a glass of champagne or two.
Oh, and most certainly, don’t forget the flowers! I have started buying 3 or 4 supermarket bouquets and bringing them home and making my own arrangement. You can pick up a piece or two of florist foam from your local florist, or order it on Amazon. I have such fun doing this and it really is so much nicer than anything you can buy for the investment. Callie always helps out as you can see! This completes the day!
Wishing you all a great week planning! Whatever you decide to make, make it joyful and satisfying. I say, indulge – life is too short for depriviation on this day! Life is for living! Life is for joy!