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| Seasoned Cooking | Food Wares | Noteworthy | Epicurean Travels |
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THANKSGIVING DAY MENU
Assorted Olives Buy about 6 cups of assorted olives and place in a serving bowl with a serving spoon - drain off any brine. Drizzle some good extra virgin olive oil over the olives, thin strips of the zest of one lemon; sprinkle the olives with dried oregano and some hot red pepper flakes and toss to combine. Slice a baguette and place in a basket along side the bowl of olives along with small appetizer plates a small bowl for people to deposit the pits from the olives.
In the bowl of a food processor, fitted with the steel blade, whip brie and butter until smooth. Add almonds, sherry and thyme and pulse machine 3 times. Spoon mixture into a serving bowl and spread chopped figs on top. Chill mixture for at least 2 hours. Serve with assorted crackers. Brandied Butternut Squash Soup
When butternut squash is soft, turn off the heat and use an immersion stick blender to puree the solids. Stir in half & half and Cognac; taste for seasoning and add additional salt & ground white pepper if necessary. Garnish each serving with a dollop of plain yogurt and sprinkle with chopped chives.
Homemade Stock: Remove and rinse the neck and gizzard parts from the bag (usually found in the neck end of the turkey). Discard the liver if it's in the bag.
Heat oven to 400° F.
Begin roasting the bird in the pre-heated oven at 400° F. for the first half-hour; add about 1 cup of stock to the roasting pan, then reduce the heat to 325°F for an additional 2-1/2 to 3 hours. If the bird is browning too quickly tent the bird with a sheet of aluminum foil Remove foil tent from turkey for the last hour and a half of roasting time. Total Roasting Time: Use an "instant read" thermometer to check the internal temperature of the turkey. The thickest part of the thigh should read 165° to 170°F which should indicate that the turkey is done. Remove roasting pan from oven and transfer turkey to a carving board or other cutting surface. Remove and discard the vegetables and bouquet garni from the turkey cavity and discard. Tent the bird with a sheet of foil. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow juices to settle inside the bird before carving/serving. Making Gravy Pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a large "fat separating" cup in which the fat rises to the top leaving the de-fatted juices at the bottom. Pour off the de-fatted juices into an 8-cup measuring cup and add enough of the remaining turkey stock to measure at least 5 cups of liquid. Reserve a few tablespoons of the fat. Place roasting pan directly onto the stove top over high heat. When the roasting pan is hot, add 4 tablespoons of the fat and a 1/2 cup of chopped shallot. Let shallot cook/sizzle for a few minutes and then add some of the stock to the roasting pan and de-glaze the pan by scraping up the browned bits in the roasting pan (a wooden spoon works best). Then add the rest of the stock and bring it to a rapid boil and let cook for a few minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add a slurry (3 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in a ¼ cup of cold water). Stir slurry into the pan and let cook until it thickens. Taste gravy and add salt and pepper if needed. Strain gravy into a saucepan through a sieve to remove any bits.
Sausage/Cranberry/Fig/Apple Stuffing This recipe can be doubled if you like a lot of leftover stuffing or if you just like to have a lot to serve eight! Heat Oven to 350° F.
Blend all ingredients except the apple juice in a large mixing bowl until combined. Add 1/2 cup of apple juice at a time until mixture is dampened but not mushy. When mixture is room temperature, bake in a buttered oven-proof 13 X 9-inch casserole. A larger baking dish will be needed if you are doubling the recipe. Cover with a piece of foil and bake for approximately one hour along with the turkey on another shelf. Remove foil and let dressing brown slightly on top for the last 15 minutes. If you have a second oven, even better. Can be made 2 days before Thanksgiving, covered and refrigerated.
To toast nuts: Place pecan or walnut halves in a dry skillet over medium heat. Toast nuts until fragrant and lightly toasted being careful not to let them burn. Remove from heat and let cool before adding to finished cranberry sauce. Orange Sweet Potato Cups
Heat oven to 400° F Cut each orange in half and scoop out the pulp being careful not to tear the skins. Reserve the orange bits to snack on. Cut a very thin slice from the bottom of each orange half so it can sit flat in the pan. Place halves in a lightly greased baking dish in one layer. Cook sweet potatoes in boiling salted water for approximately 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and peel potatoes when they are cool enough to handle. In a large bowl, mash potatoes until smooth, add butter, liquor, honey, Five Spice and chopped parsley. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if desired, or adjust other seasonings. Spoon into prepared orange shells. Top each with a teaspoon of butter. Add about a cup of apple juice or water to the pan. Bake in a 400° F oven for 15 - 20 minutes or until potatoes are heated through. Garnish the top of each orange cup with a sprig of fresh parsley. NOTE: This dish can be prepared several hours ahead of serving (without the garnish) covered and refrigerated until ready to re-heat. Remove from the refrigerator an hour before re-heating and then garnish with the parsley sprig just before serving.
Meanwhile, melt butter in a 10-inch non stick skillet and add the sliced shallots. Sprinkle with sugar and let shallots cook over a low-medium heat until they begin to release their own sugars and caramelize or brown. Be careful not to let them burn. Add thyme leaves at the end when shallots are nicely browned. This can be made ahead of time and refrigerated until needed. When ready to serve, re-heat shallots in a fry pan and add green beans. Toss lightly with beans and cook until both beans and shallots are heated through. Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as needed. Guests Bring Dessert The hostess/cook has done enough cooking. Since everyone always offers to bring something to the Thanksgiving table, ask your guests, friends and relatives alike to bring desserts of their choice - homemade or store-bought! |
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In a stock pot (6 or 8 quart) melt butter over medium heat and sauté
onion until lightly golden in color but do not let the butter burn. Add
the butternut squash, ginger and nutmeg and combine with the onions.
Add the broth; bring mixture to a boil, lower heat to a simmer,
cover and cook for 20 minutes. 
This homemade stock can be cooking on the stovetop
while the turkey is roasting. In a 4 qt. saucepan, with 4 cups of water, add the
neck and gizzard. Add a medium carrot, cut in pieces, 2 ribs of celery cut in
half, a handful of parsley, the white part of a cleaned leek and a quart container of chicken stock. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to low and simmer
stock for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Use this hot stock to
add to the roasting pan as needed while the turkey is roasting. 
Remove the turkey from the refrigerator at least 1
or 2 hours before roasting. Dry turkey inside and out with paper towel. Rub turkey with some of
the olive oil; mix chopped herbs with remaining oil and with your
fingers insert oil and herbs under the skin which can be loosened with
your fingers. Insert Bouquet Garni and squeeze the lemon halves into
the cavity of the turkey.
Place turkey in an open roasting pan and make a bed of the
onion, whole carrots and celery ribs for the bird to sit on - this will
act as a natural "rack" and also flavor the drippings as well as support the
bird
In a 3 or 4 quart saucepan, combine first six ingredients and bring
to a boil. Reduce heat to a low simmer and cook for approximately 15
minutes or until cranberries pop open. Skim off any residue foam. Remove
pan from heat and stir in the toasted nuts. Allow mixture to cool before
refrigerating. Sauce can be made 2 days in advance, refrigerated and
covered with plastic wrap. Yield: approximately 3 cups. 
If using
haricots verts, cook beans in an 8 qt. stock pot of boiling salted water for approximately 3 to 4 minutes only. Taste
one to be sure it's cooked but still slightly crunchy. Regular green
string beans will need to cook about 6 - 8 minutes. Taste a bean half
way through the cooking time to test it. Drain beans and put them in a
large bowl of ice water to stop the cooking; drain again and dry well with paper towel.
