Enjoying thanksgiving meals with the family since I was born. Took a while to figure out what was going on. Over the years have developed a basic drill for the holiday:
1. Get a fresh turkey and brine it, I like the big turkeys (29), i use the brining recipie from and New York Times section on Alice Waters Thanksgiving.
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.h ... 8DDDA80994
DINING IN, DINING OUT/STYLE DESK | November 17, 1999, Wednesday
New American Traditions; In a Berkeley Kitchen, A Celebration of Simplicity
great brine for 2 days, in large tub.
2. Drain , dry, pat, rinse, dry.
3. Stuffings: i grew up on chestnut and giblet stuffing. They were cooked , peeled, ground coarsley, and added to cubes of old bread, white, sour dough, baquette. Saute the onions, mushrooms, red or green pepper, carrots, and celery in some bacon fat. Add a touch of medium dry sherry, deglazing several times to build flavor. Toward end can add some fresh sage leaves, diced. Add to the mixture of bread , chestnuts, and giblets, toss, adding some dry vermouth, and chicken stock to slightly moisten. Salt and pepper, add dried spices of your choice, i usually go for thyme and winter savory. For brightness can add a squeeze of half an orange, and some orange bitters. toss and taste to get final tastenotes nailed . I always stuff my stuffing in the bird. both ends, i love how the stuffing inside is soft and savory, while the stuffing on the other side is covered by a well browned skin that the stuffing sticks to.
4. Brussel sprouts, bacon, chestnuts, butter, maple syrup, touch of soy. Blanch brussels first for a few minutes in boiling water, then drain and begin to put with other ingredients in saute pan with high lid, cover and when almost done, take top off and let brown the liquid reduce. S and P
5. Rutabaga, love um, peel, cut into large pieces, cook in boiling water till tender, remove, put in mixer with paddle blade, add some butter, salt and pepper, a little nutmeg, and milk. Beautiful orange yellow, rustic mashed , with enough butter, but not too much, to let its own flavor come out
6. Sherry, long braised onions: smallish onions, peel lightly, put in roasting pan, with butter, some sherry, s and p, and a little chix stock. Roast on top of stove until most of liquid evaporates, then put in 350 oven until they have a nice brown, black, carmelized look and smell. About 1 to 2 hours.
7. Mashed root vegetables with garlic and cream and a touch of buttermilk. Parsnips, celeriac, peeled garlic, potatoes. After cooking them: put in mixer with paddle, put potatoes through ricer then add to the mixer. Add the cream butter and buttermilk and blend lightly, add grated parmesan cheese to taste. about 1 cup grated. salt and pepper
8. Greenbeans almondine
9. Many recipies for cranberry sauce
Other dishes are tried as well
Wines with food usually reisling, red i use zinfandel.
Dessert: Great pumpkin pies, Mincemeat Pie, Durgin Park Indian Pudding
After dinner beverages: Port, Sherry,
Would love peoples cranberry recipies, stuffings loved, etc.
thanks, psychchef
Howard Alt