Totally Traditional Thanksgiving

From election jubilation to WHAT…Thanksgiving? I was surprised to get my first call of the year from a friend that was starting to panic about her first Thanksgiving at her new home. O.K. guys we have at least a week to start panicking! Actually there is absolutely no reason to stress at all. This is a time to express gratitude and celebrate the people you love in your life. It is a time to create a beautiful meal for those you love or to be a part of a potluck where everyone can bring his or her greatest dishes. So here is a totally traditional Thanksgiving. I will blog throughout the next few weeks with all different Thanksgivings recipes and am happy to answer any questions that you may have.


1
Roasted peppers with fresh mozzarella
Very similar to a tomatoes caprasi, this version is with roasted peppers.

12 large red bell peppers
1/4-cup olive oil
6 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced crosswise
1/4 cup Balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 pound fresh mozzarella, sliced

Turn all gas burners on high. Place peppers directly on flame watching very carefully, Turn until the entire pepper is a burnt a bluish, black color. Place in plastic bag for 15 minutes. Meanwhile whisk together oil, garlic, basil and balsamic vinegar. Under cold water rub the skin off and slice into strips. Loosely layer in a bowl drizzling with oil mixture. Toss gently with mozzarella slices.


2
Pumpkin Soup
1 onion, finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1-tablespoon flour
4 cups Chicken Stock
1 15 oz can of pumpkin
(Or two cups fresh pumpkin puree)
1-tablespoon brown sugar
1/4-teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4-teaspoon nutmeg
1/4-teaspoon cinnamon
1-cup heavy cream

In a soup pot, sauté onion in butter until tender. Remove from heat and stir in flour and whisk until smooth. Gradually stir in stock, pumpkin, brown sugar, cayenne, nutmeg and cinnamon. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the cream and cook for 5 more minutes. Sprinkle a little more cinnamon on top and serve.

3
Mixed green salad with cranberry vinaigrette
Dressing:
1/2-cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup Dijon mustard
1/4-cup orange juice1 tablespoon grated orange peel
2 cup olive oil
Salad:
10 cups assorted mixed greens
1 cup dried cranberries
8 oz goat cheese
1 cup toasted pine nuts
In a food processor process vinegar, Dijon, orange juice and peel with the cranberries until they are finely chopped. In a steady stream add the olive oil. Meanwhile in a large salad bowl mix greens, cranberries, goat cheese and pine nuts. Immediately before serving dress lightly. (You will not use all the dressing. You can save for another use.



4


Basic Roast Turkey
I so enjoy turkey. I sometimes even cook one just for the heck of it the summer!!!!! You may laugh, but think about it. A few dinners, sandwiches and soup!!!!! It is fabulous. This is a turkey that I have been making for years. I have seen many trends including placing slices of grapefruit under the skin, injecting it with a whole bottle Bernstein’s Italian dressing and every other fusion trend in the book. While I do enjoy a deep fried turkey and some of these other clever ways to prepare the bird, on Thanksgiving I want a traditional Butter roasted turkey. My friends tease me and call me the butterball hotline and are always calling me for tips, menu ideas and for quick problem solving. After a few times you’ll see just how easy and pleasurable preparing this meal can be. Many people fuss with ties and pins and clamps and all kind of goofy gadgets. I say less is more the only thing that I really recommend is a baster. For larger crowds if you have the oven space two smaller turkeys will be a bit tendered than one large one. While I prefer a fresh bird, many time s I have cooked a frozen with huge success. I always say never turn down a free turkey so if the markets or work gives you one its great!!!!! To thaw the most effective way is the refrigerate method. (1 day per 5 pounds.) The other is the sink method. Cover the turkey with cold water and change the water every few hours. It takes a full day. For that beautiful brown, crisp skin cook uncovered. Place the oven rack on the lowest possible position. I am including this basic guide for the amount of time to cook a turkey, but an instant-read meat thermometer is going to be your best indicator in another culinary debate is to stuff or not to stuff. I always do. It just adds so many flavors to the stuffing. I place the stuffing that does not fit in the bird in a shallow baking dish so that it gets that crisp top and then I mix them up. Don’t forget to allow enough time for the turkey to sit out before cutting (45 minutes so that and that are done in enough time to heat any sides that are nessacerry.


1 16 pound turkey Fresh or frozen, thawed
12 cups your version of Gwen’s stuffing
1 to 2 sticks butter, softened
Salt and pepper
Pre heat oven to 350. Remove neck and giblets (I use in the stuffing.) Wash inside and out and dry inside and out with a paper towel. . Loosely spoon some stuffing into the neck. (It looks like the boootie, but it is the neck!!!) Fold skin flaps back. Flip and loosely stuff the body. You can tie or clamp, but I just place the skin back. Place in a shallow baking ban with or without a roaster breast side up. Cover with one stick of softened butter. Roast 4 1/2 to 5 hours don’t open the oven for the first hour. After the first hour baste every half hour adding more butter half way through. About one hour before the turkey is done start checking for doneness. The turkey is done when the instant read thermometer reads 170 and the stuffing reads 165. Let it rest for 45 minutes and carve and serve.

Carving the bird
I will admit that I never wanted to carve a turkey. Growing up it was my dad’s job. I cook I don’t carve. One year I threw a Thanksgiving orphans bash and there was not a man present that could carve the turkey! I called my dad in a panic and he talked me through it. Kind of a right of passage! I will still eagerly look for that man who has his own dad bonding moment and try and pass it off…. I do have to put the rest of the meal to put together. As pretty as the whole turkey looks on a platter it is much easier to cut on a cutting board and some china can be scratched. As well as I’ve seen more than one bird fly off onto the floor! Also keep in mind that it can get a little messy as you look for creative work surface. One year a friend used the top of the washing machine. The juices got into everything and it was a mess. I recommend that you carve one side of the turkey first and then the other. Use a very sharp knife and position the turkey facing you. Slice between the leg and breast and holding it with your hand snap it off. Hold the drumstick almost vertically and cut in diagonal slices. Slice the thigh meat. Working toward the center of the bird slice breast meat vertically about half an inch thick. Cut through wing joint and then snap it off. Arrange on a platter and serve with all the trimmings!




Mashed potatoes
I do enjoy the trendy, nevou-mashed potatoes, but again on Thanksgiving I wand good old fashioned, decadent spuds.

10 pounds potatoes, peeled and quartered
2 sticks butter, cut
1 cup half and half
Salt and white pepper to taste

In a large soup pot bring salted water to a boil. Add potatoes and cook until fork tender. Drain into a colander. Return to pot and add butter half and half and beat with electric mixer. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Pan Gravy:

1 cup white wine
4 cups chicken or turkey stock
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
1/2 stick butter, cut into 4 slices
Flour
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper


Tilt the roasting pan and, with a large basting spoon, skim as much fat as possible off the juices. Place the pan on 2 burners on top of the stove, set to medium heat. Add the white wine to the pan and stir and scrape with a wooden spoon to deglaze the pan deposits. Continue boiling until the liquid has reduced in half, 7 to 10 minutes. Add Stock, thyme, and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan. Bring back to a boil, skim, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Using a fork dip one of the butter pieces heavily in flour. Blend in until well incorporated and continue to add butter/flour mixture until the gravy has thickened. Season to taste with salt and pepper.


Sautee Green beans
Corn Soufflé
Cranberry Sauce
Baked Sweet Potatoes
8 sweet potatoes or Yams
1 stick butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 /2 cup dark molassas
In a large soup pot (or 2) place whole sweet pototes and cover with water. Cook over high heat until fork tender about 40 minutes. Drain in collander and when cool enoughto handle remove skin. Slice in quarters and Layer with the butter,brown sugar and molass in a roasting pan. Roat uncovered for 45 minutes mixing halfway through.

Cloverleaf Rolls
I was trying to explain these to a friend one day and was surprised that she had absolutly no idea what I was talking about!!!!. I don’t think a holiday is complete without them, however most of you did just fine with out them!!!!! A really pretty and most delishios taste treat and not really hard at all. (Don’t let the yeast fool you...theese are really easy!!!!!)

2 yeast cakes or 2 packages dry yeast
1/2 cup warm water
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup warm milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter
5- 5 1/2 cup flour
2 eggs
Melted butter for brushing top

In the bowl of an elertric mixer sprinkle or crumble yeast over the top. Add 1 tablespoon sugar. Let stand for 10 minutes. Add the remaining sugar, milk, salt and butter. Mix in 2 cups flour beat for 5 minutes until smooth ands elastic. Beat in eggs one at a time. Mix in 2 more cups of flour to make a soft dough. Sprinkle remaining flour on a board and tun dough. Knead until dough is smooth and bubbly. (8-10 minutes) or about 3 minutes if you use a kitchen aide fitted with a dough hook.) Place dough in a greased bowl and cover with plastic and a towel. Let rise in a warm place for about one hour until double in size.Punch dough down. Knead into a small ball acover with towel and let rest for 10 minutes. Pinch off pieces of dough and shape into 1- inch balls. Dip into melted butter and place 3 balls into each cup of a sprayed muffin tin. Cover with towel and let rise for 1 hour. Preheat oven to 400. Bake 15 minutes untill golden brown. You can remove from pan and let cool on a pastry rack....but much better served right out of the oven.

Layered Pecan and Pumpkin Pie
1/4 cup cold water
1 pakage unflavored gelatin
1 can (16 ounces) pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar + 2 tablespoons for whipping cream +2 tablespoons for egg whites
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs, seperated
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup pecans, finely chopped
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup whipping cfream
1 9 inch pie shell, baked and cooled (page )

In a large saucepan combine water and gelitan let stand for 5 minutes to soften. Stir in pumpkin, 1/2 cup sugar,milk, lightly beaten egg yolks, spices and salt. Heat until just boiling stiring constantly. Turn heat to simmer and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat ,add vanilla and cool. Chill untill mixture thickens (a couple of hours) Beat egg whites to soft peaks. Graudally beat in 2 tablespoons sugar and beat until stiff. Fold into pumpkin mixture along with chopped pecans. Beat whipping cream with 2 tablespoons suga until very stiff. Put half pumpkin mixture into the shell and spread level. Top with 3/4 of the whip creamand spread level. Spoon remaining pumpkin mixture. Decorate with the remaining whip cream. Chill at least 4 hours before serving or overnight.

Sweet potatoe pie with cinnamon whip cream
3 cups sweet potato flesh
(Bake 4 large sweet potatoes for 1 1/2 hours at 400. When cool enough to handle scoop out 3 cups of flesh.)
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1 inch fresh ginger, finey chopped
1- 9 inch pie crust, baked to pale golden (page )
1 cup whipping cream
3 teaspoons sugar mixed with 2 teaspoons cinnamon

In a food processor puree the sweetpotatoes, cream, sugar,eggs, salt, spice and ginger until smooth. Pour into pie shell and bake in a 350 pre-heated oven for about one hour until pie is firm. Chill at least 4 hours (overnight) when ready to serve, beat the cream with the cinnamon-sugar untill stiff. You can decorate the pie with the cream or you can slice and serve the pie with a dallop of cream.