Thanksgiving Menu 2012: The Topic

[Chris Amirault]

Finally have the ability to start to figure out the Thanksgiving menu this year. Here are last year's menus, and here's the topic devoted to helping out other members as we soldier through the prep, cooking, and service. What's your pleasure?

[David Ross]

I just started working on the menu tonight. Now this is very rough, so I'll need some suggestions-

-Smoked Sea Scallop with Fennel, Apple and Orange Salad

Any ideas on a vinaigrette? I was thinking in the citrus realm, but then again

maybe something with pomegranates? Cut through the rich, smoky scallops?

-Oyster Stew with Fried Oysters

-Roast Turkey, Sausage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy,

One more veg. What about creamed green beans and pearl onions with a "fried"

onion topping? A new-style take on the green bean casserole?

-What about something clean, fresh and frozen at this point? Pumpkin ice doesn't sound quite right.

Lemon ice would be boring. Sorbet maybe too creamy. Passion Fruit or Lychee Ice?

-Should the cheese course come after the ice? Before dessert?

-Something in the vein of a pecan pie this year, but I've got to do something more with it.

[judiu]

David, how about cranberry ice, or a cranberry - (other fruit) combination? I personally love cran-raspberry or cran-grape 'cocktails'. I love the idea of the creamed green bean casserole, creamed onions were always a favorite of mine ! What kind of 'something more' do you have in mind to go with the pie ?

ETA green beans and pie.

Edited November 14, 2012 by judiu (log)

[heidih]

Along the same lines as judiu suggests - perhaps the sorbet course is the place for pomegranate

[radtek]

I'm doing a brined spatchcocked capon in the BGE that will do for the main course. Some classic green bean casserole with fried onions on top. Glazed carrots. The family's classic baked pineapple. Beer and wine for starters. Also for dessert. Maybe some Scotch as a night-cap.

Keeping it basic this year.

[heidih]

The family's classic baked pineapple. Beer and wine for starters.

Keeping it basic this year.

I like the basic theme. Can you elaborate on the baked pineapple?

[radtek]

I plan to pry the complete recipe out my brother this year. Basically it's chunked pineapple, torn bread, butter and "spices" done as a dressing that while baking becomes incorporated and co-mingled. Similar to a chutney but not a condiment. Nom nom. Sounds weird but usually steals the show.

[Chris Amirault]

Please post that, radtek. Sounds very intriguing.

I'm just getting started, but will be fiddling with the basic foundation that's come to be expected at my house: ras al hanout root chips,

smoked roasted turkey breast with red onions & oranges, kalkun frikadeller (Danish turkey meatballs), gravy, pecan stuffing with sage and pancetta, mashed potatoes, roasted carrots, rutabagas, & parsnips, brussel sprouts with bacon and sherry, cranberry sauce with ginger & orange, cucumber & vidalia pickles. There'll be a side from a guest of curried sweet potatoes. Not sure what, if anything, I'll change....

[Zachary]

One of my favorite things to have in the middle of a big dinner is a sorbet - it helps reset the palate nicely. The downside is too many of them are overly sweet or overly delicate to do the job properly, so I do this, which uses the Kitchenaid ice cream maker attachment - freeze it for a few days ahead of time:

450 g. blackcurrant juice (this could be pomegranate, or any fruit juice)

150 ml water

125 g. sugar

1 Tablespoons corn syrup

pinch salt

2 Tablespoons creme de cassis

In a medium saucepan, add everything except the creme de cassis. Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, let cool for 5 minutes, then add the creme de cassis and check the specific gravity with a clean, uncooked egg - float the egg in the liquid, and it's good to freeze when a nickle sized spot of the egg floats above the liquid. If it's too high, add some water until it's right. If it's too low, add more sugar. Pour the liquid into a sealable plastic bag and submerge in ice water until very very cold.

When you're ready to make the sorbet, assemble the ice cream attachment and turn it on, then pour the sorbet base in. In 7-10 minutes, it ought to be done - not completely stiff, but more soft-serve consistency. Scrape the sorbet out of the bowl with a silicone scraper into a plastic container, and freeze overnight, or until firm. Just as a warning - if you double this recipe, it will not freeze in the bowl of the attachment. After 15 minutes of turning, my batch was 27 degrees and still liquid, but it set in the freezer beautifully.

This stuff is the color of Beaujolais Nouveau and intensely flavored - it's beautiful to look at as well!

[Shelby]

David, tell me more about the oyster stew with fried oysters--are all of the oysters fried or do you leave some undone?

[slkinsey]

I've already started prep work for Thanksgiving Dinner. I find that doing as much as possible far in advance makes things so much easier. So, my menu will go something like this (we do plated courses):

Amuse bouche of salmon tartare in an avocado "cigar" (inspired by this dish at EMP)

Caramelized carrot soup from MC with cardamom "air"

Anson Mills grits with SV-poached shrimp and red eye gravy (using the MCAH grits technique with homemade crustacean stock)

SV-cooked turkey white meat with black truffle/turkey liver mousse, butter-poached brussels sprout leaves, king trumpet mushroom, MCAH turkey jus gras and arugula adaptation of MCAH romaine lettuce dressing

SV-cooked turkey dark meat terrine cubes with turkey adaptation of MCAH red wine glaze, cornbread dressing, pressure-cooked baby root vegetable, crispy boneless turkey wing (center piece only)

So far I've made the red wine glaze. I've bought, killed, shelled, cooked and eaten three lobsters so I can make crustacean stock out of the shells. I've browned off all the meat and bones to make turkey jus once I make turkey stock with the carcass bones. I'll pick up the turkey on Sunday so I can break it into the parts I want to use, brine/cure the various meats (I'll do a pink cure on the dark meat), get them all Activa-ed into the shapes I want and sealed. I'll cook-chill the dark meat terrine a day ahead of time, so I can cut out the cubes and crisp them for service in a frypan. The shrimp and salmon I'll pick up on Wednesday morning, and I'll use the salmon trim to make spaghetti with salmon and cream for dinner that night. I'll probably do the caramelized carrot puree and make the carotene butter this weekend.

[lancastermike]

I have just been informed that due to family member travel plans service will need to be moved to 1PM instead of our traditional 4PM. No change in the menu, just means I need to get out of bed sooner.

There may be something of a change come to think of it with appetizers and before service drinks.

[David Ross]

David, tell me more about the oyster stew with fried oysters--are all of the oysters fried or do you leave some undone?

It's actually a combination of an old recipe from Clementine Paddleford and my own recipe for fried oysters. You basically start with fresh oysters and make a stew with the oysters, oyster liquid, butter, worcestershire, paprika, celery salt, milk and hald and half. It's a fairly soupy stew. Then I garnish it with a fried oyster. My basic mix is to dredge the oysters in a mix of flour, cornstarch and potato starch, then deep-fry in canola oil at 350 for about 3 minutes. Immediately before service you put a fried oyster in the bowl and spoon the stew in and around. You've got to taste and eat before the fried oyster gets soggy, but this is one delicious way to enjoy oyster in different textures.

[rotuts]

I love Turkey.

this is a semi-other topic for Data:

if you Roast your turkey, in any way, please record at 'carving' the temp of the dark meat: thighs and drums.

Id like to see that re SV dark meat.

many thanks

[SylviaLovegren]

David, tell me more about the oyster stew with fried oysters--are all of the oysters fried or do you leave some undone?

It's actually a combination of an old recipe from Clementine Paddleford and my own recipe for fried oysters. You basically start with fresh oysters and make a stew with the oysters, oyster liquid, butter, worcestershire, paprika, celery salt, milk and hald and half. It's a fairly soupy stew. Then I garnish it with a fried oyster. My basic mix is to dredge the oysters in a mix of flour, cornstarch and potato starch, then deep-fry in canola oil at 350 for about 3 minutes. Immediately before service you put a fried oyster in the bowl and spoon the stew in and around. You've got to taste and eat before the fried oyster gets soggy, but this is one delicious way to enjoy oyster in different textures.

That sounds delicious...I wish I liked oysters!

[radtek]

Okay folks I got the recipe for the "Baked Pineapple" but not from my brother who can't find it in our recently deceased Mother's recipe collection (which he inherited). I got it from my cousin who sent it via text. As a consequence I will not be doing roasted capon but will be traveling to Houston instead.

Here goes:

One 20oz can of crushed pineapple in heavy syrup

1/4 cup butter, melted

3/4 cup brown sugar firmly packed

5-6 slices of bread broken into pieces

Mix all together, cover and bake at 350F for 1-1.5 hours.

Serves 6-8 people.

Quite a bit more simple than I imagined as I have never fully witnessed the construction of said recipe. Was driven out of the kitchen by a knife wielding grandma on numerous occasions for being underfoot and learned to stay out. But for a family of foodies this always has been a big hit as far back as I can remember. Some of my earliest memories are of "baked pineapple"...

I hope you enjoy it.

[judiu]

Bread: fresh, stale, day old? You say 'broken into pieces' so I assume stale? Thanks for the recipe!

[radtek]

Bread: fresh, stale, day old? You say 'broken into pieces' so I assume stale? Thanks for the recipe!

You're welcome!

I was just told via text that it's fresh bread. This isn't like a bread pudding it gets really incorporated. Of course one may do as they they please and see fit. Variations abound, but I'll use fresh bread.

[Dave Hatfield]

I just started working on the menu tonight. Now this is very rough, so I'll need some suggestions-

-Should the cheese course come after the ice? Before dessert?

Be continental. Serve the 'ice' after the oyster soup & before the turkey. Its a nice palette cleanser.

My advice for cheese with a meal this large is to choose one superb cheese only & serve that. St Félicien if you can get it is strong enough to stand up to the rest of the meal.

[SylviaLovegren]

-What about something clean, fresh and frozen at this point? Pumpkin ice doesn't sound quite right.

Lemon ice would be boring. Sorbet maybe too creamy. Passion Fruit or Lychee Ice?

-Should the cheese course come after the ice? Before dessert?

-Something in the vein of a pecan pie this year, but I've got to do something more with it.

Cranberry ice, of course. What were you thinking?

Personally, I couldn't even think of eating cheese at the end of a Thanksgiving meal. The extra fat and salt would put me straight into coma world.

Pecan pie isn't amazing enough all by itself? You could do a bourbon accented pecan pie. Or maybe a lemon chess pie somehow accompanied by candied spiced pecans...

Edited November 17, 2012 by SylviaLovegren (log)

[Shelby]

David, tell me more about the oyster stew with fried oysters--are all of the oysters fried or do you leave some undone?

It's actually a combination of an old recipe from Clementine Paddleford and my own recipe for fried oysters. You basically start with fresh oysters and make a stew with the oysters, oyster liquid, butter, worcestershire, paprika, celery salt, milk and hald and half. It's a fairly soupy stew. Then I garnish it with a fried oyster. My basic mix is to dredge the oysters in a mix of flour, cornstarch and potato starch, then deep-fry in canola oil at 350 for about 3 minutes. Immediately before service you put a fried oyster in the bowl and spoon the stew in and around. You've got to taste and eat before the fried oyster gets soggy, but this is one delicious way to enjoy oyster in different textures.

Awesome.

Turkey Day is just hubby and I and this is going on the menu.

The oysters won't be like yours, but....it'll still be good!

[Shelby]

I'm still deciding on the whole menu....I don't have to stress since it's just us So far:

David's oyster stew

Deviled eggs

Roasted Cornish game hens rubbed with sage butter (I'm not a turkey fan and we'll get that plus ham at the in-laws on Saturday)

Brussels sprouts or maybe some Swiss chard or maybe a green bean and mushroom pie??? I'm undecided. I detest green bean casserole.

Mashed taters

Stuffing of some kind--I honestly like Stove Top--don't tell anyone.

Chicken and noodles--the thick kind you can spoon over mashed taters

Rolls --homemade

Pumpkin tiramisu

Edited November 17, 2012 by Shelby (log)

[David Ross]

I just started working on the menu tonight. Now this is very rough, so I'll need some suggestions-

-Smoked Sea Scallop with Fennel, Apple and Orange Salad

Any ideas on a vinaigrette? I was thinking in the citrus realm, but then again

maybe something with pomegranates? Cut through the rich, smoky scallops?

-Oyster Stew with Fried Oysters

-Roast Turkey, Sausage Stuffing, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy,

One more veg. What about creamed green beans and pearl onions with a "fried"

onion topping? A new-style take on the green bean casserole?

-What about something clean, fresh and frozen at this point? Pumpkin ice doesn't sound quite right.

Lemon ice would be boring. Sorbet maybe too creamy. Passion Fruit or Lychee Ice?

-Should the cheese course come after the ice? Before dessert?

-Something in the vein of a pecan pie this year, but I've got to do something more with it.

Thank you everyone for the suggestions. I've changed things up over the past few days, finished the shopping and started the prep.

-For nibbling with cocktails, I've just put up a good size crock of pork rillettes. I've got about four different cocktail ideas, but the one that stands out is from Chef Laurent Tourendol and includes Bourbon, Apple Cider and Ginger Ale.

-"Clementine Paddleford's Oyster Stew" with Fried Oysters will be the opening course. I'm going to sprinkle in a good dose of cayenne, so I think this spicy stew will pair nicely with a German Riesling.

-The salad course with the Smoked Scallops and Fennel is out. It seemed to be more fitting for New Year's Dinner, and the Smoked Scallops will keep just fine until then. I'll eat the fennel and oranges this week. It just didn't fit with the overall theme of the menu which is sort of retro-American.

-I forgot about my beautiful new smoker that I purchased in 2012, so that will be the vehicle for putting a light smoke on the turkey before finishing it in a hot oven. And I added slow-cooked greens with ham hock and apple cider vinegar. Stewed the greens this weekend and I think they'll keep fine in the freezer until Thursday. A Rex Hill Vineyards Oregon Pinot Noir for Thanksgiving.

-For those of you who follow our Cook-Offs, we just completed a discussion of gels. So rather than an ice, I'm going to insert a pomegranate jelly with cranberries and candied orange. Do you think I should lightly boil the cranberries in simple syrup to soften them before enclosing them in the gel?

-No cheese course, we'll save that for a British-style Christmas dinner.

-The pecan pie is pretty standard, but with maple syrup and bourbon in the filling along with a garnish of bourbon whipped cream.

-Two kinds of 1950's vintage cookies with coffee, including a rolled chocolate and vanilla butter pinwheel.

-A bit out of character for this menu, but I've got a nice ice wine to sip after dinner.

[David Ross]

I'm still deciding on the whole menu....I don't have to stress since it's just us So far:

David's oyster stew

Deviled eggs

Roasted Cornish game hens rubbed with sage butter (I'm not a turkey fan and we'll get that plus ham at the in-laws on Saturday)

Brussels sprouts or maybe some Swiss chard or maybe a green bean and mushroom pie??? I'm undecided. I detest green bean casserole.

Mashed taters

Stuffing of some kind--I honestly like Stove Top--don't tell anyone.

Chicken and noodles--the thick kind you can spoon over mashed taters

Rolls --homemade

Pumpkin tiramisu

Tell us about your deviled eggs. (I'm so addicted I take them about 3 times a month to work for breakfast). I think that's a perfect Holiday bite.

[Twyst]

Only cooking for 5 this year so kind of going to have an easy go of it this year.

first course: Seared Foie, cornbread muffin, cranberry compote

Second : Caramelized butternut Squash soup (courtesy MCaH)

Third : Sous vide turkey breast, turkey leg confit, pommes puree, braised kale, honey glazed carrots

Fourth : Cheese

Fifth : Pecan Pie, bourbon Ice cream.

The gravy is already pretty much done and in the freezer (from MCah as well), the confit and turkey breast can be made the day ahead, and the soup can be made tommorow and frozen. Turkey day is going to go really easily for me this year hopefully.

Edited November 18, 2012 by Twyst (log)