Thanksgiving 2014

[Norm Matthews]

In the past I had been asking my sister if she needed a break. We could have it at my house.  I was secretly glad when I got turned down and didn't even make an offer this year.  After dinner though, I got volunteered to have it at my house next year.  At least I will have a year to figure out where to find all the extra seating.

[Baron d'Apcher]

TG14.

Flavors and dishes from 1914, a century anniversary.  Among the favorites:

 

Smoked turkey consommé Dubarry.

Smoked turkey neck, romanesco, white and green cauliflower.

 

Turkey Salmis; picked roasted turkey leg, with gizzards, root vegetables, Brussels sprouts and cranberries in kabocha squash gravy. Pont-Neuf potatoes baked with sprats and allspiced-heavy cream; oyster stuffing.

 

Turkey Wellington.

The breasts of a pastured bird with a forcemeat made with the liver and trimmings, wrapped in collard greens and baked in savory pastry.

 

 

 

 

Blazing mince pie.

Dried fruits and suet in cornmeal pastry with almond, set ablaze with VSOP Calvados.

 

[gfweb]

Spectacular menu Baron!

[Kim Shook]

We did Thanksgiving this year at Jessica’s again  - a bit of a potluck affair.

 

Starters – Liptauer cheese and pumpernickel loaf:

 

Relish tray and pimento cheese:

 

Turkey breast:

You know, it’s funny – when I used to roast a whole turkey, it was good and folks seemed to enjoy it.  But for the last few years, to save having to do it the day of, I’ve been cooking a breast in the slow cooker the day before, slicing it, refrigerating it and heating it up on the day with some stock.  And they rave!  “How moist, how tasty!”  Seems like I’ve lazied myself into the perfect turkey!

 

Baked Sour Cream Potatoes:

 

Jessica’s Corn Pudding:

 

Jessica’s wonderful Challah and dried fruit dressing:

 

Jessica’s fantastic sweet potato latkes with Brie and arugula (dressed with a lemon/olive oil vinaigrette:

 

THE gravy:

 

Plated:

 

Mr. Kim’s apple cake:

 

One of nieces, who couldn’t join us this year sent this beautiful and delicious pecan pie:

[rotuts]

fantastic  THE gravy looks better than mine !~

 

[Thanks for the Crepes]

Yes, rotuts, it looks like Kim Shook's gravy may have neck meat in it.

 

I love it made like that.

[rotuts]

I always use the next.  it adds texture too

[Kim Shook]

Thanks for the gravy love.  To me it is the most important part of a turkey dinner.  

 

Yep - that's neck meat.  I always search out turkey necks to make my stock with.  My turkey gravy is a two-day process - I make it ahead of time and freeze it so that I don't have to mess with it on the day of.

[rotuts]

""   To me it is the most important part of a turkey dinner ""

 

esp. on top of the stuffing.

 

some times next are hard to find.  then I just go w a pack or two of necks  just as KS does.

[suzilightning]

 If we went somewhere, I always brought the stuffing.

 

that way not a piece of celery to be seen in it, ever.

 

A man after my own heart......

[katace]

I had 14 people for T-giving. I made:

Turkey which I had quartered and sous vide cooked 5 days in advance and reheated then browned in a hot oven . Used the backbone and giblets to make stock

Turkey gravy made in advance

Duck comfit legs made sous vide a month ago then reheated and finished in a deep fat fryer in duck fat

Dressing (three kinds of bulk sausage, onions, celery, crimini, toasted walnuts and pecans, dried apricots soaked in grand marnier, herbs, dried challah bread)

Mashed potatoes (this is to simply keep the kids over to one side of my small kitchen and let them play with the ricer).

Savory tart with cranberry, fennel, gorgonzola 

Brussels sprouts roasted in duck fat with herbs and bacon

Buttermilk biscuits 

Carrots sous vide.

Cranberry sauce made with very little sugar and finished with grand marnier so it was 'hot'. 

 

Everything turned out great except that I have not gotten the buttermilk biscuits right yet tho no one complained! Guests brought some very fine wines and then dessert was over at my sister's - one block away. The turkey was perfectly cooked, very evenly cooked with a turkey flavor - not a brine flavor (tho I do dry salt brine it before sous vide cooking it). I used a pink salt and a bitter/mineral salt combo. I feel pretty good about how the flavors in the dishes worked with each other. Plates were brimming. There was even a moment of unintentional silence after we all sat down and I looked up to see everyone looking intently at their food and eating quietly. Luckily that quiet did not last. Ha! 

 

I'm new here and I love reading and looking at the pics. You all are great cooks! 

Edited December 1, 2014 by katace (log)