Thanksgiving Sides

[sladeums]

We usually use an older Martha Stewart recipe for cranberries: Cranberry Sauce with Cognac.

click here for Cranberry Sauce with Cognac recipe

It's a nice departure with cranberries, cognac, brown sugar, and orange juice cooked w/ a cheesecloth-sachet filled with cinnamon, allspice, cloves, black peppercorns and crushed red-pepper.

A nice not-too-spicy, peppery bite to the cranberries...I enjoy it.

[slkinsey]

I remember seeing a Pecan Bourbon pie recipe right here in Egullet's recipe archive. The photo looks good enough to eat. The pie is a deep-dish one, I believe. Yummm....

That's great, Ling. Thank you-- I didn't find it because it isn't a pie, it's a "Derby Style" Bourbon Pecan Tart!

That is the one you meant, right?

Yes...I swear, everytime I look at that picture, I drool....

Glad you like it. A big part of the trick is to roast the pecan halves for the topping beforehand.

As for Thanksgiving sides... I don't do any. Rather than the traditional family-style free-for-all Thanksgiving dinner with turkey and 1,000 sides, I started serving multiple courses plated. One course I plan to do this year -- and which could easily be made into two separate side dishes -- is a roasted corn flan with sauteed Brussels sprouts and guanciale. The sprouts, in paticular, have been a real hit in the past. I blanch and shock them, then cut them in half and saute them just before plating in the rendered guancale fat just to the point where I get some nice browning on the edges.

[mags]

Man, that roasted-corn-sprouts-and-pig-fat thing sounds divine. I mean, what could be bad? You got maybe a recipe?

[SethG]

I just picked up a copy of the November Food & Wine, which naturally contains lots of Thanksgiving ideas. I'll post here if I try out any of the sides and find them worthy.

[Cleo]

Everyone in my family LOVES chocolate, and last year I made this Fudge Pecan Pie. It was amazing! And very easy...

[Sandra Levine]

This is my family's favorite pumpkin pie. It's very custardy and rich, not at all like sweet potato pie (not that there is anything wrong with sweet potato pie.) Rum or bourbon can be used rather than cognac, if you prefer. Edited October 9, 2003 by Sandra Levine (log)

[slkinsey]

Man, that roasted-corn-sprouts-and-pig-fat thing sounds divine.  I mean, what could be bad? You got maybe a recipe?

The roasted corn thing is simply a flan made with dried roasted corn: 4 cups roughly pureed roasted corn, 2 cups milk, 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk, salt + pinch smoked paprika... simmer corn and milk for 10 minutes, cool, mix in all other ingredients, put in individual ramekins and cook in hot water bath until set in 300F oven... makes four 6 oz ramekins... can reheat in warming oven before service. I turn one of these out onto the center of each plate.

The Brussels sprouts and guanciale is simple too: blanch sprouts in plenty of salted water until not quite tender (~5 minutes) and immediately shock in salted ice water bath... drain when cool, cut each in half the long way and reserve... render out thickish slices of guanciale in a saute pan over low heat, remove guanciale when beginning to get crisp and reserve, reserve the fat in a separate container and wipe out the pan... just prior to service, crank the pan up to high heat for several minutes 'till it gets screaming hot, throw in the sprouts and guanciale fat, sauté until the sprouts begin to brown on the flat surfaces, then toss in the guanciale to warm them through. I put several Brussels sprout halves and a few pieces of guanciale on the plate around each flan.

Then drizzle on a touch of herb vinaigrette to cut the fat and give it some brightness (thinking about trying this with lovage and/or marjoram as the herb).

[mags]

That really does sound terrific. Many thanks.

[SethG]

From another thread: ruthcooks posted her recipe for creamed spinach with bacon to the eGullet recipe archive today.

Edited to add: Thanks Ruth!

Edited October 9, 2003 by SethG (log)

[bloviatrix]

My husband loves this recipe for Cranberry Ketchup and has been known to eat it straight from the container with a spoon. It's not your "usual" cranberry side and works very well with sliced turkey or chicken.

Last year for Thanksgiving I filled up a glass jar with the ketchup, made a pretty label (oh, how Martha ) and brought it to my hosts.

Edited October 10, 2003 by bloviatrix (log)

[SethG]

The November Food & Wine is pretty depressing, IMHO. I saw very little I was tempted to try out. But last night I made the sauteed leeks with chestnuts dish, and I found it to be fussy, more labor-intensive than I wanted it to be, and not all that great at the end of it all. Once you've bothered to cut leeks into julienne (julienne!), browned the chestnuts, and sauteed the leeks with wine and stock (I gotta use my eGCI stock for this?), it shoulda been kind of special, but it just didn't set off any fireworks, I'm afraid.

But ruthcooks' creamed spinach, that was tha bomb. Rich, very rich. Creamy, delish, and with that occasional bacon crunch. I was enjoying it very much, and without even letting it rest a day, when my wife pointed out that I can't be sneaking bacon into everything. My sister's a vegetarian, and I'll have to accomodate her when Thanksgiving actually comes.

So maybe I'll make the creamed spinach, but leave out the bacon.

[SethG]

Here's a new thread, in Pastry & Baking, on sweet potato pie.

[elyse]

[Nancy Berry]

This fabulous side dish features traditional thanksgiving ingredients prepared in a different way. Make sure that you use fresh sage in this recipe. The dried stuff will not work.

Sweet Potato and Bacon Swiss Chard Bundles

2 bunches Swiss chard

1 1/2 large sweet potatoes

1 Idaho potato

1 Spanish onion, finely diced

1 cup smoked bacon, diced

2 teaspoons fresh sage, chopped

Salt and pepper, to taste

Remove the stalk from the Swiss chard leaves. Follow the sides of the stalk in a V- shaped pattern as you approach the top of the leaf. Many times the leaf will stay intact, however the leaf may split in two. Either way will work. Wash the leaves and poach in boiling salted water for 15 seconds. Shock in ice water. Drain and set aside.

Bake the potatoes in the oven until soft. Cool and peel potatoes. Dice into medium nuggets and set aside. Brown the bacon in a large heavy skillet over high heat. When the bacon is golden brown add onions and continue cooking for 3-4 minutes on medium heat. Add sage and both potatoes. Let cook for another 10-15 minutes over medium heat. The potatoes will crush and the mix will resemble chunky mashed potatoes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool and set aside.

To prepare the bundles, lay out the Swiss chard leaves on the counter top. The surface of one leaf should be 6-7 inches in diameter. (Put two together if necessary.) The inside of the leaf should face up. Divide the potato mix into 8 equal portions (each portion should be close to 3 ounces). Place a portion of potato on the bottom half of the chard leaf and roll the leaf around the mix. Start by folding the bottom end of the leaf over the potato. Roll once over and fold in the sides. Continue to roll over until it resembles a short log. Repeat with remaining bundles then place in a buttered baking dish. Brush with olive oil and bake at 325°F until warm in the center.

Yield: 8 servings

Michael Smith & Debbie Gold

Co-Executive Chefs, The American Restaurant

Kansas City, Missouri

I got the recipe here. There are lots of other great Thanksgiving recipes at this site.

[Nancy Berry]

Here are some green bean recipe links that I like very much:

Sauteed Green Beans With Bacon & Garlic

Beets and Green Beans in Walnut Vinaigrette

Green Beans with Shallot Butter

[ruthcooks]

I just added another of my favorite sides, Onions au Gratin, to the recipe file. I'm glad you liked the creamed spinach, Seth...no bacon in this one! When making creamed spinach with no bacon, I use lots of sauteed grated onion and some sour cream in a bechamel.

A new favorite of mine is Maple Syrup Pie, only three ingredients plus the pie shell and whipped cream. The shell is pre-baked and the filling is cooked on top of the stove the day you serve it. I got it from the NYTimes, however, so can't print it here. It's in my file of "Ten Best Recipe Finds of 2002," which I e-mail to people who send me their friends' names for my mailing list. I'll send the file to any e-Gulleteer for the asking, just PM or e-mail me.

[clg]

I'm a vegetarian and so have to rely on the side dishes to satisfy. Two favorite sides I often bring along wherever I may be enjoying TG (not including my favorite squash preparations, which you seem to have covered)

Roasted cauliflower with coriander and cumin seeds

... I add some chopped red pepper to this for color and to help distinguish it from the mashed potatoes.

Broccoli with wild mushrooms

[projects]

Side dishes are key to Thanksgiving - and - Onions are always a winner -

Try Glazing -

Frozen Small Whites

Steamed in Vinegar

Slow Saute in Butter with Sugar

Served Warm or at Room Temp

Enjoy

HBH

[mikey]

Or how about pumpkin pumpkin cheesecake

[SethG]

I got around to looking through the November Bon Appetit, and sorry to say, I didn't much like what I saw there either. But last night I did try out the red onions sauteed with vinegar, cranberries and a dash of chipotle. (This isn't the name of the dish-- I don't have the magazine in front of me, and the November issue hasn't been incorporated into Epicurious.com yet.)

Anyway, it was great. I think I'll still make a more traditional cranberry sauce come T-day, but I will make this onion dish as well. Great mix of sweet and tart, and the chipotle, which I feared would ruin the dish, adds just the right hint of smokiness and depth. Delish.

I also made green beans with shallot butter; very nice. Thanks, Nancy Berry.

[dumpling]

Here's the recipe from the other thread, Seth.

Cranberry Carrot relish

I used fresh cranberries with a little water over them to cook them in(before I think I used a little marsala as well). Sprinkle with sugar to taste, let it reduce a little. Toss in chopped baby carrots(so the size of the pieces is round and similar to the cranberries) and cook until carrots are done. Comes out very pretty with vibrant red and orange, each brings out the taste of the other; quick, simple and just the vibrant flavors of the cranberry and carrot.

[jwagnerdsm]

These Bourbon Glazed Sweet Potatoes were a big hit last Thanksgiving. It's also on my website along with some other favorites. Click on the Iowa Flavor link on my signature at bottom.

Ingredients:

3 lbs large sweet potatoes, peeled and halved crosswise

1 cup packed light brown sugar

½ stick unsalted butter

¼ cup water

¼ teaspoon salt

½ cup boubon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut each potato half lengthwise into fourths. Steam potatoes on a steamer rack set over boiling water, covered, until just tender, 10 to 15 minutes, then cool, uncovered. Transfer to a buttered 3-quart shallow baking dish.

Simmer brown sugar, butter, water and salt, stirring occasionally, until sugar is dissolved and syrup is thickened, about five minutes. Stir in bourbon to taste. Drizzle syrup over potatoes and bake in middle of oven, basting occasionally, until syrup has thickened, about 1 hour, 15 minutes.

[KatieLoeb]

Most of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes can be found in Thanksgiving, by Anthony Dias Blue.  Great corn pudding recipe, excellent side dishes and wonderful soups as well.  All around a great book I may only whip out once a year, but find absolutely everything I need in there.

This book is out of print, but several used and new copies are available on Amazon.com. I just bought a used copy for $1.80!

(I don't think there are any others left that are so cheap, but there are several in the $8 range.)

Thanks for the tip.

Hey Seth:

Did you get your book yet? Let me know how that works out for you. There are some killer side dish recipes in there as well as awesome desserts. Schatze's Corn Pudding is classic!

Happy to provide the tip and good on you for finding such a cheap copy!

Frugality is a very sexy quality

[SethG]

The book came today (Thursday), actually, and I happened to bookmark that corn pudding page. I'll let you know when I make something from the book.

[SethG]

I want to report that I tried out mags' squash puree and Jaymes' bourbon pecan pie over the last few days. Both were winners. I think both will make it to my T-Day table this year.

The pecan pie tasted exactly right. But now that I know that a pecan pie is filled with several sugars and syrups, and NOTHING ELSE besides pecans and eggs, I may have slightly smaller portions in the future.

Especially if I want to stay so sexy.