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Canadian Thanksgiving


Daddy-A

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I've decided on carbonnades flamades for tomorrow night's dinner. Chicken was a very real option but there's a good chance my mum was at one of my sister's houses for dinner tonight (or last night), where I assume she would have eaten some sort of roasted poultry. I forgot to ask her....

I had to google that one. It sounds delicious and I'm sure your mom will enjoy it!

I'm sure my spelling mistake in the name didn't make googling any easier ... :wacko:

I have a killer recipe that I can PM to anyone who wants it. (Can't post it as it is under copyright.)

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This year we are doing renovations and haven't had much spare time. My wife spent the weekend painting the basement and on holiday Monday, I changed the taps on the kitchen sink. As our basement is being renovated, I took the laundry to the laundramat and spent two-plus hours cleaning dirty clothes.

This meant that Thanksgiving dinner was up to my ten-year-old daughter with close supervision from her Grandma. Grandma's other responsibility was to supervise the other children, one nine-month old, one three year old, and one independent seven year. They are all girls and all busy. I was a little worried.

They stuffed the turkey and put it into the oven while I, pretending to be a plumber, had the kitchen torn apart. I left for a couple of errands and got back just after six to find an excellent dinner awaiting me. The turkey was done beautifully. The sides were all very simple but well prepared. Grandma and Lydia also made pumpkin pie and apple pie from scratch. The crust was rolled a little thick but it was a fantastic first effort. I was so proud of my daughter (and mother-in-law) I had to tell someone.

We might make a chef out of her yet, although I am hoping she choses an occupation with a little better financial compensation.

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What a nice grandma! I'm sure you daughter really enjoyed the experience--the learning and the sense of accomplishment.

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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As a Canadian overseas, the closest I came to THanksgiving dinner was talking to my mum about what she was planning on making :sad:

I did have pumpkin pie, maple cookies, and wine at the university Canadian Society though

Cutting the lemon/the knife/leaves a little cathedral:/alcoves unguessed by the eye/that open acidulous glass/to the light; topazes/riding the droplets,/altars,/aromatic facades. - Ode to a Lemon, Pablo Neruda

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They stuffed the turkey and put it into the oven while I, pretending to be a plumber,  had the kitchen torn apart. I left for a couple of errands and got back just after six to find an excellent dinner awaiting me. The turkey was done beautifully. The sides were all very simple but well prepared. Grandma and Lydia also made pumpkin pie and apple pie from scratch. The crust was rolled a little thick but it was a fantastic first effort. I was so proud of my daughter (and mother-in-law) I had to tell someone.

What a great cooking start for Lydia! She'll remember this for her entire life as "the Thanksgiving that I made dinner...and I was only ten!"

What a great gift you, your wife, and Grandma have given her. :smile:

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Turkey + Chinese sticky rice as stuffing = :biggrin:

What a combo. That's what I call 'fusion'.

Homemade apple pie by my sister and ice cream to finish. Simple and a perfect end to a gorgeous hike on the Howe Sound Crest that day. I love Vancouver.

"There are two things every chef needs in the kitchen: fish sauce and duck fat" - Tony Minichiello

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Having just returned from 3 weeks away, and all our families having abandoned us (don't feel bad, we were in France so we probably deserved being abandoned) J & I were left to our own devices for Thanksgiving dinner.

We ended up at Stella's ... a couple Chimay Rouges, some squid, frites & chicken wings. A nice change from all that foie gras, confit & Burgundy! :raz:

A.

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Great stories about Thanksgiving. Ours was modest in comparison. My wife's family was out of town and our eldest son took off to Quebec to see his girlfriend. This meant just me, super-wife, and youngest son; not enough people to justify a turkey. So we invited a couple and their daughter and a recently separated lady to round out the table. I made the turkey according to Cook's Illustrated: brined, then air-dried in the fridge over night. Did stuffing on the side, with green beans (with a balsamic glaze), glazed carrots, and mashed potatoes. Pumpkin pie from Savary Island. Not a lot of work, and everyone was very happy. The next day the turkey was cut into clubhouse sandwiches. Today I cut some up and used it in a fried rice. Tomorrow????

Paul B

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... 

The next day the turkey was cut into clubhouse sandwiches.  Today I cut some up and used it in a fried rice.  Tomorrow????

Turkey pot pie with carrots and peas...

"Under the dusty almond trees, ... stalls were set up which sold banana liquor, rolls, blood puddings, chopped fried meat, meat pies, sausage, yucca breads, crullers, buns, corn breads, puff pastes, longanizas, tripes, coconut nougats, rum toddies, along with all sorts of trifles, gewgaws, trinkets, and knickknacks, and cockfights and lottery tickets."

-- Gabriel Garcia Marquez, 1962 "Big Mama's Funeral"

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The next day the turkey was cut into clubhouse sandwiches.  Today I cut some up and used it in a fried rice.  Tomorrow????

Turkey Congeeee :biggrin:

I got the bones in the fridge just need the time now! Any suggestions on what else to put in with the Turkey bones?

"There are two things every chef needs in the kitchen: fish sauce and duck fat" - Tony Minichiello

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  • 1 year later...

This year, we decided to go with a *gasp* vegetarian menu:

Gougères (French Laundry)

this was my first time making pâte à choux: it was fun (and tasty)

gallery_27988_5301_132973.jpg

Sweet Dumpling Squash Soup (Charlie Trotter's Vegetable)

simple and delicious, plus I really liked the idea of individual squash bowls

gallery_27988_5301_726984.jpg

Tomato Sorbet with tomato salad, basil oil and garlic tuile (French Laundry)

Sort of a hybrid between two French laundry recipes. The tomato sorbet itself was ok, but the tomatoes I used were a bit over the hill, so it didn't really scream tomato.

gallery_27988_5301_225275.jpg

Vegetable Tourte with chive-cream sauce

Awesome!

gallery_27988_5301_604364.jpg

Wild rice, brussel sprout, and caramelized onion soup (Charlie Trotter's Vegetable)

Nice and complex, but I underseasoned (#1 culinary sin in my book :biggrin: )

gallery_27988_5301_109041.jpg

Ontario cheeses

Madawaska, Highland blue, and Snow road. Three of my favourite Ontario cheeses, and all from the same farm!

gallery_27988_5301_600137.jpg

Poached apple, apple ice cream, warm cream of wheat (French Laundry)

A pain to make, and worth every moment!

gallery_27988_5301_70335.jpg

edited to remove the word 'tasty' as an adjective to describe everything ...

Edited by Mallet (log)

Martin Mallet

<i>Poor but not starving student</i>

www.malletoyster.com

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I know this is rather late in the day, but I haven’t been on the site for quite a long time but...

People! It is not Canadian Thanksgiving! It's Thanksgiving. Unless of course you are living in a foreign country like, say America where they celebrate American Thanksgiving....

Cate Simpson

Les Dames d'Escoffier International

www.ldei.org

www.lesdames.ca

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  • 11 months later...

Moderator's Note: This post and the following 7 were moved from the Candy and Confectionery Conference topic in the Pastry & Baking Forum.

Lior - I guessed green with envy right away!

Yep, I'm Canadian. Although I've lived in Ann Arbor for 11 years now, so I'm not very *actively* Canadian... But I cooked Canadian Thanksgiving dinner last week for 67 people in my cohousing community, so that ought to count for something...

Edited by Pam R (log)

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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The main difference is that it is held in October and not November. And there's much less focus on watching football. The food traditions are largely similar. Here's the wikipedia entry on Canadian Thanksgiving. I found it quite informative, as if I was taught anything in grade school about the origins, I'd forgotten it all!

Tammy's Tastings

Creating unique food and drink experiences

eGullet Foodblogs #1 and #2
Dinner for 40

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...if I was taught anything in grade school about the origins, I'd forgotten it all!

Me too! I was going to respond to Lior's question, but then I realized I wasn't entirely sure whether the celebrations had the same significance or whether my perceptions had just been heavily influenced by American media over the years to the point where I believed they were basically the same thing, just on different days. :huh:

I'm gonna go bake something…

wanna come with?

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The other difference between the two countries celebrations, is that in the States, Thanksgiving is a major holiday and signifies the beginning of holiday shopping as well. While it is a holiday here, we don't make a big a deal out of it as Americans do.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

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And I've gotta add that as far as holiday timing goes, Canada has it much better than the U.S. Here, especially for those of us in the academic world, we have pretty much NO time off from the beginning of September till the end of November. (Some schools give a "fall break" which may or may not be connected to the timing of the Jewish High Holidays, but that's far from universal.) Thanksgiving is a four-day weekend, after which classes start up for two or maybe three weeks, depending on just how late in November the fourth Thursday is, and then finals are upon us. I'd much rather have a holiday break in earlyish October, which would be closer to halfway through the semester!

To get this back closer to the topic of food: Thanksgiving is the only holiday I can think of that has such a tight focus on food by nearly the entire population. Turkey everywhere!

MelissaH

MelissaH

Oswego, NY

Chemist, writer, hired gun

Say this five times fast: "A big blue bucket of blue blueberries."

foodblog1 | kitchen reno | foodblog2

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The other difference between the two countries celebrations, is that in the States, Thanksgiving is a major holiday and signifies the beginning of holiday shopping as well.  While it is a holiday here, we don't make a big a deal out of it as Americans do.

Canadian Thanksgiving has something to do with the Fall harvest, its meanings are not as significant as US Thanksgiving.

I get to celebrate both!!

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Fascinating!! I read about the Canadian and U.S. thanksgiving days. In the U.S. history of thanksgiving. I read that the Don Pedro Menedez de Aviles gave a thanksgiving dinner in Florida on Sept 8th 1565 and invited the locals. Amazing that this is consistent with Sukkot- in the hebrew calendar it falls on Tishrei 15 which would convert to Sept 20th 1565 a few days later- both are thanksgiving harvest festivals... similar in foods of the season etc. Lovely. Thanks for the lesson!! I guess this thread should be elsewhere...

Edited by Lior (log)
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