Too early for Thanksgiving menu planning?

[amccomb]

So, every year I do a Thanksgiving dinner party for about 20 - 25 friends. Every year the menu is a little different, although people request that some dishes stay. I consider our dinner to be a little bit of an upscale twist on the traditional dishes. I don't plate the food, it's served on the table family style and everyone helps themselves. I also do hors doeuvres to keep people busy in the living/dining room while I am busy in the kitchen (I don't like people trying to "help" me when I am down to the last second crunch). So, I am looking for ideas for hors doeuvres that are a little more on the "gourmet" side and meal ideas that are twists on the traditional. If they could be partially or completely done the day before, even better! Also, I like to focus on foods that are considered autumnal.

For an example of what I am looking for, last year, for "hors doeuvres" I had spiced baked assorted olives, little puff pastry cups filled with a chunk of brie and topped with my cranberry sauce and heated until melted, phyllo triangles filled with moroccan spiced lamb with currants and pine nuts, sweet and spicey glazed nuts, and a blue cheese spread topped with pear chutney. I will probably keep some of these, but I would love some more ideas, and I would like to go even more "gourmet". I was thinking of a foie gras mousse with toasted brioche and my quince jam, curried lamb meatballs, lobster corncakes topped with creme fraiche and a tiny bit of caviar, and a recipe posted on here for ducklava (duck baklava, which is actually something we had at our wedding last year and is quite wonderful)....I'm trying to think of a few more items. Maybe something with root veggies. I thought about doing a "spring roll" but using shredded rutabega, parsnips, etc, and making a dipping sauce with pomegranate juice. I'd love be able to buy some things that don't require much work that I can set out that will really WOW people, too. I thought about some good cheeses and cured meats or things along those lines, but I need suggestions for that stuff, as well.

As for the main meal, last year I brined the turkey and roasted it. This year I was thinking about trying to use the rotisserie on my Weber grill, although I'm a little nervous about that. If I don't go that route, I was thinking of splurging on some truffles which I would slice very thinly and put under the skin of the turkey. Any ideas?

For sides, here is what I had last year:

-sweet potatoes with cream and chiptole chilies (I made this the first year and everyone insists on having it again every year)

-creamed corn casserole with bourbon (again, a tradition)

-bread stuffing with roasted chestnuts, wild rice, and fennel (another traditional, although sometimes I add sausage, sometimes I don't)

-wheat bread dressing with dried cherries, pecans, and apple

-a cooked cranberry sauce with shallots, cherries, port, and rosemary

-a raw cranberry relish with orange and ginger

-mashed potatoes (just butter, salt, and cream)

-herbed gravy with sherry

-peas with pearl onions, pancetta, and cream

-brussel sprouts with horseradish

-popovers

-sweet potato biscuits

-sage butter

-maple butter

I always have at least two dressings/stuffing because it goes fast and people like to try more than one. I also like to have two cranberry sauces every year and two green veggies and I don't mind duplicating other items as well. I would like to try to dress things up even more this year (I was thinking of adding a spiced carrot souffle or something along those lines) and I'd like to have some more unusual or special items on the menu that people may not get to have often (such as the truffles under the skin of the turkey), or some seasonal items that are a little harder to come by (like persimmons, pomegranates, etc).

And the hard part - I would love to have things that could be prepared at least partially in advance or at the very least, very quickly or with little effort. And must taste fabulous!

Anyway, please forgive me if this doesn't belong here, or I am way too early for Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday, so I spend a lot of time thinking about it.

[ludja]

Sounds like a delicious feast you had last year; I'll try to think a few hors d'oeuvres.

This would be a good post for the "Special Occasions" forum, but I guess the moderators can decide on that one...

[Toliver]

I did an eGullet search and there are 4 pages of discussions with "Thanksgiving" in their titles. Some may be of help to you.

Click Here.

[fifi]

No forgiveness needed, amccomb. It is never too early to start planning Thanksgiving. However, I have to admit that this year, my sister and I made an executive decision that we are going to attend the Houston Yacht Club buffet. (My nephew is a member.)

One of the most fun things we ever did was to recreate a whole menu from Jean Andrews, the pepper lady. She had published an article, I don't remember where, that had Tex-Mex/Southwestern twists on the usual favorites. No I can't find any of that so that is not much help but I can discuss the centerpiece... the turkey, of course. It was an old family recipe and it was stuffed with tamales. And, tamales were put in the bottom of the roasting pan to soak up the fat and juices. It was amazingly delicious. Slivers of peppers were inserted into the meat working from the inside and under the skin. There was seasoning also applied. That seasoning was a mixture of the usual suspects... chile powder, cumin, garlic. We got the tamales from our favorite provider. (We weren't nuts enough to make them ourselves.) The whole dinner was a huge hit. My favorite was the tamales from the bottom of the roasting pan.

[tupac17616]

No I can't find any of that so that is not much help but I can discuss the centerpiece... the turkey, of course. It was an old family recipe and it was stuffed with tamales. And, tamales were put in the bottom of the roasting pan to soak up the fat and juices. It was amazingly delicious. Slivers of peppers were inserted into the meat working from the inside and under the skin. There was seasoning also applied. That seasoning was a mixture of the usual suspects... chile powder, cumin, garlic. We got the tamales from our favorite provider. (We weren't nuts enough to make them ourselves.) The whole dinner was a huge hit. My favorite was the tamales from the bottom of the roasting pan.

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Mmm...that sounds quite tasty

[amccomb]

Oh wow. I actually make some really nice tamales, so that could be an option. I make my tamales every year for Cinco de Mayo, which is my other big culinary holiday.

[lovebenton0]

OMG! fifi! Tamale stuffed turkey sounds fabulous!

I never stuff mine with the edible stuffing, I like it better baked on the side. Chunked baby sweet onion, baby carrots, garlic, rosemary sprig for flavor in the cavity is a typical start, then rubbed with lemon, garlic cloves, and pepper. But I switch it up whenever. Sometimes I go the mixed peppers, garlic, and sweet onion route then rubbed with lemon and oil, and insert peppers and garlic under skin/into the flesh, rubbed with a mix of cajun seasoning, and comino.

But I'd be willing to stuff one with tamales!

Back to topic here: As far as something different for sides -- this makes a beautiful and tasty sweet potato dish -- bake fresh cut sweet potatoes and cut plantains with pecans halves, glazing with ginger and five spice in a butter/honey baste for about 30 minutes at 375. At this point you can hold in fridge until the next day. Then pop back in oven to heat through on T-day and they will be cooked just right.

Simple yet elegant, another pretty veg side that won't task your time -- steam baby green beans, purple onion, and baby carrots, toss with butter (or olive oil) and lemon thyme leaves, s&rp to taste.

If you decide to go with that tempting tamale-stuffed turkey you could add roasted tatuma (or any white winter squash) slices with a topping of crisped caramelized onions and a roasted garlic cream drizzle, garnished with slices of red jalapeno.

[fifi]

Good grief... Judith adds some wonderful ideas for sides. I am almost wondering if we shouldn't rethink the Yacht Club idea. (Nah.. not this year.) I do have to add that we didn't totally "stuff" the turkey with tamales. I would say that it was "loosely" stuffed. But those tamales in the pan were the bomb.

I have not said that all tamales in the turkey and in the pan were unwrapped from their corn husks. Sorry if there was some confusion on that point.

edit to add:

If you decide to go with that tempting tamale-stuffed turkey you could add roasted tatuma (or any white winter squash) slices with a topping of crisped caramelized onions and a roasted garlic cream drizzle, garnished with slices of red jalapeno.

OH GOOD GRIEF, CHARLIE BROWN!

[amccomb]

Back to topic here: As far as something different for sides -- this makes a beautiful and tasty sweet potato dish --  bake fresh cut sweet potatoes and cut plantains with pecans halves, glazing with ginger and five spice in a butter/honey baste for about 30 minutes at 375. At this point you can hold in fridge until the next day. Then pop back in oven to heat through on T-day and they will be cooked just right.

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Sounds wonderful! How ripe should the plantains be? I'm not used to cooking with them, and have seen some recipes that suggest ripe and others suggest unripe.

If you decide to go with that tempting tamale-stuffed turkey you could  add roasted tatuma (or any white winter squash) slices with a topping of crisped caramelized onions and a roasted garlic cream drizzle, garnished with slices of red jalapeno.

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Oh my.

[Rusa]

amcomb, can I have your recipe for the lamb-stuffed phyllo?

I think your menu is great as is. Wish we weren't kosher (peas w/pancetta in cream - wow!)

Maybe an oyster stuffing?

[amccomb]

amcomb, can I have your recipe for the lamb-stuffed phyllo?

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You know, I don't really have an exact recipe, I just throw stuff in, but I normally use ground lamb, golden raisins plumped in wine, toasted pine nuts, some onion, garlic, cumin, cardamom, cayenne, cinnamon, allspice, a squeeze of lemon juice, and a little parsely. Salt, of course, too. That is all sauteed and cooled and then I use buttered phyllo and roll up a heaping spoon into a triangle, top with some sesame seeds or poppy seeds and bake until golden.

Let me know if I should be more specific!

[lovebenton0]

Back to topic here: As far as something different for sides -- this makes a beautiful and tasty sweet potato dish --  bake fresh cut sweet potatoes and cut plantains with pecans halves, glazing with ginger and five spice in a butter/honey baste for about 30 minutes at 375. At this point you can hold in fridge until the next day. Then pop back in oven to heat through on T-day and they will be cooked just right.

←

Sounds wonderful! How ripe should the plantains be? I'm not used to cooking with them, and have seen some recipes that suggest ripe and others suggest unripe.

If you decide to go with that tempting tamale-stuffed turkey you could  add roasted tatuma (or any white winter squash) slices with a topping of crisped caramelized onions and a roasted garlic cream drizzle, garnished with slices of red jalapeno.

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Oh my.

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There's a stage in which the plantain is turning yellow that is medium ripe-- they aren't really "ripe" until they are deep yellow with more black.

That medium ripe stage -- when they look more like regular barely/almost ripe bananas in color and are still nicely firm -- is perfect.

[bleudauvergne]

Your thread got me thinking, and I began planning in bed with coffee Saturday morning....