You should not blog about Thanksgiving recipes while hungry--it's like shopping when hungry. I'm about to do something I'll regret like go into the kitchen and eat half a bag of tortilla chips standing over the kitchen sink. Once I finish here...
I thought it would be fun to share my favorite Thanksgiving recipes today. I'll begin with the stuffing which I first made in 1995 (I still have my dog-eared, gravy-stained stained copy of Gourmet) and have made nearly every year since. It's truly amazing, involving sausage, corn bread, fennel and Pernod.
I'm not into stuffing but I'm into this. Sweet and earthy, it's the perfect accompaniment to turkey.
I finally got wise to brining a few years ago and now I'm a brining fool. I've experimented with several different brines and this has been my hands-down favorite. It works great with a whole chicken and I bet it would also be wonderful with a pork loin.
You might think "sublime brussel sprout" is an oxymoron. Until you try this recipe. It takes eons to make but it's totally worth it.
Another gem from Gourmet, this one not quite as vintage being from 2006. The best pumpkin pie I've ever had.
The above things are non-negotiable but the salad can vary from year to year. I really love the Roasted Beet and Blood Orange Salad with Spicy Greens Recipe from 101 Cookbooks. Last year I spotted this Spicy Green Apple Salad from the fabulous Thai cooking blog She Simmers--it sounds like it would be the perfect thing, bright and light, to cut through some of the heaviness of the traditional Thanksgiving meal.
What are your favorite Thanksgiving traditions? I hope you all have a wonderful day, whatever you do, whatever you eat! No excuse me while I go find those corn chips.
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I'm dreaming of those Brussels Sprouts right now!
ReplyDeleteMy longest running Thanksgiving tradition is a cranberry relish recipe cut from the pages of MSL back in something like 1996. It was quite the revelation since as a kid the only cranberries on our table were that gelatinous mass that slides from the can. The recipe includes fresh cranberries along with oranges, jalapeno, red onion and a few other things. Truth be told some years the turkey is just the serving device for the relish.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Loree I want THAT recipe! Sounds like it's right up my alley. I bet it goes great on a sandwich with some sharp cheddar the next day too. Happy Thanksgiving to you!
DeleteYou are a much fancier cook than I! Then again...I think everyone in Portland is a fancier cook than I am! All my traditions sort of changed after I moved here (leaving the big, extended family holidays behind, sadly). Over the past few years, Norm and I discovered an App (as silly as it sounds) that lays everything out for you...all the recipes...the timing of it all...it's a little ridiculous...but it makes Thanksgiving a snap...I never have to stress about forgetting something now. If only I could figure out a fool-proof way to make gravy...that still eludes me. Honestly, my favorite tradition, though, is to leave the house for a few minutes, walk around the block...and come back, so I get that experience of walking into the house FILLED with all those glorious Thanksgiving Day smells :-) Happy Thanksgiving!!!
ReplyDeleteScott, there's an app for that? Awesome! I'm all for anything that makes the cooking easier and leaves everyone less frazzled. People have such varied ideas about what makes a good gravy but at my house, because my Dad's English, we have to have Bisto which is this powdered mix that makes a dark gravy. You can use drippings in it but in a pinch (or if you're on the verge of a nervous breakdown like I often am because the mashed potatoes and Yorkshire pudding, and turkey are all coming out at the same time) you can just add water. It's delicious and so easy!
ReplyDeleteI love your tradition of walking around the block just so you can get that whamo of amazing smells when you come back inside. I gotta try it! Hope you and Norm have a great Thanksgiving!
Yours looks like an elegant feast (and yummy, of course). My personal tradition is alternatives to turkey, which I wrote about here: http://bannersbyricki.com/archives/1306
ReplyDeleteI thought I had the best pumpkin pie recipe, but now I must try yours...and those sprouts!
The sprouts! The sprouts! You can make a meal just of them.
DeleteI made your pie recommendation above, and ooh wee, that's a good one. Though it is a bit time consuming and takes some kitchen skills, I like it! It may make a return appearance come Christmas. Thank you for sharing these!
ReplyDeleteHooray! I'm so glad you tried it and that it was a hit. It is a little fiddly but once you get the hang of it gets easier.
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