Happy Thanksgiving!
Turkey Day is here! Aren’t you amazed by so much celebration for such an ugly animal?
I work for Big Bossman & family on Thanksgivings and we usually do a very traditional Thanksgiving dinner for about 25 people. I don’t like to experiment too much on that day, in my opinion it should be all about comfort food and not nouvelle cuisine.
Here’s my menu for this year’s:
- Chestnut & Fennel soup w/ apple-walnut chutney & fried sage
- Roasted Turkey with giblets gravy, cranberry sauce, mashed sweet potatoes, sauteed wild mushrooms & cippolini onions, green beans & baby carrots. Cornbread stuffing (with sage sausage, chicken liver etc…)
- Pies assortment (Pumpkin, Apple, Pecan, Mincemeat)
I usually make two of each pie so there are plenty of leftovers for guests to take home, it’s a nice touch and that’s what the Holiday is all about after all, besides fighting with your relatives of course.
Sometimes people underestimate the power of the cranberry. Many buy it canned or if they do make it fresh, they just throw the cranberries in a pot with water and sugar and let it cook down. That’s pretty boring. If done properly the cranberry sauce can make your whole plate sing because let’s face it, turkey needs a little help. Here’s what i do, i spice it up a little with vanilla bean, cinnamon, ginger and orange zest. It doesn’t overpower the cranberries but brings extra perfume. Over the years i received rave reviews for it.
ZenChef Cranberry sauce
- 3 cups fresh cranberries
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3/4 water
- Two 1/4 inch thick slices peeled ginger
- 1/2 vanilla bean, split and scraped
- 1/2 cinnamon stick
- 1/2 orange peel
- Pinch of salt
Combine all the ingredients in a small saucepan, cook 10 to 15 minutes over medium heat, stirring, until the cranberries start to lose their shape and most of the liquid has evaporated. Remove from heat. Refrigerate. Discard the ginger, vanilla bean, orange peel and cinnamon stick before serving.
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Wednesday, November 21st, 2007
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