Turkey on My Mind

I have a confession to make.  I take Thanksgiving seriously.  A couple of years ago, we flew to my sister-in-law's house in Phoenix.  I volunteered to cook.  Not only did I bring various kitchen utensils, I flew out the free range, hormone and antibiotic free turkey I bought at the farmer's market in DC.   The TSA people looked at me as though I was crazy, but we both made it through security and the flight intact.  My husband's suitcase wasn't so fortunate... In case you are wondering, they do have turkeys in Phoenix, but, I still think bringing my special bird was worth it.

Lucky for me, we're not traveling this year. As a self-proclaimed Thanksgiving expert, here are some tips.

1) Plan Ahead: I've been planning the Thanksgiving dinner menu for a few weeks now.  For appetizers, we're having homemade onion dip; spiced nuts; guacamole; sweet onion, sun dried tomatoes and goat cheese crosatinis; and prosciutto palmiers.  First course is chestnut soup followed by Turkey (of course), stuffing (technically dressing because it's roasted outside of the bird), garlic mashed potatoes, gravy, and cranberry sauce.  Oh and of course Pumpkin and Apple pie for dessert.  I'm gaining wait just thinking about the menu. 

2) Do as much ahead of time as possible.  The good thing about this menu is that I can make a lot of the food ahead of time.  I'm taking Wednesday off to cook, but I already started preparing!  My house smells sweet from the combination of roasted chestnuts and chicken broth.  I usually buy pre-made broth, but I decided to make my own since it's a key ingredient to the soup.  Broth is incredibly easy to make; it's just time consuming (it takes about 4 hours to make). I plan on making everything except the gravy, dressing, mashed potatoes, guacamole, and of course the turkey before Thursday.

3)Brine the Turkey.  I use a huge stockpot, but turkey brining bags are available in the grocery store or at Williams-Sonoma.  You can also use a garbage bag.  For good tips on preparing turkey, see the Alton Brown Episode "Romancing the Bird."

4) Smaller is Better.  A big turkey might look dramatic, but it will probably make all of those stereotypes of a dried out bird come true.  If you have a lot of people coming for dinner, make two smaller (no larger than 13 pound) turkeys.  Smaller birds also cook faster so you don't have to spend the entire day in the kitchen.

Looks Can Be Deceiving

ok, I'm not talking about myself here folks.  I really am talking about food.  But sometimes "fancy" food, really isn't that fancy.  I made two meals recently that look time consuming, but truly weren't.

paellaWe had some good friends over on Saturday night.  I wanted to make a dish that didn't require too much work while my guests were here so that I could entertain.  Paella requires some attention while the guests are here (about 15 minutes), but you can do all of the prep work beforehand.  I based my paella after a Culinary Institute of America recipe.  The Spanish probably wouldn't consider it "real" paella because you cook the dish in a Dutch oven, not a traditional paella pan, and in a regular over rather than an open flame.  It really is delicious, however.

The theme Saturday was Spanish Tapas, so I also made "Pisto and Anchovey Bocadillos"--little crosatinis with ratatuoille and anchovies on top--and sweet filo crisps with manchego and blue cheese.  I made way too much ratatuoille and I had leftover filo dough, so I decided to experiment.  I went a little overboard in the fish market--by overboard, I bought so much fish it wouldn't fit in my very larget dutch oven-- so I also had left over sea sea bass in a packetbass (As a side note, if you live in the DC area, go to Slavin and Sons.  The sea food is top quality and a wide selection.  It's not cheap, but I always think that high quality seafood is worth paying for.  A lot of the local restaurants get their fish from Slavin's its both a retail and a wholesale fish market) so they turn over the fish quickly). 

Only a crumb was left!I layered the sea bass with fresh tomatoes, ratatouille, basil, and triple cream goat cheese (I was going to use regular goat cheese but my husband came home with the triple cream instead.  It was a great mistake.  I would use it again). I then wrapped the stacks in filo dough, brushed the layers with butter, and baked the packets in the oven for 18 minutes.  Sea bass is a rich fish and it stood up to the filo dough, sauteed vegetables, and melted deliciousness of the goat cheese.  It was easy, elegant, and incredibly delicious.

Mary Had A Little Goat

One of the things I like best about cooking (and eating) is trying new foods.  I might have to draw the line at Sweetbreads--to my credit I tried it and did not like it--but you never know what something is going to taste like until you try it. 

5 Hour Goat from the NY TimesI first tried goat a couple of years ago.  I but most of my meat at our local farmer's market and Forest, the meat guy, had a leg of goat.  I prepared it the way I usually prepare a leg of lamb--covered with Julia Child's mustard, garlic and herb coating and roasting in a 325 degree oven.  The flavor was delicious.  It's similar to lamb, but actually more mild and sweet.  The only problem is that goat meat is leaner than lamb and much more tough.

I was really excited a few months ago when the NY Times Food Section featured goat including a recipe for 5 hour roast leg of goat.  I just happened to have a leg of goat in my freezer, so I decided to try the recipe yesterday.  It is amazing!  It is basically Osso Bucco--a braise with onions, garlic, wine and spices--but with a goat shank and lots (10 cloves) of garlic.  The meat fell off the bones and was juicy and flavorful.  If you can't get goat, try this recipe with a leg of lamb.  This is a great recipe for dinner parties because you can prep it before hand and it cooks with minimal monitoring while you hang out with your guests.

Easy Entertaining

Fish with tomatoes and mushroomsI had an ultimate kitchen klutz moment this week.  One of my best friends was visiting from New Mexico.  I was really excited to see her, but I had a long day at work and I was kind of flustered.  I pulled together a last minute meal--cheese (my new favorite, pierre robert) to start, followed by a trio of fish roasted with tomatoes, mushrooms and parano cheese.  I decided to make rice to accompany the fish.  I just poured a delicious glass of Starry Night Zinfandel (another favorite) and indulged in a single sip.  I'm not certain about the exact sequence of events but somehow the rice jumped out of the cabinet, crashed into the cutting board on the counter, which flew into my glass of wine sending the glass and its precious contents onto the floor.  I was covered in wine and glass shards and ran upstairs to let my guest clean up the mess I made.  Martha Stewart beware; I truly am the most gracious host ever.

Men Praise This Fruit Pie

Cherry PieMaybe it's the warm comfort of summer, or the fact that the fruit in the farm market looks so good so that I buy too much and then have to cook it before it rots, or simply that I love pie, but I've been baking a lot lately and I'm not a baker.  I recently made my favorite pie, cherry.  I know from experience that men (and women) do praise this fruit pie, but I have to share a few more baking tips from my 1965 edition of the Farm Journal's pie cookbook:

• Take a thimble from your sewing basket.  Wash and use it for a pattern to cut steam vents."
• Today's farm homemakers usually bake at least a couple of extra pies while they have the rolling pin out and the ingredients handy.
• Every neighborhood has a few women experienced in cooking who are locally famous for their crusts and pies.  Some beginners (often brides) believe these homemakers are born with special talents.  They don't realize how many of them learned by the discouraging "trial and error" method no longer necessary with up-to-date recipes and directions.

Apricot, Peach, Maple MuffinsBesides pie, muffins are great for summer.  They are easy to make, and tasty.  I hate really heavy muffins.  I prefer the breading to be a conduit for the fruit.  It's July and local peaches and apricots are already plentiful, so I created a delicious recipe based off a King Arthur Flour Muffin Recipe, using maple syrup and lots of spices.

I'll conclude with some more entertaining advice from the Farm Journal.  "Remember that Pies please men.  Since men are the great pie eaters and promoters, let's give a rancher friend the last word--his definition of his favorite dessert: "A triangle of pie is the best way ever discovered to round out a square meal."  Now to find my sewing basket...