Life being what it is in our household this fall, I’m a little behind on my Thanksgiving planning. I had a rough idea of the menu we were going with this year, but really committing to recipes and getting my grocery list and cooking schedule together has been VERY slow in coming – ideally I should have already started cooking this past weekend, and I did not. I feel pretty good about what I’ve picked though, that there’s nothing overly complicated and that we should be able to pull it off on Thursday.
As I explained last year, we’re moving to a tradition of hosting Thanksgiving for alternating families, and each year picking a different ‘theme’. The same old dishes, which are exactly what some (or even most?) people love about Thanksgiving are a teensy bit boring to me. Part of that I guess is that I have never really loved Thanksgiving dinner – I don’t like sweet potatoes, I don’t like stuffing, and frankly roasted turkey is just not the most exciting meat out there. Picking a regional theme for the menu makes me, as the cook, excited about cooking a big meal. And so our families will be the unwilling guinea pigs every year of a different Thanksgiving feast. My hope, however, is that it will always be a feast, and a time to celebrate the plenty God blesses us with, with those we love the best. Those ingredients don’t vary.
Last year we debuted the tradition with a Southern Thanksgiving. This year, we’re going to my one of my favorite food cultures in the world – New Orleans! I fell in love with the food (and really the whole city) of New Orleans when I lived there in grad school. The unabashed richness and spice of that cuisine is totally enchanting. I think the whole mindset of New Orleans food and cooking is very Thanksgiving-ish – heap it on, baby!!!
And so without further ado, the Skena Family Thanksgiving Menu of 2009:
Appetizers for nibbling throughout the day til early dinner – Parmesan Thyme Biscuits, Roasted Winter Squash Dip, Sausage Bites, Cranberry Bruschetta and Rosemary Roasted Cashews
Dinner – Pepper-stuffed Turkey, Andouille Cornbread Stuffing, Sweet Potato Pudding, Corn Maquechoux, Southern Braised Greens, Sweet Potato Muffins
Dessert – Pecan Pie and Pumpkin Pound Cake with Bourbon Whipped Cream
The nibbles are all favorites of mine, with the exception of the Barefoot Contessa’s Parmesan Thyme biscuits which I haven’t made before but sound SO delicious. Sausage bites are a super easy traditional recipe made with cheddar cheese, Bisquick and hot breakfast sausage (and that’s it!). The cranberry bruschetta is a perfect fall appetizer that’s a little spicy and a little sweet at the same time. The Winter Squash Dip is from Martha Stewart, and I first had it when my friend Katy made it for Wine Club. It makes an absolute ton so I made this a couple weeks ago and have some left in the freezer. It’s a nice fall flavor with a little kick from chipotles and richness from cream cheese and sour cream. The cashews are just an easy fix that taste like a party.
Many of the dinner recipes are from my Emeril Lagasse cookbook, Louisiana Real and Rustic, and are new – the Pepper-stuffed Turkey (which asks you to cut slits in the turkey and insert butter, spices and chopped peppers, doesn’t sound like the worst thing in the world), the Sweet Potato Pudding (a make-ahead dish that sounds smooth and rich) and Southern Greens (calling for 6 POUNDS of greens, which are currently taking up half of my largest shelf in the fridge!). We actually made the buttermilk mashed potatoes last year, they are just a nice simple dish to sop up all the other flavors. And speaking of sopping up, we don’t have a specific gravy recipe planned – the turkey recipe says you can just spoon the pan juices over the turkey. We’ll see how much of these juices materialize, and if it’s not too much then I’ll just whip up a fast gravy using what is in there (just add a little butter, a little while wine, and some flour, and stir til you get the consistency you want!). Corn maquechoux is one of my favorite Cajun sides – corn sauteed in butter with peppers, basically. It’s VERY yummy. And the sweet potato muffins are a Brill Family favorite – those I really can’t do without for Thanksgiving. We’ve converted many folks into fans of these dense, moist flavorful muffins. And really, they sort of DO go with all kinds of Thanksgiving menus. My parents actually found the recipe from a restaurant in Colonial Williamsburg many, many years ago, so I love that tradition that goes with it too.
For dessert, I’m redoing the AMAZING pecan pie from last year. Hands down the best pecan pie recipe ever. Worth the five bucks for the special Lyle’s Golden Syrup! The Pumpkin Pound Cake is a late addition to the menu on my part. I needed to bring a dessert to my in-laws house on Sunday for lunch, and I just plain ran out of time to make a pie for my father-in-law, who very sweetly and generously LOVES my pies. Instead, I made a really easy but tasty recipe from the Orangette blog, Sweet Potato Pound Cake. Except I subbed in a can of pumpkin puree for the sweet potatoes. And it was EVEN better!!! Sweeter, which I like. It really tasted like pumpkin pie, without the same texture. I served it with real whipped cream, which REALLY made it awesome. And so after being so pleased with those results, I thought, why mess with another pie crust when that cake tastes so dang good and is so easy, and can be made in advance? It’s a Bundt cake, and Bundt cakes and other breads always get better with a couple days to age. So no worries whatsoever about making it earlier! And even nicer, for those of you traveling on the holiday who agreed to bring something, it’s very easy to transport. You could wrap it in foil, or fit it back into the Bundt pan and cover it, or put it in a tupperware cake carrier, but there is no frosting or topping to slide around and it will be much more durable than a pie. You can find the recipe in the link above – just put in canned pumpkin instead of the sweet potato puree, and add a teaspoon of cinnamon.
So, that’s our menu! I’ll report back with the results. Happy cooking and happy eating! I hope your holiday is full of family and food, joy and gratitude.
The General Thanksgiving (from the Book of Common Prayer):
Almighty God, Father of all mercies, we your unworthy servants give you humble thanks for all your goodness and loving-kindness to us and to all whom you have made. We bless you for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life; but above all for your immeasurable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, we pray, give us such an awareness of your mercies, that with truly thankful hearts we may show forth your praise, not only with our lips but in our lives, by giving up our selves to your service, and by walking before you in holiness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with you and the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory throughout all the ages. Amen!