Thanksgiving Post #2 - Thanksgiving Roundup

 

Sorry I don't have tons of pictures. Next time, I have to de-emphasize the cooking and pay more attention to the photography! This was my Thanksgiving menu with some notes on each of the dishes.

Cosmos with Champagne

Make up a batch of your favorite cosmos. Pour into a champagne glass 2/3’s full. Top with champagne or Prosecco.

Salmon Rillettes

I already talked about salmon the night before Thanksgiving, but I also included it in an hors d’oeuvres. Oy...no pictures, but there’s one with the recipe. Only change – do NOT add all the mayonnaise. You probably will not need a full half cup.

Fig and Blue Cheese Savouries

Pretty good. Next time I’ll add A LOT more fig jam. I made them in the morning and just put them in a warm oven for 10 minutes before serving.

My fav – Trader Joe’s Chicken Andouille on TJ’s sliced Pretzel Bread with coarse mustard.

45 minutes in advance, I slice the sausage diagonally and sauté it until it’s crusty and really well-browned on one side. I turn it over and leave it in the turned-off pan. Then I turn it back on about 3 or 4 minutes before I need it. (Only one side has to be gorgeously blackened.) ;-)

Guacamole

I applied the method of Roberto Santibañez' Classic Guacamole to my own guacamole recipe. He mixes and pounds together all the ingredients except the avocado. Then he cuts that in at the end. It’s described as chunky avocado with salsa running through it. I just call it delicious.

½ red onion, finely diced

1 plum tomato, finely diced

½ tsp. salt

Juice of 2 limes

big handful of chopped cilantro (use parsley if you can’t stand cilantro)

optional: 1 jalapeno, seeded and chopped finely WITH GLOVES ON

3 ripe avocados, halved

With a mortar and pestle, or potato masher, work all ingredients together except avocado. You can also mash/chop them together on a cutting board with the side of a knife. Place in medium bowl. Cut avocados in half, remove pit. Make a cross hatch in the avocado with a tablespoon. Make 3 or 4 lines in either direction. Scoop avocado out of shell and add to onion mixture. Toss together, leaving avocado in largish pieces. Taste for seasoning.  

First course - Orange-Scented Goat Cheese Slices

No recipe really. The night before, slice a log of goat cheese into disks. Place in a bowl with orange strips and a squeeze of fresh orange juice and few tablespoons of olive oil. Add some thyme. Cover and refrigerate until a half hour before serving. Make a salad of romaine, spinach, pomegranate seeds and candied pecans. Dress with this: juice of one orange, juice of one lemon, 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of Dijon. Top each salad serving with goat cheese slices. (I also added a few dabs of the fantastic Délice de Bourgogne cheese, which is a TRIPLE cremecheese similar to brie. Sooo good!)

If you use binoculars, you can see the goat cheese salad.

 Tom the Turkey

 

                                                             

My Version of My Mother's Stuffing

Mashed Potatoes

Bourbon Sweet Potatoes

Green Beans With Shallots And Garlic

Suzanne’s Cranberries

Rolls, just for a place to put more butter

Dessert…next post.

It was all too much…too good, I mean. The best part (next to the pie, that is) was having far-flung kids and great friends around the table. That makes every dish sweeter and any meal even more special. 

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