Monday, November 22, 2010

Thanksgiving

So what, other than turkey, are you making for Thanksgiving? I'm going to be guest, so I don't have to make the whole dinner, but I was asked to make a pumpkin pie. (I'm going to try this recipe, but if you have a better one, I'd love to hear about it). I'm also going to make popovers using the recipe of my late belle-mère. Do you ever make these bad boys? The best way to do this is with a cast iron popover pan. It weighs a ton, but it makes a heckuva popover. And you can forget about substituting one- or two-percent (or, God forbid, skim) for whole milk and/or skimping on the butter in some misguided effort to save calories and/or your cholesterol, because you just won't get awesome popovers.

20 comments:

MarkC said...

Spanakopita -- the vegetarian's answer to tryptophans.

res ipsa loquitur said...

mmm...spanakopita. Had some recently. I loves it.

Recipe?

Anonymous said...

The NYTimes had a video showing how to do pie crust that was spot on in terms of producing something flaky and meltingly good.
Also, what you said re: spanakopita.

Marcellina said...

I'm also going to be a guest (on Saturday, because Thursday is a regular workday) and will bring my grandmother's PA Dutch potato filling. Which is basically mashed potatoes with lots of milk and butter, add onions and celery which has been cooked in butter, beat in an egg, salt and pepper, and bake in the oven until there's a nice brown crust on the top. Delicious.

res ipsa loquitur said...

anonymous, I saw that pie crust video and I was going to do it that way (not with lard, though -- with part butter and part crisco, which is how my mother did it, anyway).

Marcellina, (!), I'm going to try that PA Dutch potato filling. Potatoes, butter, sauteed onions -- how bad could that be?

rapier said...

Last year I started a new tradition, fondue, meat and cheese, for Thanksgiving. It was great. Sadly some don't make our dinner and wanted fondue to so we fondued two weeks ago. Turkey it is then.

Now I have to try and sell muskrat on Christmas Eve. Or maybe poutine.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UI75UMSxaVo&feature=related

Anonymous said...

Could I suggest listening to some Smashing Pumpkins then going to a pie shop if they aren't all closed Thanksgiving.
vox

Anonymous said...

Not a good cook so I get to bring a couple of bottles of fine wine to match the meal.

Dee Loralei said...

Marcellina, my sister's in-laws make something like that it's Penn-Dutch, I think they call it Mennonite or Amish Gourmet potatos. It also has sour cream in it.

Res Ipsa, you need to try it it is that good.

I love popovers, thanks for the link.

Rapier, we do beef fondue every year for Christmas Eve and have for at least 30 years. There's about 20 of us, 5 or 6 fondue pots and lots of wine. Hillarity has ensued. I make a bernaise for them that want it with their tenderloin. And we serve a great salad, crusty french bread for the meal. Lots of great appetizers before hand, and cookies and candies and eggnog for dessert. I've made corquembouches and yule logs too, but that takes so much extra time.

I don't have to cook at all on Thanksgiving. But I always have to cook on the Saturday afterwards. A Football watching feast. This year I'm making fresh corn tamales with marinated pork and a green chili tomatillo sauce for about 40. How the fuck did I get talked into such a labor intensive job?? Damn am I dumb.

acrannymint said...

I'm making a yellow squash casserole
I cut the sugar and butter by half

acrannymint said...

"yellow squash casserole" is a hyperlink. Doesn't seem to that evident.

acrannymint said...

I may also make some no-knead bread to bring.

chrisanthemama said...

Butternut-squash soup, dill-cheddar biscuits, cornbread-chorizo dressing, cranberry relish, swiss chard au gratin, sweet potato pie, apple-pear galettes.

And the husband is doing the turkey in the smoker-cooker.

Yum.

Anonymous said...

Popovers are soo easy (easier than biscuits) you can make them for breakfast (who would pay $2 apiece for them?) Memorize this recipe (1/3c milk and flour per egg, some butter and salt) - it makes crepes too.

Beat 2 eggs into 2/3c Flour + 2T milk or cream, some salt. Melt 1 1/2T butter, beat 1T of it into batter. Slowly add 2/3c Milk (bit more? - to crepe consistency.) Use some melted butter to grease 6 cupcake tins, pour batter in. Dot center of each with remaining butter. 20 min@350, then 7-10 at 425.

DrDick said...

I live alone and have decided to go totally unconventional this year. I am making Thai curried Turkey thigh with pumpkin and baby corn with jasmine rice on the side. Everything you need in one dish.

res ipsa loquitur said...

Tamales ... my favorite. Tamales ... mmmm...

I just had some friends over for dinner. I made:
--manicotti
--meatballs and sweet sausage w/fennel
--broccoli rabe with golden raisins, pine nuts, garlic, and crushed red pepper
--wine, lots of red wine

pansypoo said...

i am a guest and gonna make cranberry sauce. different. gonna use blueberries. raspberries and if i can't find my berry liquor, i am using whiskey.

Mr. Hedley Bowes said...

Sweet Bourbon Yams here.

Berry sauce sounds delicious!

MD said...

We are not going with the turkey this year....... It leaves a fowl taste ;-) ..... sorry

Anonymous said...

Surf & turf is our tradition. Will be trying a Cajun crab pot with new potatoes & corn on the cob for the first time. Ribeyes and green salad and chocolate dessert to top it off.

Further topped off with moaning about how we ate too much and worrying about my coming layoff after the first of the year, just to keep perspective.

Happy Thanksgiving, everybody!