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| Be fancy, schmancy and effortless with pancetta-wrapped persimmons - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label pumpkin. Show all posts
Monday, December 23, 2013
OMG a Recipe: Ho-Ho-Holiday Home Stretch
Can you believe we're almost through the holidays? Through the YEAR, even? Thanksgiving flashed by before our eyes. Christmas -- here and gone in a flash. And New Years Eve...?! Sure, you can go out, but many gatherings are with family and friends, so you're expected to bring something else a little more festive than a sixer of High Life and a bag of chips. Wasabi to the rescue, with an easy make-ahead dessert and Avengers-Assemble! appetizers.
Monday, December 19, 2011
OMG a Recipe: Harvest Delight
One of the best things about the holidays is the eagerness to get together with friends. Not that we don't do this throughout the year, but it feels more appropriate -- almost with a sense of urgency -- to spread the good cheer, lest Santa downgrade you to the Naughty list. Again. And so we had some friends over for dinner one chilly Sunday night. Nothing fancy, just evening spent 'round the table with platefuls of food!
Cold weather cooking is the best kind, because it's always full of rich smells and flavors of things slowly simmering on the stove or slowly baking away in the oven. For the dinner we had planned, I wanted it to be a total harvest-themed meal, with a winter salad tossed with pears, pecans, dried cranberries and blue cheese; a creamy macaroni and cheese made with roasted pumpkin; a chicken flavored with rosemary, sage and sweetened with marsala; then to finish, a rustic pear crostata.
Spices take on double duty, hopping across the Mason-Dixon line of sweet and savory, especially ones like nutmeg and cinnamon. I love how a good pumpkin pie isn't all sugar, and that you can taste a bit of the squash, married with all the added spices. So I got all Dr. Moreau in the kitchen, hybridizing the spice and flavor of pumpkin pie with macaroni and cheese. Not as weird as you'd think, it was quite tasty. I've been on a steady kick of roasting sugar pumpkins and other squash. The trick of shoving the whole squash into the oven for about twenty minutes at 375 degrees, just to soften slightly, has made it much easier for me to halve them without worry of personal injury. Seriously, doing a Norman Bates on a large squash can be hazardous to the squash-killer's health! So the pre-softening helps, then you can halve it, remove the seeds and let the oven finish the rest of the roasting. I'll do several at a time to try and be more energy conscious about the oven. I'll scoop out the roasted squash and freeze it for later use. I've gotten to be pretty good at recognizing the color and texture of frozen squash, because for all the preparation I do, I neglect to label anything, and our freezer just looks like we're obsessed with quarts of plain yogurt. Dear Santa: for Wasabi, a lifetime supply of Sharpie markers. Stat.
The pumpkin macaroni and cheese gets a nice, light sweetness from the roasted pumpkin. Additional sweetness and texture is added with the help of caramelized onions and diced apples. I know -- is this mac n' cheese or a pie? You often see recipes of apple pies with cheddar cheese mixed in the crust, so cheese and apple are no stranger to one another, and when you cook with apples, it's not overly sweet, especially if you're using tart Granny Smiths. I think our tastebud brains get a little tastebud brain-washed by processed fruit products and baked goods, which add a ton of extra sugar to make it abundantly clear it's dessert. So, hey, go crazy. Add an apple into something!
The main course was just a chicken broken down into all its edible pieces -- I'm weird that way, I don't like cooking the whole thing, I like breaking it down like Kid N' Play, and cooking the parts accordingly. I just had a small fryer chicken, whose parts were salted and peppered generously before being put into a hot pot to brown up. I wanted a nice sear of crispy skin, locking in all the moisture. I didn't cook the chicken all the way, just wanted to get some color, then set the birdy aside to deglaze the pot with marsala. I added aromatics like diced onion, garlic and chopped sage and rosemary. I threw in halved mushrooms and let everything simmer and cook off some of its liquid before nestling the chicken parts back in, covering the pot and shoving into the oven to finish. Sort-of chicken marsala? I guess that's the best way to describe it. I just love the combination of sweet marsala wine with flavors like rosemary and sage, which can pack quite a punch -- they balance out nicely. It's like all the flavor-kids meet up in the park and plays nice... right before you eat them!
As for dessert, pear crostata was an easy thing to make. Flat rolled-out dough, layering of sugared fruit, fold up the edges, and bake. No pie dish needed and who cares if it looks like someone ran over Grimace with a steamroller -- it's rustic. I've been making a lot of pies lately, what with the holidays, and most recipes for pie dough gives you two rounds. I tend not to do the lattice top, so that just means: two pies. Boo-hoo, right? It's still pears aplenty in season, and since apples were in the mac n' cheese, I thought pears would make for a great dessert. They're creamy, the sweetness is more complex, and it just sounds more fancy when you make a pear dessert. And that's all that matters when it comes to desserts -- it sounds fancy. Secret of Life = Revealed.
The dinner was really nice. Holiday season of good cheer, but no holiday meal pressure to make something over the top. Lots of food and quality time with friends we hadn't seen in a while. It's a couple who's always so good to invite us over and we were overdue to return the favor. It was also a good night to sample beers -- they're a couple who does a bit of homebrewing and were the ones who taught Mr. Wasabi how to start brewing his own beer, also known as, the filling of our garage with mad scientist equipment. If you are a homebrewer or live with one, you know what I'm talkin' about -- can I get an a-men, sistahs and brothas??
But to the real matter at hand -- Wasabi's gonna lay some knowledge down on your cranium. What-what? Aw yeah, so here's the recipe for a pumpkin macaroni and cheese:
Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
4-5 cups whole milk, warmed
1.5 cup pumpkin puree - from a can is fine, just make sure it's not sweetened!
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients of Chunky Goodness:
2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 2-3 cups' worth)
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced (about 1 cup; can be any apple, but Fuji is really nice)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 pound medium-sized shell pasta or 1 pound of small elbow macaroni
1 cup of panko bread crumbs to top before baking
Caramelize the onions first, they take the longest time -- ake a large pan and set to medium high to melt the butter and start to cook down the onions. Stir constantly, moving them around in the pan; they'll wilt, turn translucent, and start changing color. When they start to brown slightly, drop the heat to medium-low. You want to slowly caramelize, not burn them. When they're evenly browned, add the apples in. You just want to reduce some of the liquid in the fruit, no need to brown them. When they're slightly softened, remove from heat and set this mixture aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set a large pot of salted water on the stove, set to high heat. When it's boiling, add the pasta. Cook until still somewhat firm, a little more than al dente. The baking will finish it off, and it will continue to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
To make the sauce, put a medium sized, uncoated pot on the stove, set to medium. Melt the butter down and sprinkle in the flour. Mix well, making sure all the flour is coated in the butter, resembling a light paste. Use a whisk and slowly drizzle in the warm milk, whisking vigorously to make sure there are no lumps. Keep whisking until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is smooth, this may take a few minutes. Then slowly add the shredded cheese, one small handful at a time, continuing to whisk, ensuring it melts evenly. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste to see if it needs salt or pepper. Carefully scoop in the pumpkin puree and mix until it's fully incorporated. The sauce should be thick, but not stiff, as it will need to coat the pasta evenly -- add more milk to loosen.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and onions with apple, and carefully fold in the sauce. Gently mix, so you don't break up the pasta, it just needs to be coated and the apple and onion distributed. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with panko crumbs. Place the dish into the oven to bake, until the top is browned, about 15-20 minutes. You can also refrigerate the mixed pasta and sauce, if you're making it a day ahead, and then bake in the oven to finish and brown.
 |
| The almighty mac n' cheese - this time with pumpkin! - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
Cold weather cooking is the best kind, because it's always full of rich smells and flavors of things slowly simmering on the stove or slowly baking away in the oven. For the dinner we had planned, I wanted it to be a total harvest-themed meal, with a winter salad tossed with pears, pecans, dried cranberries and blue cheese; a creamy macaroni and cheese made with roasted pumpkin; a chicken flavored with rosemary, sage and sweetened with marsala; then to finish, a rustic pear crostata.
Spices take on double duty, hopping across the Mason-Dixon line of sweet and savory, especially ones like nutmeg and cinnamon. I love how a good pumpkin pie isn't all sugar, and that you can taste a bit of the squash, married with all the added spices. So I got all Dr. Moreau in the kitchen, hybridizing the spice and flavor of pumpkin pie with macaroni and cheese. Not as weird as you'd think, it was quite tasty. I've been on a steady kick of roasting sugar pumpkins and other squash. The trick of shoving the whole squash into the oven for about twenty minutes at 375 degrees, just to soften slightly, has made it much easier for me to halve them without worry of personal injury. Seriously, doing a Norman Bates on a large squash can be hazardous to the squash-killer's health! So the pre-softening helps, then you can halve it, remove the seeds and let the oven finish the rest of the roasting. I'll do several at a time to try and be more energy conscious about the oven. I'll scoop out the roasted squash and freeze it for later use. I've gotten to be pretty good at recognizing the color and texture of frozen squash, because for all the preparation I do, I neglect to label anything, and our freezer just looks like we're obsessed with quarts of plain yogurt. Dear Santa: for Wasabi, a lifetime supply of Sharpie markers. Stat.
 |
| Cold weather comfort dinner at home with friends - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
The pumpkin macaroni and cheese gets a nice, light sweetness from the roasted pumpkin. Additional sweetness and texture is added with the help of caramelized onions and diced apples. I know -- is this mac n' cheese or a pie? You often see recipes of apple pies with cheddar cheese mixed in the crust, so cheese and apple are no stranger to one another, and when you cook with apples, it's not overly sweet, especially if you're using tart Granny Smiths. I think our tastebud brains get a little tastebud brain-washed by processed fruit products and baked goods, which add a ton of extra sugar to make it abundantly clear it's dessert. So, hey, go crazy. Add an apple into something!
 |
| Dish up - chicken with mushrooms, herbs and marsala - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
The main course was just a chicken broken down into all its edible pieces -- I'm weird that way, I don't like cooking the whole thing, I like breaking it down like Kid N' Play, and cooking the parts accordingly. I just had a small fryer chicken, whose parts were salted and peppered generously before being put into a hot pot to brown up. I wanted a nice sear of crispy skin, locking in all the moisture. I didn't cook the chicken all the way, just wanted to get some color, then set the birdy aside to deglaze the pot with marsala. I added aromatics like diced onion, garlic and chopped sage and rosemary. I threw in halved mushrooms and let everything simmer and cook off some of its liquid before nestling the chicken parts back in, covering the pot and shoving into the oven to finish. Sort-of chicken marsala? I guess that's the best way to describe it. I just love the combination of sweet marsala wine with flavors like rosemary and sage, which can pack quite a punch -- they balance out nicely. It's like all the flavor-kids meet up in the park and plays nice... right before you eat them!
 |
| Pear crostata, my favorite lazyman dessert - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
As for dessert, pear crostata was an easy thing to make. Flat rolled-out dough, layering of sugared fruit, fold up the edges, and bake. No pie dish needed and who cares if it looks like someone ran over Grimace with a steamroller -- it's rustic. I've been making a lot of pies lately, what with the holidays, and most recipes for pie dough gives you two rounds. I tend not to do the lattice top, so that just means: two pies. Boo-hoo, right? It's still pears aplenty in season, and since apples were in the mac n' cheese, I thought pears would make for a great dessert. They're creamy, the sweetness is more complex, and it just sounds more fancy when you make a pear dessert. And that's all that matters when it comes to desserts -- it sounds fancy. Secret of Life = Revealed.
 |
| Wham, Bam, thank you for dessert, ma'am - Photos by Wasabi Prime |
The dinner was really nice. Holiday season of good cheer, but no holiday meal pressure to make something over the top. Lots of food and quality time with friends we hadn't seen in a while. It's a couple who's always so good to invite us over and we were overdue to return the favor. It was also a good night to sample beers -- they're a couple who does a bit of homebrewing and were the ones who taught Mr. Wasabi how to start brewing his own beer, also known as, the filling of our garage with mad scientist equipment. If you are a homebrewer or live with one, you know what I'm talkin' about -- can I get an a-men, sistahs and brothas??
But to the real matter at hand -- Wasabi's gonna lay some knowledge down on your cranium. What-what? Aw yeah, so here's the recipe for a pumpkin macaroni and cheese:
Ingredients for the Sauce:
1/2 stick unsalted butter
3 tablespoons flour
4-5 cups whole milk, warmed
1.5 cup pumpkin puree - from a can is fine, just make sure it's not sweetened!
2 cups grated Gruyere cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
pinch of cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste
Ingredients of Chunky Goodness:
2 large onions, thinly sliced (about 2-3 cups' worth)
1 large apple, peeled, cored and diced (about 1 cup; can be any apple, but Fuji is really nice)
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 pound medium-sized shell pasta or 1 pound of small elbow macaroni
1 cup of panko bread crumbs to top before baking
Caramelize the onions first, they take the longest time -- ake a large pan and set to medium high to melt the butter and start to cook down the onions. Stir constantly, moving them around in the pan; they'll wilt, turn translucent, and start changing color. When they start to brown slightly, drop the heat to medium-low. You want to slowly caramelize, not burn them. When they're evenly browned, add the apples in. You just want to reduce some of the liquid in the fruit, no need to brown them. When they're slightly softened, remove from heat and set this mixture aside.
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Set a large pot of salted water on the stove, set to high heat. When it's boiling, add the pasta. Cook until still somewhat firm, a little more than al dente. The baking will finish it off, and it will continue to absorb the flavors of the sauce.
To make the sauce, put a medium sized, uncoated pot on the stove, set to medium. Melt the butter down and sprinkle in the flour. Mix well, making sure all the flour is coated in the butter, resembling a light paste. Use a whisk and slowly drizzle in the warm milk, whisking vigorously to make sure there are no lumps. Keep whisking until all the milk is incorporated and the sauce is smooth, this may take a few minutes. Then slowly add the shredded cheese, one small handful at a time, continuing to whisk, ensuring it melts evenly. Lower the heat to medium-low and add the nutmeg and cinnamon. Taste to see if it needs salt or pepper. Carefully scoop in the pumpkin puree and mix until it's fully incorporated. The sauce should be thick, but not stiff, as it will need to coat the pasta evenly -- add more milk to loosen.
In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta and onions with apple, and carefully fold in the sauce. Gently mix, so you don't break up the pasta, it just needs to be coated and the apple and onion distributed. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish and sprinkle the top with panko crumbs. Place the dish into the oven to bake, until the top is browned, about 15-20 minutes. You can also refrigerate the mixed pasta and sauce, if you're making it a day ahead, and then bake in the oven to finish and brown.
Monday, November 15, 2010
UnRecipe: The (Tastes) Great Pumpkin
Pumpkins. They're not just for pies. Well, duh, of course you know that. They're for carving funny faces in. When smashed, they can inspire 90's indie band name titles. They're also nifty-keen for soups, stews and chili. To help inspire minds already clicking away on Thanksgiving plans, here's some non-dessert uses for our squashy friend, reminding us that The Great Pumpkin isn't just great, he's DELICIOUS.
For those fans of the Peanuts Gang, I apologize to Linus Van Pelt for taking his sacred All Hallows Eve cow, hacking it in twain and roasting the bejeebers out of it. But you can't get a tasty roasted pumpkin without doing all that stuff. My journey to give Peter-Peter Pumpkin-Eater a run for his money started out at the grocery store when I saw a sign that priced small pumpkins at $1.99 a pop. Not per pound, per pumpkin, which was pretty good, since butternut squash was priced that amount by weight. Granted, these weren't sugar pumpkins, the creamier-textured pie-friendly varieties. These were basically destined to be mini jack-o-lanterns, but I hate to see produce go to waste, so I bought three of them and set to work on incorporating them into food.
Despite their small size, these little guys were stringy buggers. The flesh was compact and definitely more tough than the pumpkins you'd use for pies. But that didn't make them any less edible. Once split, seeded and roasted in the oven till fork-tender, it still had that lightly sweet, fragrant scent that pumpkins have when cooked. Mild in flavor, it becomes a bit like a potato, able to play with a variety of seasonings. Blended smooth in a food processor or blender, it's great for soups. I made my version of pumpkin soup with creamy coconut milk, enhancing the pleasant sweetness of the squash. Adding a few different spices like cardamom, chili powder and nutmeg, it had more of a Southeast Asian flavor to it, versus the typical mild pumpkin soup. I reserved the seeds, dried them out, and roasted with chili powder to make them into a crunchy topping.
This blog should be renamed as 101 Ways to Eat Chili. It's true, I make it a lot. Just call it the comfy pair of sweatpants and baggy sweater you always throw on after a long day at work -- it's always a good fit. The latest batch of chili ended up getting half a roasted pumpkin mixed in. The soft chunks of the roasted squash sort of melted into the chili and made for a great thickener. You don't really notice the flavor but it adds a nice, rich texture to the chili. I did the same to a chicken curry I made that week and it made the sauce pleasantly thick, plus gave it a pretty orange hue.
I still have a few more pumpkins left from the squash shopping spree. Another nice thing about thick-skinned squash is their shelf life. As long as the skin isn't pierced and no bruising, they can just hang out on your counter for quite a long time. Ultimately, the remainder of the pumpkins will be roasted down and have their mushy goodness frozen for future uses, as I haven't decided on the specifics of how I'll use them. But I'm already envisioning breads and cakes, or a rich, creamy mushroom and pumpkin lasagne.Stay tuned, I'm sure Pumpkin 2: Electric Boogaloo will be a sequel worth blogging about.
 |
| Hey, there, Pumpkin! - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
For those fans of the Peanuts Gang, I apologize to Linus Van Pelt for taking his sacred All Hallows Eve cow, hacking it in twain and roasting the bejeebers out of it. But you can't get a tasty roasted pumpkin without doing all that stuff. My journey to give Peter-Peter Pumpkin-Eater a run for his money started out at the grocery store when I saw a sign that priced small pumpkins at $1.99 a pop. Not per pound, per pumpkin, which was pretty good, since butternut squash was priced that amount by weight. Granted, these weren't sugar pumpkins, the creamier-textured pie-friendly varieties. These were basically destined to be mini jack-o-lanterns, but I hate to see produce go to waste, so I bought three of them and set to work on incorporating them into food.
 |
| Pumpkin soup with a unique flavor twist - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
Despite their small size, these little guys were stringy buggers. The flesh was compact and definitely more tough than the pumpkins you'd use for pies. But that didn't make them any less edible. Once split, seeded and roasted in the oven till fork-tender, it still had that lightly sweet, fragrant scent that pumpkins have when cooked. Mild in flavor, it becomes a bit like a potato, able to play with a variety of seasonings. Blended smooth in a food processor or blender, it's great for soups. I made my version of pumpkin soup with creamy coconut milk, enhancing the pleasant sweetness of the squash. Adding a few different spices like cardamom, chili powder and nutmeg, it had more of a Southeast Asian flavor to it, versus the typical mild pumpkin soup. I reserved the seeds, dried them out, and roasted with chili powder to make them into a crunchy topping.
 |
| For my next trick, I will make a pumpkin disappear into this chili! - Photo by Wasabi Prime |
This blog should be renamed as 101 Ways to Eat Chili. It's true, I make it a lot. Just call it the comfy pair of sweatpants and baggy sweater you always throw on after a long day at work -- it's always a good fit. The latest batch of chili ended up getting half a roasted pumpkin mixed in. The soft chunks of the roasted squash sort of melted into the chili and made for a great thickener. You don't really notice the flavor but it adds a nice, rich texture to the chili. I did the same to a chicken curry I made that week and it made the sauce pleasantly thick, plus gave it a pretty orange hue.
I still have a few more pumpkins left from the squash shopping spree. Another nice thing about thick-skinned squash is their shelf life. As long as the skin isn't pierced and no bruising, they can just hang out on your counter for quite a long time. Ultimately, the remainder of the pumpkins will be roasted down and have their mushy goodness frozen for future uses, as I haven't decided on the specifics of how I'll use them. But I'm already envisioning breads and cakes, or a rich, creamy mushroom and pumpkin lasagne.Stay tuned, I'm sure Pumpkin 2: Electric Boogaloo will be a sequel worth blogging about.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
UnRecipe: A Very Wasabi Thanksgiving
Behold, the First Thanksgiving... minus Pilgrims, Native Americans, Plymouth Rock, a dancing beagle, and a dinner table including jelly beans and popcorn. The Wasabi Prime household has never hosted a Thanksgiving dinner until last week. Except for a few small turkey meals for just Mr. Wasabi/Brock and myself, we never had a gathering of people coming together to dine upon a large flightless bird and multiple side dishes on the fourth Thursday of November. One less thing on the Bucket List!
This was very much an UnRecipe Thanksgiving, as it came together somewhat last-minute. Our status for Turkeyday was unknown until less than a week before T-Day. Were we staying local? Packing up for a drive out to Eastern Washington to visit Mr. Wasabi's family? In the end, we decided to stay local and invited some friends who were grounded for the holidays, not wanting to do battle with the beast of holiday air travel. Call it a Fugee Thanksgiving if you want, but we kept it fast and loose, and a hefty meal of familiar flavors was feasted upon.
Foodie confessional: I'd never roasted a whole turkey before. And technically I can't really say I did on Thanksgiving, as the edible parts were removed from the bird prior to cooking. We have a standard-sized oven and it would be an air traffic controller mess to both cook and reheat multiple dishes on Thursday, so the less time one item took in the oven, the better. The raw bird was dismembered all Dexter-style, soaked in buttermilk overnight to tenderize (I believe Dexter skips this step), and the parts saw their way into an oven for a thankfully shorter cook time. The herb butter-slathered breast halves, thighs and legs roasted at a high heat to 165-degree doneness in about an hour's time, then rested in a pouch of tin foil for the final ten degree push. The carcass and neck had been reserved for roasting the day before, and made into a collagen-rich broth. This stock was used along with the cooked turkey's drippings to deglaze the pan and make a roasted garlic and shallot gravy over the stove, while the oven switched gears to warm side dishes made in advance.
I give thanks that the turkey, despite a few spills and one burned hand (ow!), turned out flavorful and moist. Not being sure a small turkey would be enough (or worse, be a disaster), a small ham was added for a second main course, aka, Backup Plan "S" -- for Swine. It was pre-roasted and a brown sugar, mustard and vinegar glaze was poured over the spiral-cut hock to add more flavor and caramelize in the oven.
On a bit of a whim, I made fresh buttermilk cheese from this easy recipe in Country Living. It produced a lovely little round of cheese that was like a firm ricotta. Drizzled with honey and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, it was another addition to the wine and cheese starter menu.
Like a lot of people, I'm all about the side dishes during Thanksgiving. We had traditional flavors, but kept things simple: cinnamon spice citrus cranberry sauce, green beans with pecans and blue cheese crumbles, roasted herbed sweet potatoes, and a creamy cauliflower casserole. Guests Mr. K and Mrs. J brought ingredients for a bright and festive cranberry dressing. Mr. Wasabi brought out his giant propane burner to cook that separately on the porch because the oven and stove area had become gridlocked. Their darling friend, Ms. M also brought a deliciously rich mushroom quiche which went marvelously with all the harvest inspired dishes.
Dessert was made ahead on Turkeyday Eve. Big thanks to Ms. CC for providing a pumpkin from her garden and delivering us from the fear of canned pumpkin puree shortages. The rounds of pie dough were rolled out and the roasted pumpkin was blended into a creamy-dreamy custard. The filling recipe was taken from the dearly-departed Gourmet magazine, available here on Epicurious. A secondary pear tart dessert was inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Tokyo Terrace, and another way to celebrate another fall ingredient.
A few dessert notes: our kitchen stays fairly chilly, so the desserts were fine to sit out on the counter for a day. I was pleasantly surprised the pumpkin pie crust stayed crisp -- I've read that doing a brush of eggwash over the whole surface, prior to adding the filling, can help create a moisture barrier. Those decorative flattened glass marbles that you use for flower arrangements work in a pinch when you need to do a blind bake, as I don't have pie weights and didn't have enough dry rice or beans to weigh the crust down to avoid puffing during its pre-bake.
The most important ingredient of all? Friends! Along with the cranberry dressing, K + J and friend M were kind enough to bring wine and glugi, a Finnish mulled wine that is both delicious and potent. Mr. K also brought bottles of his home-brewed beer, which incorporated the fall flavor of juniper. Delightful gals Sassy J and Miss Alice arrived with ample supplies of bread, wine, and cheese to power us through the cocktail hour. Guests also provided paparazzi service for the meal, as the Prime was too harried with food prep to take many pictures, so additional thanks goes out to all the photographs!
Despite the challenge of getting several dishes on the table at the same time, it truly was a meal prepared and inspired by many people. It was great that so many people had a hand in it, local ingredients were involved (we promised at least one locavore item on the table), and it truly felt and tasted like tradition. Much appreciation to everyone for making this meal happen -- it was a Thanksgiving worth remembering and being very thankful for.
 |
| Turkeytime cocktail hour; don't forget to cut the cheese! - Photos by Miss Alice |
This was very much an UnRecipe Thanksgiving, as it came together somewhat last-minute. Our status for Turkeyday was unknown until less than a week before T-Day. Were we staying local? Packing up for a drive out to Eastern Washington to visit Mr. Wasabi's family? In the end, we decided to stay local and invited some friends who were grounded for the holidays, not wanting to do battle with the beast of holiday air travel. Call it a Fugee Thanksgiving if you want, but we kept it fast and loose, and a hefty meal of familiar flavors was feasted upon.
 |
| Dexter-ized turkey and colorful side dishes - Photos by Miss Alice |
Foodie confessional: I'd never roasted a whole turkey before. And technically I can't really say I did on Thanksgiving, as the edible parts were removed from the bird prior to cooking. We have a standard-sized oven and it would be an air traffic controller mess to both cook and reheat multiple dishes on Thursday, so the less time one item took in the oven, the better. The raw bird was dismembered all Dexter-style, soaked in buttermilk overnight to tenderize (I believe Dexter skips this step), and the parts saw their way into an oven for a thankfully shorter cook time. The herb butter-slathered breast halves, thighs and legs roasted at a high heat to 165-degree doneness in about an hour's time, then rested in a pouch of tin foil for the final ten degree push. The carcass and neck had been reserved for roasting the day before, and made into a collagen-rich broth. This stock was used along with the cooked turkey's drippings to deglaze the pan and make a roasted garlic and shallot gravy over the stove, while the oven switched gears to warm side dishes made in advance.
 |
| A heavenly ham joins the food party - Photo by Miss Alice |
I give thanks that the turkey, despite a few spills and one burned hand (ow!), turned out flavorful and moist. Not being sure a small turkey would be enough (or worse, be a disaster), a small ham was added for a second main course, aka, Backup Plan "S" -- for Swine. It was pre-roasted and a brown sugar, mustard and vinegar glaze was poured over the spiral-cut hock to add more flavor and caramelize in the oven.
On a bit of a whim, I made fresh buttermilk cheese from this easy recipe in Country Living. It produced a lovely little round of cheese that was like a firm ricotta. Drizzled with honey and sprinkled with pomegranate seeds, it was another addition to the wine and cheese starter menu.
 |
| Let's be honest, Thanksgiving is all about the sides - Photos by Miss Alice & Mr. K |
Like a lot of people, I'm all about the side dishes during Thanksgiving. We had traditional flavors, but kept things simple: cinnamon spice citrus cranberry sauce, green beans with pecans and blue cheese crumbles, roasted herbed sweet potatoes, and a creamy cauliflower casserole. Guests Mr. K and Mrs. J brought ingredients for a bright and festive cranberry dressing. Mr. Wasabi brought out his giant propane burner to cook that separately on the porch because the oven and stove area had become gridlocked. Their darling friend, Ms. M also brought a deliciously rich mushroom quiche which went marvelously with all the harvest inspired dishes.
 |
| More dessert, please! - Photos by Mr. K and Wasabi Prime |
Dessert was made ahead on Turkeyday Eve. Big thanks to Ms. CC for providing a pumpkin from her garden and delivering us from the fear of canned pumpkin puree shortages. The rounds of pie dough were rolled out and the roasted pumpkin was blended into a creamy-dreamy custard. The filling recipe was taken from the dearly-departed Gourmet magazine, available here on Epicurious. A secondary pear tart dessert was inspired by one of my favorite food bloggers, Tokyo Terrace, and another way to celebrate another fall ingredient.
A few dessert notes: our kitchen stays fairly chilly, so the desserts were fine to sit out on the counter for a day. I was pleasantly surprised the pumpkin pie crust stayed crisp -- I've read that doing a brush of eggwash over the whole surface, prior to adding the filling, can help create a moisture barrier. Those decorative flattened glass marbles that you use for flower arrangements work in a pinch when you need to do a blind bake, as I don't have pie weights and didn't have enough dry rice or beans to weigh the crust down to avoid puffing during its pre-bake.
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| Some party photos and a final Thanksgiving wish - Photos by Miss Alice |
The most important ingredient of all? Friends! Along with the cranberry dressing, K + J and friend M were kind enough to bring wine and glugi, a Finnish mulled wine that is both delicious and potent. Mr. K also brought bottles of his home-brewed beer, which incorporated the fall flavor of juniper. Delightful gals Sassy J and Miss Alice arrived with ample supplies of bread, wine, and cheese to power us through the cocktail hour. Guests also provided paparazzi service for the meal, as the Prime was too harried with food prep to take many pictures, so additional thanks goes out to all the photographs!
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| Turkey meal to turkey sandwich! - Photos by Miss Alice |
Despite the challenge of getting several dishes on the table at the same time, it truly was a meal prepared and inspired by many people. It was great that so many people had a hand in it, local ingredients were involved (we promised at least one locavore item on the table), and it truly felt and tasted like tradition. Much appreciation to everyone for making this meal happen -- it was a Thanksgiving worth remembering and being very thankful for.
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