unthanksgiving turkey and and sides
It's unthanksgiving, y'all. I'm so excited to share with you my version of the best holiday meal, just in time for the real thing.
I hosted "unthanksgiving" in February. Sure it was out of season, but how you can you wrong? I've dreamed for years about presenting this feast at my tiny dining room table. Finally I realized that the month has nothing to do with it. It's all about the food. The smell of warm spices and melting butter. Maybe some pumpkin pie. And some excellent company. So we invited dear friends over and went wholehog turkey.
Let me start this story with sides. The most popular at our table, and the most uniquely tied to Thanksgiving (the November version as we know it), is the dressing (a.k.a. stuffing, if you're into that).
I started with stale sourdough bread, sliced and torn into cubes, and combined it with browned chicken sausage. Of course, pork sausage, turkey sausage, or fauxsage would do just as well. By the time you add some chopped vegetables and sweet-tart pear, you're nearly done with the best dressing you've ever had. It's easy, impressive, and delicious.
Next I tackled jalapeno corn pudding, a recipe I learned from a friend. I was surprised by how much we loved the spicy jalapenos and sweet corn kernels in this dish alongside traditional, savory Thanksgiving fare. It would be a perfect potluck dish for a BBQ or other (more seasonally appropriate) gathering. I could hardly think of a way to improve upon it. Like a souffle, it takes a little extra work to whip the egg whites and fold them into the creamy batter. But it's worth the effort.
In keeping with my spicy twist on traditional dishes, I recreated a sweet potato dish from Bobby Flay with three simple ingredients: sweet potatoes, cream, and chipotle chiles. Don't forget a sharp knife.
And Thanksgiving wouldn't be complete without a few classics, so I called on Julia Child's cookbook for the real deal: creamed spinach.
The recipes for all of these inspired sides follow. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
Pear, Herb, and Sourdough Dressing
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
1 loaf sourdough bread, torn into 1-inch pieces and left out overnight
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, pork, or fake)
3 stalks celery, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme or herbes de provence
Jalapeno Corn Pudding
Adapted from a blogger
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bag frozen sweet corn
1 cup cornmeal (I used self-rising and it was fine)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 4 green onions)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 large eggs
1 cup plus 3/4 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
Preheat oven to 375. (350 is fine if you have more than one thing going in there.) Generously grease a shallow, 2-quart baking dish with butter.
In a large skillet, melt butter and saute onion, jalapeno, corn, and garlic until the onion is softened and translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Add cornmeal to the same skillet and stir to combine. Add milk and cream, stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes together in a thick batter. Stir in red bell pepper, green onions, 1 cup of cheese, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to cool.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until they double in volume and form soft peaks. Stir in the egg yolks into the batter mixture, then gently fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake until the top is golden brown and the center is just set, 35-45 minutes.
Spicy Sweet Potato Gratin
Adapted from Bobby Flay
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles)
In a small bowl, mix together cream and adobo sauce. (If you like it really spicy, finely chop a chipotle pepper and add that, too.) Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the cream mixture.
Thinly slice the sweet potatoes, about 1/8-inch thin, using a sharp knife or a mandolin. No multitasking. Be super careful here.
In buttered, shallow casserole dish, place a layer of sweet potatoes slightly overlapping. Spoon about a quarter of the cream mixture over the potatoes, and continue in layers until all the potatoes and cream are used up.
Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour until most of the liquid is absorbed and the edges are bubbling. If the top begins to brown too much, cover the top with foil. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
Creamed Spinach with Artichokes
Adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
12 ounces baby spinach, stems removed (or 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed)
2 tablespoons flour
1 can quartered artichokes, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a high-sided skillet. Add the fresh spinach and cook down until thoroughly wilted and excess moisture cooks away. Remove from skillet and set aside. If necessary, wipe out extra moisture from the pan. (Alternatively, take this time to be sure frozen spinach is completely thawed, drained, and squeezed of extra liquid.)
Add 2 more tablespoons butter and turn up the heat slightly. Saute shallots and garlic in the melted butter until just softened. Sprinkle with flour. Add artichokes and cream and stir to combine. Stir in the cooked spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey
I hosted "unthanksgiving" in February. Sure it was out of season, but how you can you wrong? I've dreamed for years about presenting this feast at my tiny dining room table. Finally I realized that the month has nothing to do with it. It's all about the food. The smell of warm spices and melting butter. Maybe some pumpkin pie. And some excellent company. So we invited dear friends over and went whole
Let me start this story with sides. The most popular at our table, and the most uniquely tied to Thanksgiving (the November version as we know it), is the dressing (a.k.a. stuffing, if you're into that).
I started with stale sourdough bread, sliced and torn into cubes, and combined it with browned chicken sausage. Of course, pork sausage, turkey sausage, or fauxsage would do just as well. By the time you add some chopped vegetables and sweet-tart pear, you're nearly done with the best dressing you've ever had. It's easy, impressive, and delicious.
Next I tackled jalapeno corn pudding, a recipe I learned from a friend. I was surprised by how much we loved the spicy jalapenos and sweet corn kernels in this dish alongside traditional, savory Thanksgiving fare. It would be a perfect potluck dish for a BBQ or other (more seasonally appropriate) gathering. I could hardly think of a way to improve upon it. Like a souffle, it takes a little extra work to whip the egg whites and fold them into the creamy batter. But it's worth the effort.
In keeping with my spicy twist on traditional dishes, I recreated a sweet potato dish from Bobby Flay with three simple ingredients: sweet potatoes, cream, and chipotle chiles. Don't forget a sharp knife.
The recipes for all of these inspired sides follow. Happy Thanksgiving, y'all!
Pear, Herb, and Sourdough Dressing
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
1 loaf sourdough bread, torn into 1-inch pieces and left out overnight
1 pound sweet Italian sausage (chicken, turkey, pork, or fake)
3 stalks celery, chopped in 1/2-inch pieces
1 yellow onion, diced
1 pear, peeled, cored, and diced
2 tablespoons butter, plus more for greasing the baking dish
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 egg
1 cup parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon dried thyme or herbes de provence
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Grease a large baking dish generously with butter.
In a large skillet (preferrably cast iron), brown the sausage until it is fully cooked and crumbled. Transfer to the largest mixing bowl you have and set aside.
Melt 2 tablespoons butter in the same skillet. Add the onion, celery, and pear.
Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 7 minutes. Add to the bowl with the sausage and set aside. Add herbs and stir to combine. Stir in cubes of bread.
In a small bowl, whisk together chicken stock and egg. Add stock mixture to the bread mixture. Transfer everything to the prepared baking dish. Bake until golden brown and crisp on top, about 1 hour, depending on the dimensions of your dish.
Jalapeno Corn Pudding
Adapted from a blogger
2 tablespoons butter
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, seeded and finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 bag frozen sweet corn
1 cup cornmeal (I used self-rising and it was fine)
1 1/2 cups whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup chopped green onions (about 4 green onions)
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
4 large eggs
1 cup plus 3/4 cup grated sharp white cheddar cheese
In a large skillet, melt butter and saute onion, jalapeno, corn, and garlic until the onion is softened and translucent, about 7-8 minutes. Add cornmeal to the same skillet and stir to combine. Add milk and cream, stirring over medium heat until the mixture comes together in a thick batter. Stir in red bell pepper, green onions, 1 cup of cheese, and cilantro. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside and allow to cool.
Separate the egg whites from the egg yolks. Whip the egg whites with a pinch of salt in a large bowl until they double in volume and form soft peaks. Stir in the egg yolks into the batter mixture, then gently fold in the egg whites. Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Bake until the top is golden brown and the center is just set, 35-45 minutes.
Adapted from Bobby Flay
4 sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced into rounds
2 cups heavy cream
2 tablespoons adobo sauce (from a can of chipotles)
In a small bowl, mix together cream and adobo sauce. (If you like it really spicy, finely chop a chipotle pepper and add that, too.) Add a pinch of salt and pepper to the cream mixture.
Thinly slice the sweet potatoes, about 1/8-inch thin, using a sharp knife or a mandolin. No multitasking. Be super careful here.
In buttered, shallow casserole dish, place a layer of sweet potatoes slightly overlapping. Spoon about a quarter of the cream mixture over the potatoes, and continue in layers until all the potatoes and cream are used up.
Bake uncovered at 350 for about an hour until most of the liquid is absorbed and the edges are bubbling. If the top begins to brown too much, cover the top with foil. Allow to cool 10 minutes before serving.
2 shallots, halved and thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 tablespoons butter, divided
12 ounces baby spinach, stems removed (or 1 10-oz package frozen spinach, thawed)
2 tablespoons flour
1 can quartered artichokes, drained
1/2 cup heavy cream
Salt and pepper to taste
Melt the butter in a high-sided skillet. Add the fresh spinach and cook down until thoroughly wilted and excess moisture cooks away. Remove from skillet and set aside. If necessary, wipe out extra moisture from the pan. (Alternatively, take this time to be sure frozen spinach is completely thawed, drained, and squeezed of extra liquid.)
Add 2 more tablespoons butter and turn up the heat slightly. Saute shallots and garlic in the melted butter until just softened. Sprinkle with flour. Add artichokes and cream and stir to combine. Stir in the cooked spinach. Season with salt and pepper.
Cheesecloth Roasted Turkey
OK, let's talk turkey. This is my first turkey, so I won't profess to be an expert. But I did get to try-- and will heartily recommend-- the cheesecloth technique. If you haven't heard of it, it's simple. Clean, dry, and season your turkey. Soak a folded square of delicate cheesecloth in melted butter and a splash of white wine. Cover the turkey, roast, baste occasionally with more butter, and then remove the cheesecloth for the last hour or so to crisp the skin. Sounds easy, right? It was.
I will leave the rest to Alton Brown and his infinite wisdom.