This year we had 11 adults, one five-year-old and a three-year-old for Thanksgiving dinner. With careful planning, and knocking off a couple of dishes a day, I was able to get a huge amount done in advance and actually had a pretty relaxed Thanksgiving day.
I made the turkey the same way as I have a number of times: deconstructed, then the breast cooked upside down in a saute pan, and finally all cooked over the stuffing. I dry-brined the turkey with salt for one day, instead of wet-brining the breast as the recipe suggests. It looked pretty good,
and turned out to be the best I have ever made, moist white meat that held up even as leftovers the next day.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6pqnTdeJ5XC_EDNdddpPeqkWo80c_VyDTxWpI71Gp5g4YP6gY3NYEIZARM_v4Tb05W66VZyz81L0TghOOyH-88_Bica-sCyWkNb_1kU6Pl2Qi_M7Rlet1pYr6dKiOVm9rBVBWiQgmrPA/s400/Turkey+brest+ready+to+carve.jpg) |
Turkey breast ready to be carved |
Here's what I served (and cooked except for the Opera Cake):
Thanksgiving Dinner
November 23, 2017
- Slow poached garlic shrimp (from Tyler Florence's Ultimate TV show)
- Mustard and tapenade batons (from Dorie Greenspan, Around My French Table)
- Whipped feta with home made pita chips (from Milk Street)
- Tuna and cannellini bean crostini (Bobby Jay)
- Bar nuts (from The Union Square Cookbook)
- Turkey with chicken sausage and sage stuffing, gravy (from Cook's Illustrated for Turkey, The Food Lab for stuffing and gravy)
- Cranberry mostarda (from Food and Wine)
- Sweet potato gratin with sage (from Ottolenghi: The Cookbook)
- Hashed Brussels sprouts with poppy seeds and lemon (from The Union Square Cookbook)
- Apple Tart Mémé (from Essential Pépin)
- Giant cannelé with pumpkin pie spices (from Atelier des Chefs cooking lesson, modified by Bobby Jay)
- Chocolate espresso Opera Cake furnished by Payard (for mother's 95th birthday)
And here's what some of it looked like:
Hors d'oeuvres were served in the living room, around our old art deco table.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7auTD9oMAJ-Dh4398v5rje5pJKwJqu9UU6Z6_WkFhOKwBcXXEhLO_oCDcRiM0bYebG0amWDyz-wjsLrNQdHlZYnwhUk4tP8zYc1Bh75C3JhylqS94LyyUidzkPARMfYygjAwFW4lG5eg/s400/11.14.17+Batons.jpg) |
Mustard and green olive tapenade batons |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWU9HaCYLNC_qpVKkEbjLmMmqC-WBBZrY99IqLcho73kfi8iig1m4CRi0bNNsIEeoOGHpQR4Eo0U0m37PaiWRD4v-L7ai4r_GyJCyqXs29ay_F_LqWTdW1wN4nzD8-9lQpFKWAwbac6LI/s400/Garlic+shrimp+tapas+style.jpg) |
Slow-cooked garlic shrimp |
Then we moved to the dining room, spectacularly arranged as always by Joan,
for a buffet style dinner.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7BWkEH4btH6pnp-NSz8V3jGS3Z0XCXowELRpY42TNbagusKuddBjK7yjPYqRDrqQDuhzB82j4nJR9nGjleSn8UDQD5YWfAxqKg3s0i3mn507N2HEHNzfqK98mFSphUEyEbuzPkKH0E3c/s400/11.23.17+Thanksgiving+table+-+3.jpg) |
Thanksgiving table | |
The turkey, deconstructed and carved:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjY2DRt_2J7ahOKDDq1QE8-IviOgHzxkP5ug_0f0zT0x2tNVZkU97qjIn_btSr_bEunVnTiyP14fj0facFmtyPN2WBUaO3kS-_-u0DNtDm4KB0dPJh3HJxeBtWWfMqpHr9C6Sd7xt_MFGM/s400/Turkey+-+2.jpg) |
Carved turkey |
Sweet potato gratin:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5cko4uYzT6abE1aRHDlWcDyp2yzXwdsQBVmWflQtl6Fslf76yx05lbzVWrjnmL2dpeLo8Uyf4kcnDVHTXTWvRv-b1T8F89PdRas0kSkn5yCYkdNvyYVPeA2ScDpYUQCMPORgVHJ4B3Ik/s400/Sweet+potato+gratin.jpg) |
Sweet potato gratin |
Hashed Brussels sprouts:
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMSlSARTGllX_8WPLScfolKIvhIhyniZu3DD38fuJKa6bHztYMJgkulxo84-7dWKcojy6H2nIcoxpcgcOau1nfav6eO4iAYW_9VN3zU1XnhyphenhyphenhW7pYl6IhM43cgRhX2vqB-6AtKXhqPFNE/s400/11.24.16+Thanksgiving+dinner+-+7+Hashed+Brussels+sprouts.jpg) |
Hashed Brussels sprouts |
Finally, a chocolate espresso Opera Cake furnished by Payard to celebrate my mother's upcoming 95th birthday and two desserts that I whipped up the day before and the day of: Jacques Pépin's Apple Tart Mémé and a giant
cannelé inspired by Michel Trama, with a recipe from Atelier des Chefs and added pumpkin pie spices (my [very good] idea).
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1-zmJ2QTmxm8sibc__arzNH2HEoE7YveSADkcj60jvOi8w1K2NBKTgQCMstFm0O2SaRr613eCWMbHrCbwQ7thgnjoFFT4Ebr73actSiFinsujcNIdy-yYyZwCxoO-jbRV6eRZJFPCC3k/s400/11.23.17+Thanksgiving+Apple+Tart+Me%25CC%2581me%25CC%2581.jpg) |
Apple tart Mémé |
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_VXL-PQuZoDK9p4WoNbBt2e-2DQMCdp08tPibRbg-3fUC5vsgJAWtZg45BkjuXyJFmgf3nzRH94AzWyWkPDse4yH6c0pmOZH01qAQMG66Mjx5Q7VLuFFd9NjMAAn9sbNyDh3KqANbWak/s400/10.27.16+Giant+cannele%25CC%2581+Michel+Trama+-+1.jpg) |
Giant cannelé with pumpkin pie spices |
Many commented that it was the best Thanksgiving meal I have ever served. Maybe true, maybe not, but when in doubt, say thank you.
Bobby Jay
1 comment:
Divine! Bravo!
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