thanksgiving

What To Serve Before the Turkey?

Nibbles

Tis the season for roasting turkey and serving it up with all of the trimmings. But what, if anything, comes before it?

Back when we would gather for a 1 or 2 o’clock dinner it was quite common to skip breakfast (maybe grazing on the dishes as they were prepared–all in the name of quality control, of course) and just eat one big meal mid-day. Sometimes we’d have a relish tray set up: some deviled eggs, stuffed celery, that sort of thing. But it wasn’t really needed.

Due to family schedules we’ve pushed our main meal to 5:30 or so for the past couple of years. Not only is it no longer feasible to skip breakfast, we often have folks show up an hour or so before supper is scheduled plus the inevitable wait for the last one or two guests to arrive.

This means appetizers are called for. Just a little something to keep the hunger pains at bay (because usually a late breakfast led to a skipped lunch).

So far I’ve had a request for a delicious cheese we stumbled upon a few years back. St Andre is a double (almost triple) cream cheese that, when brought to room temperature, is amazing spread on slices of baguette–like butter, but better.

To go with it, I’m also preparing another family favorite, a simple combination of softened cream cheese, crab meat and cocktail sauce, layered in that order, that when scooped up with a buttery cracker is fantastic far beyond it’s otherwise simple preparation.

I like threes, though, so am casting about to find another little nibble to add to the pre-supper spread. What are you serving before the bird?

Let Them Drink Red!

Sips

Chances are, if you’re new to wine, you’ve heard two things:

  1. Pairing wine with food is incredibly complex and takes years to master.
  2. Red wine with red meat, white wine with white.

While the first is somewhat true and the second is a good starting-point, here’s the advice I like to give the best:

Drink what you like.

And for us, that usually means red wine with anything, specifically Pinot Noir. So when the opportunity to sample a trio of Pinot Noirs perfect for Thanksgiving presented itself, what do you think I said? Yes please!

While you might normally pair a meal of turkey cutlets with a clean, crisp white (and be perfectly within your rights to do so), the reason reds work well with Thanksgiving, or any big, rich meal, is in the meal’s description: rich! A wine needs to complement the meal while holding it’s own, not merely match the color of the primary protein!

Two Pinot Noirs, both bottles and poured samples

The first two bottles we tried side-by-side were The Crossings (from New Zeland) and Llai Llai (from Chile). Here are the notes that came with each (for those who find them interesting–I know I do!):

The Crossings Pinot Noir 2009 is said to be a fantastic wine to pair with potatoes; a Thanksgiving favorite. It’s finely poised aromas of red cherry, spice, raspberry, and gentle smokiness forms the perfect smell for the nose. The palate is vibrantly intense with a full rich and silky mid-palate which creates a very persistent finish.  The resplendent ruby red goes through to the core of the wine and will harmonize the many flavors of the Thanksgiving meal. Recently named a Best Buy and Best Value for Pinot Noir by World Value Wine Challenge.

[Llai Llai] This light wine will blend in with the many foods of the holiday and allow guests to enjoy the flavors of both their drink and dinner. This Pinot Noir is hand-harvested, creating a deep, brilliant red color with a ripe and intense red fruit aroma. Llai Llai Pinot Noir has the perfect balance of alcohol and acidity creating a certain elegance and sweet earthy notes, perfect for harmonizing multiple flavors. The very ripe and soft tannins allow for a long, rich, and smooth finish which is necessary to preserving the moistness of the turkey. Recently named the Best Value Chilean Pinot Noir by World Value Wine.

Both are available under $20 a bottle , so excellent options for the budget-conscious (and, let’s face it, who isn’t these days?). We found Crossings to be slightly sweeter than Llai Llai, each a medium red color and a fine flavor. There’s definitely no harsh aftertaste that you might find from a stronger red, these are both nice and easy table wines. The Llai Llai was slightly more mellow, according to Todd, but it was tough for either of us to pick a favorite.

Sonoma Coast Vineyards Pinot Noir, bottle and poured sample

A few days later we got a chance to try a California Pinot Noir, from the Sonoma Coast Vineyards. This one’s a bit pricier at an SRP of $39.99 but, after sampling it, I have to say it’s worth every penny. Let’s start with the “liner notes:”

Sonoma Coast Vineyards Freestone Hills Pinot Noir 2008 is perfect to pair with the heavy foods of Thanksgiving. The mixture of dark black cherry and ripe rich black raspberry fruits plus pomegranate will insistently enhance any fall celebration and we think it is perfect to pair with a Thanksgiving turkey! It’s fruity enough to bring together the different flavors of the meal while creating a fresh taste.

Two things right off: deep red color and a velvety mouth-feel; amazing. Todd thought it was a little oakier than he prefers, and I can see that (I suppose).

But I? Well, let’s put it this way: I could have easily finished the bottle in one night, on my own. I didn’t! But I could have. And remember how I said pairing wines with food is about richness? The Sonoma Coast held it’s own with a sinfully rich crawfish bisque last night, so turkey, dressing and all the trimmings would pair equally as well.

Whether it’s your own table or you’re invited to a friend’s home for dinner this year, I highly suggest the Sonoma Coast Vineyards. Even after the holiday this is a great wine to have on hand for anytime you need to unwind.

FCC Disclaimer: I was provided bottles of wine on which to base this review. The opinions expressed are entirely my own, unless otherwise indicated.

“Todd’s” Turkey

Nibbles

There is some concern in my family about the fact that I only purchased a 17.22 lb turkey for Thursday.

Now, we’re 6 people. Even discounting bones that’s a LOT of turkey per person. Last year’s bird was just over 21 pounds and we had turkey coming out of our ears. Even after my brother took some home. And we froze some for gumbo, later. Not to mention that it barely fit in our large roasting pan.

So 17.22 lbs seemed quite adequate to me.

“But Jason’s already salivating over Todd’s turkey,” Mom informs me.

This same Jason who already went to 3 other Thanksgiving dinners before mine but who still ate a plate full and was moaning in misery on my living room floor afterward. This same Jason who has to go to FOUR dinners before mine this year.

I’m not exactly worried.

But let’s get to the heart of the matter, here.

Todd’s turkey.

Last year was the first year we hosted Thanksgiving and, therefore, roasted the bird. Usually Mom’s job, it just didn’t make sense for her to have to cart a turkey across town (or, even, around the corner of town as it actually is from her place to ours). She brought a couple of sides and we handled the rest.

This was also the first holiday Todd & I were living together for, so some collaboration was in order. Thrilled to be getting a crack at the turkey but knowing I couldn’t go too far astray from the usual without shocking my family’s palate, I planned to supplement the usual turkey seasoning (quartered onions & apples in the cavity plus a few garlic cloves) with some herbed-butter coins placed under the skin.

Right about the time I voiced that idea, Todd suggested we brine the turkey. Having never done that before it seemed as good an idea as any.

The turkey was amazing.

But it was a joint effort, as I continue (as does Todd) to point out to my mother. Nonetheless, because of a bit of salt and water, the turkey of note is known as Todd’s turkey.

Harrumph.

To Brine a Turkey

There are several ways to do this but this is ours and, hey, it’s won Todd fame with my family so it must work okay.

  1. Clean out a good-sized cooler that will hold the turkey with space around it for liquid and ice.
  2. Line the cooler with a fresh (unscented) tall kitchen bag.
  3. Divest the turkey of it’s neck and giblets, give it a good rinse and place inside the bag inside the cooler.
  4. Combine kosher salt and water (1 cup per gallon) as needed and add to the bag inside the cooler, making sure to completely cover the turkey.
  5. Tie up the kitchen bag, fill the space around the bird with ice.
  6. Let sit in this brine (topping off the ice as needed and, if it’s a really big bird, turning it once) for 24 hours or so.
  7. Rinse the turkey and season at will prior to roasting.

Last year our turkey was a little icy on the inside, still, but this actually worked in our favor as it helped keep the temperature of the turkey-and-brine below 40 degrees. If you’ve got room in your fridge (and if so, I envy you), you can brine it in a bag (or 2–no spills allowed!) or large container in the fridge. I’ve even seen where it’s suggested to use a crisper bin if the bird will fit.

You can also add other seasonings to your brine, but we went with simple last year and had excellent results.

The Rest of the Table

What will appear alongside Todd’s turkey, this year? Here’s our menu:

Baked Brie en Croute with Figs and Honey
Spinach Dip and Crackers

Buttered and Brined Turkey
Cornbread Dressing
Turkey Gravy
Candied Sweet Potatoes
Broccoli and Cheese
Eggplant & Zucchini Gratin
Rice and Pigeon Peas
Garlic Green Beans
Parker House Rolls
Cranberry Sauce (jellied and whole berry)

Ambrosia Salad
Pecan Pie
Amaretto Pumpkin Pie w/Gingered Pepitas
Caramel Apple Cake

Yes, I know, we’re only 6 people. And 2 will have eaten several times before they make it to our evening supper. And 1 still isn’t 100% sure he’ll make it if work intervenes.

But the leftovers will be glorious.

Feed Your Ears

Make sure to check out the November episode of Random Acts Radio: Grab a Spoon. There’s over an hour of food-related tunes to keep you company in the kitchen or on the road. Sage (and safe–that was a typo too good to pass up) Thanksgiving wishes  to all, and may all your waistbands be elastic.

Episode 7: Grab a Spoon

Podcast

Extra pretend points if you think of Friends at today’s title 🙂 Not so much if you think Matrix.

I was really impressed with the number of songs I found for this episode–once again I had so many that it was tough to pare this episode down to just over an hour! Of course, when one of your keywords is ‘eat’ you learn just how many times those 3 letters show up in sequence in the course of music listings (hint: “featuring”, “death” and a host of other things had to be weeded through to find a few honest-to-goodness food songs). It’s not all bad, though–I found some great things hiding here and there for the next 2 podcasts!

In all, I probably listen to about 300 songs for each podcast and then pick out the dozen or so songs that best amuse me, rock it out or just amuse me. Here’s this month’s tasty morsels:

Food–Dierdre Flint
Thanks–Youngblood Brass Band
So, Thanks–Tom Smith
Pockets Full of Gold–Danika Holmes
A Girl Should Never Eat Alone–Clayton
Healthy Eating–Dan Elson
Salad of Doom–SJ Tucker
Eat You Now–The FuMP/Robert Lund & Spaff.com
My Baby Likes to Eat–Alec Berlin
French Fries Overdose–The Great Potatoes
Salt–Diedre Rodman/The Lascivious Biddies
Let’s Eat Home–Linda Baker
Everybody’s Family is Messed Up–Kristen Kitko
Twisted Family Ties–Delina
Sorbet Girl–Subplot A
Gluten Free Blues–Kyle Dine
Sugar Bomb Baby–Industrial Salt
Coffee to Go–Alice Leon/The Alice Project
Cold Turkey Sandwiches–Sealed Weasels

Wondering how you make turkey gumbo from leftovers and bones? I got you covered over at Nibbles ‘n Bites.

Turkey Gumbo

Nibbles

Everyone has their own favorite ways of using up the leftover Thanksgiving turkey. In our family, it’s steaming turkey gumbo ladled over a pile of fluffy white rice. (Yes, I know, brown rice is healthier but this is a once a year thing, folks; fluffy and brown rice don’t meat too often as far as I know!)

There are as many different ways to make gumbo as their are people who make it. Here’s my way.

Turkey & Sausage Gumbo

First you make a roux from

2/3 c olive oil
2/3 c flour

Cooking to just past blond stage–enough to cook the flour completely and develop a little thickening power but without adding too much color to the gumbo.

Add in

2 onions, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
6 green onions, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced

and cook for 5-10 minutes before adding

1 lb (or more) smoked sausage, sliced
1 turkey carcass with some meat left on the bones
2 smoked turkey wings (optional)
2 Tbsp parsley
1 tsp thyme
2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 c white wine

and then enough water to cover the works. For very large turkey carcasses you may need to break it in half so as not to water-down the gumbo just to cover all the pieces.

Simmer for 45 minutes or so, then add

2 cups of cooked turkey, or whatever you have left

and continue to cook for 15 minutes.

Remove from the heat and stir in

3 Tbsp file powder

and let sit for 5 minutes before serving over white rice.

Mom’s the one who likes to use the smoked turkey wings, especially if we’re shy on actual leftover turkey besides the carcass. (I know, carcass isn’t a very appetizing word but it makes a very appetizing soup!)