How about a Thanksgiving thread?

[Dee]

BEST FRENCH ONION SOUP (from Cook’s Illustrated magazine)

http://www.cooksillustrated.com/recipes/detail.asp?docid=11811&Extcode=L0MN1BA00

[Dee]

Making a case for root vegetables

http://www.dailypress.com/features/food/newsletter/sns-newsletter-root-vegetables,0,146584,full.story

[Dee]

Deep-Fried Turkey: Essential Equipment and Safety Tips

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/deep-fried-turkey-essential-equipment-and-safety-tips-2407392/

[Dee]

Thanksgiving Menu For 8– For UNDER $50!

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/thanksgiving-menu-for-8-for-under-50-2407401/

[Dee]

Where to Dine Out on Thanksgiving

http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/food/where-to-dine-out-on-thanksgiving-2407276/;_ylt=An_bB5yC5Jl7pVYVNq3Ry0nYbqU5#poll-A4197A32E6E611DF89ECFE3406BC3DF2

[Dee]

Thanksgiving Day Games (look like fun!)

http://instoresnow.walmart.com/article.aspx?Center=Food&top=87508&id=91770

[Dee]

No-Bake Pumpkin Pie (from Cooks Illustrated)

Serves 8.

The crust can be baked, cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap, and stored at room temperature for one day. Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream.

INGREDIENTS

Graham Cracker Crust

5 ounces graham cracker crumbs (9 whole crackers), broken into large pieces

2 tablespoons sugar

5 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted and warm

Pumpkin Filling

3 tablespoons orange juice (cold)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 teaspoons gelatin (from 1 package)

1 cup heavy cream (cold)

2/3 cup sugar (4 3/4 ounces)

3/4 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1/8 teaspoon ground cloves

3 large egg yolks

1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree (1 3/4 cups), (plain, not pumpkie pie mix)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. FOR THE CRUST: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 325 degrees.

2. Pulse crackers and sugar in food processor until evenly and finely ground, about fifteen 2-second pulses (you should have 1 cup crumbs). Add warm butter in steady stream through feed tube while pulsing until crumbs are evenly moistened and resemble damp sand. Transfer crumbs to 9-inch pie plate and spread evenly over bottom and sides; wipe out food processor bowl and reserve. Using flat-bottomed ramekin or dry measuring cup, press and smooth crumbs into pie plate (see illustration, at left). Bake until fragrant and browned around edges, 15 to 18 minutes. Cool completely on wire rack.

3. FOR THE FILLING: Stir orange juice and vanilla together in medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over orange juice mixture and set aside to thicken, about 5 minutes.

4. Combine 1/2 cup heavy cream, 1/3 cup sugar, salt, and spices in small saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until bubbles form at edges; remove from heat. Whisk remaining 1/3 cup sugar and yolks together in medium bowl until pale and slightly thickened. Slowly pour hot cream into yolk mixture, whisking constantly. Return mixture to pan and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with heatproof spatula, until custard is thickened and registers 175 to 180 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes. (When properly cooked, custard should form slight ridge on tip of spatula when bottom of pan is scraped and spatula is lifted.) Immediately pour custard over gelatin mixture and stir until smooth and gelatin has completely dissolved.

5. Puree pumpkin in food processor until smooth, 10 to 15 seconds. With machine running, add remaining 1/2 cup heavy cream through feed tube in steady stream. Scrape sides of bowl and process for additional 10 to 15 seconds. Add pumpkin mixture to custard mixture and stir until completely smooth. Transfer filling to cooled crust. Chill pie, uncovered, until filling is just set, about 3 hours. Cover pie with plastic wrap and continue to chill until fully set, at least 6 and up to 24 hours. Cut pie into wedges and serve.

[Dee]

Roast Crisped-Skin Turkey (from Cooks Illustrated)

Serves 10 to 12.

We prefer to roast small turkeys, no more than 14 pounds gross weight, because they cook more evenly than large birds. If you prefer, halve the amount of salt in the brine and brine 12 hours or overnight. When you remove the turkey from the oven to rotate it, be sure to close the oven door to prevent heat loss.

INGREDIENTS

4 cups kosher salt or 2 cups table salt

1 turkey (12 to 14 pounds gross weight), rinsed thoroughly; giblets, neck, and tailpiece removed and reserved for gravy (see related recipe)

3 medium onions , chopped coarse

2 small carrots , chopped coarse

2 ribs celery , chopped coarse

6 sprigs fresh thyme

6 tablespoons unsalted butter , melted

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Dissolve salt in 2 gallons cold water in large stockpot or clean bucket. Add turkey and refrigerate or set in very cool spot (about 40 degrees) for 4 to 6 hours.

2. Remove turkey from salt water and rinse well under cool running water. Pat dry inside and out with paper towels. Place turkey breast-side up on flat wire rack set over rimmed baking sheet or roasting pan and refrigerate, uncovered, 8 to 24 hours.

3. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Toss one-third of onions, carrots, and celery with 2 sprigs thyme and 1 tablespoon butter in medium bowl; fill cavity with mixture. Tuck wings behind back, following illustrations 1 through 3 below, truss turkey.

4. Scatter remaining vegetables and thyme in shallow roasting pan; pour 1 cup water over vegetables. Prepare V-rack following illustration 4, below. Brush turkey breast with butter, then set turkey breast-side down on foil-lined V-rack. Brush back of turkey with butter. Roast 45 minutes.

5. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven; brush back with butter. Using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey leg/wing–side up. If liquid in bottom of roasting pan has evaporated, add 1/2 cup water. Roast 15 minutes longer.

6. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven, brush exposed surfaces with butter, and, using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey second leg/wing-side up; roast for 15 minutes longer.

7. Remove roasting pan with turkey from oven, brush exposed surfaces with butter and, using thick wads of paper towels or potholders, rotate turkey breast-side up. Roast until thickest part of breast registers 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Move turkey from rack to carving board and let rest about 20 to 30 minutes. Carve and serve with gravy, if desired.

[Dee]

SOUTHERN SPOON BREAD (from Cooks Illustrated)

(this is great stuff!)

Serves 6 to 8.

If you can’t get finely ground cornmeal in your local store, you can approximate it by putting a medium-grind cornmeal in the food processor or, even better, in the blender. Processing will take several minutes, but eventually you will have little clouds of powder-fine meal in the bottom of the bowl. A standard eight-inch soufflé dish works beautifully, but any straight-sided, heavy pan will work, even an iron skillet. Because the spoon bread soon falls from its spectacular height, serve it as quickly as possible; even in its deflated state, though, spoon bread still tastes delicious. Serve leftovers with maple or cane syrup.

INGREDIENTS

3 cups half-and-half

1 teaspoon table salt

1 cup cornmeal , fine-ground white or yellow

2 Р3 tablespoons unsalted butter , plus extra for souffl̩ dish

3 large eggs , room temperature, separated

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 1 1/2-quart soufflé dish.

2. Bring half-and-half and salt to simmer in large, heavy saucepan. Reduce heat to low. Slowly whisk in cornmeal. Continue whisking until cornmeal thickens and develops satin sheen, 2 to 4 minutes. Turn off heat and stir in butter; set mush aside.

3. Whisk yolks and 1 to 2 teaspoons water together in small bowl until lemon-colored and very frothy. Stir them into cooled mush, a little at a time to keep yolks from cooking. Beat egg whites to stiff but not dry peaks; gently fold them into mush mixture.

4. Pour mixture into buttered soufflé dish. Bake in oven until spoon bread is golden brown and risen above dish rim, about 45 minutes. Serve immediately.

[Dee]

BEST TURKEY GRAVY (from Cooks Illustrated)

Makes about 6 cups.

This recipe makes enough gravy to accompany a 12- to 14-pound turkey with leftovers. If you are roasting a very large bird and want to double the recipe, prepare the gravy in a Dutch oven. White wine adds a welcome note of acidity to gravy, but in a pinch you can use more chicken broth in its place. Make sure you’ve added 1 cup each of chopped onions, carrots, and celery along with fresh thyme sprigs and 1 cup of water to the roasting pan before the turkey goes into the oven.

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

reserved turkey giblets and neck

1 onion , unpeeled and chopped

4 cups low-sodium chicken broth

2 cups water

2 sprigs fresh thyme

8 parsley stems

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

1 cup dry white wine

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the Broth: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Brown turkey giblets and neck for 5 minutes. Cook onion for 3 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat for 20 minutes.

2. Add chicken broth and water, scrape pan bottom, and bring to boil. Add herbs and simmer, skimming foam from surface, for 30 minutes.

3. Pour broth through fine-mesh strainer. Reserve and dice heart and gizzard. Refrigerate broth and diced giblets until ready to use.

4. Make the Roux and Thicken the Broth: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour. Cook, stirring constantly, until nutty brown and fragrant, 10 to 15 minutes. Bring reserved turkey broth to simmer.

5. Gradually add hot turkey broth to roux. Vigorous and constant whisking at this point is key to avoiding lumps. Reserve 1 cup of broth for deglazing roasting pan (see #9).

6. Simmer gravy, stirring occasionally and skimming scum from surface with spoon, until thickened, about 30 minutes. Set aside, covered, until turkey is done.

7. Deglaze the Pan and Add the Drippings To the Gravy: Pour drippings through mesh strainer set over measuring cup. Let liquid settle until fat rises to top. Return vegetables in strainer to roasting pan.

8. Tilt measuring cup and use wide, shallow soup spoon to skim fat off surface. Reserve defatted drippings. Return gravy in saucepan to simmer.

9. Place roasting pan over two burners at medium-high heat. Add wine and reserved 1 cup broth and scrape up browned bits in pan. Boil until liquid reduces by half, 5 minutes.

10. Strain roasting pan liquid into gravy, pressing on solids to extract all liquid. Add defatted drippings to taste. Stir in giblets and serve.

[Dee]

Cook’s Illustrated tests lots of equipment and this was their overall winner of the many cookie sheets they tested…good to know with Christmas coming up.

VOLLRATH COOKIE SHEET

From Cook’s Illustrated.

Product Name

Vollrath Cookie Sheet

Manufacturer

Vollrath

Model Number

68085

Price

$24.95

Recommendation Status

Highly Recommended

Testers’ Comments

“This is the one we’ve been waiting for,” remarked one tester. Roomy and sturdy, with handles on the short sides (where we like them). Minimal sticking, even when unlined.

Material

Heavy-gague aluminum

Cooking Surface

17 in x 14 in

Weight

2 lb 8 oz

Where To Shop

Chef’s Resource 866-765-2433 http://www.chefsresource.com

[mollycat71]

Tempting Turkey Day Desserts!

http://shine.yahoo.com/event/holidaymoments/5-tempting-thanksgiving-desserts-2406392/#photoViewer=1

[Dee]

Fresh Ideas for Gingerbread

http://www.bhg.com/holidays/christmas/recipes/gingerbread-recipes/

[Abigail]

This is a recipe I make every year upon request by my husband’s family(the picture on the page is actually mine!). I don’t put nearly as much sage as it calls for… but it’s really great! I have in the past added chicken or turkey to it. Enjoy!

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Yellow-Squash-Dressing/Detail.aspx

[Jeankit]

Mmmm I luv gingerbread! Dee some of those recipes look tempting. Number 12 of pumpkin/gingerbread pie looks easy & maybe a must for this year’s menu, thanks! Ab, yellow squash dressing sounds interesting…if not for Thanksgiving as a side for any other occasion looks good!

[Dee]

Common Types of Winter Squash

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/shopping-storing/food/common-types-winter-squash-00000000040720/index.html?xid=rs-hol-11-10-10

[Dee]

Big bird, small price thanksgiving

Make a Thanksgiving feast for just $10 a head!

http://www.rachaelraymag.com/easy-party-ideas/Great-Get-Togethers/holiday-party-menus/big-bird-small-price-thanksgiving?_mid=753334&_rid=753334.590400.150200

[Dee]

Healthy Swaps: Thanksgiving Fare

http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2010/11/09/healthy-swaps-thanksgiving-fare/?nl=EATS_111010_P2_TGSwaps

[Dee]

Holiday Favorites Week 3 “Apple” Winner

SAVORY APPLE RISOTTO WITH BACON AND GOAT CHEESE

http://www.betterrecipes.com/blogs/daily-dish/2010/11/09/holiday-favorites-week-3-winner/?sssdmh=dm17.484831&esrc=nwbr&email=856268743

[Dee]

5 Classic Thanksgiving Pies—Updated

http://www.womansday.com/Articles/Food/Recipes/5-Classic-Thanksgiving-Pies-Updated.html?zeta_mid=HFM2_137903&zeta_rid=80508328

[Author]

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