Thanksgiving

12 Pound Turkey on the Rotisserie

Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread

Carrot Puree With Caraway And Feta

Autumn Salad from Barbrix

Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon 

Mushroom Dressing From Cook's County

Turkey with Orange Noodles (yuk bad picture but good food!)

Apple Pie

Chocolate Pie

Persimmon Pudding with Whipped Cream

Thanksgiving for us is a collaborative event. Tom, Scott, Tim, Shumon, Barbara, Michael and Robert all came to celebrate. Barbara even helped to cook! We make the turkey and some sides and then we order in some food to complement the meal. We were hoping that Bea would join us, but she had recently had surgery and couldn’t make it. She did, however, send over some great wine. Later we delivered her Thanksgiving dinner to her.

We made the same Renaissance Turkey that we cooked last year. It is wonderful and I believe will be an annual event for us. Cathy found a recipe in TheSplendid Table by Lynne Rossetto Kasper for Christmas Capon (Cappone Natalizio). This recipe was for a spit roasted capon, we substituted a Heritage Turkey from McCall’s Meat and Fish. What made the dish so incredible was another recipe from the same cookbook for: Tagliatelle with Caramelized Oranges and Almonds, a Renaissance preparation of pasta that the sliced turkey was to be served over. This is a great recipe, totally different from what people expect (other than those that came to our house last year). You can find this recipe on our blog of: November 23, 2012.

We started with a new dish for us Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread from Jerusalem by Ottolenghi & Tamimi. It was good, but I don’t think we will make it again, I like the other dish we served as an appetizer better: Carrot Puree With Caraway And Feta from Moro The Cookbook by Sam & Sam Clark. With both of the dishes we served Pita Chips from Joan’s on Third. These are absolutely the best chips I have ever had.

After appetizers and drinks we went to the table to start the serious eating. We started with the Autumn Salad from Barbrix. This is a great salad. Next time you are at Barbrix and if you haven’t had the salad you should try it. It is very crispy and I love the blue cheese in it.

As a side, we served a new recipe for us: Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon from Two Dudes One Pan by Shook Dotolo. Bacon is my favorite seasoning. Anything in a cream sauce has to be good. This is a keeper! I really liked it. Expect to see it next Thanksgiving!

What would Thanksgiving Turkey be without dressing. Once again this year we got the Mushroom Dressing from Cook’s County. This is a delicious super rich dressing. Yum.

Deserts were plentiful. From Cook’s County we purchased a Chocolate Pie and an Apple Pie. Tom made a Persimmon Pudding with Whipped Cream.

The dinner started at 6:30 at midnight we finally finished, we have a year to recover!

Butternut Squash & Tahini Spread

Jerusalem Ottolenghi & Tamimi

SERVES  6  TO  8

1 very large butternut squash (about 2-1/2), peeled and cut into chunks (7 cup in total)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ground cinnamon

5 tbsp light tahini paste

½ cup Greek yogurt

2 small cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp mixed black and white sesame seeds (or just white, if you don't have black)

1-1/2 tsp date syrup

2 tbsp chopped cilantro (optional)

salt

Date syrup, which we use here to add intensity, is a popular natural sweetener with wonderful richness and treacly depth. Use it for salad and vegetable dressings, to sweeten stews, or to drizzle over porridge in the morning. It is available from health food stores and Middle Eastern groceries but can be substituted with maple syrup or molasses.

This dip seems to be fantastically popular with anyone who tries it. There is something about the magical combination of tahini and pumpkin or squash that we always tend to come back to Serve as a starter with bread or as part of a meze selection.

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Spread the squash out in a medium roasting pan.

Pour over the olive oil and sprinkle on the cinnamon and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Mix together well, cover the pan tightly with aluminum foil, and roast in the oven for 70 minutes, stirring once during the cooking. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Transfer the squash to a food processor, along with the tahini, yogurt, and garlic. Roughly pulse so that everything is combined into a coarse paste, without the spread becoming smooth; you can also do this by hand using a fork or potato masher.

Spread the butternut in a wavy pattern over a flat plate and sprinkle with the sesame seeds, drizzle over the syrup, and finish with the cilantro, if using.

Creamed Brussels Sprouts with Bacon

Two Dudes One Pan

Shook Dotolo

1       tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt

2       pounds Brussels sprouts, outer leaves removed

12     ounces sliced bacon, halved crosswise

2       shallots, halved and thinly sliced

3       garlic cloves, thinly sliced
3       cups heavy cream

1       teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Jon: A lot of people who say that they don't do Brussels sprouts end up getting into this dish. Cream and bacon mellow Brussels sprouts' cabbagey qualities.

VINNY: We add so much bacon, butter, and cream, though, you'd have to be insane not to totally get into this dish! We get a lot of requests for these Brussels sprouts around Thanksgiving. There are a few families whose Thanksgiving dinners we've been catering for years; we've become a part of their tradition. That's really cool.

FILL a Dutch oven with water and bring to a boil. Add the 1 tablespoon of salt and the Brussels sprouts. Cook until tender but not mushy, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain the sprouts, then place them under cold running water to stop the cooking. Drain again, transfer the sprouts to a cutting board, and halve lengthwise. Set aside.

Wipe the pot dry and place it back on the stovetop over I medium-high heat. Add the bacon (if it doesn't all fit in the pot, cook the bacon in two batches) and cook until both I sides are browned and crisp. Transfer to a paper-towel-lined I plate to drain. Once it is cool enough to handle, crumble the bacon.

Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the bacon fat and add the shallots and garlic to the pot. Cook over medium-high heat I until lightly browned and fragrant, about 2 minutes, and then add the cream. Simmer the cream until it has reduced by half, 5 to 7 minutes, and add the remaining 1 teaspoon of salt and the black pepper. Stir in the Brussels sprouts and gentry coat in the sauce. Turn out into a serving bowl and top with the crumbled bacon.

Serves 6 to 8