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For all my readers whether in the US or around the world Happiest of Thanksgivings. May it have been as nectic and delicious as my own vegan one.
Do you have a favorite recipe you'd like to share? Let me know. It could be just as good as my stuffing.
what would the Thanksgiving table be without cranberry jelly? Its' rich ruby coloring and tart taste gives zing to an other wise bland table. This American classic is truly just that more American than apple pie<Its history is as old as the country and continent itself.
Regular contributor Christina Morales wrote about them in todays' New York Times Food section.It actually jellied cranberry which is the star and its' been around for 110 years.It was created in 1912 by Massachusetts farmer and lawyer Marcus L. Uran. Mr. Uraan wanted to support local cranberry famrers in his native Massachusetts. he also bought a bog as well. He had the idea to extend the usual two month cranberry season to all year round by pressing them into juice and prederving them into jellies. This became the famed Ocean Spray company in 1930, also created by John Makepeace of Massacusetts and Elizabeth Lee of New Jersey. They created one of the first farm cooperatives which is now owned by seven hundred farmers nationwide. The canned sauce was first served in 1941 and has been a classic ever since. A phenomenon is that Gen Zers have disovered this as they take over holiday cooking from older relatives. Cranberry jelly is also becoming the star of Friendsgiving dinners too.
It is popular with a four percent rise in production despite the price being raised twenty per cent higher than last year fifteen billion cranberries were harvested during that time. About a thousand farms grow them according to Karen Cahill, marketing director of the Cranberry Marketing Committee. The fruits need a lot fo land. To just grow an acre of cranberries a farmer needs another five to seven acres of support land just for the water's reservoir system.Contrary to popular believe they do not grow in water but rather in a moist well drained environment. These beds also called bogs are flooded with eighteen to thirty inches of water when the berries are ready to be harvested in September and October. The cranberries rise to the top of the bog, thanks to each berry having four air pockets. Farmers uses rakes and tractors to detach them fron their vines. The harvested berries are then put into yellow containment booms, that also are used for corraling oil spills. They're cleaned a number of times before going off to the processing center to be frozen. Their skins and seeds are removed and they're mashed into a puree Corn syrup is added to this then they're filtered and pacled into cans. everything is then lableled and boxed ready to be shipped to groceries around the country.
Cranberries are one of the most American foods we can eat.It's pnly fitting that they're served at the most American of holidays. Enjoy a slice of it with your meal tomorrow.
Does anyone know how to set a table? Yes you put plates in a certain way along with cutlery and glasses. Many of us, though have been doing it wrong, There is a right and elegant way of doing such.
A basic table setting just has the dinner plate flankled by one fork on the diner's left and a knife on the diner's right.next to the knife is the dessert spoon (or soup spoon if soup is being served.) The fork is placed on a napkin, although if you want to be traditional , then place the napkin on the diner's right hand side. A water glass is also placed on this side as well. If you're planning a more formal dinner then you'll have to add salad forks and dessert spoons and forks. The salad fork is place directly to the right of the dinner fork. The dessert spoon and fork are placed on the top section of the place setting. A smaller plate for your dinner roll is placed on the left along with a smaller butter knife.On the right hand side there should be three glasses arranged in a triagular pattern. The bottom two should be the water on the left hand side while the glass for the white wine sits opposite it. In back of these is the red wine glass. If you want to be fancy add place tags. These are placed behind the dinner plate and sometimes flanked by small individual salt and pepper shakers.
What about a buffet table? Do the rules of etiquette apply to it as well? Not really. The integrity of the food is what matters here. Hot food should be on one end, while cooler dishes like salads and cold cuts should be on the other end. The two temps should not be mixed. You can add a wooden block to the middle of the table for the chafing dishes. This highlights the main sides like gravy and stuffing. Another idea is placing the hot dishes on another table for complete separation. Doing such will allow guests to choose what they want first. The first items on the buffet table should be plates and cutlery. It's up to you as the host to decide whether to use your good china if you have enough to suit a lot of guests or elegant plastic ones. Many choose the last and luckily they're easy to get from Amazon. At the end of th e t able are the napkins (and wet wipes if there are sticky or messy finger foods).After dinner the tables are cleared and then the desserts are put out. Again follow the same protocol but add cups and saucers for coffee and tea. Put urns of coffee and hot water where the chafing dishes were along with a basket of assorted teas and sweeteners. You can also have creamers on the table or place them on individual tables along with sugar or honey.
A well set table reflects on the host. It's showing a level of tastefulness that will add to the dinner. The perfect place setting is the key to the perfect meal.
Cranberries are just for jellies or juices. They can be used in everything from stuffings to mocktails along with being the star of many a dessert. They're more well rounded than you think.
Cranberries should be a part of the Thanksgiving dinner. Ditch that slimy jelly though and rethink them. A great idea using them as a glaze for the bird itaelf. It's cooking two pounds of the fresh berries in a sweet savory mix of onions,butter sugar rosemary and the cranberries along with vinegar and orange zest.It;s cooked over a low flame until the cranberries burst.It's simmered and then strained (save the mash for a side).The glaze is then brushed over the turkey after two hours of roasting. This can also be used for chicken too. Cranberries can also zing up stuffing too.Used the dried ones or Craisins for a filling that;s also redolent with walnuts too.It's still perfect with gravy thanks to the the traditional sage and thyme added. For this tormbread or bread cubes can be used.Surprisingly these bright gems can also be highlight veggie dishes too. Try a kale and cranberry salad. It's even more tastier with the addition of almonds and goat cheese. A zingy Dijon -orange viniagrette dewesses it. Brussels sprouts can also benefit from it.Roast the two together with a maple glaze for a unique side.
Keep in min that cranberries are also great in a dessert. They're perfect in a pie , in a mousse like form with the addition of gelatin , heavy cream and coconut milk. Another dessert that the kids would love are cranberry bars with cream cheese frosting.This is combining fresh berries with a cookie dough and then decorating it with a creamy topping. You could even add a sprinkle of Craisins on top for an even more festive look. Another fun cranberry dessert recipe is tartlets. This is mix of a buttery crust made just butter cream cheese and flour. The filing is a custardy mix of egg, cranberries, vanilla and sugar. You could add a glaze but a puff of whipped cream would really give it that gilded edge. What about those fun mocktails and cocktails? A fun mocktail is mixng cranberry juice with any flavored seltzer like Waterloo Seltzers. Try it mixed with their cherry or blackberry lemonade flavors. There's the perfect amount of fizz and sparkle. Add a sprig of mint or a stick of mixed otange wedges and cherries.The most famous cranberry ccoktail is the Cape Codder.This is mixing vodka with cranberry juice. You could also make a cheery cranberry sangria with red wine and triple sec. Add some orange juice for a sweet citrus-y kick.
It would be a shame to just have jellied cranberries. Try them in either savory or sweet dishes. Wnjoy them in any drink. They're an incredibly versatile fruit that's perfect in anything and everything.
There;s nothing like time homored recipes. Yet they may be too time honored and may need to be updated,especially for the holidays. It's not completely disregarding the recipe.It's enhancing it with new flavors and new cooking methods.
Have you ever thought of using the sous vide method on your turkey. This is a different way of cooking a turkey but it provides the bird with juicy , flavorful meat. You do need a sous vide machine to do this. They're around $99 on Amazon if you want to get one overnighted. You will have to butterfly or spatchcock the bird along with giving it time in the oven for crisp skin.Then there's dry brining it instead of wet and cooking it in a hot water bath for six hours. Another tweaking idea is spatchcocking the bird for a more even roast.It's split open thanks to poultry scissors (which cna be bought at any grocery store) and the back bone is removed. This lets it sit flat on the roasting pan where it cooks for just two hours. Butterfying or spatchcocking also works for any other kind of poultry too like Cornish hens and chicken. Of course you'd never omit thhe turkey's must have - stuffing but you can tweak it.Instead of the usual bread crumbs, stale bread especially French or Italian works just as fine. It gives for a more chewy and crunchy bite. You could also add some soft pretzels too for flavor and texture.
Sides always deserve a tweaking. Everyone makes the usual sweet potatoes with marshmallows. This may have been great decades ago but its time to update them. Try them as fries , crisped in the air fryer. These are definitely a fun change up everyone will like .in fact they'll be the first to go. Another idea is mashing them. This is the same as the traditional mashed potato recipe with boiling them first and then mashing with milk and a stick of butter or plant butter. Add a tiny drizzle of maple syrup and a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg for more flavor. If you opt for potatoes then think smashed for something different. This is taking red or yellow potatoes and boiling until tender. It's then smashing them with a masher and baking them on a large baking sheet. You can drizzle olive oil on them, followed by a sprinkle of rosemary leaves. Theur crispy texture and meaty interiro are reminiscent of French fries but they have more oomph. This cam be done to that other Thanksgiving staple Brussels sprouts. Again it;s just boiling until tender and then smashing them. They're then popped into the air fryer with just a salt and pepper seasoning . If you want to be fancietr sprinkled htem with Parmesan cheese and some chili powder.
Traditional needs to be tweaked in onder to remain fresh and relevant. Start with family recipes. it will make for a more interesting and delicious Thanksgiving.
It's that question that's asked every year. Are you Thanksgiving ready? Have you been stockpiling? Testing all the appliances? Checking pots and pans? It's time to look over what will be the busiest room in the house.
One thing home chefs can do is look over their larger appliances. Is the oven working correctly? What about the microwave and air fryer? These are sub major players in the whole meal game but if can be dire if they break. Microwaves are used for melting butter and cheese along with quick vegetable steaming . Air fryers come in handy for crisping up rolls along with air frying potato and sweet potato wedges. Make sure they up to par and their wires are still sturdy. Other smaller items to check on - mixers and blenders. MIxers are usied for everyhting from kneading bread dough to even easily mashing potatoes. Blenders are used for batters and blending ingredients for salad dressings. Check to make sure the machines are running smoothly and the blender body is not cracked. Food processors and choppers should also be examined. These too are integral in creating the perfect dishes too. Look over you knives as well. Do they need to be sharpened? Now is the time to do it - in that calm period before all the cooking frenzy.
Once the appliances are thoroughly checked then start looking at your ingredients. Have you bought your turkey yet? Buy it now because you never know if your store may run out or may run out fo the size you want.Vegan and vegetarians should also have their tofurkey already bought. Some places may only carry two or one tofurkey kits (these include a glaze and stuffing). You may have to drive around and look in two r three stores before finding one. The same applies to Gardein's turkey cutlets and gravy. This is my Thanksgiving go too and I noticed stores like Target and Acme didn't really stock it as they did in the past. I had to buy it two weeks ago and it was the last one in my local Acme. Another item to stock up on now is pre made stuffing. Many home chefs don't like the idea of making the dish from scratch , although they'll never have to run out of bread. Get a box of the family's faovrite stuffing now. Green beans are going to be popular too , thanks to everyone planning on making casseroles.Of you can;t fidn them sub in another veggie like lima beans or corn. Also make sure you have enough flour , sugar and spices for baking along with eggs. They may seem like a small things but also check to see if you have enough napkins and containers for leftovers too.
Thanksgiving is less than a week away. Be ready now for it. It does pay to be prepared,
Don't be nervous about next week. Yes it's the biggest cooking day of the year but it doesn't haven't tobe the most worrisome. Thanks to the New York Times Thanksgiving will be a dream to plan.
Yesterday's Food section had a cornucopia of recipes and ideas. There was a huge article on veggie dishes that was explored yesterday.Now it's time for the meat and traditional ones.One article that stands out is one regular contributor Genevieve Ko wrote about the famed Ina Gartner. Ms. Gartner gave recipes that feature store bought ingredients, Hers is an easy cook and bake, in the spirit of her latest and thirteenth (!) cookbook "Go To Dinners" A Barefoot Contessa Cookbook" (Clarkson Potter Publishing 2022) Her recipes include Parmesan Mashed Potatoees that uses Bob Evans already made mashed spuds and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Ocean Spray cranberry sauce is the base of her apple spiked cranberry sauce while Pepperidge Farm herbed croutons and Harveys; Bristol Cream are part of her tasty Murshroom and Gruyere bread pudding. Yes there is a dessert , namely pie, a lush bourbon chocolate pecan one. her crust is a store bought one suc as Wholly Wholesome. The chocolate is not gourmet. It's Nestles semisweet chocolate chips. The only recipe without any prepared ingredients is her turkey and gravy one which is a flavorful traditioanl one spiked with lemon,
Melissa Clark also contributes . Hers is non -pie desserts. One of the easiest is her riff on the great Marian Burros plum torte.However she's used pears instead but maintained the cardamon along with the grated lemon or orange zest.The pears are first poached with sugar and red wine., They're then sliced and added to a buttery cake batter. Another great end would be her pumpkin butterscotch custard with spiced whipped cream. It;s traditional homemade goodness with the addition of a cup of pumpkin puree for color and a holiday taste. The rest is a lush mix of heavy cream, whole milk and butter. There is also five large eggs and four yolks for a creamy thickness. Ms. Clark adds a tiny quarter teaspoon of pumpkin spice and two teaspoons vanilla or bourbon. The topping has more punpkin spice added to sugar and heavy cream. There are pies - whoopie ones.She used her two bite cinnamon scented ones that hold a cream cheese icing filling. This continues in the Thanksgiving vein with the addtion of homemade cranberry sauce for a swirl of color.
Thanksgiving will be a breeze with these recipes. They're tasty , easy and fun. These recipes will add to any table whether for dinner and dessert.
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