Thanksgiving Recipes

So I totally forgot to take pictures of any of the gorgeous and yummy Thanksgiving dishes or the pre-Thanksgiving meal Abby and I made while she was down here for a few days before Thanksgiving. Whoops. Anyway, there were some real winners so I wanted to post the recipes and you can take my word for it that they looked great, too.

I adapted Alton Brown's recipe that you can find here. This technique is awesome because the turkey comes out tasting great and it cooks in much less time (2-2 1/2 hours) than most other recipes. I am a big proponent of brining. This year I wanted to do an apple cider brine. Abby and I tried this with a chicken the week before Thanksgiving. In both cases I'm not sure I could taste apple cider, per se, but I sure could taste "delicious". Here is my recipe.

1 (14 to 16 pound) fresh young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon apple cider
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
3 bay leaves
1 gallon cold water

For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary

Early on the day or the night before you'd like to eat:
Combine the cider, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and bay leaves in a stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat and cool by adding lots of ice cubes.
Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.
Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 151 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.


Another winner recipe was Ali's cranberry salsa. I am a big fan of the cranberry jelly that comes straight out of the can (I know, I know, I got teased miserably for this, but I love it!). This recipe was a close second to the industrial cran-jelly.


Cranberry- Jalapeno Salsa

Ingredients
1 (12-ounce) package fresh or frozen cranberries
1 medium navel orange, unpeeled and coarsely chopped
3 tablespoons crystallized ginger
2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and coarsely chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint leaves
1 cup sugar
Preparation
Pulse cranberries in a food processor until minced. Transfer to a bowl.
Pulse orange and next 4 ingredients in food processor 3 to 5 times or until orange, ginger, and pepper are finely chopped. Stir into cranberries; cover and chill, if desired.


And finally, Ryan's favorite part of the meal...the chocolate pie that Kim made. It was amazing. She found the recipe at Pioneer Woman Cooks, but I doubt that if I had tried to recreate this recipe I could have done it as well as she. She really knocked this one out of the park. You can click on the PW Cooks link above for a full blow-by-blow instructions (with gorgeous photos) or just follow the recipe below.


Delicious! Chocolate Pie
2 sticks regular butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
4 ounces unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 eggs
1 baked pie shell
whipped cream

Beat butter and sugar together until light and fluffy, then mix in cooled melted chocolate. Add vanilla and mix. Turn the mixer to medium speed, then add in the four eggs, one at a time, mixing for 4 to 6 minutes after the addition of each egg. Scrape sides of bowl once during mixing. Pour into the cooled pie shell and refrigerate for at least two hours or overnight. Plop whipped cream on top and serve. Garnish with chocolate curls if you’re feeling sassy.

Making Up For Lost Time

Being an official food-blogger is something that gives me great pride largely because it allows me to pretend to have some knowledge of current trends in culture and technology as well as domestic artistry. In fact, I have been known to share the fact that I am an official food-blogger with friends and colleagues whenever I can work it in. However, I know the sad truth is that I cook and play on the internet far less than I would like. The center of the Cackalacky Kitchen Blogosphere is without a doubt in Raleigh, North Carolina.

NOT to be deterred, I take every opportunity to go completely overboard when an opportunity to catch up on these activities arises. Thanksgiving, of course, is just such an opportunity. Especially when it follows a perfectly-timed visit to the CK motherland (Anna's kitchen). I spent a few days in Raleigh, where we did some practice rounds of cooking and had a wonderful time. Ollie helped me make some pumpkin chocolate chip mini-muffins that were so good even HE ate a few without being begged.

So I ventured back to the Big Apple on Thanksgiving, and started to make plans for our big feast. (Which my co-conspirator Adam and I planned for Saturday because of work/family schedules.) After a few emails, and a quick strategy session, we made a bunch of lists and schedules for the day and we managed to pull of a well-organized and over-the-top dinner for our friends and family.

This is me, whipping the cream that would later go with the desserts. Can you tell how excited I am? Long ago, Anna and I learned from our mom that there was nothing like fresh whipped cream with the smallest amount of sugar and a splash of cognac. It was all I could do not to dig my spoon into the serving bowl. (Before dinner. After dinner, all bets were off). Just as I went for the hand-mixer, I jumped at the chance to use my mezzaluna to chop the pecans and ginger-snaps that went into the pie crust. I find no better antidote to living a modern, busy, urban life than to make a huge mess chopping nuts in the most inefficient means imaginable while listening to NPR.

On Saturday morning, Adam and I headed to the Greenmarket - a Farmer's Market for the ages - and came back with piles of produce, fresh cream and butter, and warm bread to serve alongside the 15 pound turkey he had stuck in the fridge to brine the night before. (Have I mentioned yet that we were going to be seven for dinner?)
Here's our menu:
Roasted garlic and herb dip
Brussels sprouts sauteed with bacon
Green bean casserole (recipe straight from grandmothers in Michigan)
Smashed Red Bliss potatoes
The Bird
Cranberry Sauce
Ginger-Pecan pumpkin pie
Chocolate orange pots de creme




We may be eating leftovers for quite some time, which suits me just fine, because who knows when the next chance for such a feast will be! It's back to work for me.

Chocolate Florentine Cookies

We had a good friend from our Ithaca days come for a visit recently. He brought with him from Boston the most delicious little numbers from Mike's Pastry, a North End institution. I never saw what the big deal was about Mike's because what most people get there are their famous cannoli. YUCK. It's fried dough with fat in the middle. Again, YUCK. Cannolis are nasty.

On the other hand, these florentine cookies are great! They are crisp and chewy, buttery and light--a little oatmeal cookie sandwich with chocolate in the middle. We couldn't stop eating them and finished the whole box in about 2 days. So, what's a girl to do but try to recreate the magic on her own.

Tried...and failed. Ok, the recipe I tried (click here) was missing what I am guessing is the critical ingredient: cream. In its place is corn syrup and white sugar. I should have known. The cookies I made were good but not great. I will have to keep trying. If anyone knows a better recipe I would love to have it!

What handsome bald men! Thank you Aaron for introducing us to florentine cookies. All prospective guests to the Cackalacky Kitchen should take note that Aaron is the current holder of the "Best Guest" award* (he was gunning for it, claiming that he brought the cookies solely because he felt that he had to out-do the Sanders AND Dave Gardiner). But...he can be stripped of this award at any time. Indeed, this award CAN BE YOURS if you come stay with us and bribe us with sweet treats.

*Please note that relatives are not eligible for this award and are not expected to engage in competitive houseguest one-up-manship.

Family Values, or Anna's Views on Gay Marriage

A big fat gay wedding.

This was originally posted to my family blog, but since the ideas and opinions expressed below are MINE I am publishing it here.

In my last post I wrote that I have been preoccupied lately, and that's not exactly the word for it. The truth is my heart feels heavy. I have been following with great dismay the effort in California to overturn gay marriage (Proposition 8). Our church has come out strongly in opposition to gay marriage on the grounds that it threatens the institution marriage between a man and a woman, which we hold to be sacred. I believe wholeheartedly in the sanctity of marriage, but I also believe that gay people should be allowed to marry. Not allowing gay people to marry doesn't end homosexuality, it just marginalizes gay people. I think that we will look back on this era and be ashamed of our intolerance.

I’m happily married to a wonderful man and embrace motherhood. I feel so blessed to be able to experience the JOY of creating a happy family. I think that gay people who love each other should have that opportunity, too. Nothing about gay marriage threatens my family’s happiness. I don’t think that it will confuse my boys that some families are made up differently than ours. Indeed, I think that explaining divorce (that people who once professed to love each other changed their minds) will prove far more disturbing than explaining gay marriage.

Why am I writing about this now??? Good question. The fight is over, for now, the proponents of Proposition 8 won the vote, but my heart is still heavy. I don’t live in California and frankly, was glad that I could stay above the fray, but now that it’s passed I feel like a coward for having done nothing. I reached out privately to loved ones who are gay to let them know that I supported them, but I mostly kept my head down and my feelings to myself. This ignoble lack of courage is NOT a value that I want to model in my family. I want to teach my boys to be tolerant and respectful of differences. I want them to be confident in who they are (children of God) and know that God loves ALL his children. I also don’t want them to ask me why I didn’t speak up for what I believe in, even when it was unpopular. I want them to be brave, and have the courage of their convictions.

Decidedly un-Delicious

In an effort to find some way to feed Oliver something besides Pediasure I have sought the culinary advice of Jessica Seinfeld, wife of none other than comedian Jerry Seinfeld, and author of Deceptively Delicious, a cookbook made famous by its spinach-laden brownie recipe. The idea is that you can sneak veggies into your kids' food by pureeing it and then mixing hidden veggies into everything from brownies to mac-n-cheese (cauliflower and carrots). I have finally found a use for the Cuisinart coffee grinder dad gave me a few years ago! I have been pureeing like a mad woman.

Some of my successes involve butternut squash (pasta sauce) and sweet potatoes (waffles). But this weekend I went for the real challenge: Beets.


Man, I so want to like beets. They are SO nutritious. They are loaded with antioxidants and other disease-fighting compounds, but YUCK. They just taste so gross!! I made a lovely magenta puree. In a Mason jar it looks like a precious gem, something unearthed by one of the Seven Dwarfs. I should just leave it in the fridge to admire and call it good. On Saturday I tried to mix a little into pancake batter. Ryan encouragingly said that once you add butter and syrup you can hardly taste the beets. Hmm...not exactly a glowing review. But for my breakfast this morning I reached new depths of yuckiness. I tried to mix in some beet puree into my yogurt. It looked like borscht. The picture below gives you an idea, but mine didn't have any beet chunks (the picture below actually IS borscht. Thank you, Internet). I added maple syrup but I couldn't mask the beet-y flavor. Being my father's daughter, I DID eat it. I felt virtuous as I choked down my beet yogurt (I made a parfait with Fiber One cereal...as if it could get any worse!!! Oh, the humanity!) Anyway, this is an experiment that I will not try again.

September Daring Bakers Challenge

This month's Daring Baker's challenge was to make lavash crackers (an Armenian flatbread) and a gluten-free vegan dip. Abby opted out of this month's challenge. She claimed that since she doesn't get to cook as often as she would like, any cooking or baking she gets to this month would NOT include making anything vegan or gluten free.

So, I completed the challenge on my own. I've got to say the crackers were super easy, but kind of underwhelming. Maybe I did them wrong, since I have never tasted lavash as far as I know. Essentially, it's just a rather bland thin cracker. I'm not even going to bother posting the recipe since it was kind of blah. Here's a picture of them though:


So despite their mediocrity, these lavash crackers were just the right vehicle for the AWESOME roasted eggplant dip that I made from the Barefoot Contessa (again, a shout out to my girl Ina Garten). This is so delicious and so healthy! I made it to bring to our friend's house (HI RACHEL!!) when we had the lamb burgers. They made a great easy alternative to hummus. The recipe in the cookbook indicates that you should peel the eggplant. The second time I made this (yes, it was that good!) I left the peel on since that is where the antioxidants are. This dip is good with toasted pitas or veggies. I am partial to cucumber slices.

ROASTED EGGPLANT DIP
1 medium eggplant
2 red bell peppers, seeded
1 red onion, peeled
2 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons good olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon tomato paste


Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
Cut the eggplant, bell pepper, and onion into 1-inch cubes. Toss them in a large bowl with the garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them on a baking sheet. Roast for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are lightly browned and soft, tossing once during cooking.
Cool slightly.

Place the vegetables in a food processor fitted with a steel blade, add the tomato paste, and pulse 3 or 4 times to blend. Taste for salt and pepper.

"Home" Cooking

There is a lovely restaurant on Cornelia Street in the West Village, called "Home". It is a charming little place with a deck out back where I had my medical school graduation party.

As a graduation present, someone in my family gave me the cookbook from the restaurant. In his foreward to the book, Calvin Trilling comments on how the restaurant serves up dishes that feel home-y, but are a LITTLE more impressive than what he actually ate at home growing up.

So despite not having actually made this particular chocolate pudding at home, I will post the recipe in the spirit of 'what home might be'. Anna requested it, I think because she is going to make it for my favorite picky eater, the best 2 and a half year-old boy there ever was. I wish I could be in Cackalacky to enjoy it with them. Save some leftovers for me!

CHOCOLATE PUDDING
there's always room for chocolate

4 cups heavy cream
5 oz bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
6 large egg yolks
1/2 cup granuated sugar
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
Bring heavy cream to a simmer in a large saucepan, then remove from heat. Add 1 cup warm milk to chocolate in a large bowl and let stand until melted. Stir until smooth, then add remaining cream.
In a separate bowl, whisk together egg yolks, sugar, vanilla and salt. Gradually whisk in the chocolate and cream mixture. Strain pudding through a fine mesh and skim off the froth.
Pour into 8 6-oz ramekins and place in a bain-marie (use hot water). Cover with alumnimum foil and bake for 50 minutes until edges are set and center is still soft.
Allow to cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate for several hours.
Serve chilled.
I think it would be nice to put chocolate shavings on top. Mmm. Mmm.