T succumbed to blogland peer pressure and got a fresh turkey. I was actually worried about this, because we've been eating fat- and salt-injected Butterballs quite happily for the past few years, and also because Chef used red onions and scallions to stuff it. I rubbed a LOT of salt and spices into that not-so-big (12-pounder) boy, pulled out the scallions, let the usual stick and half of butter under the skin work its magic, and it turned out just fine.
The au jus was coming together beautifully, browning to a deep caramel color and full-bodied MEAT! flavor. I kept adding stock to ensure that we would have enough for our jus drinkers, but sadly, most of it was lost to the Great Pan Tipping of 2007 :( Still, we caught enough that everyone could drench their everything in butter turkey jus.
Mexican shrimp was really a treat entree for the shellfish-eating folks ("you mean we can have shrimp on Thanksgiving now??!!") Just lime zest + juice and butter, as far as I could tell, and all the fishy folks seemed to like them.
Very small antipasti plate this year, with eggplant slices, mozzarella balls, and some olives. Much better portion size, as there was enough tart, vinegary stuff to tease the palate, but not enough to go too much to waste (like other years.)
Bourdain's mushroom soup really is super easy (just whole button mushrooms, stock, butter, sherry, onions, salt and pepper - everything I use in the sauteed mushrooms, but blended up with lots of liquid to make soup) and quite delicious, even if (because...) a MAJOR component is Lots Of Butter. The mushroom flavor is intense and I can attest to the fact that it only improves with age. Remember to serve HOT! Everyone liked this, including the baby, though not with the raves that it deserved.
Because I didn't get to make butternut soup and I didn't feel like reprising the risotto of last year (too much work), I sauteed up some diced butternut squash with garlic, onions, and olive oil. Lots of stirring to make it all soft, but I really like these. One medium squash is enough, as others don't seem to be quite as fond of them as I am, but everyone did take and eat some. A mouthful of harvest flavor, and a very pretty color.
I thought I'd left the potatoes too long to boil in the crab pot (only one big enough to boil a whole bag of potatoes, plus it has the colander pull-out. THIS WAS SUCH A GOOD IDEA, because draining the potatoes usually involves a large percentage threat of burns and the wrong kind of excitement.), but it turns out the extra water was key for making fluffy, almost whipped potatoes. The texture was excellently creamy this year, and not only due to our utter abandon in incorporating a mixture of fats (sour cream, butter, and milk).
Cranberry relish presented a nice complement to the table in color, taste, and texture. The shredded cranberries, apples, oranges, and pineapple were a wee bit too tart, in my opinion (maybe use sweeter apples? More jello flavoring?) but were very well received and will definitely be back on the table next year with a few tweaks. Also fun, I got to use my food processor (received as a Bday gift maybe 2 years ago??) for the first time!! Now that it is no longer shiny, new, and scary, I can use it regularly!!!
The green beans, sauteed with garlic in olive oil and "au jus," finished with toasted almonds slices, took forever to cook down, and were still pretty crisp when they were served. Maybe make less, slightly more cooked, next year? I might want to try a fresh green bean casserole. Also, note to self, watch almonds toasting Like A Hawk. You'd think 2 pans of burnt almond slivers would be lesson enough, but an extra reminder doesn't hurt...
Back due to popular demand, the mushrooms, steakhouse style, sauteed in olive oil with onions, garlic, sherry, and finished with butter, salt, and pepper were so good that that they were the only dish actually finished. I let those suckers reduce four times, and the flavor was so concentrated by tabletime that people actually exclaimed at their goodness. Yeah!!!
Sweet potatoes, roasted in foil with the turkey, on a cookie sheet to catch the drippings (we really do get smarter and wiser every year) were meltingly soft. We were also smart enough to buy individual sweet potatoes this year, instead of getting the whole box (because it's on sale!!!), which inevitably rot in subsequent days.
Green and yellow squash, sauteed simply as slices in olive oil, salt, and pepper, were barely eaten. The color is nice on the table, but that's not enough! I think I will drop them next year.
There was bread at my table! Fresh rolls, to be precise. I was roundly forced to eat my words (happily, as it turned out), that "Asian people don't eat bread." Everyone, including the baby, LOVED the rolls, they looked fantastic, and made the house smell like a bakery. They were GREAT for dipping in the jus and the soup. The best addition of 2007.
Dessert was very low key, and mostly not consumed, as everyone was crazy full. The pumpkin pies got some attention, as they deserved (again, everybody likes them but me), and the pairing overwhipped cream, almost butter, was nice and light (as it were). We did find that the pies were double custards, as we'd used the pumpkin PIE cans of Libby's rather than just the pumpkin puree. Oops! Remember to read the labels! My apple cake did NOT turn out as well as last year (needed more molasses topping), so while it looked nice, it was barely touched. The Tiramisu cake from Alpine looked very pretty, was mostly cream, and didn't have nearly enough espresso flavor to make it worth my while :(
All in all, not a bad spread. It was nice having another sous chef in the kitchen to order about. Some well-liked newcomers, and many old favorites - exactly what a Thanksgiving meal is all about!!!
Addendum: Later I told my mom about the ~ 2 lbs of butter we went through and she actually gagged at the thought. Hee!
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