A Thanksgiving Dinner, Winchester, MA, 2011

What could be more comforting than sitting at dinner with your beloved family, with the table laden with dishes galore that you've been cooking for the past two or three days, and the whole house redolent with the  deliciously mingled aromas of all that food? This is what my family had for our Thanksgiving Dinner this year -- the recipes for some of them are already posted on this blog, and the rest I will try to post as soon as possible. My daughter did this brined fresh (not frozen) turkey, which was first roasted in their Egg Grill and then finished in the oven--it was incredibly juicy and so flavorful.

This is the miso-glazed "smoked" pork tenderloin, which I braised (simmered for 2 hours) in chicken stock spiked with liquid smoke, which gave it a smoked flavor and aroma. I coated it with a miso glaze and put it under the broiler for a few minutes before slicing it for serving. [Note:  the recipe for this dish is already posted on this blog.] 

We have traditionally had pumpkin soup, but this year I tried this intriguing recipe for Scarlet Beet and Carrot Soup, which turned out to be a great decision. It's a healthful soup, without the oft-used heavy cream and using only low-sodium chicken broth (or even water, if you wish), and spiked with some red pepper flakes for a bit of kick. Serve with a quenelle of sour cream to make an attractive presentation. [Note: recipe to be posted shortly.]

This fresh cranberry and dried Turkish figs sauce (left) was perfect for both the turkey and smoked pork. The subtle sweetness of the figs (cooked in pinot noir) was a nice counterpoint to the tartness of the fresh cranberries.

The gravy (right) was made from scratch (of course!), with the giblets and neck lovingly simmered for hours to make the base for the sauce. [Note: recipes for both to be posted soon.]

These are two of the mainstays of our Thanksgiving dinner tradition, good old mashed potatoes (with chives) and a creamy green bean casserole with crispy fried onion topping. [Note:  these dishes are so common that I don't feel it necessary to post recipes for them.]

Another of the side dishes, Brussels sprouts roasted then tossed in pomegranate molasses, and topped with some pomegranate seeds and toasted hazelnuts. [Note: recipe to be posted.]

Another mainstay -- this is my daughter's recipe, a Wild Rice, Brown Rice, Turkey Sausage and Dried Fruits Turkey Stuffing. I love making this stuffing, not only because it is so delicious and healthful, but also because it is a make-ahead dish -- you can cook it a day or two before the big day, saving you a lot of time and effort on the day itself. [Note: recipe already posted in this blog.]

Ahhh, good old pumpkin pie! But this time, this delicious pie is half pure pumpkin meat and half ricotta cheese (found the recipe it in a Food Network Magazine, and will be posted soon in this blog). I made the cream cheese crust from scratch.

A special request from my daughter -- Pavlova. This is a large meringue cake (the recipe is posted in this blog) topped with fresh berries (here, blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries). You can't see it, but beneath those nice berries is a sinfully delicious egg custard cream.

How about this decadent Chocolate Pecan Pie (from an Emeril recipe)? We actually ate this the next day, because there was just too much food already!

Well, after all that food, you can imagine how full everyone was feeling at the end of the evening, not to mention a tad tipsy from all that good champagne and wine. I would like to end this post with this photo of my granddaughter, who asked for--and got--the best piece of the roast turkey. Way to go, Rocky!

                                                        HAPPY THANKSGIVING TO ALL!