[Sca-cooks] Thanksgiving feasts

[phoenissa at netscape.net]

Catching up on post-Thanksgiving-break email, this seems like as good a topic to join in on as any :-)

on Thanksgiving day, 15 close family and friends dined on:
Roast turkey with stuffing (straightforwardly traditional)
Cranberry relish (raw) and cranberry sauce (cooked); both are wonderful
Mashed potatoes
Yams baked with a sauce of orange juice, brown sugar, Grand Marnier, and other good things
Chanterelle mushrooms cooked with onions, chestnuts, and fresh thyme: these were absolutely fantastic, and by far the most delectable dish at the table.
Green salad with toasted pecans, "blue" Gouda cheese (sounds weird, but it's excellent), and shallot vinaigrette
Steamed asparagus with toasted almonds, in a balsamic vinaigrette
Bread
No gravy, oddly enough, but I doubt anyone missed it
Pumpkin pie
Pecan pie
Chocolate cake
Hazelnut frangipane tart with pears (this was ok, but I personally prefer almond frangipane; hazelnut doesn't goe with fruits nearly as well.  This recipe is from the November issue of Gourmet, if anyone's interested in trying it.)


Other exciting news: this past weekend I had my frist experiment with making marzipan!  After my dad finished grinding up the hazelnuts for the tart, I commandeered the blender and threw in a handful of blanched almonds.  Since there was such a small amount they didn't get very fine, but I decided in the end that I didn't mind the coarse texture.  I added as much powdered sugar as I had almonds, and a few good splashes of rose water; this happened to be home-made as well, and it is pretty potent stuff.  The marzipan was decidedly rose-y, but still good; my dad said it reminded him of Sicilian marzipan, which is flavored with rose and orange-blossom water.  Both my parents have been using storebought marzipan for years, but I think I convinced them to let me make it from scratch this Christmas.  I have a month to perfect the technique... ;-)

Ever experimenting,
Vittoria
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