Saturday, November 10, 2007

Thanksgiving: Where's the Feast?

When my eldest nephew was young he and I marched into the dining room for Thanksgiving and he took in the view. He then said to me quietly, where's the feast? He had attended preschool and learned of the native Americans and the pilgrims. Folk ate at long tables laden with maize and horns of plenty.

For an undisclosed (and unknown) purpose, my bank offered me six months of free magazines. I chose Bon Appétit, Food and Wine, The New Yorker, Victoria, and Home and Garden. This is like offering candy to a pre-Halloween child. I am fixated on Thanksgiving and have started a list of dishes.

In my family, we all make a few things and bring them to the table. Of course, a few emails prior lets everyone have dibs on what they want to make. My mother is normally saddled with the turkey which she does not complain about as she ties up the roasting bag. My sister makes highly touted rolls. My brother cooks potato buds and Stovetop and then monitors how much of the real stuff is consumed versus the box delights.

Though we have enjoyed a variety of winners, I always make something new and have the magazines to blame for it. I am a patriotic subscriber of Gourmet and Saveur and MS Living. I have not received Saveur and fear they are doing a Nov/Dec issue or the plant burned down.

As mentioned, I am getting a bit giddy. Here is my list thus far. I will eventually narrow down to 3 or 4. It is going to take some doing.

From Bon Appétit:
Cornbread Dressing with Roasted Fall Vegetables
Sweet Potato Hash
Pumpkin Mascarpone Pie
Sweet Potato Pie with Marshmallow Meringue (this could be it)
Lemon-Herb Turkey with Lemon Garlic Gravy (if this was all I was cooking, I might go for it)

From Food and Wine:
Butternut Squash Bread Pudding
Roasted Turkey with Tangerine Glaze
Tortilla-Corn Bread Dressing
Creamed Onions with Thyme and Sage

From Gourmet:
Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie
Butternut Squash with Pumpkin-seed Pesto
Coconut Tart
Sugared Cranberries and Sage Leaves
Plum Pumpkin Tart

Non-Thanksgiving fare from Gourmet:
Cider-glazed Lamb Chops
Shrimp in Garlic Sauce
Spicy Green Salad with Manchego and Pears
Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing
Shrimp with Indian-spiced Potatoes

Non-Thanksgiving fare from Bon Appétit:
Roasted Butternut Squash with Lime Juice
Carmelized Pears with Dulce de Leche Ice Cream
Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread
Sage-Scented Shortbread

Non-Thanksgiving fare from Food and Wine:
Apple Cake with Toffee Crust

Non-Thanksgiving fare from MS Living:
Cranberry Compote Layered with Lemon Ricotta

3 comments:

Krustee said...

Wowee! What a list. I too hope to whip up a pumpkin mascarpone pie. We usually stick to our same repertoire of Thanksgiving dishes but this year are going to shake things up a bit. We are departing from my father's dressing which we have had since I was a wee thing and trying something new. I'm not sure how I feel about it but am trying to keep an open palate.

Anonymous said...

You have fine taste. Be sure to let me know what you tried and how it went.
Martha's mother died...she will be sad this year at Thanksgiving.
t

apple slice said...

Yee gads. I had no idea the matron passed away. What a shame for the clan. I am currently musing on what to make for stuffing. I am leaning toward a southwestern stuffing (cornbread) but am a mite worried as it is only cornbread and 1/2 C of chicken broth. I am feeling brave though and think, could it be this easy? I need to experiment . . . .

Scout, I am glad you are trying a new dressing though I'm sure your father's will be missed in more ways than one.

T, I need to hear of your feast as well. I am excited for the post game show.