Thanksgiving recipes

[Uncle Buck]

Anybody have any favorite Thanksgiving recipes to share? I'm interested in trying to bake a sweet potato pie - have never tried that one before - and would gladly use a recipe with a tubist-stamp-of-approval.

Last year we brined our turkey for the first time. It's a pretty big hassle, but one that I think we're going to undertake every year now.

[Rick Denney]

Standard Denney Thanksgiving feast:

Turkey, or sometimes ham.
Dressing--definitely.
Sweet potatoes baked with butter, cinnamon, and (of course) marshmallows.
Asparagus in cream sauce (standard cream sauce with mild cheddar sprinkled on top and baked like a casserole).
Pecan pie, with Blue Bell French Vanilla.
Rolls.

All that adds up to about a 3000-calories meal. It's not haute cuisine by any means, but what it says to me is: Great-grandmother's house in Anahuac, Texas in, oh, about 1967.

My sister is the one carrying on that tradition. And this year, she has decided to have that feast at Christmas instead of Thanksgiving, when we will be able to visit.

Rick "life is good, even if Joe's gift card expired" Denney

[DonShirer]

I was looking for a different veggie recipe for Thanksgiving and found this carrot and brussel sprouts dish on Epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... uts-241514" target="_blank" target="_blank" target="_blank

I am not normally a Bsprouts enthusiast, but I did have some of both veggies left in the garden, so we tried a beta test run before the holiday and surprise! it was not only good but great tasting. Much better than the usual holiday green bean or yam dish. (Note: I didn't have any shallots, so I used onion instead.)

[Rick Denney]

Where do you find Blue Bell up there, Rick?

I don't.

I also don't know how to duplicate my grandmother's cream sauce recipe.

All life is filled with compromise.

Rick "making do, regretfully, with Haagen-Dasz" Denney

[Dean E]

From a friend in Kentucky:

KAHLUA PECAN PIE

1/4 c. butter
3/4 c. sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 Tbsp flour
3 eggs
1/2 c Kahlua
1/2 c dark corn syrup
3/4 c evaporated milk
1 c whole or chopped pecans
1/2 c heavy cream (whipped)
pecan halves (garnish)

Line a 9' pie plate w/ pastry recipe (chill)
Set oven to 400 degres.

Cream together:
butter, sugar, vanilla, flour (mix well)

Beat in eggs (one at a time)

Stir in Kahlua, corn syrup, evaporated milk & pecans

Mix well & pour into pie pan.

Bake for 10 min. reduce heat to 325 and bake until firm (about 40 min).

Chill.

When ready to serve, garnish with whipped cream & pecan halves.

[Evil Ronnie]

Uncle Buck,

The dough recipe is adapted from Rose Beranbaum's Pie and Pastry Bible. The filling comes from a Craig Claiborne cookbook. I use a stand mixer to mix this dough, which is very flaky and tender.

Cream Cheese Dough

8 tablespoons (113 grams) unsalted butter, cold, cut into small cubes
6.5 ounces (184 grams) unbleached white flour or pastry flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
3 ounces (85 grams) cream cheese, cold, cut into cubes
1-1/2 tablespoon (21 grams) ice water
1-1/2 teaspoon (7 grams) cider vinegar
Combine dry ingredients, cream cheese, and butter. Blend on medium-low speed until the mixture resembles coarse meal. Add the liquids and mix until dough comes together. Chill dough for at least 45 minutes before rolling out on a floured counter top. Pre-bake the pie shell after rolling out into a buttered pie pan.


Sweet Potato Pie (filling)

1-1/2 pound sweet potatoes
3 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3 eggs, separated
3/4 cup milk
Salt
Prepare cream cheese pie dough (see separate recipe, but do not par-bake the dough as described.)

Place the sweet potatoes in a saucepan and add water to cover and salt to taste. Simmer 15 minutes or longer, or until potatoes are tender. Drain and cool.

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Peel the sweet potatoes and put them through a food mill, or blend in a food processor or blender. Transfer the puree into a bowl and add the butter, syrup, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, egg yolks, and milk. Blend well.

Beat the egg whites until stiff. Fold the potato mixture into the whites. Pour the filling into the prepared pie shell and bake 45 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the center comes out clean.

Let me know how this works for you.

Enjoy,

[jamsav]

This is a little crazy but it was a big hit last year- whipped sweet potatoes with creme of coconut and curry powder to taste . Add brown sugar and thai chili paste ( if your brave ) put in caserole dish, back under broiler for a few minutes and away you go ...

[tbn.al]

I love beer butt chicken so I think I'm going to try beer butt turkey this year. Has anyone actually tried it? If so, can you offer any suggestions to keep me from screwing it up?

[jamsav]

you'll need a can of Fosters !

[Donn]

I was looking for a different veggie recipe for Thanksgiving and found this carrot and brussel sprouts dish on Epicurious:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/ ... uts-241514

I am not normally a Bsprouts enthusiast, but I did have some of both veggies left in the garden, so we tried a beta test run before the holiday and surprise! it was not only good but great tasting.

That's the way to cook them. Just cutting them open is a big win. When I was a kid, I detested them - boiled whole until barely green, they are indeed a bit nauseating, but cut in half or quartered and cooked until just soft but still bright green, and they're premium eating. Some people like nutmeg with them. Olive oil, salt and pepper for me.

That fry/steam method works well for broccoli, too. When we had an electric range, I'd turn the burner off after introducing a little water, and let the broccoli steam in the closed pan while I did other things for a few minutes, really as long as you want. They barely cook that way, but don't taste raw at all - never ate such good tasting broccoli.

[TubaTodd]

I love beer butt chicken so I think I'm going to try beer butt turkey this year. Has anyone actually tried it? If so, can you offer any suggestions to keep me from screwing it up?

Wow. So you call it "beer butt chicken" too. That's great. We've never tried the turkey, but I would think you may need to add supports to the stand. The chicken base does not look tall or wide enough to support the weight of a turkey. Do you plan on cooking in an oven or on the grill? My family uses a grill for the beer butt chickens. You'd need a grill with a super tall cover to do a turkey.

[Thomas Maurice Booth]

My in-laws make beer can turkey year round. However, they have trouble finding properly sized cans to place up the turkey's you know what... So, they bought a marvelous contraption called the "Turkey Cannon", which takes all the trouble out of finding the right size can and keeping it upright.

The Cannon will hold a 20+ lb. bird and it fits in any of their smokers or in the oven.

http://www.campchef.com/store/item/155/ ... annon.html" target="_blank" target="_blank

I also recommend making lemonade or tea turkey - same method as beer can turkey, but it uses a slightly different rub and achieves a different taste.

TMB

[tbn.al]

I will use my grill with hickory chips in the smoker box and indirect heat at about 275 for 6 hours or so. I have a very big chicken rack/pan/roaster that should hold the turkey. Works just like the cannon only the bird is straight up. I should have room for a smallish turkey, 12/14 lbs. I am thinking of using orange juice instead of beer. I've used that with chicken and it is better than beer. I know that is probably a violation of the low brass creed, but it is what it is. I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks for the positive reinforcement. It's nice to know others have had success.

[TubaTodd]

Has anyone received the (forwarded email) "pumpkin pie recipe"...??

bloke "so far, twice here...ha-ha.......ha.......ha.........."

The one with the pumpkin "dumping" in the pie tins? I have. I get a steady flow of those types of emails from my aunt.

[ken k]

PA dutch potato filling

A blend of mashed potatoes and tasty bread filling is baked to perfection in this popular Pennsylvania Dutch recipe.

For about 15 to 20 servings....


•10 lb. potatoes - cooked and mashed
•1 cup butter, divided
•1 to 1-1/2 cups milk
•3 eggs, lightly beaten
•2 tsp. salt
•1/2 tsp. pepper
•2 cups finely chopped celery
•2 large onions - chopped fine
•parsley - several sprigs of fresh or 2 T. dried
•1 lb. bread cubes or 1 medium loaf white bread - cut into 1/2" cubes
Preparation -
Add 1/2 cup butter, milk, the lightly beaten eggs, salt and pepper to the mashed potatoes. Melt 1/4 cup butter in very large skillet. Add the onion and celery and saute until tender. Add the parsley and continue cooking for a few minutes longer. Remove the mixture from the skillet to a bowl; set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter in the skillet. Add the bread cubes to the skillet. Saute the bread cubes until very lightly browned. Combine the bread cubes with the vegetable mixture. In a very large bowl, combine the mashed potato/egg mixture with the vegetable/bread cube mixture. Stir until well blended. Mix thoroughly. (Add additional milk, if needed.) Spoon the mixture into 2 large buttered casseroles or oven safe bowls. Dot with additional butter or margerine. Bake in a preheated oven at 375º for 1/2 hour.

Potato filling can be prepared a day ahead of time, refrigerated, and baked just before serving. Allow about 15 to 20 minutes additional baking time when the filling has been chilled. Stir once or twice during bake time.