Ah, yes, one of the most loved(and simultaneously hated) holidays there is for the culinarian. That rush of piecing it all together in the last minute and kicking people out of your kitchen trying to scavenge. That enjoyment of nourishing those you love with food you made and making them and yourself uncomfortably full. Yes nothing personifies good old American gluttonous feasting like Thanksgiving.
And yet to some chef's, the limits of that "same old dish" every year can seem stagnant. So do something different with your bird this year. It practically screams to messed with. Turkey is a rather bland poultry that offers plenty of moisture and surface area to work with. Try an herb rub, or spice it up with a chipotle cranberry glaze. Hell, barbecue your gobbler this year and surprise your friends and neighbors. Whatever you decide on, it will be memorable, and people will still get their fill i promise you.
Another dish that gets overplayed( though comfort foods are great mind you) is the ever present sweet potatoes with piles of meted marshmallows bit. This year, why not suffer through the few wrinkled noses and cautious doubters and go out on a limb. Give scalloped sweet potatoes with Vermont cheddar a try. The sweetness of the yams/sweet potato and the savory of the cheese and cream go really well together. Or make grilled sweet potato wedges and serve it with a maple butter dipping sauce. This is Texas dammit, we can grill anything, any time.
One nice addition that is easy to remedy from the table of the ghost of Thanksgivings past is cranberry sauce. All too often it plops out of a can on to a plate, and is cut in to unappealing rounds of gelatinous goop. The alternative here: make your own with fresh cranberries. Put some orange segments and lemon zest in there. Add some walnuts on top, or even pecans. Get creative and break the Cornucopia of tradition.
I will post the recipes that I mentioned in this entry tonight, but for now, get those imagination machines fired up and ready, because we have a holiday coming up here people!!!
Gobble, Gobble and all that jazz my thin friend,
mk
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