So, I have put together mine, after a fair bit of research, considering alternatives, etc. https://food52.com/collections/264447-2015-thanksgiving
You'll see no turkey or gravy in this collection. I'm doing something a bit different this year: I'll be following the recipes in Paul Virant's excellent "Preservation Kitchen" for Roast Turkey and Smothered Gravy, in which you take the bird apart, make stock with the neck and back, braise the legs in stock on Tuesday, roast the briefly-brined breast on its own on Wednesday evening, and then make a rich gravy with the dark meat in it, in which you heat the breast, sliced, on Thanksgiving. The evenings before Thanksgiving will be busy - they always are, anyway -- with much less actual work on T-Day, and of course, considerably less juggling to get the timing right.
I feel so fortunate that my family does not expect/want/even care about having a whole bird ceremony.
Enjoy your weekends, everyone! ;o)
I set mine up only a few minutes before seeing this question! https://food52.com/collections/1454190-thanksgiving
I will likely save a number of possibilities but narrow things down closer to the day. Always looking for a new twist on a favorite or something different to try.
kevverh, I tend to do the same thing. I have a lot of ideas, which I tinker with a bit during the month of November, though I expect to have most of my menu in place and my project plan close to completed, this weekend.
My current collection is a work in progress at the moment . . . . I'm thinking about simplifying a bit this year.
But then, I always say that and it never actually happens. ;o)
I haven't created a collection but do know what I'll be making! It's just me, my hubby, and my mom this year so I'm not doing a full traditional spread. Instead of turkey I'm making Merrill's Slow Roast Duck (http://food52.com/recipes/9115-slow-roast-duck), one of my fav recipes ever, but adding five spice to the cavity and serving with a Chinese-style sauce (that I'll make with some blackberry syrup I put up this summer) and scallion pancakes (probably the recipe posted last week but haven't tried it yet). For sides, I'm thinking a veg-heavy fried rice and a green salad with figs and walnuts, but I'm still fiddling at this point.
Meaghan, you must, must, must make some XO sauce, to stir into that fried rice! I was introduced to it by halfpint, here on the Hotline, in response to a question about what kinds of things Food52 members make in advance of the holidays. Recipe here: http://www.grubstreet.com/2012/08/how-to-use-xo-sauce.html I toss fresh Chinese noodles + roast duck + slivered veg with it. (Or shrimp, or chicken, or pork, or a combination of all of the above.) I'm going to use the last of the duck confit I made a few weeks ago (in freezer) with leftover TJ's brown rice medley + XO sauce and diced veg later this week. And I cannot wait.
I really like the green salad with figs and walnuts idea! I'd put a mustard, pomegranate molasses, lemon dressing on it. ;o)
Oooh!! Will definitely check out the XO sauce... Stir fries etc. are dinner staples for me so even if I decide against the fried rice for T-Day it still looks like something I need in my life.
I'm struggling this year to come up with a squash recipe that has texture but isn't roasted. Mashed potatoes are essential to me, so I don't want a squash puree, but in my experience, the lovely crispiness of the roasted squash that we eat the rest of the season, is hard to achieve in a crowded Tday oven.
Emilie, you can make it ahead of time, but here are some tricks. First, I agree that it's hard to get it crispy in the oven with all the other things. That's because (a) the temperature is mostly likely not really high enough and (b) there is a lot of moisture in the oven both from the squash and the other things that are in there. What I do is this (perhaps you could do it early in the day before a lot of other things need to go in the oven?): Heat your oven to about 425 degrees. Put a sturdy (it's got to be a good one) baking sheet in the oven when you turn it on. You're going to pre-heat the baking sheet. Peel, cube, lightly pat dry and then toss generously with olive oil and herbs (we like rosemary + thyme), followed by a good sprinkling of salt. When the oven is hot, put the squash on the hot pan and shut the oven. After about five minutes, open the oven just a bit to let the steam out. Shut it and cook for another 15 minutes, opening after another 10 for just a few seconds to let the steam out. Remove the sheet pan, flip over the squash cubes and return to the oven for 10-15 minutes, or until just firm tender. Remove and let sit on the tray until completely cool. You can reheat these in the oven. Try to do that on a pre-heated sheet; it causes steam to come off right away. It won't take long to re-heat. Hope this helps! ;o)
some suggestions -
1) put the squash in the stuffing/dressing and bake it outside the turkey. some - especially the top and sides - will get crispy.
2) bake a squash-noodle pudding in a toaster oven with a crunchy crust (bread crumbs or potato chips or pretzels)
1a and 2a) if you do this in 2 smaller rather than one larger pan, you can heat & serve one first, then pop the other in the oven to heat up for second helpings
3) give up on this difficult task and make squash with texture on the day after, to serve with turkey sandwiches
I have one with only a few recipes in it-- I tend to store holiday recipes in a google doc spread sheet that I use for year to year planning with guest lists and shopping lists all linked up. Mine is called Tday- https://food52.com/collections/854427-tday
Emilie, have you tried the Coleman potato gratin? I find that recipe intriguing -- perfectly classic in the ingredients, but not so much in the method, at least the way most people I know make it. ;o)
Thank you, Oat & Sesame for posting yours. So interesting. I think I'd like to come over to your house on Thanksgiving, given what's in that collection! ;o)
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And to bump this thread back up -- keep sharing, we'd love to see more of your collections!
You'll see no turkey or gravy in this collection. I'm doing something a bit different this year: I'll be following the recipes in Paul Virant's excellent "Preservation Kitchen" for Roast Turkey and Smothered Gravy, in which you take the bird apart, make stock with the neck and back, braise the legs in stock on Tuesday, roast the briefly-brined breast on its own on Wednesday evening, and then make a rich gravy with the dark meat in it, in which you heat the breast, sliced, on Thanksgiving. The evenings before Thanksgiving will be busy - they always are, anyway -- with much less actual work on T-Day, and of course, considerably less juggling to get the timing right.
I feel so fortunate that my family does not expect/want/even care about having a whole bird ceremony.
Enjoy your weekends, everyone! ;o)
I will likely save a number of possibilities but narrow things down closer to the day. Always looking for a new twist on a favorite or something different to try.
My current collection is a work in progress at the moment . . . . I'm thinking about simplifying a bit this year.
But then, I always say that and it never actually happens. ;o)
I really like the green salad with figs and walnuts idea! I'd put a mustard, pomegranate molasses, lemon dressing on it. ;o)
1) put the squash in the stuffing/dressing and bake it outside the turkey. some - especially the top and sides - will get crispy.
2) bake a squash-noodle pudding in a toaster oven with a crunchy crust (bread crumbs or potato chips or pretzels)
1a and 2a) if you do this in 2 smaller rather than one larger pan, you can heat & serve one first, then pop the other in the oven to heat up for second helpings
3) give up on this difficult task and make squash with texture on the day after, to serve with turkey sandwiches
Here's mine: https://food52.com/collections/1454190-thanksgiving