"Thanksgiving in Nantucket" was the title to the glossy spread in my November, 1993 Bon Appetit and it played right into the preppy fantasy I had been nurturing since reading The Preppy Handbook in seventh grade and The Great Gatsby in ninth. God help me.
The article focused on a multi-generational Nantucket family. The grandparents had sharp blue eyes, thick white hair, were nattily dressed in tweed, corduroy and pearls. The granddaughters sported long ginger hair, clear skin and big white smiles. The grey shingled house was filled with sunshine, fine fabrics and unquestionably good taste. Dinner was served on grandma's heirloom blue-figured china. Impeccable and quite the opposite of my extended families tradition of potluck, folding tables, plug-in turkey roasters and fryers, card games, political arguments and the highlight for me, marshmallow/Cool Whip/fruit salad (and from the bottom of my heart I thank you for this, Aunt Carol).
This soup was Nantucket grandpa's contribution to the meal. Probably a family recipe from high times in colonial India which we now know was possibly not so good for India but this soup is delicious and I've been making it regularly ever since. It's good with a variety of squashes, like acorn and butternut or even carrots.
The whipped yogurt is a garnish I had recently at a local restaurant and it's incredible. You beat plain yogurt with heavy cream to get the lightness of whipped cream with the tang of yogurt and you can adjust to your taste. I used 2 parts yogurt to 1 part cream but you could certainly flip that ratio if you like a milder yogurt flavor.
—Laurie
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