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thanksgiving recipes
my general cooking philosophy is pretty anarchic (much like my approach to many other things, like sewing, chess, and tennis) -- i start with a general plan, a base recipe or three, and then just go at it with whatever i've got in the kitchen. it often turns out well, and it's always fun.
anyhow. i've got three pies in the oven, so i figured i'd write down some approximate recipes:
stuffing:
make cornbread (4 boxes jiffy mix) a day or two in advance. add a bit of sugar, old bay, garlic, rosemary, thyme, tiny bit of cayenne, etc. (alternately, toast crumbled cornbread at ~250F for 20 minutes, until it gets dry and crunchy.)
1 sweet onion, chopped & caramelized in butter, with garlic & herbs
bacon, lots, fried w/ rosemary, thyme, honey, then crumbled
2 regular onions + 1 bunch celery, sauteed in baconfat, with salt, garlic & herbs
sausage, lots, sliced small, fried w/ rosemary, thyme, honey
heat 32oz chicken broth with half a stick of butter, lots of herbs (lots of fresh rosemary & thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, more sage). let boil for a few minutes, then add the bacon, sausage, onions, & celery, turn heat to low & simmer for 10 minutes. add cubed stuffing mix (~3/4 pkg) and cornbread, mixing well. add chopped dried cranberries. mix well, add liquid or more bread if the stuffing is too wet/dry. bake in large covered dish, lightly packed, at 350F for ~45 min - 1 hr.
sweet potato pie -- makes ~4 pies:
oven @ 350F
~8 cups baked sweet potatoes (~ 4 lbs sweet potatoes)
3 3/4 cups plain yogurt
2 1/4 cups packed dk brown sugar
~12 eggs, separated
lemon juice, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger, salt, vanilla
pie crust & dish
candied pecans
0. chop most of the pecans. toast all of the pecans. mix honey, brown sugar, sugar, ginger, vanilla, spices. microwave for 30 sec. coat pecans with mixture, roll pecans in cinnamon-sugar, set on parchment to cool & dry.
1. cube sweet potatoes, bake in covered dishes w/ a little oil & liquid @ 350F until very tender. i used a bit of orange dessert wine and a bit of water. mash with fork. add ginger, molasses, vanilla, lemon juice.
2. mix yogurt and brown sugar, then add that to the mashed sweet potatoes. blend with hand-mixer until smooth. add more molasses or brown sugar to taste, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger (lots), vanilla, and a small bit of salt. add candied pecan bits, mix in.
3. separate eggs. beat egg yolks, add to sweet potato mixture, beat until well-mixed. whip egg whites to soft peaks (add sugar, vanilla, spices, cognac to taste). fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture; do not overmix.
4. put pie crust in pie dish. pour filling into dish. put a few whole candied pecans on top. put tinfoil around the edges to keep them from burning. bake @ 350F for 50-60 minutes, until knife in center comes out clean.
...and then i had some extra whipped egg whites, so i added more vanilla cognac, sugar, spices, and cocoa, and stuck it in the oven to make merengue. unfortunately, i also kinda forgot about it, so the proto-merengue cooked for ~45-50 minutes at 350F and is now somewhat more like a big squashy marshmallow. but tasty. i'm curious to see how the sweet potato pies with whipped egg whites come out. perhaps something like a souffle? or just a lighter sort of pie? i have no idea.
i have quality-checked the stuffing, though, and it's just-right. between that and tasting the pie-filling while putting those together, i think it kinda counts as dinner.
anyhow. i've got three pies in the oven, so i figured i'd write down some approximate recipes:
stuffing:
make cornbread (4 boxes jiffy mix) a day or two in advance. add a bit of sugar, old bay, garlic, rosemary, thyme, tiny bit of cayenne, etc. (alternately, toast crumbled cornbread at ~250F for 20 minutes, until it gets dry and crunchy.)
1 sweet onion, chopped & caramelized in butter, with garlic & herbs
bacon, lots, fried w/ rosemary, thyme, honey, then crumbled
2 regular onions + 1 bunch celery, sauteed in baconfat, with salt, garlic & herbs
sausage, lots, sliced small, fried w/ rosemary, thyme, honey
heat 32oz chicken broth with half a stick of butter, lots of herbs (lots of fresh rosemary & thyme, sage, oregano, marjoram, more sage). let boil for a few minutes, then add the bacon, sausage, onions, & celery, turn heat to low & simmer for 10 minutes. add cubed stuffing mix (~3/4 pkg) and cornbread, mixing well. add chopped dried cranberries. mix well, add liquid or more bread if the stuffing is too wet/dry. bake in large covered dish, lightly packed, at 350F for ~45 min - 1 hr.
sweet potato pie -- makes ~4 pies:
oven @ 350F
~8 cups baked sweet potatoes (~ 4 lbs sweet potatoes)
3 3/4 cups plain yogurt
2 1/4 cups packed dk brown sugar
~12 eggs, separated
lemon juice, molasses, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger, salt, vanilla
pie crust & dish
candied pecans
0. chop most of the pecans. toast all of the pecans. mix honey, brown sugar, sugar, ginger, vanilla, spices. microwave for 30 sec. coat pecans with mixture, roll pecans in cinnamon-sugar, set on parchment to cool & dry.
1. cube sweet potatoes, bake in covered dishes w/ a little oil & liquid @ 350F until very tender. i used a bit of orange dessert wine and a bit of water. mash with fork. add ginger, molasses, vanilla, lemon juice.
2. mix yogurt and brown sugar, then add that to the mashed sweet potatoes. blend with hand-mixer until smooth. add more molasses or brown sugar to taste, as well as cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, fresh ginger (lots), vanilla, and a small bit of salt. add candied pecan bits, mix in.
3. separate eggs. beat egg yolks, add to sweet potato mixture, beat until well-mixed. whip egg whites to soft peaks (add sugar, vanilla, spices, cognac to taste). fold egg whites into sweet potato mixture; do not overmix.
4. put pie crust in pie dish. pour filling into dish. put a few whole candied pecans on top. put tinfoil around the edges to keep them from burning. bake @ 350F for 50-60 minutes, until knife in center comes out clean.
...and then i had some extra whipped egg whites, so i added more vanilla cognac, sugar, spices, and cocoa, and stuck it in the oven to make merengue. unfortunately, i also kinda forgot about it, so the proto-merengue cooked for ~45-50 minutes at 350F and is now somewhat more like a big squashy marshmallow. but tasty. i'm curious to see how the sweet potato pies with whipped egg whites come out. perhaps something like a souffle? or just a lighter sort of pie? i have no idea.
i have quality-checked the stuffing, though, and it's just-right. between that and tasting the pie-filling while putting those together, i think it kinda counts as dinner.