Thanksgiving Day 2010

My entire life, I have always looked forward to the holidays. As a child, it was a frantic anticipation of special treats to be eaten and gifts to be opened. As an adult, the frantic anticipation of things to be received has been (mostly) replaced by a nostalgic anticipation of familiar sparkling lights, spicy and sweet smells, warm flavours, and family traditions. For me, and I think for many Americans, the holiday season begins with the gastronomic delight that is Thanksgiving Day.

Norman Rockwell

Incorrect history aside, this day is about gathering together with loved ones to pause and feel gratitude for all the simple abundances we have, which we symbolically represent with the impressive amount of rich, tasty food. This year, being full of obstacles and challenges overcome, I had a lot to be thankful for, and I strove to show this gratitude (and achievement) by preparing a classic, rich American Thanksgiving Dinner for us and five of our friends. (Note: Being that this is a rare occasion, I chose not to modify any of the recipes by limiting/changing fats and/or sugars.)

My Traditional American Thanksgiving Menu was:

First Course:

Chunky Applesauce (Martha Stewart)

Main Course:

Main Dish:

Classic Roast Turkey (Epicurious)

Side Dishes

Farmhouse Herbed Stuffing (Epicurious) Gourmet Green bean Casserole (Martha Stewart)

Mom’s Mashed Potatoes (family recipe) Fresh Table Grapes and Pears

Roast Vegetables (my friend, Lily) Simple Vegetable Salad (my friend, Lily)

Bread:

Braided Foster Rolls (Martha Stewart)

Sauces:

Cherry-orange Relish (my recipe) Old-Fashioned Turkey Gravy (Epicurious)

Beverages:

Ginger Beer (Martha Stewart) Grape Juice

Wines:

Cabernet Chardonnay

Rest:

Teas:

Earl Grey Flying Dragon Green Green Soursop Festive Grape

Coffee:

Alta Rica

Dessert:

Pies and Cakes:

Antique Apple Pie A’la Mode (Martha Stewart

Rich Pumpkin Pie with Shortbread Crust (Martha Stewart)

Aside from being my first real meal prepared for guests, this dinner also involved preparing a number of familiar dishes completely from scratch. Why? Because in the US we have gotten spoiled with all the ready-made ingredients and dishes that the season affords. Canned pumpkin, cream of mushroom soup, cranberry sauce, Stove Top -- these things don't exist here. As a result, I spent a lot of time pre-preparing for this meal, which required more planning and time than I remember my mom spending on a normal Turkey Dinner back home. Don't get me wrong, I don't resent the effort and time I had to put into this dinner. Not only because, true to the spirit of Thanksgiving, I had help from my friend Lily and from my husband, Rick, but because I felt an enormous sense of pride serving a natural, preservative-free, meal to my family and to my friends. Nonetheless, I did learn a lot. . . like not to forget the rolls in the oven!

My window decorations.

My table setting.

A small centerpiece I put together.

After a few days, when the leftovers had been thoroughly picked over, I asked Rick and some of my guests what they would like to eat again next year. The most popular choices were: the mashed potatoes, the stuffing, the applesauce, the relish and the pies. My personal favourites were: the applesauce, the mashed potatoes, the gravy, the relish, and the apple pie. Disappointingly, the Green bean Casserole was bland and a bit tough. If I were to do it again, I would modify the recipe a lot, including baking it twice (when we reheated the leftovers the result was more like the familiar and loved casserole my mom makes). All the guests loved the turkey, and I would not object to making it again, but I also want to try other variations of roast gobbler!

Cherry-orange Relish

Quality control for Cherry Sauce. . .

Getting ready to eat!

"The Turkey."

Rick performing the traditional duty of carving the turkey, which he did superbly.

We were too busy savouring the food to remember to photograph it all. . .here's the apple pie.

Overall, the dinner was a stunning success (save the too-crispy rolls) and, despite not being with family this year, it felt a lot like home.

A post-Thanksgiving Recipe: Vegan Pumpkin Spice Brownies

Despite not having posted about my Ukrainian attempt at Turkey Day, I don't want to wait too long before posting some of my new recipes. I will post about preparing an American Thanksgiving in Ukraine, but in the next post, which I'll put up this weekend.

One thing I'll share now, however, is that I had a lot of extra roasted squash-yam puree. Not wanting to over-satiate Rick and my hunger for the seasonal classic, Pumpkin Pie, I decided to use the extra puree for a vegan dessert, one without any animal-derived products. Now many different fruits and vegetables can substitute eggs and animal fats for vegan baking. Bananas and prune juice are some very popular choices, but can leave a particular flavour. My mother first suggested pumpkin for baking, and now I use it in almost everything because, as it cooks, it becomes relatively flavourless, but retains its creamy texture.

So, if your looking for something rich and tasty, but low in animal fats, try baking with pumpkin. By leaving out the pumpkin pie spices, you can make a rich, universal chocolate cake batter. So, have your cake (and cartenoids) and eat them, too!

Vegan Pumpkin Spice Brownies

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from the kitchen of Kimberly Joki-DeLong

Makes about 12 brownies

Nutrition: 124 calories ◦ 20g carbohydrates

◦ 5g sugar ◦ 4g fiber ◦ 3g protein ◦ 5g fat

Ingredients:

◦ 2 cups pumpkin puree

◦ 1 tsp cinnamon

◦ 1 tsp ground ginger

◦ ¼ tsp allspice

◦ 2-3 T sugar or honey

◦ 2 T olive oil, divided

◦ ¼ cup cocoa powder

◦ 1.5 cups whole grain flour

◦ 1 t baking powder

◦ Pinch of salt

◦ Half bar of dark chocolate, 70% or higher broken into pieces

◦ powdered sugar, for garnish if desired

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Oil 9x9 baking dish, with 1 T oil.

2. In a medium bowl, mix pumpkin puree, spices, sweetener and remaining oil together. Stir thoroughly.

3. Add in flour, cocoa, and baking powder, mixing thoroughly. Stir until all is incorporated. The batter should be thick and smooth. Mix in chocolate pieces.

4. Pour the batter into the oiled baking dish and place in warm oven. Bake for about 20 minutes or until the edges of the brownies harden and it begins to smell fantastic. The edges of the brownies, when hardening, should separate from the sides of the baking dish.

5. Remove brownies and check the center with a toothpick or clean knife. You may need to test one or two spots as the chocolate can make the bread seem undercooked when it is in fact ready. The brownies should be soft and somewhat dense.

6. Let cool briefly. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve warm with cold milk.

Notes:

◦ These brownies are rich and smooth. Don't make this recipe as written if you want a chewy dense brownie.

◦ The first time I made this I used my extra pumpkin pie puree, which had cream and eggs. It was still delicious.

◦ You can make these brownies lighter or more chocolaty by adding or reducing the amount of cocoa used.