¡Viva! Kitchen: 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!