Thanksgiving Tablescape

Thanksgiving, I've come to realize, is my favorite holiday. It's similar to Christmas in that there is a spirit of celebration while we enjoy festive food and spend time with family. While I do enjoy exchanging gifts with loved ones, the shopping, excessive spending, and agonizing over token gifts can add enough pressure to the Christmas that I long for the simplicity of Thanksgiving, where we simply take a day to celebrate what we already have. 

This was the first holiday of any sort that Brad and I have celebrated in our own home, just the two of us. It was quiet and restful-- our "Old Fashioned Thanksgiving" we called it, invoking thoughts of a mid-century lifestyle where we watched the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on television, enjoyed a constant flow of our favorite cocktails throughout the day, "dressed for dinner", and finally feasted on a traditional, home-cooked Thanksgiving meal.

I kept the table design simple but elegant by restricting the color palate to grey and frosty green. Our antique dining room table is too lovely to cover with a tablecloth, and I love how the wood gives a rustic feel to our tablescape.

Thanksgiving is still autumn, but adding some evergreen foliage and eucalyptus to the pumpkin hanging around from Halloween ended up being the perfect way to transition into the holiday season.

The menu itself was pretty simple, but these kinds of things make a lot of food for just two people. I cooked a couple of cornish game hens, along with a small turkey breast, covered in a cranberry, orange, and rosemary glaze.

The rest of the menu included a traditional southern favorites like dressing, and sweet potato casserole, as well as cranberry sauce (recipe here), mashed potatoes, green beans, and rolls. 

It was all a wonderful, exhausting success and I can't wait to do it again!

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Star Anise

No matter how much food is served on Thanksgiving I usually find myself with only four essentials on my plate (at least the first time around): Turkey, dressing, sweet potato casserole, and cranberry sauce. I couldn’t possibly enjoy my turkey without the additional tang of cranberries! I have to admit it felt risky, changing up a recipe for something this classic and essential, but I am so completely thrilled with the result that I might never make the old recipe again! The warm bite of allspice and star anise and the piquant kick of orange zest are a delicious compliment to the familiarly sweet and tangy cranberries. 

I can’t wait to try this on my turkey tomorrow, and if you’re looking for a delicious twist on a traditional Thanksgiving staple here’s a great recipe! 

CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH ORANGE AND STAR ANISE

4 whole allspice berries

2 whole star anise 

¾ c. sugar

¼ c. orange juice

12 oz. fresh cranberries

Zest strips from 1/2 orange

Gather allspice and star anise in a 4-inch square of cheesecloth and tie into a sachet. Combine sugar, orange juice, and 1/4 cup water in a saucepan. Add sachet and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar melts and liquid begins to bubble, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep for 10 minutes.Return pot to stove over medium-high heat and add cranberries and zest. Cook until cranberries just begin to pop, about 6 minutes. Discard sachet. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for up to three days before serving.

Hearty Chicken Soup with Dumplings

It's the week before Thanksgiving and the weather is finally catching up with the season, meaning it's finally time for those warm, delicious comfort foods we associate with autumn and winter. My favorite of these is definitely chicken and dumplings and I've had this meal in mind for a few weeks now, but wanted to refine the recipe a little bit before sharing it. When I made it last night it turned out perfectly, so I guess we're ready. Dumplings can be tricky and anytime I've tried other recipes the dumplings have disappointed me. The dumplings will rise quite a bit as they cook, so I roll the dough out and slice it into rectangles with a knife or pizza cutter, so that the dumplings will be thin and can cook all the way through.

When cooking a whole chicken, I always like to add the extra step of making a bone broth for those extra nutrients. (Then I can feel better about the less-nutritious dumplings part of the recipe.) I often do this ahead of time, cooking the chicken and then freezing the broth and the shredded meat separately. This allows me to simply combine all the soup ingredients and add the dumplings at the end. 

CHICKEN BONE BROTH SOUP

1 whole chicken

4 ribs celery chopped

2 carrots, chopped

2 shallots, chopped

1 garlic clove

1 teaspoons salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1 bay leaf

1 fresh thyme sprig

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

DUMPLINGS

2 cups all purpose flour, plus about 1/2 cup extra

4 teaspoons baking powder

1 cup milk

4 tablespoons melted butter

1 tsp salt

Rinse whole chicken in cold water, and pat dry. Place, breast down, in crockpot with 1 cup of water. Cook on high for 4 hours or on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken and pick apart, placing the large bones back in the crockpot, setting aside the meat, and discarding the rest.

Add 6 cups of water to the crockpot, along with the carrots, celery, shallots, garlic, bay leaves, and thyme sprig. Cook on low 6-8hrs. Use a slotted spoon to sift through and remove all the bones, bay leaves, and thyme sprig.

Place broth in a large pan over medium high heat and add the chicken, shredding into small pieces as you go. Bring broth to a boil while you make the dough for dumplings. 

To make dumplings: Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine milk and melted butter. Add to the dry ingredients. Stir to combine, adding extra flour a little at a time until the dough starts to form a ball.  Roll the dough out to about 1/4" thickness and slice into strips.  Cut or break off dumplings in approx 3" pieces and drop directly into the boiling soup, trying to spread them out so they don't pile up and stick together.

Cover, and return to the boil. Then reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes. (Pull out a dumpling to test, doneness. Once the dumplings are cooked through and not doughy, it's ready to serve.)

Serve topped with fresh parsley.

Quiche with Mushrooms and Herbs

Like many French recipes, quiche is really a lot simpler than the fancy name implies. This quiche, full of mushrooms sautéed in butter and port, with fresh herbs, happens to the BEST one I've ever had. 

So here's the story with this recipe. Julia Child has a recipe for Quiche aux Champignons in Mastering the Art of French cooking. I found an adapted recipe on another blog, and then I adapted it a bit further. Turns out Julia Child adds, what I would consider, an unreasonable amount of butter to everything. I'm sure her recipes are delicious, but I didn't miss the extra butter and cream. This recipe is a little lighter and more fitting for an everyday meal. I served this for dinner with a spinach salad, but I'm definitely going to keep it in mind next time I'm making a brunch!

For the Quiche:

2 tablespoons butter

2 shallots, diced

1 lb mushrooms, sliced

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon lemon juice

 2 tablespoons port

5 eggs

1 cup milk or cream

1/2 cup grated swiss cheese

1/2 teaspoon pepper

Fresh thyme, torn or chopped

Frech chives, chopped

For the pastry crust:

1 1/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup chilled butter

1/4 cup ice water

Preheat oven to 375°F.

For the pastry- conbine flour and salt in a large bowl. Cut in butter until it reaches a smooth, sandy consistency. Add water one tablespoon at a time until mixture forms a ball. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.

Roll dough on to fit a 9inch pie plate and place pastry in pan. Press dough evenly into pan and trim the edges. Bake dough for 10-15 minutes, until firm but not browning.

For the quiche- Melt butter in pan and cook shallots, then add in the sliced mushrooms, salt, and port. Cover pan and cook over medium low heat for 8 minutes. Uncover. Raise heat and boil for several minutes until liquid is completely evaporated and mushrooms are beginning to sauté in their butter.

Beat the eggs, milk or cream, and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Pour into pastry shell. Spread cheese and mushrooms evenly into the quiche. Lastly sprinkle the chopped herbs, setting aside a few fresh chives for serving. 

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until puffed and browned.

Panna Cotta with Berry Compote

Panna cotta is about as simple and versatile as a dessert gets, basically consisting of just cream, sugar, and gelatin with a fruit on top. Originating in Northern Italy, the name just means "cooked cream". It's definitely my favorite to dessert to follow a light pizza and salad dinner on summer evenings. Of course, it isn't summer now, but berries were on sale and it doesn't take much to convince me to make some variation of this dessert. (Speaking of variations, pomegranates, strawberries, even earl grey tea are among my favorites on panna cotta.) 

This berry compote is really just a lightly cooked berry jam. And the best part is that this whole dessert barely takes 10 minutes to put together and then just goes in the refrigerator for a few hours. Perfect for dinner parties, when you can't imagine trying to get the timing right on a hot dessert after dinner. Which is all dinner parties, for me.

Ingredients

1 packet powdered gelatin (about 2 1/2 teaspoons)

2 cups heavy cream

1/2 cup confectioner's sugar

1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

1/2 cup fresh raspberries

1/2 cup fresh blackberries

2 tablespoons sugar

Warm water

Panna Cotta

Lightly coat pastry molds or ramekins with neutral-tasting oil. (I use coconut oil on a paper towel, but make sure to use very little so you don’t end up with flakes of hard coconut oil on your finished product.) 

Dissolve 2 teaspoons of the gelatin in a small dish with 2 tablespoon of warm water.

Heat the cream, confectioner's sugar, and salt in a small saucepan over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. Heat until very warm, but do not allow it to boil. Stir in the gelatin until it dissolves. Set aside to cool completely.

Pour the cream into molds or ramekins, dividing evenly. Chill for at least 4 hours.

To serve, dip the molds in very hot water for about 30 seconds (careful not to submerge). Run a small offset spatula or blade of a small, sharp knife around the edges of the panna cotta, then invert onto plates.

Berry Compote

Gently mash fresh berries in a small saucepan and combine with 1/4 cup water. Add 2 tablespoons sugar. Heat on medium, while you dissolve remaining 1/2 teaspoon of gelatin in 1 tablespoon of warm water. Add gelatin to berries and stir well to combine. Cool, then refrigerate until a jelly consistency is reached.

Spoon berry compote onto panna cotta, and serve.

6 Servings

Spicy Moroccan Chicken on Pita

Moroccan food is as distinctive as it is delicious. I wasn't introduced to the concept of seasoning meat with spices like cinnamon and ginger until meeting a friend who was raised in Morocco and who frequently cooks the authentic food he grew up eating. While this recipe isn't a particularly authentic in presentation, it does include some of the unique flavors found in Moroccan cuisine.

This three-for-one post includes recipes for Moroccan chicken, eggplant chutney, and a delicious herb hummus. As fancy and flavorful as this meal is, it is really fast to prepare, especially since the chutney and hummus can be made ahead of time. 

Spicy Moroccan Chicken on Pita with Fresh Mint

4 servings

2 chicken breasts

Olive oil

Salt/ pepper

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon lemon zest

1 teaspoon lemon juice

¼ teaspoon paprika

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon turmeric

Pinch cayenne pepper

4 pieces Middle Eastern flatbread, or pita

Fresh mint, chopped or torn

Cube chicken and sprinkle with salt, pepper, and other spices. Toss well with olive oil and leave to marinate for half an hour, or overnight. To prepare, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan and add garlic. Cook on medium for a minute, then add chicken, stirring regularly to cook evenly. 

To serve, spread hummus inside pita pocket or on flatbread. Next add chicken, then chutney and sprinkle with fresh mint on top.

Grilled Eggplant, Tomato and Onion Chutney

Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 small Japanese eggplants, or 1 small globe eggplant, diced (about 1 ½ cups worth)
3 Roma tomatoes, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ teaspoon lemon juice

Salt/ pepper

Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a pan on medium heat. once the oil is hot, add in the onions, plus a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté for about 5 minutes until they start to brown and caramelize.

Add diced eggplant, plus a pinch of salt and a bit more olive oil, and sauté for a further 3 minutes, or until a they become tender and light golden-brown.

Add diced Roma tomatoes, plus another small pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté the mixture for about 10 minutes, or until everything begins to break down and resemble a jam or chutney, and is a deeper golden-brown.

Finally, add the garlic, and sauté for an additional 2 minutes; finish the chutney with the lemon juice and a drizzle of olive oil to make it glossy and rich, and salt and pepper to taste. Serve warm.

Herb Hummus 

1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed

½ cup tahini

1 clove of garlic

1 ½ tablespoons of lemon juice

½ teaspoon lemon zest

¼ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground cumin

¼ teaspoon paprika

½ cup fresh parsley

½ cup fresh cilantro

Warm water or olive oil

Place tahini, garbanzo beans, garlic, and lemon in a food processor and process for several seconds until mostly smooth. Add spices, then parsley and cilantro, and add a tablespoon of warm water or olive oil if hummus is too thick. Process until mixture is very smooth. Add salt to taste.