Our crowd keeps growing for Thanksgiving, and that is wonderful. I adore this holiday, with its focus on food and loved ones. There is no emphasis on gift-giving and its inevitably crass commercialism (I'm lookin' at you, Christmas!) and any conflict among participants is rather minor, at least in my experience. Of course, the cook is usually overwhelmed, there may be restless children, some may drink to vociferous excess, but first and foremost, Thanksgiving is a pretext to throw a pleasurable feast. I think it's a marvelous opportunity to showcase and celebrate foods from the New World. Isn't it jarring to think that chilies, tomatoes, potatoes, and papaya were introduced to the whole planet only a handful of centuries ago?
Turkey is, of course, the centerpiece of any traditional Thanksgiving, so it's important to roast the bird with care. I am investigating different techniques, but it looks like brining and a foil tent will be involved. Details to follow.
To accompany the turkey, there must be an embarrassingly copious display of side dishes. There must be mashed potatoes and some riff on cranberries. Sweet potatoes and at least one green vegetable in a creamy sauce are expected, too. Wines must be selected to accompany the wide breadth of flavors from the take-your-coat-off-and-nibble-on-something stage to the very end, when dessert is forced down sluggish throats. As for dessert, what kind of pie? How many pies? What about pies and a frozen dessert?
The concerns go on and on, and all home cooks have a lot of planning to do in the days ahead. As my own plans coalesce, I'll try to find a few minutes to rationalize them here.
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