Turkey Day Menus?
- Thread starter JohnJumba
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Cooking for a thousand traditional meals and pickup. So I say both. Lol
Gonna have a little bit of a lot of different stuff, given that my extended family is multi-cultural.
Start off at Starbucks with a Pumpkin Spice Latte and Blueberry Scones, obviously. Then the usual turkey horsecrap.
Traditional. But let's get more specific.
How do you like your mashed potatoes? I like mine silky smooth made with butter, half-n-half, and sour cream.
How do you like your mashed potatoes? I like mine silky smooth made with butter, half-n-half, and sour cream.
I like mine rustic, made w red potatoes skin on, w butter cream ,cream cheese old bay seasoning
So Boston Market takeout?
2 16# Brined, Smoked and then Roasted Turkey w/Madeira and Fresh Thyme Gravy (using Traeger)
Rosemary Rolls
Cranberry Orange dressing w/Lemon zest
Cider glazed Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Mashed Potatoes done with Buttermilk
Hassel back potatoes w/Duck Fat
Corn Bread Sausage & Sage Stuffing (has chestnuts, peaches, rum raisins)
Sweet Potatoes with Pecan crusted topping
Pearl Onions with Smoked Ham (dish is incredible-rum raisins, maple vinegar and cream sauce is the base)
Green Bean Casserole (crème la fraiche, panko bread crumbs, gruyere)
Dessert:
PUMPKIN SPICE & VANILLA CHEESECAKE w/Rum Raisin Sauce
Pumpkin Pie
Pecan Pie
So, your answer is Not Traditional.
Could you please share that Pearl Onion recipe? Sounds great.
Mashed Potatoes with Buttermilk for my PA tradtional wifeSo, your answer is Not Traditional.
Could you please share that Pearl Onion recipe? Sounds great.
Chef Jean Pierre local here in FTL met him many times.....great chef see YouTube..So, your answer is Not Traditional.
Could you please share that Pearl Onion recipe? Sounds great.
You have to Order the Maple Balsamic Vinegar $$$$--Key ingredient I have tired this others ways--Dont work--neither does Maple syrup.
I buy Birds Eye Frozen Pearl Onions---no difference vs. Fresh--just put in colander hour r so before use.. I buy Diced Ham packet 6oz...No Nitrates etc.
This year I am contemplating using Pancetta...cooking for 14 people this $#!! getting expensive...
Pearl Onions with Smoked Ham
Makes 8 Servings
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups pearl onion
6 ounces small dice Smoked ham
¼ cup Maple Balsamic Vinegar
¼ light brown sugar
½ cup dark raisins marinated in port wine or rum overnight
1 cup heavy cream
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When hot add the onions, when golden brown, add the ham cubes and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, raisins and cream. Cook for a 15 minutes.
EVERYONE Raises an EYE BROW for this Dish then they try it and its like WOW! Trust me....
I slow cook the turkey at 225 overnight, and then crank up to finish and crisp up the skin. It is fall off the bone tender.
I like to roast two trays of carrots at 450 F with salt, pepper, onion powder, rosemary, a little corn starch, and olive oil. One tray gets a panko bread crumb and parmesan cheese mix sprinkled on it at about ten minutes left.
Mashed potatoes - milk, American cheese, Philly cream cheese, white pepper, chives, and salt. I like them a little lumpy. Also, I steam the potatoes so that they aren't as soggy and absorb the milk mixture.
The visiting family brings the rest of the side dishes. I make sure there is Land o lakes whipped cream on hand for the pies.
I like to roast two trays of carrots at 450 F with salt, pepper, onion powder, rosemary, a little corn starch, and olive oil. One tray gets a panko bread crumb and parmesan cheese mix sprinkled on it at about ten minutes left.
Mashed potatoes - milk, American cheese, Philly cream cheese, white pepper, chives, and salt. I like them a little lumpy. Also, I steam the potatoes so that they aren't as soggy and absorb the milk mixture.
The visiting family brings the rest of the side dishes. I make sure there is Land o lakes whipped cream on hand for the pies.
Pearled onions.... MARTINI!So, your answer is Not Traditional.
Could you please share that Pearl Onion recipe? Sounds great.
Dinner with the in-laws in NEPA - - ravioli or lasagna, meatballs and sausage paired with traditional.
Moosehead beer, football, Murazzi smoked jalapeño cheddar kielbasa, more beer, mashed potatoes, more football, porterhouse steak, more beer and football.
BTW, just pulled out homemade chocolate chip scones. Man, was the first one good! @BobPSU92
Oatmilk peppermint latte - try it. It's not manly but it's good.
followed by stomach pump at the ER after the 8pm game starts. lol
Last year if anyone remembers I asked the board for advice on how to cook a Turkey as I’d never done it before. (Actually I’ve rarely cooked anything). Thanks to all the great suggestions it was a success. Now all my family once again wants to come to Grandpas home for Thanksgiving. But their not fooling me, it’s not the food. Just a gaggle of cheap, lazy bums trying to pinch a free meal thanks to inflation. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
My mother gave my wife a wine purse for Christmas. It's fantastic for travel soccer games.Freeloaders. Maybe they can bring the wine in a box?
Anyone have any ideas for appetizers to set out with drinks? We’ve got the usual cheese and crackers, pepperoni, and mixed nuts. Last year I did some smoked salmon with creme fresh, caviar, and fresh dill on cucumber slices but I’m not sure my guests liked it as much as I did. I’m thinking of just a shrimp cocktail this year but that’s a bit boring. Ideas?
Sounds like a great recipe. I'm going to add it to this year's menu with a few changes. Your opinions would be appreciated.Chef Jean Pierre local here in FTL met him many times.....great chef see YouTube..
You have to Order the Maple Balsamic Vinegar $$$$--Key ingredient I have tired this others ways--Dont work--neither does Maple syrup.
I buy Birds Eye Frozen Pearl Onions---no difference vs. Fresh--just put in colander hour r so before use.. I buy Diced Ham packet 6oz...No Nitrates etc.
This year I am contemplating using Pancetta...cooking for 14 people this $#!! getting expensive...
Pearl Onions with Smoked Ham
Makes 8 Servings
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups pearl onion
6 ounces small dice Smoked ham
¼ cup Maple Balsamic Vinegar
¼ light brown sugar
½ cup dark raisins marinated in port wine or rum overnight
1 cup heavy cream
In a sauté pan, heat the olive oil. When hot add the onions, when golden brown, add the ham cubes and sauté for a couple minutes. Add the vinegar, brown sugar, raisins and cream. Cook for a 15 minutes.
EVERYONE Raises an EYE BROW for this Dish then they try it and its like WOW! Trust me....
1. I don't have time to order Maple Balsamic Vinegar. Have you tried making your own Maple Bacon Balsamic Vinegarrette in a food processor? That's the first thing I'm going to try.
2. Instead of just pearl onions, I'm going to add roasted Brussels sprouts. I bought a bag of sprouts with uncured bacon the other day at Costco that would seem to work.
3. In light of the heavy cream, how important are the marinated raisins? I'm not fond of raisins, but if they are essential, I'll add them.
I'll let you know how it turns out.
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Are you in PA? I found the maple balsamic vinegar in Lititz so I'm going to head down there this weekend.
If you have the time to do it, these are fantastic appetizers
https://www.seriouseats.com/hummus-fries-with-spicy-tahini-dip
Here's a simple app that most people love.
Celery Stalk with cream cheese and paprika.
Pull the threads out of celery stalks. Many methods but I just usually break a stalk by hand but not all the way through. Then pull one side straight down and grab the threads and pull down the other side. Then grab each corner and pull straight down.
Clean up ends with a knife.
Fill groove with cream cheese and refrigerate for 1 hour or more.
Sprinkle with paprika and cut into approximately 2 inch pieces.
Pulling the threads is what makes this treat so don't skip that process.
My wife and I use the turkey oven timer for that before family arrives! Kidding not kidding!
Thanks. Rather than cream cheese I think I’ll fill them with chicken liver pâté. We already have a cheese board on the buffet. The celery is a good idea.
BW, glad to opine. Besides using recipes, I often cook without any recipes or measuring at all and very successful at it as my guests and family often comment. With that said, I would not condone this recipe as the ingredients in the original all has a purpose. I think the Brussels are too leafy and the raisins are key.
The onions are kind of crunchy and have some lite punch, the ham gives it some meaty smoke. The raisins marinated in spiced rum add the sweetness….instead of heavy cream I use light not the same. I also tried mimicking the maple vinegar in the same manner wasn’t the same. The sauce is quite impressive and the combination of all the ingredients comes together Really well.
Let Us know how it turns out…..
On another note….I went to Costco today picked up boneless short ribs…patted dry…sat out and rendered for an hour with sea salt.
sliced five cloves of garlic really thin with pairing knife-was t digging out and setting up mandolin. Took a cold skillet poured in EVOO thin layer, added garlic turned up low medium waited for the garlic to slowly turn golden brown and crisp up..took off heat poured garlic evoo in mixing bowl so it cools a little…added tablespoon of Urfa Biber pepper and teaspoon of urfa marash…mixed touch of salt…grilled meat to medium rare, cut Against the grain after it rested for fifteen minutes and liberally added the evoo garlic pepper mixture OH wow! glass of cab…was really good!
If they didn't like caviar you'll really see them run from chicken liver pâté. Just make them like I suggested and you'll be fine. A cheese board isn't celery filled with cream cheese.
Hint: Most people would rather slit their own wrists than eat chicken liver pâté.
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Have you and wife ever considered staggered invitations?My wife and I use the turkey oven timer for that before family arrives! Kidding not kidding!
We’ve been known to have an “official” arriving time and an “early unofficial (mums the word)” time for the relatives we actually like spending time with.
It is miraculously successful.
If any of the later invitees get inquisitive about what time the early invitees arrived, they are all coached to exclaim “shortly before you arrived”.
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