The Bitten Word

Thanksgiving 2009: Steamed Persimmon Pudding with Cinnamon Crème Anglaise

Bon Appétit (November 2009)

In selecting recipes to try out prior to Thanksgiving, we definitely wanted to choose some dishes that were outside our comfort zone. These could be either things we wouldn't typically make for a Thanksgiving meal, like an Oyster Casserole, or dishes that seemed challenging.

Well, we met our match with this recipe for Steamed Persimmon Pudding.

Truly, this may be a recipe worthy of MacGyver.

Thanksgiving 2009: Beet Chutney

Bon Appétit (November 2009)

 

If our Jellied Cranberry Sauce was a country club debutante, and our Nutty Cranberry Relish was the same girl with messy hair and artsy jewelry, then this Beet Chutney is that girl's wild and worldly best friend, the one who used to get drunk and dance on tables but now has shaved her head and joined an ashram.

Thanksgiving 2009: Green Beans and Walnuts with Lemon Vinaigrette

Bon Appétit (November 2009)

If you're like us, your Thanksgiving menu may start to look heavy on the stuffings, puddings and potato dishes, and light on the greens.

It's a predicament we run into year after year. The Thanksgiving dishes we're most drawn to are often the most starchy, and it's not because we don't love vegetables. We adore them!  But Thanksgiving memories are made of corn pudding and delicious stuffing. 

Though green vegetables may seem like a Thanksgiving afterthought, these Green Beans and Walnuts with Lemon Vinaigrette are one of the best afterthoughts you can have, and they couldn't be simpler.

Thanksgiving 2009: Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage, Apples, and Golden Raisins

Bon Appétit (November 2009)

We have seen heaven.  And they sell pork there.

Earlier this fall we traveled to Western Kentucky for a friend's wedding. Clay grew up in Western Kentucky, and the region is known for producing some excellent country ham.

When we booked our travel to go to the wedding, we were already thinking that we might bring back a ham.  And there was one ham in particular that we were after, from famed and award-winning cured meat producer Broadbent's. Heck, Chef David Chang even serves their ham at Momofuku. 

So on the Saturday morning before the wedding, we -- along with friends from New York and Seattle who had flown in for the wedding -- loaded up our rental cars and made the drive up the interstate to buy some pork.  And buy pork we did!  We were like kids in candy store, only with delicious pork products instead of boring ol' candy.  We loaded up on peppered bacon, ham steaks, seasoning pieces, slab bacon, ham hocks and country sausage.

(Side note, in case you were wondering: The TSA totally will allow you to count a bag of ham as one of your carry-ons.)

Which brings us to this Sourdough Stuffing with Sausage, Apples and Golden Raisins.

Thanksgiving 2009: Real Creamed Corn Pudding

Bon Appétit (November 2009)

We love a creamed corn pudding for Thanksgiving. Soft, rich and buttery, baked in the oven for a great golden crust -- what's not to love?!

Well, there is one thing we don't really love: a sickly sweet corn pudding. It often tastes like you accidentally served dessert one course early.

That's why we loved this Real Creamed Corn Pudding from the November Bon Appétit. It's a delicious, savory take on corn pudding that makes it a terrific Thanksgiving side dish.

Thanksgiving Guide 2009: What the Food Magazines Are Recommending

172 Recipes From 9 Leading Food Magazines

 

Thanksgiving is food magazines' time to shine. In years past, many of the food mags we read have used their November issues to really push the limits with innovative spins on Thanksgiving faves.

Sure, there are usually plenty of approachable standbys. But the classics usually sit alongside some really envelope-pushing ideas: Throw a Thanksgiving clambake! How about a Pacific Rim-fusion dinner? Truffle-laden turkey! Indian-spiced sweet potato gnocchi!! Vegan French-Vietnamese gluten-free stuffing!!!

Not so this year. From the looks of this year's crop of Thanksgiving food mags, 2009 is all about simplicity and basic, standard dishes. It's the Great Recession, and everybody just wants a big ol' piece of pumpkin pie.

Just look at what the magazines call out from the newsstands:

Martha Stewart Living: "Thanksgiving, simple and sensational"

Fine Cooking: "All the classics made easy"

Food Network: "Easy Thanksgiving"

Bon Appétit: "Thanksgiving made easy"

Everyday Food: "A Thanksgiving menu that's easy to make"

We have nine November issues in front of us, and nearly all of them are focused on "traditional" menus that are very straightforward.

The food magazines may have stuck to the classics this year, but that doesn't mean the options are limited. In the nine magazines we have, there are, in fact, 172 Thanksgiving recipes.

All those options can leave you more than a little stressed out. It's all too easy to get wrapped up in the idea that Thanksgiving has to be perfect and if you don't select the right stuffing recipe, your mother-in-law will break into tears at the table.

But fear not!  We've cataloged all 172 options below so that you, dear reader, can browse this year's recipes and make some selections for yourself. Over the next three weeks, we're going to be cooking and writing as many recipes as we can fit in. We'll post our photos and let you know how they turn out.

And as you're gearing up for the holiday, if you have questions, post them here and we'll do our best to answer them.

Okay, ready for the recipes?

Spiced Pumpkin, Lentil, and Goat Cheese Salad

Bon Appétit (October 2009)

 
We needed a pumpkin last night to make this recipe, so we went to pick one up at our local supermarket. 

Unfortunately, there were only two kinds of pumpkins left: massive orbs too heavy to carry home and daintier gourds already decorated for Halloween.

So we strode up to counter with our pumpkin, which was painted with a cute clown face and topped with a jaunty, bright red firefighter hat. 

The conversation went something like this:

Checker:  "Oh that's a nice pumpkin."

Us:  "Thank you."

Checker: "You going to put it on your porch?"

Us: "Uh, no, actually we're going to cook it."

Checker (looking aghast):  "YOU'RE GOING TO WHAT?!"

Us: "We're going to cook it for a dish that we're making."

Checker: "Why would you DO THAT?"

Us (mumbling): "For a salad we're making."

And that is what we did.

Pumpkin, lentils and goat cheese sounded, to us, like the perfect combination for an autumn salad. And with Halloween only days away, we thought that this sounded like a great way to use un-massacred pumpkins rather than throwing them away.

Slow-Baked Honeycrisp Apples

Bon Appétit (October 2009)

 

We were in the mood for something warm, sweet and full of fall flavors.  And there is almost nothing we like more in autumn than a fresh Honeycrisp apple.

So we loved the idea of these Slow-Baked Honeycrisp Apples. Cozy, individual ramekins filled with soft apples scented with ginger and coriander, brightened by citrus -- what's not to love?

And don't they look inviting in this photo?  Don't they look like just the thing to warm you on a damp autumn evening?

Well, guess what, kids? Chicanery!

Chocolate Stout Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

Happybirthdaytoyou.

Happybirthdaytoyou.

HappybirthdaydearZach.

Happybirthdaytoyou!

It's Zach's birthday this week and on Friday evening we threw a party for friends at our apartment. It was a fun evening, spent in the backyard (at least, when it wasn't raining). 

Here's a look at the food we made for the party, along with what may now be our all-time favorite cake.  If you're thinking of holding a gathering this fall, hopefully you'll find some inspiration here.

Chocolate-Chip Oatmeal Cookies with Dried Cherries

Bon Appétit (September 2009)

We've mentioned before that our favorite cookie is of the chocolate-chip oatmeal variety. For us, it just hits all the right notes that a good cookie should.

So we were really excited to see these cookies in the September issue of Bon Appétit. It's our favorite go-to cookie with one special twist: dried cherries.