Are we all tired of reading about Thanksgiving yet?
We're starting to feel a little fatigued by our back-and-forth debate about what to serve on Thursday. There are just so many fantastic recipes out there -- if Thanksgiving were a three-day event, we might be able to cook all the things that we considered this year.
Before we get to what we're serving, let's talk about a few dishes we cooked recently that didn't make it onto our menu.
We don't really believe in test runs for Thanksgiving. Sure, they're useful if you're trying out a ton of new recipes, entertaining your mother-in-law for the first time, or making something in which you don't feel very confident. But those attending our Thanksgiving dinner this year are adventurous and forgiving eaters, so we're ready to wing it.
Still, there were a few recipes we really wanted to try out ahead of time. Here are a couple that didn't find a place on our T-day menu this year.
- Roasted "Chrysanthemum" Onions (pictured above) -- Our friend Paula shared this recipe with us (you can find it below). It involves cutting a cross-hatch pattern into onions, roasting and letting them "bloom." The effect is lovely (although we singed ours just a little too much) and the resulting onions are very flavorful, thanks to the addition of chicken stock and sugar. We liked this recipe, but our Thanksgiving menu is already a little onion-heavy. We'll definitely serve these another time.
Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing (Food & Wine November 2008) -- We had some cornbread leftover from an Election Night chili, so we wanted to try a new stuffing/dressing recipe. Neither of us came from families that believe in adding meat to stuffing. The resulting stuffing was very salty and crumbly (we prefer a cakey consistency). Overall it was tasty but not worthy of a place at the table.
If Chrysanthemum Onions and Chorizo Cornbread Stuffing didn't make the list, what are we serving? Here's our menu:
THANKSGIVING WITH THE BITTEN WORD
COURSE 1
- BLT Popovers -- BLT restaurants make amazing popovers that they bring out prior to your appetizers arriving. Attached to the popover basket is a recipe for making them. We're going to give it a try.
- Butternut Squash and Sage Soup with Sage Breadcrumbs (Bon Appétit February 2008) -- We were searching for an excellent butternut squash recipe and this looks to fit the bill.
COURSE 2
- Roasted Dry-Brined Turkey with Gravy (Martha Stewart Living November 2008) -- We had success with dry-brining last year, so we're giving it another go with this recipe.
- Zach's Family's Dressing (using Buttery Cornbread) -- A tried and true recipe from Zach's family (also a non-negotiable on this year's menu).
- Roasted Cranberry Sauce (Saveur November 2008) -- We loved this recipe's use of cranberries and spices and jalapeno!
- Roasted Potatoes with Figs (New York Times) -- We're intrigued by the idea of these tea-steeped figs with potatoes.
- Brussels Sprout Hash with Caramelized Shallots (Bon Appétit November 2007)-- We love Brussels Sprouts in all forms -- bring on the hash!
- Peas with Roasted Onions and Mint (Bon Appétit November 2006) -- We loved these so much last year, we've decided to make them again this year.
- Spiced Whipped Potatoes with Brown Sugar (Bon Appétit November 2002) -- Two potato dishes may a little over the top, but we're making these again this year, as well.
COURSE 3
- Spiced Cranberry Bread Puddings (Bon Appétit October 2008) -- These sound and look lovely. We'll likely add a chocolate drizzle because it's just not dessert without chocolate.
- TBD Pie(s) from Cassidy -- We can't wait to see what kind of pie Cassidy brings on Thursday. Come to think of it, maybe we should create a recipe called TBD Pie.
So that's the menu -- we'll report back after Thanksgiving. In the meantime, happy Thanksgiving!
Roasted "Chrysanthemum" Onions
16 small yellow onions (about 2 inches in diameter)
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 cup chicken broth
3 tbls unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 450F
With a sharp knife trim root end of each onion flat so that it is still intact but will stand on end. Standing each onion on its root end, cut parallel vertical slices at 1/4 inch intervals into but not through onion, stopping about 3/4 inch about root end. Rotate each onion 90 degrees and cut parallel vertical slices in same manner to form a cross hatch pattern, keeping onions intact.
In a lightly buttered shallow baking dish large enough to let onions open, or ‘flower,’ put onions, root ends down, and sprinkle with sugar and salt to taste.
In a small saucepan heat broth and butter over moderately high heat until butter is melted and pour over onions. Cover onions with foil and roast in middle of oven 45 minutes, or until tender. Remove foil and roast onions, basting occasionally, 30 to 45 minutes more, or until golden.
Onions may be made 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Reheat onions before serving.
Serves 8.
