Thanksgiving Recipes

My new work friend, Rhian (pronounced like LeAnne), who happens to be a food maniac (a blogiac?), has encouraged me to post my recipes from the Thanksgiving Dinner I made for Lou.

As I have told her many times now, this blog is not intended to be about the things I cook, but since I'm just starting I will--just this once--post my recipes:

Turkey Breast

Straight from the Joy of Cooking (page 617):

I patted the breast dry, covered it with salt and pepper and generously buttered the whole thing before cooking it. My only variation was to add some celery stalks and pearl onions (at Lou's request) to the roasting pan. I learned to add celery and onions from following Julia Child's directions for roasting a chicken, and I have to admit that I love the smell of celery and onion roasting in the oven. I cooked the breast for about an hour and twenty minutes, and that was it. I couldn't have dreamed for a more moist turkey.

Easy as can be.

Cranberry Sauce

I also used the basic recipe for "Whole Cranberry Relish" from the Joy of Cooking (page 64), but I spiced it up by adding two tablespoons or so of Triple Sec instead of orange juice (I would have used Grand Marnier and orange zest instead, but I didn't have any). Consider it a poor man's cranberry sauce. It was delicious, and easy. I can't believe people buy cranberry sauce.

Mashed Potatoes with Garlic, Mascarpone and Caramelized Leeks

I got the recipe from the 2005 Thanksgiving issue of Bon Appetit. Here (I hope) is a link to the recipe on epicurious.com (search for it yourself if the link doesn't work):

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/233164

Broccoli Rabe

I more or less made it up: heat some olive oil in a skillet, add the broccoli, add salt, pepper and red pepper flakes and toss until the broccoli turns bright green. Let the broccoli cook no longer than about a minute and a half, or two minutes tops.

Okay, long ago, I saw Giada de Laurentiis do something like this to Broccoli Rabe on the Food Network, and I think her suggestions stuck with me.

Here's her bio:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/giada_delaurentiis/0,1974,FOOD_10968,00.html .

She's fabulous.

Celery Root Soup with Spiced Maple Vinegar

I still haven't made the soup (it's on the menu for this weekend), but I'm planning to use a recipe I saw in The New York Times. You'll only be able to see this if you subscribe to TimesSelect, but here's a link: http://select.nytimes.com/search/restricted/article?res=F50A1EFB3B5A0C758DDDA80994DD404482 .

Email me if you don't get the Times.

Oh, and for wine:

I drank a 2003 Tribach Riesling with the dinner, and I opened a S. Niccolo 1996 Vin Santo for the biscotti!

Actually, instead of Riesling, Lou drank from a bottle of Delas 2003 Cote-du-Rhone.

Here's to you, Rhian!