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Author Topic: Thanksgiving!  (Read 6651 times)

Offline garc_mall

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Thanksgiving!
« on: November 16, 2012, 09:36:50 am »
I figured as the most "food-centric" holiday of the year, we should talk about it on the forums.

This year, I plan on inventing my side dish based on what comes out of my CSA box that comes thanksgiving morning. I also plan on trying to convince my mother in law to let me spatchcock her turkey this year. Also probably make homemade cranberry sauce (my in-laws don't know what they are missing).

Beer-wise, I haven't had much time to brew, so I will be bringing my Scotch ale and Dubbel to drink with dinner.

What are your plans for thanksgiving?

Offline euge

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #1 on: November 16, 2012, 09:47:43 am »
Was gonna do a spatchcocked capon but have been invited by family to go out of town. Glad I didn't buy that expensive capon!

Probably have Baked Pineapple, turkey, carrots and greenbean casserole with crispy onions...
The first principle is that you must not fool yourself, and you are the easiest person to fool. -Richard P. Feynman

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Offline thebigbaker

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #2 on: November 16, 2012, 09:51:27 am »
If the weather is warm enough next week, I'll be smoking the turkey.  If not, it will be roasted in the oven.  We got the best sweet corn from the in-laws who have a farm up in Cresco, Iowa.  Gonna do Guy Fieri's green bean casserole (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/guy-fieri/green-bean-casserole-with-homemade-mushroom-gravy-recipe/index.html), which we did last year and was a huge hit.  Home made stuffing, sweet potato casserole, and home made mac-n-chesse (special request from my 3-yr-old daughter). 

Haven't attempted homemade cranberry sauce yet, but will try it eventually.  For now, just going w/ canned whole cranberry sauce.  I think my wife looks forward to the leftover turkey sandwiches which we grill some sourdough bread, add the turkey, slab of stuffing (warmed up in cast iron skillet), turkey gravy, cranberry-pineapple sauce and mandarin oranges. 

Happy Thanksgiving to all and looking forward to seeing what everyone else does (and probably ripping off a few ideas from you!)
Jeremy Baker

"An escalator can never break: it can only become stairs. You should never see an Escalator Temporarily Out Of Order sign, just Escalator Temporarily Stairs. Sorry for the convenience." - Mitch Hedberg

Offline denny

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #3 on: November 16, 2012, 10:25:39 am »
 Spatchcocked turkey on the grill with an ancho/smoked paprika rub and an apple sage glaze.  Fresh cranberry sauce, as I do every year.  My wife will be making cornbread dressing and a chocolate pecan pie.  Guests will be bringing the rest.  But mainly I'm looking forward to having furniture in the house again since our renovations will be done on Tues!
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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Offline Poobah58

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #4 on: November 16, 2012, 10:35:21 am »
If you haven't made a gravy with the drippings from a smoked turkey, you haven't lived yet!!! Put the giblets in a pan with some chicken or turkey stock and place under the bird. When done, discard giblets (wife make me do that) and add starch or flour. Makes for a great base for turkey pot pies also!
« Last Edit: November 23, 2012, 01:23:58 pm by poobah58 »
You can't drink all day if you don't start in the morning!

Offline tschmidlin

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #5 on: November 16, 2012, 10:35:29 am »
Let's see . . . the day starts with bloody mary's, homemade cherry cordial (vodka, pie cherries, honey, from Schramm's Compleat Meadmaker), a keg of chocolate milk stout, plus whatever else anyone wants to get into over the course of the day

Appetizers: smoked cheese, smoked turkey, tabbouleh, and some crackers, nuts, and olives

Dinner: roast turkey, sausage stuffing, mashed potatoes, yams/marshmallows/pineapple, green beans, gravy, homemade cranberry sauce, plus a can of cranberry sauce left in can shape for cutting slices off of

Dessert: Bluebird ice cream pie made with chocolate pudding ice cream, and a raisin cream pie (or maybe tarts)

I'm really looking forward to this, the best of all holidays!
Tom Schmidlin

Offline redbeerman

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #6 on: November 16, 2012, 10:43:06 am »
Looks awesome gentlemen!  We will roast a turkey (may brine it this year).  Everything else is kind of up in the air still since we are not having very many people over this year.
CH3CH2OH - Without it, life itself would be impossible.

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Jim

Offline denny

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Thanksgiving!
« Reply #7 on: November 16, 2012, 11:35:01 am »
Looks awesome gentlemen!  We will roast a turkey (may brine it this year).  Everything else is kind of up in the air still since we are not having very many people over this year.

I'm a huge fan of brining turkey.
Life begins at 60.....1.060, that is!

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The best, sharpest, funniest, weirdest and most knowledgable minds in home brewing contribute on the AHA forum. - Alewyfe

"The whole problem with the world is that fools and fanatics are always so certain of themselves, and wiser people so full of doubts." - Bertrand Russell

Offline realbeerguy

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #8 on: November 17, 2012, 08:03:22 am »
realbeergal wants a TurDuckEn this year.  We'll get some fresh May River Oysters, antipasta, green bean casarole (I'll look up the GF recipe), sweet potatoes (with marshmellows of course) and sweet potatoe biscuits from a recipe I found in Philly.
Member Savannah Brewers League & Lowcountry MALTS

Bluffton SC

Offline corkybstewart

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #9 on: November 17, 2012, 08:10:46 am »
Heading to Bama for the holidays and dinner will be at my sister's house so I have no say in anything.  Big Boss Lady will delegate some piddly chore for us.  Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday, a chance to eat some traditional and new dishes together but my sister is strictly old school.  She'll probably freak when I show up with good beer and wine instead of just iced tea.
Life is wonderful in sunny White Signal New Mexico

Offline Alewyfe

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #10 on: November 17, 2012, 11:11:58 am »
Going rogue this year. Got some montmorency cherries and a 22 of Julian Cherry Bomb hard cider. Going to craft a nice sauce to go with duck. Knew I had to do a duck when I tasted that cider. Wild rice with some sour cherries and pecans in it. Probably a gingered squash soup for starters. Fresh green beans charred a bit.
I'm thinking a different dessert too. I make so many pies that a pie is nothing special around here and holiday meals are the time to pull all the stops out. Neighbors are coming over, they will be doing the traditional turkey diner on the weekend. We all NEED leftover turkey after all and why celebrate one day of great food when we can carry it all the way through the weekend.

All of you have a safe, peaceful and enjoyable day of gratitude.   
Diane
Roseburg, Oregon
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Offline dbarber

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #11 on: November 18, 2012, 07:30:17 am »
For me it will be roast turkey with sausage dressing, mashed potatoes, roast sweet potatoes from our garden, green beans.  For desert apple pie with fresh whipped cream.

I'll be breaking open some 2009 granny smith cider to go with dinner and some 2009 cyser with dessert.
Dave Barber
Orwigsburg, PA
AHA Member, BJCP National

Offline bluesman

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Thanksgiving!
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2012, 07:51:59 am »
Thanksgiving is one my favorite holidays. Friends and family will be gathering next door at my sister's house for a feast and fun times.

I'm brining a turkey with citrus fruits, garlic, ginger, apples and spices then smoking it on the smoker. I'm brining a second turkey that will be roasted with an herb dressing. We will have a total of 21 sides and assorted homemade pies. Everyone will be contributing of course.

There will be a 2009 cider and a host of vintage beers served throughout the day and into the evening. Not to mention some really good cigars as well.

Here's to wishing everyone a safe, happy and healthy holiday.

Cheers! :)
Ron Price

narvin

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #13 on: November 18, 2012, 10:38:28 am »
I picked my turkey up from a local farm this morning. Family is gathering over at my parents house, and I'll be doing the classic alton brown brine and roasting it.  I'm also bringing an apple pie.  Pie is the best!

Offline jeffy

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Re: Thanksgiving!
« Reply #14 on: November 18, 2012, 12:11:31 pm »
We are also roasting a brined turkey.  I will be using ideas from Sean Paxton, the Homebrew Chef.
Here's a recipe I wrote during an obviously clever moment several years ago.  I hope you guys enjoy it.

Key Lime Pie

As remembered by Jeff in March, 2006

Two packages of cream cheese.  You may need to know that one package of cream cheese is 8 ounces.  Two would make one pound.  So if you want to make several trips to the store, first buy one package of cream cheese.  That way, when you get back to the kitchen and find out the truth about cream cheese packaging you’ll have an excuse to escape your family and go to the store again.

Three quarters of a cup of fresh key lime juice.  If it is December or January call me and I’ll pick some off Jim’s tree and send them to you.  He has way too many.  A dozen or two will be plenty.

One 14 ounce can of sweetened condensed milk.  If you plan to make two pies, you’ll need to buy two cans of this.  You can use this as another excuse later to go to the store if you’re making more than one pie.

One teaspoon of lime zest.  This is pretty easy if you have some of Jim’s key limes.  Use a grater.  It may be easier to do this before you’ve squeezed the juice out of the limes, but that’s only for you folks who have read ahead.  Don’t bother to actually measure this.  Grate for a while or until you have a small pile.  The small pieces of stringy looking things in the pie will make it look home made.

Mix all this together and pour it into a pie tin with a crust in it.  Graham cracker crusts work well but so do the Oreo crusts that are sold off the same shelf in the store as Graham cracker crusts.  Don’t look for these in the refrigerated section of the store.  You’ll find them somewhere else, probably near the frosting on the bottom shelf because they’re not really big sellers.  If you cannot find them on the first trip to the store you’ll have another excuse to leave later.

Refrigerate this for a while.  If you have read the whole recipe and have made it to the store several times and still have 12 hours before it’s going to be served you’re doing well here.  If not, stick it into the freezer for a while to accelerate the cooling then put it into the fridge.  If you’re in post-Katrina New Orleans you probably have a new fridge so it won’t take quite as long as if you’re in Los Angeles with your old fridge.

For special effects, go to several stores looking for crème fraiche.  At the last store buy some heavy cream and go home.  Mix one cup of this with ¼ cup of confectioners sugar or some rum or maybe a little almond extract and beat it until it is really impressively full and thick.  This may take several hours so be sure to have a book to read and a spare wrist in case one of yours gets too tired.  If you like to micro manage this is a good spot to find a helper, perhaps a cousin or a sister-in-law with too much time or attitude.

Put the whipped cream on the pie.  You can do this before you make the whole thing cold or later before serving if you prefer.  It may be hours before your assistant gets it whipped impressively full enough so don’t worry if it’s not done ahead of time.

If you have a really sharp knife cut some of the remaining key limes paper thin and place them artistically on the top of the pie.  If you do this properly none of your friends will believe you made it yourself, so you may not want to be too overly artistic here.  Cut one or two of the slices slightly thicker on one side or a little off-centered to make it look like you actually constructed it yourself.  Wear a Band-Aid on one of your finger tips for more authenticity.

Clean up the kitchen.  Serve with Belgian Witbier.
Jeff Gladish, Tampa (989.3, 175.1 Apparent Rennarian)
Homebrewing since 1990
AHA member since 1991, now a lifetime member
BJCP judge since 1995