Thanksgiving is probably my favorite holiday. How could it be otherwise? It is all about food…and the table…andgratitude for both. The sheer volume ofThanksgiving-appropriate recipes that I have posted to my blog is the proof ofmy love. I have not yet posted a recipefor turkey, but if you are looking for ways to fill out your Thanksgiving menu,you will find many ideas right here….appetizers, desserts, vegetable side dishes…as well as pumpkin baked goods of all kinds.
Sadly, right up until yesterday I thought I wasn’t going to findthe time…or even the material…to post anything new for this year. Returning from my idyllic vacation to thebeginning of what is known as “the busy season” in the food service industryfelt a bit like being plunged into a cold swimming pool without benefit ofhaving tried the water with my toe beforehand.I knew I was going to be busy…but I wasn’t quite ready for it. From the moment I unpacked I have scarcelybeen able to catch my breath. But justas suddenly as it started, I have hit a momentary lull…and even discovered thatit is in my power to add a couple of more Thanksgiving recipes to thosecollected here.
During the past week I taught two Thanksgiving themedclasses. On Thursday I taught the thirdincarnation of a class all about ways to use winter squash and sweetpotatoes. Although not specificallyabout Thanksgiving recipes, these two ingredients are such traditional elementsof the Thanksgiving spread that almost any of the things I teach in this classwould be at home on a Thanksgiving table.
In these classes I always talk about roasting and puréeing squashand sweet potatoes…and ways of using the results. Happily for me, I roasted too much sweetpotato and returned home with just enough to make a small batch of sweet potatobiscuits to go with a salad for dinner the next evening.
Since I teach these biscuits in the first version of this class—andI am now on version three—it has been a while since I made them. And they are so delicious. As we enjoyed them, I realized they wouldmake a good Thanksgiving recipe for my blog.If you are a southerner, these biscuits are probably already in yourrepertoire….and probably make up part of your Thanksgiving menu. But if you are not, or you have never made ortasted sweet potato biscuits, you should give them a try. They are easy to make (can even be frozen intheir raw form and baked from frozen) and are a great way to keep the traditionalsweet potato element on the Thanksgiving table.
When you make the dough for these biscuits, you will be tempted toadd too much liquid. As I explain in mypost for pumpkin scones,the flour doesn’t absorb the liquid from the vegetable purée as quickly andreadily as it absorbs milk (or cream…or buttermilk). Start with about a third cup of the milk andthen if the dry looking crumbles of dough won’t adhere when pressed together,go ahead and add a bit more milk. Thefinal mixture will not look like a traditional, cohesive, soft biscuit dough…sodon’t be alarmed. As long as it can bepressed together, you are on the right track.
The other class I taught this week was a Thanksgiving Favoritesclass with my friend (and chef) Nancy.My contribution to the class included my grandmother’s dinner rolls aswell as two recipes that have already made an appearance here ( and Pumpkin Pot de Crème). One of the recipes that Nancy brings to theclass is a wonderful—and different—recipe for roasted cranberry sauce. I have never made it for my family because myfamily is pretty attached to their style of cranberry sauce, but every time weteach this class together, I love getting to sample it afterwards, and I am alwaysstruck by the brilliance of the method.
Instead of simmering the cranberries in a sugar syrup, they are simplytossed with the sugar and a few aromatic seasonings, spread on a parchment- orfoil-lined baking sheet and then roasted until they begin to burst andbubble. The roasting process—as well asthe fact that the recipe doesn’t have nearly as much added liquid as mostrecipes—results in a sauce with a rich and concentrated cranberry flavor.
The original recipe was flavored with julienne strips of orangezest and jalapeño, whole cardamom pods and cloves, as well as a cinnamonstick. After roasting, the sauce isfinished with port and orange juice. Nancyhas substituted ground cloves and ground cardamom for the whole spices in herversion of the sauce. It is just tootedious to root around in the sauce to find the whole spices and remove them. The cinnamon stick is of course quite easy tofind…but I suppose you could replace it with ground cinnamon if you prefer.
After class this week, I decided I wanted to try this method witha different set of flavors…a more traditional, chutney-like mix of spices. In addition to the clove, cinnamon andcardamom, I added some yellow mustard seeds.I also added julienne fresh ginger and shallots and omitted thejalapeño. I was very pleased with theresult: complex and spicy…a perfect little exclamation point for the Thanksgivingmenu.
I should emphasize that I didn’t change the cranberry sauce recipebecause I didn’t like the original…I do like it…a lot. Rather, I was so enamored with the methodthat I wanted to try it with other flavors.Either version would make a delicious addition to your Thanksgiving festivities…. Or, you could come up with your ownpreferred mix of aromatic additions.
I sampled my finished relish with cheese and digestives for anafternoon snack. It was very good. So good in fact, that if you prefer, insteadof including it on the table to accompany your turkey, you could make it a partof a cheese and relish tray with which to greet your hungry guests.
I do hope that I will have some time to squeeze in another post beforethe holiday. But if I do not, I want totake the time now to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. May you find yourself at a table laden withdelicious food and surrounded by those you love (and who love you) best.
Spiced Roasted Cranberry Relish with Orange & Ginger
1 orange
12 oz. fresh cranberries
1 cup sugar
1 1/2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
3/4 t. kosher salt
1/8 t. ground cardamom
1/8 t. ground cloves
1/2 t. yellow mustard seed
1 or 2 sticks cinnamon
1 medium shallot (about 1 oz.), peeled and thinly sliced lengthwise (about 1/4c.)
a 1 1/2-inch piece of ginger (about 1 oz.), peeled and cut in afine julienne (about 1/4 c.)
1 to 1 1⁄2 T. port
Heat oven to 450°.Using a peeler, remove peel from the orange, taking off as little of thewhite pith as possible. Cut peel into a very thin julienne about 1 1⁄2"long. Squeeze juice from the orange;strain and reserve.
In a bowl, combine peel, cranberries, sugar, oliveoil, salt, cardamom, cloves, mustard seed, cinnamon, shallot and ginger.
Tossand transfer to a rimmed baking sheet that has been lined with parchment orfoil.
Spread the mixture out into an even layer and transfer the pan to the oven androast until cranberries begin to burst and release their juices, about 12 to 15minutes.
Scrape the cranberry mixture to a bowl; stir in theport and a quarter cup of the reserved orange juice. Let sit for at least 1 hour so that theflavors meld. Remove and discard cinnamon stick before serving. The relish may be served at room temperatureor chilled.
Makes about 2 cups
(Recipe adapted from Saveur Magazine, October 2008)
SweetPotato Biscuits
1 c. roasted sweet potato purée (240 grams),chilled
2 2/3 c. all-purpose flour (300 grams)
4 t. baking powder
2 T. Sugar
1 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
8 T. unsalted butter, chilled and cut into smallpieces
6 to 8 T. milk
Preheat oven to 425°.
In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder,sugar, salt and cayenne. Using yourfingers, or a pastry cutter, cut the butter into the dry mixture. Combine until mixture resembles a coarsemeal.
Whisk together 6 T of the milk and the sweetpotato. Using a fork or rubber spatula, combinethe liquid with the dry ingredients until the mixture is hom*ogenous. It will look a bit dry, but if when yousqueeze some of it together, it adheres, you have added enough liquid. If necessary add the remaining 2 T.milk.
Turn out the mixture out onto a lightly flouredsurface. Press the dough together andgive it a gentle knead or two to bring it together into a soft dough. Press the dough out into a 3/4- to 1-inchthick disc.
Using a 2- to 2 1/4-inchround cookie cutter, cut out rounds and transfer them to a parchment-lined bakingsheet. Press the scraps of doughtogether to cut out more rounds. Brushthe tops with melted butter
and bake in the top third of the oven until thebiscuits are golden brown and springy tothe touch, about 15 to 20 minutes.
Makes 12 to 20 biscuits, depending on the sizecutter you choose to use.
(Recipeadapted from Martha Stewart's Hors d'oeuvres Handbook, by MarthaStewart)
Note: You will needabout a pound of sweet potatoes to produce 1 cup of purée. Roast the sweet potatoes in a 400° oven. Prick the sweet potatoes in several spotswith a fork or paring knife and transfer to a baking sheet. Bake until easily pierced with the tip of aknife, about 40 to 60 minutes. When coolenough to handle, cut open the sweet potatoes and scoop out the flesh. Purée in the food processor, or press theflesh through a sieve or mesh strainer.
