Choose your Thanksgiving pie recipe from among the 2006 Great American Pie Festival winning recipes. There's the traditionals like apple and pumpkin, cream and nut if you want a change, and even something called "Favorite Thanksgiving." I don't know what kind of pie that is, but it seems timely!
Month: November 2006
Which roasting pan is best…
Which roasting pan is best for your Thanksgiving turkey? We've talked roasting techniques and turkey breed types, but haven't yet examined which pan is best. This article examines a variety of pans, in case you don't have one yet.
BREAKING: Hellmann's has changed their…
BREAKING: Hellmann's has changed their mayonnaise! "Yes, we have changed the formula of Hellmann's Real Mayonnaise" reports Hellmann's owner Unilever, via email with The Kitchen. This is tragic! The Kitchen talks about the alternative of making your own mayo, but that's not a great solution. Homemade mayo doesn't keep and each batch requires a lot of ingredients (at least a cup of oil). I know we don't use that much mayo in a week in our house. Honestly, I'm freaking out. Hellmann's is the only mayo I like! And what will become of our post-Thanksgiving turkey sandwiches if we have to use the new "sweeter with a chemically tangy aftertaste" version?! Please oh please don't let this be true.
Vegetarian Thanksgiving
Cooking with Tofurky for the Holidays offers various recipes for tofurky, including a Glazed Tofurky. Martha Stewart Living (November 2006) has four holiday dishes for vegetarians, including a Quinoa Pie with Butternut Squash that sounds excellent, but I cannot seem to locate the recipe online. Very few other magazines offered much in the way of vegetarian dishes.
If you want to make your own tofu turkey, All Recipes has a Tofu Turkey I that sounds pretty good (it calls for mushrooms, dried sage, tamari, and miso paste, among other ingredients). Over at the Washington Post, a discussion of vegetarian Thanksgiving options, including suggestions for winter squash lasagna and mushroom risotto as vegetarian main courses.
And for those hosting Thanksgiving, a gentle reminder: something cooked with chicken stock is usually not okay for vegetarians. Just because there are no chunks of meat present doesn't mean it's "vegetarian." It's nice to offer a dish or two that are completely free of animal products, especially if you know you'll have vegetarians or vegans in attendance. [Thanks Rebecca!]
Yesterday I asked you about…
Yesterday I asked you about your favorite pies, then forgot to turn on comments. So please share your pie thoughts and tips here, if you're inclined. I used to work at a pie shop, so I'm always interested in hearing how other people prepare their pies.
The flames were four…
The flames were four feet high at times. I think at one point we had to dump a ton of rock salt into the grill and slam the cover shut. Heh. Near the surface, it tasted a bit like a Smithfield ham. I loved it, but I might have been the only one.
My friend Choire had some trouble last year, as you can see. Cooking a turkey on the grill is a popular alternative to using the oven, but you need to avoid serious fire. It's important to put a pan beneath the bird to catch the drippings, otherwise you could end up with turkey conflagration for Thanksgiving.
Detailed information about Grilling A Turkey on the Barbecue. They recommend a gas grill because the author's not sure how to get the coals to last. That's silly, add more charcoal as it's going! My uncle does a turkey on my grandparents' charcoal grill every year, and it's delicious.
We're still talking turkey tips…
We're still talking turkey tips over here, for those that want to join in.
The perfect pie crust smells…
The perfect pie crust smells like pig. That is, if it's made with rendered leaf lard. This New York Times article looks at various fats you can use to make a great pie crust, and not surprisingly, a combo of animal fat and butter comes out on top. I've used lard, butter, and shortening, and butter is my favorite, but it's more difficult to work with. This year I'll probably do a combo, and maybe even an animal fat combo after reading this.
More about Martha's unstinky horses…
More about Martha's unstinky horses (okay, so this isn't Thanksgiving-related…). Via email from reader MaryLynn:
When she was profiled in Vanity Fair (about a year ago?) you may recall, if you read it, that she keeps her black Friesen's inside during the day and they only graze at night so their coats are not bleached by the sun and are, thus, impeccably maintained as a glossy black that matches the rest of her estate. Quite possibly the best thing I've ever seen in print. So sure, I can see that she's probably had a team of scientists working on making great strides in the area of horse excrement. Hell, I think SHE thinks her shit smells like roses, why shouldn't theirs?!
I couldn't possibly add anything more to this.
What did the Pilgrims really…
What did the Pilgrims really serve at the first Thanksgiving? Bread-based stuffing was also not made, though the Pilgrims may have used herbs or nuts to stuff birds. But did they use White Castle Hamburgers?