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Thanksgiving Menu

Menu du Cuisine
(for six  to eight persons)

Assorted Hors d'Oeuvres:
Vegetable Crudités With Cheddar-Horseradish Pate
Steamed Gulf Shrimp
Fresh-Shucked Oysters With Wasabi & Pickled Ginger
(Recommended Wine: 1998 Jekel Johanniberg Riesling)

Carrot, Apple & Horseradish Salad

Roast Turkey with Maple Herb Butter
(Recommended Wine:
1997 Geyser Peak Gewürztraminer
1997 Chateau St. Jean Gewürztraminer)

Giblet Gravy

New England Apple & Dried Cranberry Dressing

Whole Berry Cranberry Sauce
Cranberry-Horseradish Relish

Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes
Maple-Glazed Yams With Orange & Cranberries
Balsamic Glazed Beets
Pearl Onions with Nutmeg-Cream Sauce
Green Bean Casserole

Cracked Black Pepper Biscuits

Apple Strudel with Cranberry Sauce
(Recommended Wine: 1998 Undurrago Chardonnay,
Maiopa Valley)

Make Herb Butter:

Boil apple cider and maple syrup in heavy large sauce pan over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/2 cup, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Mix in half of chopped thyme, half of marjoram and 1 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel. Add butter and whisk until melted. Season with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper. Cover and refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. (Can be made two days ahead; keep refrigerated.)

Prepare Turkey:

Position rack in lowest third of oven and preheat to 450 degrees. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Slide hand under skin of turkey breast to loosen skin. Rub 1/2 cup maple butter over breast under skin. Rub 1/4 cup maple butter over outside of turkey. Reserve remaining butter. Season inside of turkey with salt, pepper and fresh rosemary sprigs. Tie legs loosely together to hold shape of turkey. Arrange onion, celery and carrot around turkey in pan. Sprinkle vegetables with remaining 1 T thyme and remaining 1 T marjoram. Pour two cups stock into pan.

Roast turkey 30 minutes. Add additional stock if needed. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh registers 180 degrees and breast registers 170 degrees (about 3 to 3 1/2 hours for un-stuffed turkey).

Melt butter in heavy, large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Add neck & wing tips. Sauté until browned. Add giblets, sauté until lightly colored. Using slotted spoon transfer neck, tips and giblets to plate. Add carrot, onion and celery to pot. Sauté until vegetables brown, about 10 minutes. Add water, wine, neck & giblets to vegetables; bring to low simmer.

Add remaining ingredients to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover and simmer until giblets are very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer neck, wing tips and giblets to plate. Cool. Carefully remove all meat from turkey neck. Chop neck meat and giblets; reserve for gravy. Strain broth into bowl, pressing on solids. (Broth and giblets can be made 1 day ahead.) Makes 3 1/2 cups.

For Gravy:

Strain pan juices from roasting pan into large glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices. Pour juices and giblet broth into medium sauce pan. Boil broth mixture until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes. In a separate sauce pan melt 2 T butter over medium heat. Add 2 T flour; cook until golden brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in reduced broth mixture.

Peel & cut yams into 1-inch pieces.

Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add yams, return to boil, and cook 8 minutes. Drain and transfer yams to baking dish. Mix maple syrup, butter, brown sugar and orange peel in small bowl, pour over yams. Season to taste with kosher salt and fresh-ground black pepper.

In a pre-heated 350 degree oven, bake yams, uncovered, 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add dried cranberries and continue baking until yams are tender, about 15 minutes. Garnish with chopped parsley. (Adapted from Epicurious Food.)

For cocktail sauce:

Whisk ketchup, dried onion, horseradish, lemon juice and 1 T Old Bay seasoning in non-reactive bowl. Add tarragon, stir and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 2 days. (Makes 1 1/2 cups)

For Shrimp:

Add 1/2 cup water, 1/2 cup white vinegar and 2 T Old Bay to large sauce pan. Bring to boil. Add shrimp, cover and steam until shrimp are cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Shock shrimp in ice bath. Peel and devein.  (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")

Melt butter in heavy sauce pan over low heat. Add flour, whisk until roux thickens (do not brown). Slowly whisk in milk.

Bring mixture to low simmer, cook until very thick, about 10 minutes. Mix in cream and nutmeg. Season with salt & fresh-ground white pepper. Mix onions into sauce, cook over medium heat until onions are heated through, about 8 minutes. (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")

Bring cheese to room temperature. In food processor or blender, combine all ingredients except beer. Process, adding beer as needed until mixture is smooth. Refrigerate, covered, at least 3 hours before serving. (May be made 5 days ahead.)

Serve on cracked black pepper or roasted garlic water crackers or with Vegetable Crudités. (Reprinted with permission from "Food With An Attitude.")