No disrespect to Martha and those who aspire to her homemaking pinnacles
I just have to be honest about this - my act doesn’t include perfect house cleanliness nor coordinated napkin rings.
Our table is more likely to be set with Ball canning jars and mis-matched plastic plates (antique ones marked on the back from some hospital cafeteria lord knows where!) than the china that Martha got handed down to her from her great-grandma. I just do not have that sort of family. I have nothing handed down. And, more importantly to us, we tend to spend the money we DO have on the food versus the plates it goes on.
I make do with what I have.
So with that sort of off my chest (it will climb back on soon, no doubt), I thought I would share what I am doing to try to attain some semblance of a turkey day dinner for us and the visitors on that day.
Its here where I stray into Dilbert territory and swerve away from the pink lacey recipe card get-ups that one might find in a Martha-fied kitchen. No, instead, I have been Mind Mapping our thanksgiving meal with the hopes that some project management might help the day go off well. I am demo’ing NovaMindso this is what you will see.
My preliminary mind map is pasted below.
Why so many veggies? Because our garden is in it’s last vestiges of existence and I want to use what is out there on Thanksgiving. If not then, when! I will likely reduce the amount of vegetables depending on what the quality of each turns out to be on that day. Food miles here - about 50 paces.
The Big Big Thing: (drum roll please) - There will be no grand turkey carcass on our table
Why, you ask?
Its a human rights issue. If I eat turkey two days in a row, and I am not exaggerating here, I get horrific hallucinations and violently ill (upper and lower GI) for hours. So, to spare me and my family this ignoble Thanksgiving tradition, I am going to make a turkey dish that will have NO leftovers and which I hope will be a nice change of pace.
What is this dish I speak of?
I am going to make a turkey breast mousseline en croute.
You may wonder what ungodly and fresh hell this is, I do not blame you.
Its essentially a turkey wellington of sorts. (Also think filet de boeuf en croûte) A turkey mousse (egg white, rosemary, and cream) studded with turkey meat chunks and cranberries will be wrapped with puffed pastry. A savory layer of crimini mushroom puree will coat the inner side of the puff pastry.
Once done, you slice it as thick as you wish. My goal is to make this in a way that doesn’t yield a grainy or overly firm or overly gelatinous mousse interior. Will let you know how that goes!
For further inspiration, I am engulfing the opulent and delicious “Williams-Sonoma Holiday Entertaining
So the list, an organic and variable thing, is growing and evolving up to the last moment.
What grand plans do you have?
Do share, I adore hearing about what other people will do for their turkey day meal.
I guess its sorta voyeuristic but only in the best sort of way.
Technorati Tags: Martha, homemaking, coordinated, Ball, canning jar, plastic, plate, cafeteria, Dilbert, kitchen, Mind Mapping, project, management, NovaMind, garden, Thanksgiving, vegetable, Food miles, turkey, carcass, human rights, issue, hallucination, tradition, leftovers, breast, mousseline, en croute, wellington, filet de boeuf en croûte, mousse, rosemary, cranberries, puffed pastry, crimini, mushroom, puree, gelatinous, opulent, delicious, Williams-Sonoma, Holiday Entertaining, cookbook, voyeuristic
” by David Joachim and Andrew Schloss right now and I have to say I am LOVING this book. Will post review soon!
8 comments for this entry ↓
1 scotte // Nov 19, 2007 at 4:01 pm
Hi…my T-day is going to be a larger affair than normal this year as I invite all my wandering friends…those not spending the day with family will be with me…all 17 of them! We start eating at 1pm with a first tasting course, then 3pm with a second, 5pm with a third. 7pm begins the traditional t-day feast with all the fixin’s and pies, followed by a special, simple, light final dessert to end the evening. I’m really excited and look forward to having Wednesday off to prepare 90% of the meal!
2 Nika // Nov 19, 2007 at 4:13 pm
Wow! That is a huge number of people! It sounds like a roman feast, eating all day
All that the day before .. its better than all in one day I guess but I hope you getting SOME help!
3 Curt // Nov 19, 2007 at 4:53 pm
Nika, I thought maybe there’d be one thing this year where I’d help you, instead of the other way around! I’ve got the turkey thing down!
Then again, I overreach, as I wouldn’t put it past you to shame me on turkey.
The substitute you have sounds really great, but I’m doing 2 birds, a lowly 16 pounder, right next to a 25 pounder. Go big or go home! Last year, we did a 23-25 pounder, and somehow I had no leftovers, so I’m ensuring I have a whole bird as leftover this year. We do very traditional fare… I’ll brine in salt water with whiskey, peppercorns, thyme and sage, stuff the bird with apple and onion quarters, celery stalks and whole carrots. Mashed potatoes and green bean casserole, with three different dressings (oyster, regular and wild rice/mushroom with port), homemade cranberry sauce (again with a bit of port), freshly baked rolls, pumpkin pie and apple crisp. Gravy, of course, will be included. I may make cinnamon rolls w/ cream cheese icing for the morning since I’m already making bread and rolls. It’s a big day of traditions for me.
4 Nika // Nov 19, 2007 at 5:01 pm
Curt - whenever you describe your meals I rue the miles separating our families!
That is a truly imposing amount of turkey flesh and strikes fear into my tryptophan-phobic cells!
You must have an enormous oven or ovens. Do those mega-birds fit in standard size ovens or do you have an industrial sized one?
I am craving oyster stuffing too… do you make that with cornbread or wheat bread?
5 Curt // Nov 19, 2007 at 6:40 pm
Nika, the oven’s large enough, but the birds will both go on the smoker, which is really big… Big enough for probably 12 or so, but I’ll only have 2 on there.
I actually don’t make the stuffing… I’ve never been a fan, so my mom and my MIL will both be making stuffing. I’m only making the birds, the bread/rolls/cinnamon rolls and the gravy. It should be an easy day that way, though I may add smoked sausage gravy on biscuits, if I’m energetic Thursday morning.
6 scotte // Nov 20, 2007 at 8:31 am
I’ll have help with desserts and beverages…but mostly I get help with cleaning!
7 Nika // Nov 20, 2007 at 8:49 am
Curt: ahh, the smoker, got it. Those biscuits with sausage gravy are killer
8 Nika // Nov 20, 2007 at 8:49 am
scotte: oh, yeah, the cleaning is HUGE!
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