Breaking from tradition for T-day dinner

[Jenise]

Thanksgiving's on my mind. Threads are popping up here, friends are starting to call and ask for advice, and I am wondering what my theme should be.

Theme? What, no traditions? No sacred recipes from my mother's table? Well, no. Sorry. My mom was a very good cook, but her Thanksgiving dinners were not especially original--canned cranberry sauce, marshmallows baked on canned yams, that kind of thing. And do I ever want to see Grandma's green jello salad again? Grammy was best thing in my life, but no. And, don't even ask about green bean casserole--never had it home, never made it myself. It's tasty but it holds no particular appeal to me. It's oddly become an American tradition (how? who started it?) but it's not one of mine.

So I play with my food. I've done southern themes and southwestern themes and the few key elements are inarguable--a turkey, a dressing, a mashed potato--but these are the what's. There are miles of latitude in the how's. Even the one thing I actually have made nearly every year that Bob and I have been married--a layered thing of sliced apples and sliced yams drizzled with cinnamon-sugar butter, constantly gets refined--last year, I did it in a springform pan instead of a casserole dish, and served it turned out on an elevated cake plate.

But back to my introductory paragraph--I need a theme. I need parameters, I need a 'why' to corral my thoughts, so I'm thinking: what about classic French? And even further, if I were to take a classic French approach to making this meal, what would that be? Would it change the way I roast the turkey? Should the potatoes become a gratin, or Pommes Anna? The yam/apple thing--maybe this year, I build that in a pie crust. And what about the dressing? Where, in classic French cookery, do I find a model for that? Should I throw in a fish course?

And then what about dessert. I always make pumpkin pie, which I love--sure, it's from real pumpkin and made with deadly real cream, so the quality's already top notch, but how would a good patisserie interpret this American staple? (Besides not using a Pyrex pie plate, for one.)

Or maybe I go Provencal.

Anyone want to discuss? Any ideas? Any advice?

Why not do West Coast-style cooking of peculiarly American ingredients? Just because other people do a terrible job with cranberries or sweet potatoes or squash or peppers (for example) doesn't mean we have to. It's an American holiday, and it somehow seems fitting to me to make the food specifically American. But "specifically American" can mean "Alice Waters" as easily as it can mean "Betty Crocker."

Or you could do a Pilgrim style dinner, lobster (local crab?), Indian pudding, rotissarie turkey over hardwood (not smoked), clam stuffing, etc.

[James Roscoe]

Grean bean casserolle on Thanksgiving? Perish the thought! I love it, but on Thanksgiving I want turkey and stuffing (don't get too fancy), mashed potatoes and turkey gravey, mushrooms, and fresh frozen limas from Dad's garden. Baked sweet potatoes and yams (none of that marshmalow stuff) are nice as are creamed onions if done well, but I want the basics. Of course I married into the Alden clan (yes THAT Alden clan.) Thanksgiving is VERY traditional. Don't mess with the pumpkin pie. You should see what you have to do to get the pumpkin pie!

[Jenise]

Howie, lobster's hard to get around here, and clam stuffing would be a no-go, but I appreciate where you're coming from and riffing off that and Stuart's idea, localizing my Thanksgiving dinner holds some appeal. Cranberries are certainly a local food, and the apple/yam casserole will contain apples that I grew myself. Maybe hazelnut stuffing in place of pecan....?

I like it. But I'm not off the French trail yet. So come on, play with me, if a boatload of great French cooks had landed at Plymouth Rock instead....

Sometimes, its just the 2 of us for one or the other holiday (Tgiving / Xmas) . On those times, I’ll go to the specialty butcher and have him hand carve some extra thick Porterhouses for the grill (over oak this time). Add a fresh spinach salad, herb roasted potatoes, sliced tomatoes and fresh bread. Good bottle of cab.

One of my favorite non traditional Holiday meals.

Richard

Jenise, here's a favorite duck dish from a favorite French restaurant in NYC. It's a little time consuming, but I've always had compliments when I've made it.

C: Duck a l’Orange [The Balthazar Cookbook].

This classic dish displays all the talents of the saucier, a position normally reserved for the most qualified cook in the kitchen. Duck a l’Orange brings out his talents to combine three distinctly different flavors.

Duck Sauce.

Ingredients
4 tbsp unsalted butter
1 shallot, peeled, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, peeled and thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme
¼ tsp cracked black peppercorns
2 whole cloves
¼ cup honey
¼ cup sherry vinegar
½ cup Grand Marnier or Cointreau
½ cup fresh orange juice
¼ tsp orange zest
1 cup Veal Stock or Roast Chicken Jus [recipes in cookbook]

Technique
1. Melt 2 tbsp butter in a sauté pan over medium heat, swirling the pan until the foam subsides and the butter becomes brown and frothy, about one minute.
2. Add the shallot, garlic, thyme, pepper and cloves; stir to combine, then sauté until the shallots begin to brown, about two minutes.
3. Add the honey and continue to cook for three to five minutes, during which time the contents of the pan will take on a rich caramel color.
4. Carefully add the vinegar to stop further caramelization (the pan will spatter a bit).
5. Add the Grand Marnier or Cointreau, orange juice and zest.
6. Raise the heat to high and reduce the contents of the pan by about two thirds to a syrupy glaze, about ten minutes.
7. Add the stock and bring to a simmer. Skim off any fat or impurities that rise to the surface. Reduce the contents of the pan, this time by a third, or until the sauce is rich in consistency, about 10 to 12 minutes.
8. Strain and reserve until ready to use; cool and refrigerate if making in advance. (I recommend making a day ahead and skimming the fat from the refrigerated sauce.)
9. Just before serving, heat sauce to a simmer and whisk in the remaining two tbsp of butter just before serving.

Confit Orange Zest

Ingredients
3 oranges
½ cup sugar

Technique
1. Zest the three whole oranges by slicing off the zest in thin strips, being careful to leave the bitter pith behind. Then chop the strips into long, thin matchsticks. Take the fruits of your labor and blanch in a pot of boiling water for five minutes.
2.Strain through a fine mesh sieve.
3. Combine the sugar and one cup of water in a saucepan.
4. Add the blanched orange zest, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 20 minutes.
5.Strain and reserve the confit.

Duck

Ingredients
6 duck breasts (Long Island or Muscovy, about 3 pounds).
1 tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Technique
1. Heat a large sauté pan over a medium high flame.
2. Score the skin of the duck breasts in a criss-cross pattern, cutting in ab out ¼ inch.
3. Season the breasts with the salt and pepper, and add three breasts to the dry pan, skin side down.
4. Sear for four or five minutes, until a crisp brown skin has developed. Remove the seared breasts to a plate, pour off the rendered fat, and add the remaining three breasts to the pan. Sear them in the same fashion.
5. When finished, return the first batch to the apn and slide them all into a 425 F oven, skin side up.
6. Cook for 6 to 7 minutes for a nice medium rare or 10 minutes for medium.

Plate the ducks and drizzle with the sauce and the confit.