Well, the party is over and as much fun as it was, I'm relieved to get back to Normal Eating. A little bit of rich goes a long way, baby. But mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, wine, cheeses, butter, AND whipped cream? Way too far, gah, eating like that just leaves me feeling exhausted. It's fun for a day (or two), but it's now time for tea, salads, fish, fresh fruit, lots of water, and a big ol' scoop of moderation. That's more like it.
Happy Belated Thanksgiving! I hope you had some fun cooking and/or eating, hanging with family and friends, feeling grateful for a good life. We sure did our best on this end, on many (!) fronts, and had a great time.
We've actually been celebrating for days, ever since I started meal prep on Monday (despite the muscle I pulled in my back hoisting the 16-lb. turkey in its two gallons of brine into the garage fridge on Tuesday, damn, but after some quick icing seem to have squeaked by without serious pain. Thank you turkey gods!) John's parents John & Dot arrived from NYC late-afternoon Tuesday. I made dinner here - steaks, wild mushroom sauce, mashed potatoes, sauteed spinach - and we all hit the hay pretty early.
Wednesday Dot and I set the tables, John and his dad went wine shopping, Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield stopped by for a drink, and the fam enjoyed a lovely Frenchy dinner at Cave Vin - frogs legs, escargot, pommes frites, calamari, chicken, (more) steak. Delicious.
And then yesterday, of course, the big day. My aunts Marge & Mary, their husbands Jim & Bruce, and my cousin Kim drove in from western Minnesota. My cousin Craig flew in from DC. And my mom, Bowen & Cooper, our friend Harry, and both Nathan and Sasha were here to celebrate as well. Full house, full table(s), full plates, full tummies. Here's the menu:
pickled vegetables, cheeses, nuts
herb-roasted turkey & gravy
simple savory stuffing (this year I added chestnuts, leeks, and mild Italian sausage)
do-ahead sour cream mashed potatoes
savory sweet potato casserole (Mary)
spiced cranberry mold (Mom)
brussels sprouts with pancetta and cranberries (a new recipe this year - absolutely delicious, it's a keeper)
black-eyed pea salad (I made this up, used diced pickled vegetables with a mustard vinaigrette; nice)
no-knead bread
pumpkin cheesecake and pecan pie (Marge)
brownies (Harry)
John and his dad chose fruity pinot noirs to drink with the meal - good choice. Before dinner, since we ate on the early side (2 pm), John's dad made killer Bloody Mary's (both virgin and er, experienced) for the group. Tasted mighty fine with pickled vegetables and salty nuts, yum.
After pie(s) and coffee, everyone rolled away from the table for the usual digestive activities - walk, (watch) football, dishes, take your pick.
Today we'll put the kitchen back together, snack on leftovers (I already had brussels for breakfast - delicious), see a movie. Kitchen life returns to normal for at least a few weeks and I'm glad. Sure I love to cook, but 90% of the time it's the simplest fare, the everyday healthy no-recipe dishes. Which is what makes the holidays so fun - big cooking projects to plan and bury myself in, mwahahaha! But even I tire of all-cooking, all-the-time, and today, I am tired.
In a good way.
Are you?
The Thanksgiving countdown is offically on! I was the first customer at Whole Foods this morning, literally waiting for the doors to open, what a dork. Luckily, it's pretty hard to stand out as a nerd at Whole Foods, so I whipped out my list, pushed up my glasses, shoved my frizzy hair back, and hit the aisles. I picked up flowers, and steaks for tomorrow night (my in-laws Dot & John arrive tomorrow and we're having dinner here at the hacienda), and various and sundry items I forgot on Friday's big shop as well as a few, er, extras. Like a couple of jars of vacuum-packed chestnuts, which actually weren't completely unplanned for - I had tried and failed to find them last week. So...score! That's what I love about the simple savory stuffing recipe I follow - you can keep it really basic, or you can toss in all sorts of lovelies depending upon the tolerance of the crowd you're feeding (and what you can put your hands on). Neither John nor the kids really eat stuffing, but the rest of my family and John's parents are foodies, so I feel comfortable innovating freely. This year it's chestnuts, baby, as well as a bit of Italian sausage, a few leeks, and shitake mushrooms, in addition to the button mushrooms, garlic, onion, and Parmesan cheese that usually go in. In past years I've added proscuitto and toasted pine nuts. My dream is to add freshly shaved truffles...mmm... It will never come true (cost is beyond prohibitive), but it's nice to imagine.
Anyhow, back here on Earth, I arranged the flowers, thought through the table setting (I have a special place in my heart - and on my table - for asymmetrical Haviland Limoges china patterns), and drained the pickled vegetables (they definitely need their olive oil/salt finish - I'm finding them overly vinegary as is; also, I don't like the way the green beans turned out - too tough - but the red peppers, carrots, and fennel are delicious). Soon I'll be peeling potatoes, getting ready for tomorrow's big mashed potatoes-stuffing-gravy push. The turkey goes into its brine tomorrow as well. Somewhere in there I'm getting my nails done, going to a pilates class, and taking Nathan for a haircut appointment. And as I mentioned above, Dot & John arrive, and I'm making us all dinner. So it will be a busy day.
Wednesday the turkey comes out of the brine for a rinse and to dry (uncovered) overnight in the fridge. I'll also set the table (we're eating out Wednesday night) and lay my serving-ware on the sideboard. Before we head out for dinner, Rudy Maxa and Ana Scofield are stopping by for a holiday cocktail and to meet John's parents.
And then it'll be Thursday, the big day, just like that. My aunts Marge & Mary, uncles Jim & Bruce, and cousins Kim & Craig are all coming, as well as my mom, Cooper & Bowen, and our friend Harry Cunliffe. Weather looks promising - I hope to pull off a pre-meal walk around the 'hood! - so I'm anticipating a lovely day. Stay tuned...
OK, Thanksgiving '08 food prep is officially in process. I decided I had a hankering for pickled vegetables after the yummy Szechuan pickled veggies I enjoyed at The Tea House last week. This version won't be spicy - just crisp and a bit salty/sweet. Nice to nibble, I think, as an appetizer with a few delicious cheeses, to counter the richness. The recipe is from The Kitchen Sink (via Food & Wine Magazine) - I took her recommendation and used very little sugar, 1/4 cup. Took about 30 minutes to pull together, perhaps less. They're pickling in the garage fridge as I write, should be ready to go by Wednesday.
After all that hard work (not), John and I ran a few Saturday errands. Brrr! We walked in the door and built a big fire to warm our cold hands. And oh, poured ourselves a glass of champagne. To cool our warm hands. So pleasant, I shot a little video of it.
I guess winter's not so bad if you have crackling fires and glasses of champagne.
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I have a love-hate relationship with my refrigerator. It's a big 'un (love), but despite the space, it's ridiculously full (hate). As my mother-in-law Dot once noted, you need a map to find your way around the thing. Despite the congestion, it's frustratingly possible to open it and find...not much to eat. Unless you're craving schmaltz. Or anchovy paste. Or walnut oil, grated horseradish, chutney, hazelnut meal, tahini, pickled jalapenos, cashew butter, or capers. Cursed condiments! They pile up like tasty, expensive junk mail. But even I have a condiment limit, so today I bit the bullet and executed a HUGE pre-Thanksgiving purge. Ahhh, feels fabulously good. My turkey thanks me. And yet, it's still less empty than I would prefer (all the aforementioned condiments made the cut). Sorry Tom (Turkey).
Most condiments rock (and over-stay their welcome) because they contribute the delicious "5th taste" to foods - umami. We all learned about sweet, sour, salty, and sour in biology class, but the Japanese have long recognized - and now the rest of the world does too - the 5th taste of umami (pronounced ooooh mommy), or L-glutamate, the taste of "savory." You love umami without perhaps even realizing it - it's the "meaty" thang that roasting, smoking, curing, fermenting, aging, and browning gives to foods. We're going for umami when we add fish sauce, soy sauce, tomato paste, or mushrooms to a dish. It's the salty, fragrant, "secret ingredient" that puts a dish over the top. The MSG added to Chinese dishes. The nom pla in Thai curry. The truffle in French and Italian sauces. The dark, browned, roasted yumminess in stews. The tomatoey-cheesiness in pizza. The fry in french fries (swoon). You get the picture. Basically, it's heavenly, and what you pay for when you buy condiments, and it's damn hard to throw away. For me. Sniff.
Well, I'll lighten the mood with a few fun links that prove Foodies are just like us:
The Wednesday Chef loves kale!
The Kitchen Sink tries recipes that disappoint!
The Homesick Texan - a dude! - craves comfort food!
Moderate it: umami doesn't have to be "rich," even though it's the taste of "rich." As I noted, finishing a dish with a bit of tomato paste; anchovy paste; fish, soy, or worcestershire sauce; ketchup; grated Parmesan; or a smidge of truffle butter can be the difference between ho hum and deeeelicious. Have fun with it.
I made quick spicy black beans on Monday, but today I slow-simmered a pot of the Creole Southern version, spicy/smoky with cayenne pepper and andouille sausage. I committed heresy and subsituted pintos for red (kidney) beans (I don't like kidney beans, love pintos). If you soak the beans overnight - whichever bean you choose - it doesn't take long before the whole pot cooks down into a creamy, delicious mess. Over white rice, a tasty, rustic din. (Recipe posted in "sides," to the right).
The beans are intact when you first start...
...but after a couple of hours become soft and creamy...
...and ready to ladle over white rice for a rib-stickin' meal.
Moderate it: beans are better for you every time you open a health magazine. They've always been packed with fiber, but turns out that fiber helps lower cholesterol - woo hoo! And then, turns out they're also loaded with anti-oxidants - more woo hoo! Go easy on the white rice, fill up on beans and veggies, and you'll not only be really, really full, you'll have done your body good. Nice.
Thanksgiving next week - are you getting ready? I'm not cooking yet, just thinking, thinking... To brine or not to brine, that is the question. Downside - you can't stuff the turkey (although I prefer it unstuffed, so works for me). Upside - crisp skin, moist flesh, great flavor. I say brine. The recipe for herb-roasted turkey and gravy I follow is here. In fact, here's a link to last-year's menu. Dishes that so far make the Thanksgiving '08 cut include said turkey, simple savory stuffing, do-ahead sour cream mashed potatoes, and spiced cranberry relish mold. My aunt Mary is bringing a not-overly-so sweet potato dish, Marge her to-die-for pies. I'm still considering which vegetable I'd like to make. Texturally, it needs to be something with body/crunch, I'm leaning toward brussels with a bit of bacon. Have yet to nail down an appetizer concept as well - no matter what, simple, light, crunchy, something like olives, crudités, nuts. Stay tuned...
Moderate it: one more plus in the brine column - stuffing baked outside the bird has half the calories of stuffing baked inside.
...for my blog, thank you very much. Hey, welcome to the moderate epicurean's new blog platform. It's taken hours to set this bad boy up, but it's starting to come together. I was ready for a fresher look and after extensive messing around on both WordPress and OnSugar to see which platform I liked better, OnSugar won. I have a ton of work to do to copy my recipes over - unfortunately one by one - but it forces me to categorize them, which I know you'll agree I should have done long ago (sorry)...
Turns out blogging is a much calmer way to digest spicy food than watching a thundering, dizzying action movie. Last night's fiery Tea House Szechaun + Quantum of Solace (new James Bond flick) = major indigestion. But today, I'm happy to report that 
even after a brunch of spicy chicken and pickled vegetable leftovers, the fire in my belly cooled with each widget I added, aaahhh.
In fact, I wish I had more of those pickled vegetables - diced small, each piece was an addictive explosion of crunchy, spicy, oily saltiness. If you head to Tea House, and you're ready for some serious heat, they're a must-order, along with five-spice shrimp (their version is shelled, me likey), chong king spicy chicken, and searingly tasty dan-dan noodles. (You might want to stash a couple of Rolaids on the bedside table after that meal. Yeah.)
Tonight, still craving Asian flavors, I'm making 
stir-fried beef and noodles, a recipe I found in Delicious Magazine. Have you ever picked up a copy? I hadn't before, but needing inspiration for the food-styling class I'm taking, I grabbed one and wow - what a publication. Great recipes, gorgeous photos. Another mind-blower - and interestingly, also Australian - is Donna Hay Magazine. If you're bored with the usual, I recommend both pubs highly. Anyhow, if the beef and noodles dish ends up as tasty as it promises to be, I'll post the recipe. Under pasta. Ooh, I'm (about to be) so organized...
Moderate it: let's face it, Chinese food as we Americans eat it is seriously caloric. To counter the craziness, I aim to fill up primarily on vegetables, then meat, with small amounts of white rice or noodles. Steamed vegetables with sauce on the side can be tasty, but if you don't want to be quite that disciplined, you can request stir-fried dishes cooked with smaller amounts of oil.
Ah, good morning. I'm up and at 'em, perhaps a bit on the late side, but in surprisingly good form considering the wickedly not (!) moderate 16 wines I tasted last night. Santé! Yes, as Debbie and Stuart Williams' guest at the November meeting of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, I was on my best behavior and politely drained my glass(es) and cleaned my plate(s), the least I could do, non? Seriously, it was a lovely night, hosted by Commandeur Bill McGuire and his wife Mme. Nadine McGuire, along with their guest, wine expert Kevin Swersey. The evening's wines were chosen from the 2005 (Bordeaux, natch) vintage, particularly for affordability and accessibility as well as for, of course, 
drinkability. A quick survey of the group revealed that most had tasted exactly none of the wines - Bill and Kevin's secret goal, mwahaha, and not the usual Commanderie experience. So we were off...
But wait, I should take a step back and introduce my tablemates: Debbie and Stu, of course (pic, below, is actually from Napa, as we enjoyed cassoulet at Bistro Jeanty, but that's another story...), as well as Commandeur Mary K. Stern and her husband Gary Stern, and Commandeur Kirt Woodhouse. A delightfully clever, charming group, they very kindly answered my many (naive) Bordeaux questions and kept the conversation hopping from topic to topic, always returning to - what else? - food and wine, baby, food and wine.
Our group particularly enjoyed the opening food-wine pairing, a classic I personally hadn't experienced before but 
oh, will I be seeking out again: Peking duck with champagne. Yes, turns out that champagne's signature acidity is the perfect foil for every flavor element of Peking duck - the silky, rich duck breast, the paper-thin, crispy-salty skin, the sweet-tangy Hoisin sauce, and even the mild spring onion garnish. All together, ka-blam, taste explosion. Loved it. (If anyone has a recommendation on where to find good Peking duck in Minneapolis/St. Paul, I'm taking suggestions. I found this Strib rave for Yummy Chinese Restaurant on Nicollet - sounds like the real deal, but the review's a bit dated...)
Below is the entire tasting menu with wine pairings. I'd recommend in particular the second two champagnes - both delicious, unique, and according to Kevin, quite affordable (he purchased all the wine at Surdyk's). Find yourself some Peking duck (or make it - you'll see it's a luxury item for good reason, given the unusual and lengthy preparation, although the recipe doesn't look terribly complicated), pour a glass, and bubbly-bottoms up. Quack that. Oh. Yeah.
Kudos to Chef John Thompson and his staff at The Minneapolis Club for turning out such an ambitious, lovely dinner:
Passed Hors d'Oeuvres
Beef Tartar with Mustard Aioli and Cornichon
Chicken Chili Empanadas
Boneless Lamb "Lollipops" with Dried Apricot Chutney
Clarendelle Blanc 2005 Pessac-Leognan
Dinner
Peking Duck
Chartogne-Taillet Blanc de Blancs N.V. 2005 Champagne
Pierre Gimonnet & Fil 1er Cru Brut N.V. 2005 Champagne
Pierre Peters "cuvee de Reserve" Brut N.V. 2005 Champagne
Slow Poached Monkfish with Brown Butter Sauce, Celeriac Remoulade and Wild Arugula
Chateau Ferriere 2005 Margaux
Chateau La Gurgue 2005 Margaux
Seared Oxtail Ravioli with Fig Balsamic Reduction, topped with Crispy Sage
Chateau Haut-Bergey 2005 Pessac-Leognan
Chateau Tour des Termes 2005 St. Estephe
Roasted Rack of Bobby Veal, Braised Sweetbread Strudel, Chanterelle Ragout
Pomerol Christian Moueix 2005
Chateau L Croix du Casse 2005 Pomerol
Braised Pork Cheek, Truffle Potato and Glazed Grilled Carrots
Chateau Quinault L'Enclos 2005 St. Emilion
Chateau Bellevue 2005 St. Emilion
Chateau Clos de Sarpe 2005 St. Emilion
Dessert
Fromage d'Affinois, Cave-Aged Gruyere, St. Nectaire Cheeses with Fall Fruit Jams
Chateau La Gomerie 2005 St. Emilion
Gracia 2005 St. Emilion
"Mystery Wine" El Desafio de Jonata 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon
My thanks again to my favorite hosts, Debbie and Stu The Wine Genius Williams, as well as to the Commanderie de Bordeaux and the evening's hosts, Bill and Nadine McGuire. Have a great weekend, everyone.
Moderate it: uh, right.
I'm taking a food styling course, attempting to improve the quality and creativity of my food photos, as well as learn a bit more about a field I think would be terrific to work in. Maybe even get paid, ooh, there's a novel concept. I'm only in the second week; our assignment was to put together and style a simple salad. Here's my first try (limited seriously by my lack of photographic knowledge; I was stuck with the light I had, without planning ahead, and let's just say, I have a lot to learn about my camera. I think I need a major Cory Shubert tutorial...).
Anyhow, total BLAST. I made a couple of mistakes, like eating a bit of goat cheese and walnuts off the plate when I thought I was done. But no, after seeing the pics on my computer, I had to go back - and replace the parts I snacked on. I'm pretty sure that's a food styling 101 don't, ha.
Man am I dragging today, even as I composed this salad, d r a g g i n g. I'm seriously sleep-deprived this week and oy am I feeling my old. We had our neighborhood women's association meeting last night (aka wine and chat) and I once again stayed out and up way too late. And no reprieve tonight, oh no - as I mentioned below, tonight I'll be Debbie and Stu William's guest at a Commanderie de Bordeaux event (aka serious wine and chat).
I predict a very, very quiet Saturday.
Moderate it: the only thing going for me is that I know that the portions at the Commanderie dinner will be reasonable. That said, moderate portions of five or so courses adds up to excessive pretty quickly. Washed down with five or so Bordeaux wines and well, I'll have to count it as the special occasion it is and just enjoy myself. Moderate that!
I’m Stephanie Meyer. If you're looking for fresh, delicious food to share with those you love - welcome! In addition to the recipes you'll find here, I post Tuesday recipes at Dara & Co./Minnesota Monthly magazine with a focus on local, seasonal ingredients. I also cook and take photos for Andrew Zimmern's Kitchen Adventures/Food & Wine magazine, post gluten-free recipes at Stuffed Pepper, cook with food photographer Susan Powers for Shooting the Kitchen, and organize the Minnesota Food Bloggers. Let’s eat!
