Thanksgiving Recipe Round Up

If you're still stumped on any of your Thanksgiving dishes, here is a round up of some of our favorite new menu inspiration, as well as some standby recipes.

 This is ambitious, but if you're cooking for a smaller group, this turketta is a great alternative to roasting a whole bird.

If you are roasting a turkey, the latest trick is to brine the bird and then cover it in a butter soaked cheesecloth before you put it in the oven.  This method saves you basting time and delivers moist, flavorful meat.

This stuffing recipe is fairly traditional, but has the added twist of jalapeno to give it some heat.

For dessert, we can't wait to try this Bourbon Ginger Pecan Pie.  Plus, we are making our Apple Pie with Crumble Topping to serve alongside.

For some general tips and tricks, check out this advice from some of LA's top chefs.

There's plenty more to cook in our guides from 2013 and 2014.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Table Inspiration

Thanksgiving is almost upon us! We've seen some gorgeous table decor on Pinterest lately, and wanted to share some of our inspiration with you. There's nothing like a beautiful setting to complement delicious food and welcome family and friends.

all images from pinterest

Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

This is the second Thanksgiving since we started the blog, and we have accumulated quite a few recipes now... Hopefully some of these will provide inspiration or last minute assistance before the big day tomorrow!

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo and Toasted Almonds

Kale Gratin

Truffled Roast Yams and Potatoes

Cranberry Chutney

Sourdough Stuffing with Kale, Dates, and Turkey Sausage

Duck Fat Popovers

Cranberry Pear Crisp

And don't forget...

We are also trying this Mark Bittman recipe for a 45 minute roast turkey - last year we spatchcocked our bird for the first time and it was delicious.

Roasted Turkey Gravy

The key ingredients to the best mashed potatoes are plenty of butter and salt - this is definitely a day for indulgence!

With Pumpkin Pie, it's good to keep it simple and classic

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Thanksgiving Menu: Cranberry Chutney

This is a great substitute for/addition to cranberry sauce on your Thanksgiving table.  This recipe is quick, simple, and delicious, and can easily be doubled or tripled for more servings.  It's also excellent left over on turkey or grilled cheese sandwiches. 

Ingredients:

8 ounces of fresh cranberries
3 tablespoons of sugar
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
Zest and juice of half a small orange or mandarin

Add all of the ingredients to a small saucepan, and cover about a third of the way with water.  Cook over low-medium heat for approximately 12-15 minutes, until the cranberries are soft and cooked through, but not breaking apart.  Smash the cranberries slightly and cook for another minute or two until the liquid becomes more syrupy. 

Allow to cool and serve.

Thanksgiving Menu: Butternut Squash and Apple Soup

This soup is a perfect starter for Thanksgiving dinner, and can be made in advance to cut down on cooking the day of.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large yellow onions, chopped
2 tablespoons yellow curry powder
2 large butternut squash
4 Fuji apples
2 cups vegetable stock
2 cups apple cider
creme fraiche
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
-In a dutch oven melt the butter and add the olive oil. Add the chopped onions and yellow curry, and cook over low heat, stirring until onions are translucent. 

-Peel and seed the squash, and cut into chunks. Peel and core the apples and cut into chunks.

-Add the squash, apples and vegetable stock to the onions, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, and cover and cook until the squash and apples soften. Using an immersion blender, puree until everything is smooth.

-Add the apple cider and salt and pepper to taste. Pour into bowls and garnish with a dollop of creme fraiche. 

Serves 6.

Based on Ina Garten's recipe in Barefoot Contessa Parties.

Song of the Week

Geggy Tah - Whoever You Are

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! We are thankful for all of you!

Thanksgiving Menu: Brussels Sprouts with Chorizo & Toasted Almonds

We are big brussels sprouts fans, and when we found this recipe incorporating chorizo and almonds, we were curious to try this warm salad. It got good reviews from everyone who tried it, even from people who wouldn't normally eat brussels sprouts.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup raw almonds
3 oz. chorizo sausage, sliced
1 lb. brussels sprouts, halved with leaves separated
2 tablespoons garlic flavored olive oil
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 teaspoons fresh thyme
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
- toast almonds in a frying pan over medium heat for about 6-7 minutes. let cool and chop.
- cook the chorizo in a large pan, stirring until crisp. set aside.
- heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat, adding the garlic and thyme and sautéing until the garlic is golden. Add the brussels sprouts in batches, cooking until leaves have wilted and have browned a bit, approximately 10 minutes.
- remove from the stove and mix the almonds and chorizo in with the brussels sprouts. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Adapted from a Bon Appetit recipe. Serves 4.

We Recommend: Serial Podcast

Remember a time before television, when the evening's entertainment was provided in the form of listening to weekly radio shows after dinner? Ok, we don't either, but we like to pretend when we're listening to Serial, the podcast from the creators of This American Life.

Serial is being released in 40 minute installments each week, and currently there are 9 episodes (out of a scheduled 12, although because the show is still being written, there is a possibility of more). The show investigates the 1999 murder of Baltimore high school student Hae Min Lee and the subsequent conviction and of her ex boyfriend Adnan Syed. We've become hooked, and can't wait to hear what the host, Sarah Koenig uncovers next. The soundtrack and method of delivery are riveting, and while it may turn out that nothing can conclusively be determined about the case, we love following along as new points come to light.

Serial can be listened to on the web, or downloaded to your phone. They also post additional content to their blog. If you haven't already started listening, we highly recommend. It's guaranteed to make your Thanksgiving travel fly by.

Recipe: Sourdough Stuffing with Kale, Dates, and Turkey Sausage

This week, the New York Times released Thanksgiving recipes celebrating the cuisine of each of the fifty states, and we love their choice for California.  From one of our favorite SoCal chefs, A.O.C.'s Suzanne Goin, this menu showcases one of our favorite NorCal foods: sourdough bread.  We have made some very similar stuffings for our Californian Thanksgivings over the years, and can't wait to try this one next week.

You can see the stuffing recipe here, and the full list of recipes here.

Image via Google/The New York Times

Crazy About: Thanksgiving Decor

Clockwise from top left: wine glass, tumbler, pumpkin, pitcher, rosemary napkin ring, tablecloth, birch pillar candles, 

farm to table serveware, champagne bucket, dessert plate, dinner plate, napkin

Gift Guide - Perfect Hostess Gifts

clockwise from top left: serving bowl, table topics, truffle salt, cheese knife, candle, wine, throw, cake, stopper, book

Golden Dreamland's Thanksgiving Menu

We have been counting down to Thanksgiving, and testing recipes for our feast this Thursday!  Here is everything we will be cooking this week - click through for recipes:

Roast Turkey with Truffle Butter

Duck Fat Popovers

Truffled Roast Yams & Potatoes

Kale Gratin

Haricots Verts with Roasted Fennel and Shallots

Cranberry Pear Crisp

Deep Dish Pumpkin Meringue Pie

Cranberry Punch

Thanksgiving Recipe: Kale Gratin

Ingredients:

4 oz. Prosciutto, cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 cup Panko breadcrumbs, or whichever kind you prefer
4 tbsp olive oil
2 bunches of Tuscan kale, stems and ribs removed and coarsely chopped
1 large yellow onion, finely diced
2  cloves of garlic, finely diced
2 tbsp butter
2 tbsp flour
2 cups of skim or lowfat milk
1 cup grated gruyere
1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp chopped fresh parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

 Pour 2 tbsp of olive oil into a medium skillet, and add the prosciutto.  Fry until some fat is released and then add the breadcrumbs.  Stir occasionally, until the prosciutto is crispy and the breadcrumbs are toasted a golden brown.  Set aside.

Boil a pot of water, add salt and the kale.  Cook for 4 minutes, then drain.  

 Pour the remaining olive oil to the pot and add the diced onion and garlic.  Season with salt and pepper, and stir frequently over medium heat until cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Add the kale to the mixture, and set aside, retaining the pot.

Use the pot to melt the butter over medium heat.  Add flour and whisk together until the mixture is thick and a light brown color.  Slowly mix in the milk, reducing heat to a simmer, and add the gruyere and nutmeg, continuing to stir until the cheese melts into a thick bechamel sauce.  Put the kale back into the pot and stir until it's coated in the bechamel.

Pour the bechamel-kale mixture into a 9-10" skillet or pie dish, and cover in the prosciutto-breadcrumb mixture and the parsley.  Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees and bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until it's bubbling slightly. 

Serves 8.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit.

Thanksgiving Recipe: Cranberry Pear Crisp

Pumpkin Pie is a classic favorite for Thanksgiving dessert, but sometimes after eating such a large meal, it sounds too rich. This Cranberry Pear Crisp is just tart enough to keep it light, but the pear and topping add sweetness.


Ingredients:
1 lb. cranberries
1 c. dried cranberries
1.5 c. sugar
2 t vanilla extract
3 firm pears, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 t ground cinnamon
pinch ground allspice
1 c plus 2 T flour
3/4 c rolled oats
1/4 t salt
1 stick unsalted butter, melted







Directions:

• Preheat the oven to 375
• For the filling: Combine the fresh and dried cranberries in a large bowl. Add 1 cup sugar, 3 T water and the vanilla and mix. Lightly smash with a potato masher to crush some of the cranberries. Add the pears, cinnamon, allspice and 2 T flour, and mix. Transfer to a 3 qt. baking dish.
• For the topping: combine 1 cup flour, the oats, 1/2 c. sugar and the salt in a mixing bowl. Stir in the melted butter. Crumble the topping over the fruit, breaking up the clumps into small bits.
• Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is browned, approximately 40 minutes.
• Serve warm, adding a scoop of ice cream if desired.

Adapted from the Food Network Magazine

Crazy About: Thanksgiving Decor

Clockwise from top left: Place Card Holder, Serving Boards, Pyrite, 

Hexagonal Candle Holders, Wood Candle Holders, Pumpkin Casserole Pot, 

Copper Mug, Glass, Wood Bowl, Napkin, Cook Book, Plates, Wishbone 

Thanksgiving Recipe: Truffled Roast Yams & Potatoes

This is a great recipe if you prefer a lighter potato dish, but still want to have yams and potatoes at your holiday table.  Anything with truffles is excellent alongside a turkey!

 Ingredients:

2 Japanese Yams, cut into 1 inch pieces about 1/8th of an inch thick
4 Red Potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces about 1/8th of an inch thick
2 Shallots, diced
2 tablespoons Olive Oil
1/2 teaspoon Truffle Salt

Preheat the oven to 400.

Toss the ingredients together in a cast iron pan or baking dish, making sure that the vegetables are well coated in the oil and salt.

Roast for about 40 minutes, until the yams and potatoes are slightly crispy, but still moist.

Serve immediately.

This recipe serves 4 - if you want to adjust it for more people, you should use about 1/2 a yam and 1 red potato per person, and increase the other ingredients to taste.

Thanksgiving Recipe: Duck Fat Popovers

 

Ingredients:

2 eggs

1 cup of milk

1 cup of flour

2 tbsp Duck Fat

Salt to taste

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Mix the egg, milk, and salt thoroughly, and let sit for about ten minutes.  Gadually add the flour and mix well, then allow to sit at room temperature for half an hour.

Using a standard muffin tin, place 1/2 teaspoon of duck fat into each muffin cup.  Heat in oven until it has melted into liquid, approximately two minutes.

Divide the batter equally between the muffin cups, and bake until the puddings have popped over and turned a golden brown, about 20 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Makes one dozen popovers.  This recipe can be doubled or halved, but it is key that the milk and flour are equal in volume.