Chad planned to make the chorizo and cornbread stuffing that he first made three years ago. It is so good, the first time he made it, I told him he was actually not allowed to NOT make it for Thanksgiving, which is how our beautiful tradition was born. Since that was the only definite item, we kind of built the menu around that including Chad's latest delicious experiment, mole-roasted turkey which I did not help with because I was too busy making a lot of sides and drinking a lot of drinks...
Recipes #44, #45. #46 and #47:
Lime and Chili Plantain Chips, Poblano Cauliflower Gratin,
Chiptole Bacon Brussel Sprouts and Tequila Gravy
Choice of libation:
Well, I started cooking around 10:30am. So, coffee, of course.
With whiskey and Kahlua.
And, y'know, when a good friend brings over sparkling wine (and scones and cookies and biscuits), it is rude not to join her in a drink.
Thanks, Alexis!
Martha Stewart's Tequila Punch -- because as Chad put it, "If anyone knows how to party, it's probably Martha." Stir tequila, cassis, lime juice, ginger beer, and seltzer together in a pitcher, add ice and garnish with blackberries and more lime.
This is a picture someone on the internet took of a similar punch because for some reason I had trouble remembering to take pictures throughout the day.
What? I needed to make sure the punch was okay.
Sam had trouble deciding what to drink.
We told her, "It's the holidays! Why choose just one?"
Choice of music:
Elliot Brood. Because. What better band to listen to on Thanksgiving than a Canadian band that classifies itself as "death country"?
Anyway.
Did you know there was a special way to open up a plantain?
Me, neither! Thanks, internet!
Apparently, especially when still green, you want to cut the ends off first, then using the tip of the knife slit the peel along the length of it, only cutting as deep as the peel. It will come off in sections, but make sure to cut off any remnants. Sheesh. Banana's cousin is kinda high maintenance.
After slicing them super thin, I tossed them in lime juice, lime zest, chipotle chili powder and sea salt.
I was supposed to fry them but I baked them instead. Yes, it's healthier that way. But honestly, frying seemed like more work and I wanted to get on with things.
They turned out pretty well, but I think I would have liked them better fried. Oh well. Chad liked them and so he snacked on them throughout the day. I snacked on booze instead.
Ugh. You guys. Roasting and peeling poblano peppers is a pain in the neck. They take awhile in the oven then you have to put them in a covered bowl for an hour and then the skin doesn't come off easily, but they're mushy and delicate so as you're trying to peel them, everything falls apart. Ugh.
Here is a picture of someone else's cauliflower poblano gratin because at this point I was too tipsy to take too many more pictures. I will say, the roasting of the poblanos really made the kitchen smell divine. The gratin itself was kind of wonderful - smokey, cheesy, with JUST enough vegetable to make you think you're not being horrible to yourself. And it paired nicely with everything else.
I mean. I wasn't gonna make brussel sprouts WITHOUT bacon.
I wasn't completely wasted. Yet.
Toasting pecans with the bacon added a great crunch.
In addition to sea salt and black pepper, I also tossed in some of that chipotle chili powder and bit of espresso bean balsamic vinegar because that's what we had but also because it was amazing.
While all the above action was going on, I also simmered the turkey neck and giblets in some stock to mix it in with the pan drippings from Chad's awesome mole turkey. I'd never made a real gravy before. So of course this first one would have booze in it.
TEQUILA GRAVY, YOU GUYS. BELIEVE IT!
In the end we made a lovely table of food. In front there is the tequila gravy which I put on everything. To its left is Chad's chorizo cornbread stuffing and to its right, the mole roasted turkey, behind that are the poblano cauliflower gratin and the bacon brussel sprouts, and beside that are Sam's kale-sausage pie and cornflake hashbrowns. In the paper bag underneath the table were three pies (thanks, Tanya and Thanh!) from First Slice bakery -- pecan pie, balsamic pear pie and praline sweet potato pie. Did I mention this was just to feed five people? Oops. Oh well.
This year and every year around this time, I am thankful for stretch pants.
stolen and adapted from mydailymorsel.com
Plantain chips
2 green plantains
1 tablespoon kosher salt
1 lime, zested
½ teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
canola or olive oil spray
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Line two cookie sheets with foil, spray foil with oil
Peel the plantains
Slice the plantains as thinly as possible.
Stir together the oil, salt, lime zest, and chili powder in a small bowl
Toss with plantains
Arrange chips in a single layer on cookie sheets
Bake until golden, about 35 minutes
stolen and adapted from food.com
Cauliflour Gratin
2 heads cauliflower
3/4 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
salt & freshly ground black pepper
1 lb fresh poblano chile, roasted, peeled, seeded, and cut into strips (next time I will use the poblanos, but skip the roasting and peeling part...so not worth it)
12 ounces Cotija cheese, shredded (I also added some monterey jack cheese)
In a 6- to 8-quart pan over high heat, bring 3 quarts water to a boil. Meanwhile, trim and discard leaves from cauliflower; separate heads into florets. Slice florets 1/4 inch thick. Add sliced cauliflower to boiling water and cook until tender-crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. Drain and rinse under cold water; drain well.
In a glass measure, stir together cream and cayenne. Line bottom of a shallow 3 1/2- to 4-quart baking dish with a fourth of the cauliflower slices. Drizzle a fourth of the cream mixture over cauliflower. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper and top evenly with a fourth of the poblano chile strips and cotija cheese. Repeat three times to layer gratin, ending with cheese.
Bake in a 450° oven until cheese is browned and cauliflower is tender when pierced, about 30 minutes. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
stolen and adapted from nerdswithknives.com
Bacon Brussel Sprouts with Pecans
½ lb. thick sliced bacon cut in ¼-inch lardons
2 lbs. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and shredded
1 teaspoon course kosher salt
⅔ cup pecans toasted, roughly chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon fresh thyme, chopped
3 tablespoons (or whatever) of balsamic vinegar (I used espresso bean infused)
1-2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
In a large sauté pan or cast-iron skillet, render the bacon over medium heat until they are crispy and brown. Remove the bacon to a paper-towel-lined plate with a slotted spoon, leaving the rendered fat in the pan.
Toss the sprouts in the pan, season with a pinch of kosher salt, and cook in the bacon fat over medium heat until they soften and begin to brown in spots, about 4-6 minutes. Sprinkle in the garlic and thyme, and cook for another 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the nuts and the reserved
stolen and adapted from eatingwell.com
Tequila Gravy
2 14-ounce cans reduced-sodium chicken broth, divided (or, I used 2 or so cups of stock that simmered with the turkey bones)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 cup tequila
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
After removing the turkey from the roasting pan, pour any pan juices and fat into a glass measuring cup and place in the freezer so the fat will rise to the top, about 20 minutes.
Combine 1/2 cup chicken broth and flour in a small bowl; whisk until smooth.
Set the roasting pan over two burners on medium-high heat. Add tequila, bring to a boil and cook, whisking and scraping up the brown bits from the pan, until the tequila is slightly reduced, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the remaining broth to the roasting pan and return to a boil, whisking often and scraping up any remaining brown bits.
Skim fat from the chilled pan juices; add the juices plus the reserved broth-and-flour mixture to the roasting pan. Boil, whisking constantly, until a gravy forms, 8 to 10 minutes. Pour through a fine sieve into a gravy boat; stir in sage and season with pepper.
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