At the last minute, only a few days before Thanksgiving, we both agreed that we couldn't eat the whole turkey ourselves (and the stuffing and the gratin and that whole jar of cranberry sauce). Besides, what's Thanksgiving without a few friends?! And we had such a wonderful Thanksgiving last year! So we gathered a few friends who could make it over on a work-night. Our guest list included a Dane, a Frenchie, an Irish, three Americans (including us), and then later came an Aussie and a Dutch. Wow! Besides us, it was everyone's first Thanksgiving.
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Prepping started, well, a week ago when we ordered the turkey. After picking it up on Wednesday, I made a brine and Elliot and I figured out a way to keep the turkey in the brine in the fridge, overnight.
I also made the Ruby Cranberry Sauce that I've made a few times. It's sublime and so easy. When Elliot left for work around 7:30am on Thursday, I started to prep the rest of the dishes. Pancetta-Sage butter for the turkey and gravy ... the Sausage, Fennel, and Ricotta Stuffing ... chopping up the green been for my Vibrant, Tasty Green Beans and thinly slicing potatoes for the Simple Potato Gratin. By 4:30pm the turkey was in the oven, covered in pancetta butter and stuffed with ricotta and homemade breadcrumbs.
In keeping with true Thanksgiving tradition, the turkey didn't finish cooking for an hour past due--everyone was hungry and waiting so patiently. The final product was worth the waiting, and that pancetta butter made the gravy so freakin' delicious. (I have the teeniest bit left in the fridge that I cannot wait to use at some point.)
Elliot and I were super busy preparing all the dishes and hosting, we/I didn't take too many pictures. (Plus, it gets dark around 4pm these days, so the light's not so great.) But I assure you it was an eventful dinner, followed by the most delicious pecan pie from my favorite Rotterdam bakery Koekela. Although we warned everyone about turkey coma, by around 10pm everyone was sleepy-eyed and rolled out the door with the faintest "...see you soon..."
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Prepping started, well, a week ago when we ordered the turkey. After picking it up on Wednesday, I made a brine and Elliot and I figured out a way to keep the turkey in the brine in the fridge, overnight.
I also made the Ruby Cranberry Sauce that I've made a few times. It's sublime and so easy. When Elliot left for work around 7:30am on Thursday, I started to prep the rest of the dishes. Pancetta-Sage butter for the turkey and gravy ... the Sausage, Fennel, and Ricotta Stuffing ... chopping up the green been for my Vibrant, Tasty Green Beans and thinly slicing potatoes for the Simple Potato Gratin. By 4:30pm the turkey was in the oven, covered in pancetta butter and stuffed with ricotta and homemade breadcrumbs.
In keeping with true Thanksgiving tradition, the turkey didn't finish cooking for an hour past due--everyone was hungry and waiting so patiently. The final product was worth the waiting, and that pancetta butter made the gravy so freakin' delicious. (I have the teeniest bit left in the fridge that I cannot wait to use at some point.)
Yumm!!! I'm sure all were satiated by the end of the evening. My thoughts were on the bubbly I spotted on the table and what other wine(s) you complemented the meal with - a pinot perhaps?
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