An elegant holiday menu that will take you from appetizer to dessert without missing a beat.
Being the site of the very first Thanksgiving (more on that here), it’s not surprising that Virginians take this particular holiday pretty seriously. Eating, laughing, sharing time with family, these are the reasons we gather each year, and no matter how much work it is, we all know it just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving if we didn’t put on our best spread.
Since great food stokes great conversation, we’ve rounded up some of our favorite Thanksgiving recipes to create a start-to-finish meal with enough flair to keep it interesting and enough of the tried-and-true to make it feel like home.
BUTTERNUT SQUASH, RICOTTA AND MUSHROOM TARTS 14-ounce package refrigerated pie crusts 2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 tablespoon olive oil 4 ounces of your favorite mushrooms, chopped (oysters or shiitake work well) 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into ⅛-inch pieces (about 2 cups) 2 cloves garlic ½ cup ricotta cheese 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 1 tablespoon fresh herbs, chopped (rosemary, thyme and sage) zest of 1 lemon salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place pie crusts on floured surface; roll into about a 12-inch circle. Cut into 22 rounds, each 2 inches across, using a round cutter. Press rounds into bottoms of miniature scalloped-edge pie pans, removing excess dough from around the edges. Prick bottom and sides of crusts with fork or weigh with pie weights.
Bake crusts at 425 degrees for approximately 5 minutes, or until set. Remove from oven and cool in pans on a wire rack. Lower oven temperature to 350 degrees.
In a medium-large skillet set over medium-high heat, add butter, olive oil, mushrooms, squash and garlic. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Sauté until mixture is golden brown, about 8 to 10 minutes. Let the mixture cool down and add to a mixing bowl. With a spatula, gently fold in ricotta and lemon zest. Check your seasoning again to make sure it is to your liking.
Using a small spoon, evenly divide the mixture between the tart shells. Bake until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Garnish with grated parmesan and herbs.
ROASTED TURKEY BREAST 1 8-10 pound turkey breast 1 cup water
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Season the breast well with olive oil, salt and pepper and place in pan with water. Roast uncovered for 2 – 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes. Cover loosely with foil and let rest 30 minutes before serving.
MUSHROOM GRAVY 1 ½ tablespoons butter 1 ½ tablespoons olive oil 6 cups mixed mushrooms (Baby Bella and Chanterelle), chopped 1 large shallot, minced 1 clove garlic, minced ¼ cup white wine 2 cups chicken stock 2 cups heavy cream salt and pepper to taste
Melt butter and oil in a pan over medium heat. Add mushrooms and cook for 6-8 minutes. Add shallot and garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add white wine and allow to reduce for about 2 minutes. Add chicken stock and bring to a boil. Allow sauce to reduce for about 5 minutes, then add heavy cream and heat to desired consistency. Serve over turkey breast.
STUFFING 1 packet spicy French Andouille sausages (about 4 sausages) 1 cup plain bread crumbs 1 cup polenta grits 2 cups chicken stock ½ cup chopped fresh sage ½ cup chopped fresh oregano 1 cup whole pecan nuts ½ cup cooked wild rice ½ cup chopped dried apricots rind of one grated lemon salt and pepper to taste
Chop up the four sausages roughly. Mix together all of the above ingredients, except the chicken stock. At this point, if you are going to stuff your turkey with this mixture, add only one cup of chicken stock, mix well, and proceed with stuffing the turkey. If you are going to bake your stuffing separately, add the entire 2 cups stock, combine well and bake in a covered 8-inch square dish on a med/high oven for about 45 to 50 minutes.
SWEET POTATOES 12 sweet potatoes, skin on ¼ cup vanilla flavoring ¾ cup maple syrup ½ teaspoon Chipotle chili powder (or to taste) 1 teaspoon salt ½ cup unsalted butter, melted 1 cup raisins Myer’s Rum
Cover raisins with Myer’s Rum and soak overnight. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake sweet potatoes with the skin on until soft, about 45 minutes. Cool. Peel skin and puree with vanilla flavoring, maple syrup, Chipotle chili powder, salt and butter. Add raisins and rum and mix well. Bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.
FRESH BEAN SAUTÉ 1 pound green beans or runner beans 1 pound yellow wax beans 1 small onion, chopped (about ½ cup) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 2 tablespoons olive oil salt and pepper to taste
Cut ends off the beans and blanch 7-10 minutes in a large pot of rapidly boiling salted water until tender. Drain and refresh in ice. Drain and dry well. In a large sauté pan heat the butter and oil until foamy then add the onion and sauté for 2 minutes. Add the beans and continue to sauté until hot, approximately 5-6 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
ROASTED VEGETABLE AND COUSCOUS SALAD Begin with 2 pieces of each of your favorite roasting vegetables (consider sweet potato, pumpkin, small purple onions, potato or parsnips, about 1 1/2 lbs. in all). 1 ½ cups couscous 2 cups water 1 tablespoon butter ½ cup virgin olive oil 2 tablespoons tomato paste 2 teaspoons cumin powder salt and pepper to taste juice of one lime 1 teaspoon chili powder 1 packet of your favorite greens (try baby arugula, or romaine) 1 cup of feta cheese crumbles ½ cup toasted almond slivers 1 cup sun-dried tomato, quartered 1 cup cilantro leaves with some tender stalks
Peel and roast the root vegetables and onions. When cooked and cooled, cut these up into cubes (about ½ inch). Set the water to boil. On a rolling boil, add butter and a teaspoon of salt. In a steady stream, pour in the couscous. Stir the couscous only once or twice, cover and remove from heat.
To make the dressing: Combine in a bowl the tomato paste, olive oil, lime juice, cumin powder, chili powder, and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk till all the ingredients are evenly blended. Set aside till ready to use.
To serve:
Using a large platter, layer the dish first with the roasted vegetables, then the salad greens. Sprinkle an even layer of couscous over this. Garnish with slivered almonds, feta, sun dried tomato and fresh cilantro. Pour the dressing over a little at the time, tossing well to attain a nice coating, but not enough to make the salad too soggy.
PUMPKIN MOUSSE WITH GINGER SHORTBREAD, CANDIED PUMPKIN AND CARAMEL SAUCE
To assemble, spoon several tablespoons of caramel sauce on a dessert plate. Add a generous spoonful of pumpkin mousse and garnish with ginger shortbread and candied pumpkin (cut to desired size). Sprinkle pumpkin pie spice over the plate. Pumpkin Mousse: 2 cups pumpkin purée 1 cup heavy cream ½ cup light corn syrup 4 tablespoons brown sugar 4 tablespoons white sugar 1 package unflavored gelatin ½ cup milk 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon ½ teaspoon nutmeg ½ teaspoon mace ¾ teaspoon ground ginger ¼ teaspoon ground cloves 2 teaspoons vanilla extract 3 tablespoons white sugar 4 eggs, separated ¾ cup heavy cream Warm 1 cup heavy cream, corn syrup and both sugars over low heat until dissolved. Remove from heat. In a separate bowl mix the pumpkin purée with the egg yolks, spices and vanilla and warm gently. Combine with the warmed cream mixture. In separate bowl, dissolve gelatin in warmed milk and add to pumpkin mixture. Whip the egg whites with 3 tablespoons white sugar until stiff then fold into the pumpkin mixture. Whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form and lightly fold into the mousse. Chill overnight. Allow sauce to reduce for about 5 minutes, then add heavy cream and heat to desired consistency. Ginger Shortbread: 2 cups all-purpose flour 1 cup sugar 1 tablespoon ground ginger ½ teaspoon salt 8 ounces unsalted butter, softened Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Pulse all dry ingredients in a food processor. Add butter and process until a ball forms. Wrap dough in plastic and refrigerate for 1 hour. Cut into desired shapes and bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 10 minutes or until done. Candied Pumpkin: 1 small pumpkin (3-4 pounds) 2 pounds sugar 1 ½ cups water juice of 1 lemon Peel, seed and cut pumpkin into 3-inch wedges. Bring the sugar, water and lemon juice to a boil and add pumpkin. Simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove pumpkin wedges and dry on a wire rack overnight. Once dry, candied pumpkin will stay fresh in an air-tight bag for several days. Caramel Sauce: 1 cup sugar 6 tablespoons unsalted butter ½ cup heavy cream 2 tablespoons Virginia bourbon, or to taste pumpkin pie spice Melt butter in a heavy bottom pot over medium heat until golden. Add sugar 1 tablespoon at a time, stirring constantly until dissolved and bubbling. Continue to stir until caramel color is achieved. Slowly add cream and continue to stir. Add bourbon, if desired. Allow sauce to cool to room temperature before serving.
