Thanksgiving Feast

Serves 8 HUNGRY people

Cocktail
Ollie’s Eggnog

Starter
Prosciutto Wrapped Pear Slices
Caprese Skewers

Main Attraction
Mesquite Roasted Turkey w/ Smoked Port Gravy

Sideliners
Green Beans Almondine with Toasted Garlic
Oyster Stuffing
Homemade Dinner Rolls
Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries

Happy Finish
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream

Back to Top

Ollie’s Eggnog

This is a classic recipe. Beware, it is BOOZEY!! But, quite honestly, that is why it is always a hit at any holiday party. It makes enough for about 12 people. So, if you are throwing a holiday rager, double or triple it. Don’t let the creamy delicious, smooth taste fool ya . . . . Start with:

6 egg yolks (save the whites for later)

Beat them until creamy, about 5 minutes and gradually add, while beating

1 cup baking sugar (fine)

Then, on low speed (or gently with a whisk) add:

1 pint whole milk
1 pint whipping cream (buy 1 ½ pints, you’ll need ½ of one later)

Mix well and add the booze:

1 ½ cups good bourbon
½ cup dark rum
½ cup spiced rum
½ cup brandy

The above mixture can be made up to a day ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge. Before serving do the following:

When ready to serve, transfer egg mixture into a large punch bowl. Cool two medium bowls (preferably metal) by placing them in the freezer for 10+ minutes. In one of the bowls, beat the 6 egg whites until soft peaks form and gently fold them into the egg and booze mixture. Then, in the other chilled bowl, beat the remaining ½ pint of whipping cream until soft peaks form. Fold this into the egg and booze mixture. Garnish the top of the eggnog with freshly grated nutmeg and serve in cups using a ladle.

Back to Top

Prosciutto Wrapped Pear Slices

4 Large ripe pears
8 oz. thin sliced prosciutto

Slice pears in half, remove core. Slice each half into 4 – 6 equal slices, depending on the size of the pear. Wrap each pear slice in prosciutto. You can stick a toothpick in them at an angle for serving if you wish.

Caprese Skewers

1 lb. Red ripe grape tomatoes
16 oz, fresh mozzarella balls (“ciliegine”, the size of cherry tomatoes)
2 oz. fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
tooth picks

On each toothpick, start with a cherry tomato, followed by a basil leaf folded in half and then skewered through the middle on the toothpick. Follow with a mozzarella ball. Pile on a serving plate and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and fresh ground pepper.

Back to Top

Mesquite Smoked Turkey w/ Smoked Port Gravy

1 – 10 – 12 lb. Turkey
1 lb butter
Tony’s dry rub (recipe below)

Brine turkey, 1 hour per pound, in:

1 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup dark brown sugar, packed
3 bulbs garlic, coarsely chopped
8 cups apple cider vinegar
1 gallon cold water (4 quarts)

In a large stockpot (that the Turkey fits in, silly) or a brining bag combine all ingredients except for the water. If you are using Morton’s kosher salt, use ½ of a cup instead of a whole cup. Stir well until sugar and salt is well dissolved. Add water. Slowly lower the turkey into the brine. The brine should cover the turkey entirely. The turkey must be kept cold (33° to 40°F). Either store in the fridge or place brining container in a large cooler surrounded by ice. Add more ice when necessary. When done brining, remove and blot with paper towels. Do not brine for more than 1 hour per pound. Take ½ the butter (2 sticks) and cut each stick into 8 – 10 pieces. Place 1 stick worth of butter under the skin of the breast. Generously rub inside the cavity of the bird and all around the outside of the bird with Tony’s Dry Rub. Place on a cutting board, breast side up. Place the remaining butter pats over the top of the bird.

Tony’s Dry Rub

2 Tbsp. salt
2 Tbsp. brown sugar
2 Tbsp. ancho chili powder
1 Tbsp. medium New Mexico chili powder
2 tsp. chipotle pepper powder
2 tsp. smoked Spanish paprika
2 tsp. black pepper

Combine in a small bowl and mix well using a fork to break up the spices and sugar. Reserve 2 Tbsp. of dry rub for basting before rubbing on turkey.

Mesquite Roasting

If you are way too freaked out about this or don’t have the means to mesquite roast, please following directions for traditional roasting, see below.

Start with true mesquite charcoal. If possible, light using a charcoal can and paper (the wide cylindrical charcoal starting devices that use paper wadded into the bottom of the cylinder as a heat source as opposed to lighter fluid). Place a disposable turkey-roasting pan in the middle of the grill where you normally dump the charcoal. Scatter some additional fresh charcoal pieces on either side of the pan. Once the coals are hot, carefully dump the hot charcoal on either side of the roasting pan, over the non-lit charcoal pieces. If you do not have a cylindrical charcoal starter, simply start two piles of charcoal on each far side of the grill, leaving enough room for the roasting pan to fit between the piles. Replace the grill surface and cover. Once the coals are hot, and the grill is up to 400° - 450°F place the Turkey, breast side up on the middle of the grill positioned directly above the empty roasting pan. The temperature of the grill should be between 400° - 450°F for the first 30 minutes of roasting. The temp should slowly lower. You will want to maintain a temp between 300° - 350° after the first 30 –45 minutes of roasting. Simply add more charcoal when needed. The bird should take between two to two and a half hours to cook. Once an instant read thermometer inserted into a thigh (without touching bone) reaches 165°F, remove the bird from the grill. Place on a platter and let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.

Basting the bird: Melt the additional 2 sticks of butter. Stir in 2 Tbsp. of Tony’s Dry Rub. Mix well and use to baste bird periodically throughout the cooking process.

Traditional Roasting:

Prepare the turkey as described above for mesquite roasting. Line a roasting pan with whole carrots, thick sliced onion rounds and celery ribs to provide a surface that will act as a rack for the turkey to rest on. Place turkey on vegetable rack and place in a 450°F preheated oven. Roast at 450° for 30 minutes and turn temperature down to 350°F. Roast an additional 1 ½ to 2 hours, basting every 30 minutes or so. Roast until an instant read thermometer inserted into a thigh (without touching bone) reaches 165°F, remove the bird from the oven. Place on a platter and let it rest for at least 20 minutes before carving.

Smoked Port Gravy

This recipe has a few steps. First you need to make a stock.

Port Turkey Gravy Stock

Giblets and neck from a 10 – 12 pound turkey
2 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, coarsely chopped
2 carrots, coarsely chopped
3 celery ribs, coarsely chopped
1 head of garlic, cut in half lengthwise
3 whole bay leaves
1 Tbsp. whole peppercorns

This can be made 2-3 days ahead of time. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add giblets, neck, onions, carrots and celery ribs. Season with salt and pepper. Continue to cook until mixture is a deep golden brown, about 15 – 20 minutes. Transfer to a large stockpot. Return skillet to heat and add 2 cups water, being careful not to burn yourself from the steam. Deglaze the pan and get all of the charred bits up from the skillet. Pour deglazing broth into stockpot. Add whole peppercorns, bay leaves and garlic. Add enough water to cover the mixture (about 10 – 12 cups). Bring to a boil over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer and cook for 3 – 5 hours, adding water if needed to cover the mixture. Stir occasionally. When finished cooking, strain into a storage bowl, and refrigerate broth. You can skim the fat off of the top before you reheat it on feast day.

Port Turkey Gravy

8 – 10 cups turkey stock
¼ cup all purpose flour
1 ½ cups tawny port
salt and pepper to taste

Re-heat the turkey stock when it is time to make the gravy. Take roasting pan containing dripping from cooked turkey. Pour off juices. Discard all but ¼ cup of the fat. Place roasting pan over medium heat. Add tawny port and deglaze the pan. Set aside. In a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat, whisk together reserved fat and the flour. Cook for about 3 – 5 minutes. Slowly pour deglazed port mixture into the flour and fat mixture, whisking well. Whisk until combined and no lumps are present. Add some of the turkey stock if needed to thin it out. Once the mixture is smooth, add 8 cups of turkey stock and the drippings from the roasting pan that you skimmed the fat off of. Whisk to combine and heat to a low simmer. Add salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If it gets too thick, add some more stock or water. If it does not thicken, place a couple of tablespoons of flour in a jar. Add a cup of water and shake vigorously. Whisk into gravy. Once you reach the desired thickness, give it a final taste, season with salt and pepper if needed and transfer to a gravy boat.

Back to Top

Green Beans Almondine with Toasted Garlic

2.5 lbs. fresh or frozen green beans
4 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
2 Tbsp. butter
6 cloves garlic, chopped
½ cup slivered almonds (2.25 oz. package)
1 tsp. salt
salt and pepper to taste

Use fresh green beans only if they look exceptional, which may be hard to find this time of year. If using frozen, choose a quality whole bean. Bring 4 quarts of water to a boil and salt well. Prepare a large bowl with ice cubes and water. Drop green beans into boiling water and bring back to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes, strain and transfer to an ice bath. The ice bath will “shock” the beans; stops the cooking process and brings out a great deep green coloration. Once chilled in the ice bath, drain well and set aside. This step can be done a day ahead of time and then stored in the refrigerator.Just before your Thanksgiving feast is ready to serve, heat 2 Tbsp. olive oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, just until the oil smokes. Reduce heat to medium and add the slivered almonds and ½ tsp. salt. Sauté the almonds, constantly moving them around the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. They will brown fairly fast and you’ll want them to brown evenly. Once uniformly browned, remove and set aside. In the same pan, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp. olive oil, again just to smoking point. Reduce heat to medium and add the chopped garlic and the remaining ½ tsp. salt. Constantly stir, as you did with the almonds, until the garlic is a deep brown and toasted. If it starts to gum up on you, add a little more olive oil. Once the garlic is toasted, return 1/2 the almonds to the pan, reserving the other half for garnish. Add the blanched green beans to the pan and mix with garlic/almonds.. Sauté over medium to medium high heat until hot, about 3 – 5 minutes. Finish with 2 Tbsp. butter, salt and pepper to taste, toss. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with remaining toasted almond slivers. Serve.

Fresh Cranberry Sauce with Blueberries

1 C water
¾ C sugar
1 – 12oz. package fresh cranberries
1 C fresh or frozen blueberries
1 tsp. fresh orange zest
1 tsp. freshly grated ginger

Pick over cranberries. In a medium sized saucepan, bring water and sugar to a slow boil. Once sugar is completely dissolved, add cranberries and slowly boil just until the cranberries begin to pop. Remove from heat and add the orange zest and ginger, mix well. Add blueberries, mix well. Transfer to a serving dish and cool before serving.

Oyster Stuffing

Prepared Corn Bread (2 boxes Jiffy)
1 small onion, diced
3 celery ribs, diced
8 Tbsp. Butter
1/3 C chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh sage leaves
1 ½ tsp. poultry seasoning
½ tsp. fresh grated nutmeg
2 pints fresh raw oysters
1 C half and half
1 C chicken or turkey stock

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 6 tbsp. butter. Sauté onions and celery until tender, 8 – 10 minutes. Add poultry seasoning and mix well. Add half and half and chicken stock and heat to a low simmer. Add oysters with their juice and cook for about 2 minutes, until returned to a low simmer. Remove from heat and add remaining 2 Tbsp. butter, nutmeg and Italian parsley. Mix until butter has melted. In a large mixing bowl, break up corn bread into large chunks. Carefully pour oyster mixture over broken cornbread. Gently fold mixture until well combined. Transfer to a large greased (preferably with butter) casserole dish (or deep 9X13 baking pan). Place in preheated 350°F oven and bake uncovered until heated throughout and crusted on the edges, 30 – 40 minutes. This can be made a day or two ahead of time, covered and refrigerated until ready to bake.

Grandma Ecklund’s Homemade Dinner Rolls

These are great homemade dinner rolls. Pretty easy too, for homemade dinner rolls. Slap some butter in the middle of one of these piping hot bad boys and you’ll be wanting another one. . . and another one. In other words, watch out, cuz they’re dangerous!

1 C milk, scalded
2 pkgs. Yeast dissolved in 1 cup warm water w/ 1 Tbsp. sugar
6 Tbsp. shortening
¾ c. sugar
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp. Salt
7 cups flour

Scald milk by heating over medium heat until it just ALMOST boils, but DOES NOT BOIL. Add shortening (you can substitute butter if you prefer) and cool to about 115°F (very warm but not HOT). Add yeast mixture to the warm scalded milk. Add flour until somewhat mixed and then add beaten eggs. Keep adding flour until the dough is no longer sticky. Transfer to a floured surface and gently knead, dusting with flour until no longer sticky. Transfer to a greased bowl (vegetable oil is fine) and cover with a heavy towel. Put in a warm place and let rise until at least doubled in bulk, about 1.5 - 2 hours. Punch down and place back in bowl and let rise in a warm place for 1 hour, until double in bulk.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 2 - 9 x 13 baking pans. Pull raised dough from bowl and transfer to a floured surface. This is where it gets a little weird. This is how Grandma Ecklund describes it: “cut from knife, push dough through hand til ball forms, pops out, pinch it off and put in greased pan and bake for 25 minutes”. Basically, grab the dough ball with your hand and gently squeeze it until a ball pops out the other end (between your thumb and forefinger). Using your other hand, pinch the ball off and place pinched side down in a greased baking dish. Bake at 350°F until golden brown, about 25 minutes. Let cool about 10 minutes before transferring to bread bowl, cover with cloth and serve warm with room temp butter. Mmmmm . . . . put it in your mouth.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whipped Cream (serves 12 – 14)

Graham Cracker Crust

10 graham crackers, crumbed (food processor or roll in freezer bag with rolling pin)
1 stick butter, melted (1/2 cup)
1 T sugar

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ingredients and pat down evenly into the bottom of a 9-inch, deep-dish spring form pan. Bake at 350°F for 8 minutes. Remove and let cool.

Filling

1 ½ pounds cream cheese, room temp (3 packages)
1 15 oz. can pumpkin, room temp
1 ½ cups sugar
6 eggs, room temp
1/2 cup sour cream
½ Tbsp. real vanilla
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 tsp. allspice

Preheat oven to 450°F. Cream together cheese, pumpkin and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs, mix well. Add remaining ingredients and stir until well mixed. Pour into spring form pan containing cooled crust. Bake at 450°F for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 225°F and bake an additional one hour and 15 minutes, until set. Remove from oven and let cool to room temp, then refrigerate until cooled through out (overnight). You can make this 3 – 4 days before your party. Cover with plastic food wrap and keep in the fridge.

Bourbon Whipped Cream

1 C. whipping cream
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 Tbsp sugar
1 Tbsp. Bourbon

In a chilled metal bowl, combine all ingredients and beat with a hand mixer on high speed until soft peaks form. Keep chilled until serving.

Back to Top