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Thanksgiving Feast from Food & Wine

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La Belle Cuisine

Recipe Source:

Food & Wine's Holiday Cookbook
Food & Wine Books, Editorial Director: Judith Hill,
1996, American Express Publishing Corp.

Broiled Crumbed Oysters and Shallots

“Oysters are broiled on the half-shell with a savory coating of buttered
bread crumbs and shallots. A splash of Pernod is optional, but brings
a distinctive flavor to the dish.”

Wine Recommendation:  A very acidic white wine with personality is a good
match for this dish. Try the classic French oyster wine, Chablis, or a bottle of
Sancerre or another sauvignon-blanc-based wine from France’s Loire valley.

Serves 8

5 tablespoons butter
3 shallots, chopped
3/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1.4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon Pernod (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 dozen oysters, shucked, bottom shells
reserved and scrubbed well
Rock salt

1. Heat the broiler. In a medium frying pan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the shallots and sauté, stirring occasionally, until golden, about
5 minutes. Add the bread crumbs and sauté until they have absorbed all
of the butter, about 1 minute/ Remove the pan from the heat. Mix in the
lemon juice, Pernod, parsley, and Parmesan.
2. Arrange the oysters, in their shells, in a large, shallow baking pan filled
with rock salt. Top the oysters with the crumb mixture.
3. Broil the oysters until bubbly and light brown, about 3 minutes. Serve
at once.
- Jean Anderson

Kitchen Tip:  Partially filling a baking pan with rock salt makes it easy
to steady oysters on the half-shall so that they won’t tip as they broil.
Crumbled aluminum foil is less traditional but also does the trick.

Chutney-Glazed Roast Chickens
with Pecan Stuffing

“These sumptuous chickens are ideal for Thanksgiving. (Be sure to order
large chickens in advance.) You may want to double the amount of stuffing
– it’s impossible to resist – and bake the extra separately.”

Wine Recommendation:  Look for a full-bodied, powerfully flavored white
wine with plenty of acidity to pair with the imposing dish. A great (and
unusual) choice would be a Gewurztraminer  from France, a classic
accompaniment to Indian foods.

Serves 8

Two 4 1/2-pound chickens with neck and giblets,
at room temperature
1 lemon, cut in half
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
1/4 pound cold butter
Pecan Stuffing (recipe follows)
2 cups chicken stock, or canned low-sodium chicken
broth, more if needed
Two 9-ounce jars Major Grey’s Chutney,
or other mango chutney

Mango Chutney

1/4 cup flour
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

1. Heat the oven to 450 degrees [F.] Remove the excess fat from the
chickens and set it aside. Reserve the livers for the stuffing, and the
necks and remaining giblets for the gravy. Rub the chickens inside
and out with the cut lemon, and season inside and out with salt and
pepper. Cut the butter into sixteen pats. Put the butter on a plate
and refrigerate.
2. Loosely fill the cavities of the chickens with stuffing. Close the cavities
with metal skewers or wooden toothpicks. Beginning with the loose flap
of skin at the neck end of each chicken and using your fingers, loosen
the skin from the breasts. Lay eight of the cold pats of butter under the
skin of each chicken breast. Press the reserved pieces of chicken fat flat
and lay over each breast. Carefully remove the skin from each chicken
neck, slitting it open lengthwise. Lay the neck skin flat over the fat on
the breasts; this will baste the chickens as they roast. Twist the wings
behind the birds and tie the legs together.
3. Put the chickens, breast-side up, in a large roasting pan (preferably one
with a cover). Scatter the necks and giblets around the birds. Pour the
stock into the pan and cover tightly with aluminum foil. Add the cover
if you had one. Roast in the lower third of the oven for 20 minutes.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 325 degrees [F.] and roast the birds
for 45 minutes. Remove the cover and the foil and check the chickens.
They should be tender and almost done. The juices will still be some-
what pink when the thigh is pricked with a fork. If the stock has evap-
orated, add enough to cover the bottom of the pan. Raise the heat to
450 degrees [F.] and roast, uncovered, until the chickens are slightly
browned, about 10 minutes longer.
5. While the chickens are roasting, purée the chutney in a blender of food processor until smooth. Transfer the chickens to an ovenproof platter
and brush the chutney over them. Return the birds to the oven and roast
until the skin is golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the chickens to
a carving board and leave to rest in a warm spot for about 15 minutes.
6. Strain the pan juices into a bowl. Skim off the fat, return the fat to the roasting pan, and set the pan over moderate heat. Whisk in the flour.
Cook, whisking, until the flour is bubbling. Add the pan juices and bring
to a boil, scraping the bottom of the pan to dislodge any brown bits.
Reduce the heat and simmer the gravy until thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the parsley. Remove the string
from the chickens. Serve the birds with the stuffing and gravy.
- Pearl Byrd Foster

Pecan Stuffing

Makes about 8 cups

1/2 pound butter
2 chicken livers
6 shallots or 2 small onions, minced
(about 1 1/2 cups)
8 ribs celery, chopped with the leaves
(about 2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper
Pinch cayenne
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 cups pecan halves
6 cups cubed good-quality white bread

1. In a small saucepan, melt 1/4 pound of the butter over low heat.
Set aside.
2. In a large frying pan, melt the remaining 1/4 pound butter. Cook
the chicken livers over moderately high heat until they are firm,
about 2 minutes. Remove the chicken livers from the pan with a
slotted spoon and chop them.
3. Reduce the heat to moderate. Add the minced shallots to the pan
and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the celery and
the garlic. Cook until the vegetables begin to soften, about 5
minutes longer.
4. Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large bowl. Add 2 1/2 tea-
spoons salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, the cayenne, rosemary,
and parsley. Stir in the pecans, then toss with the cubed bread
and the chopped chicken livers.
5. Add the melted butter. Season with additional salt and pepper
to taste.
- Pearl Byrd Foster

  Potato Purée with Scallions

“Mashed potatoes, by any name, are always a favorite. This purée,
delicately flavored with scallions, is sure to bring smiles to all the
faces around the table.”

Serves 6

2 pounds baking potatoes (about 4), peeled
and cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
1/4 pound butter, at room temperature
1 cup [warm] half-and-half or light cream,
more if needed
2 scallions including green tops, chopped
Salt and fresh-ground black pepper

1. Put the potatoes in a medium saucepan of salted water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer until tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and
transfer the potatoes to a mixing bowl.
2. Add the butter and 1/2 cup of the half-and-half to the potatoes. Using
an electric mixer, beat until smooth, gradually adding enough additional
half-and-half to make a creamy purée. Blend in the scallions and season
with salt and pepper to taste.
- Ken Hom

Pearl Onions in Creamy Onion Sauce

“Frozen pearl onions are a terrific holiday timesaver.
They’re already peeled, and so you start he recipe one
step ahead of the game.”

Serves 8

8 tablespoons [1 stick] butter
1 cup dry bread crumbs
3 onions, chopped fine
1/4 cup flour
2 cups milk
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
Two 16-ounce packages frozen pearl onions

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees [F.] Melt 4 tablespoons of the butter
in a medium frying pan. Pour the melted butter into a small bowl
and stir in the dry bread crumbs. Set this mixture aside.
2. Melt the remaining 4 tablespoons butter in the frying pan. Add the
chopped onions and cook over moderately low heat, stirring
occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 5 minutes.
3. Sprinkle the flour over the onions in the pan and cook, whisking,
for 1 minute.  Slowly add the milk, whisking. Increase the heat to
moderate and cook, whisking constantly, until the onion sauce
comes to a boil. Boil for 1 minute. Stir in the salt and the pepper.
4. Put the pearl onions in a 2-quart baking dish. Pour the onion sauce
over them and mix well, spreading the onions into an even layer.
Sprinkle the buttered bread crumbs over the top. Bake until the
topping is crisp, and the sauce is bubbling around the edges,
40 to 50 minutes.
- Marion Cunningham

Pumpkin Cheesecake in a Gingersnap Crust

“If you like both pumpkin and cheesecake, you’ll love this combination.
A small slice of this rich and creamy pie feels like an extravagant treat.”

Makes on 10-inch pie

1/2 cup pecan halves, plus more for decoration
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 cup gingersnap crumbs (from about 20 cookies)
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sour cream, at room temperature
1 cup fresh pumpkin purée or canned pumpkin purée
[not pumpkin and pie filling]
1 teaspoon cinnamon
Pinch ground cloves
Pinch ground ginger
3 large eggs, at room temperature

1.  Heat the oven to 325 degrees [F.] In a food processor, chop the 1/2
cup of pecans with the granulated sugar until fine. Put the chopped
nuts into a large bowl and stir in the gingersnap crumbs. Pour in the
butter and stir to combine. Put the cookie-crumb-and-pecan mixture
into a 10-inch pie pan and press it evenly against the bottom and sides
of the pan to make a crust. Bake the crust in the middle of the oven
for 10 minutes. Let cool.
2. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and brown sugar with an
electric mixer until soft and smooth, about 3 minutes. Add the sour
cream, pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves, and ginger, and beat until just
combined. Beat in the eggs one at a time.
3. Put the pie crust on a baking sheet and pour in the filling. Bake in the middle of the oven until the filling is set, about 45 minutes. Transfer
to a rack and let cool. Decorate the pie with additional pecan halves.

Make It Ahead:  Because its cookie-crumb crust won’t get soggy like
a regular pie crust, the cheesecake can be made a day in advance and
refrigerated.  [Editor’s Note: We recommend this in any case, to give
the delicious flavor of this dessert a chance to intensify.]

Featured Archive Recipes:
Festive Fall Feast
Thanksgiving Dinner from Food & Wine
New Orleans Oysters Polo
Cranberry Condiments for Thanksgiving
Holiday Dressing/Stuffing Recipes
Scalloped Onions, Leeks and Shallots
Potatoes, Mashed, with Four Variations
(Union Square Cafe)
Thanksgiving Superstars
Pumpkin Bread Pudding
Pumpkin Walnut Cake with Candied Oranges
 

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