A [Supper Club] Thanksgiving Menu
We hosted Thanksgiving for several of xhollydayx's paternal relatives (9 guests total). We broke out a bunch of recipes that we had served previously at supper club. Of course, we added some new ones too.
Appetizers - Pastry-Wrapped Chorizo Puffs
These went over well, as they always do.
Appetizers - banderdillas
I love these, but most other people don't like anchovies. Their loss.
Appetizers - Olives stuffed with feta
We bought these at the West Side Market. They're a bit pricey and I love them dearly, so I'm going to need to learn how to stuff my own olives.
Soup Course: Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
We took this from the October issue of Eating Well magazine. We'd made it several times previously and really like it.
2 large sweet potatoes (10-12 ounces each)
1 tablespoon canola oil (we use olive)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic (or 2 or 3 or 4, because hey, it's garlic!)
3 cups tomato juice
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot), drained
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (we used ground ginger)
1 teaspoon ground allspice (we skipped this)
1 15 ounce can vegetable broth
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
fresh ground pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to garnish (if desired)
1. Wash sweet potatoes. Prick with fork and microwave on High until just cooked, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion until it just begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Stir in juice, chiles, ginger and allspice. Adjust heat so the mixture boils gently; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Add half to the pot. Note: we saved the peel for step 4.
4. Place the remaining sweet potatoes in a food processor along with peanut butter and broth and puree until smooth. Note: we didn't put the broth in the food processor; we just dumped it straight in the pot.
5. Add pureed sweet potatoes and peanut butter to pot. Stir well. Season with pepper. Heat until hot.
It makes 5 servings, so we tripled the batch to cover our 9 guests and ourselves. We didn't triple the chiles though, as xhollydayx didn't think they'd like it that spicy. Although most of the attendees said they liked it, nobody ate very much so we had a lot of leftovers, enough to freeze some and still have plenty for the next few days.
Soup Course: Matzo Rolls
I know, it wasn't close to Passover. But we had extra matzo meal, and they were so easy to make, and they are quite yummy.
2 cups matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1. Combine matzo meal with salt & sugar.
2. Bring oil & water to boil. Add to matzo meal mixture and mix well.
3. Beat eggs thoroughly, one at a time.
4. Allow to stand 15 minutes.
5. Oil hands and shape rolls. Place on well sprayed cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes about 15 rolls.
Main Course: Turkey
Two years ago when we hosted Thanksgiving we purchased fancy Amish turkey and it was excellent. We did so again this year, but it wasn't nearly as good. I think I may have ordered the wrong thing, or they got a different supplier, or something. Oh well. It was still good, but just not as good as last time.
Main Course: Green Bean Casserole
I loathe green bean casserole, but xhollydayx likes it, and her grandmother volunteered to bring it.
Main Course: Baked Peppers
These have pretty much become our go-to side dish for events. They are super tasty and easy to make.
Main Course: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Basil
I don't know where xhollydayx found the recipe, but it came out very well. khiron1416 would have approved.
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
5 ounces fresh soft goat cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup half & half
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well and return to pot.
2. Mix in cheese and butter. Mash until smooth.
3. Add half & half, basil and garlic and stir over medium heat until heated through.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
We made a double batch and had a lot left over. A double batch has 5 pounds of potatoes and 10 ounces of cheese. Unfortunately, goat cheese comes in 8 ounce packages. Rather than have 6 ounces of extra cheese left, we threw it in the pot. We also had an extra 1/3 cup of half & half, so we tossed in that in too. It was so creamy and smooth and wonderful. My mother had suggested using the Kitchenade mixer to mash everything, but I had no trouble whatsoever doing it by hand.
Main Course - Cranberry Relish
xhollydayx's aunt's mother makes this. It's delicious.
Main Course: Cranberry Fluff
xhollydayx's great-aunt makes this. It's very sweet and almost desert like.
Dessert: Pumpkin Roll
xhollydayx's cousin made this. It's a standard issue pumpkin roll, which if you like pumpkin roll (I do) is a good thing.
Dessert: Bakerella's Pumpkin Pie
My wife found the recipe and made it. It was pretty much the best pumpkin pie I've ever had.
Pie Dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, cold
1/2 teaspoon salt, cold
1 tablespoon sugar, cold
2/3 cup shortening, cold
4 tablespoon water, cold
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add shortening and gradually work it into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter. The mixture should be crumbly.
3. Add cold water and stir until combined.
4. Roll in a flat disc-shape, wrap in plastic or zip lock and place in the fridge for about an hour or until firm.
Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5. Mix the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer. Add egg and lemon juice and continue mixing until creamy.
6. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Pumpkin Layer:
15 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
7. Beat pumpkin, sugar and spice with a mixer.
8. Add eggs and beat until combined.
9. Add milk and beat until combined.
Assemble Pie.
10. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
11. Flour surface.
12. Roll out dough in a 13-14 inch diameter to fit a 9 inch pie pan
13. Carefully place rolled dough in pie plate. Try not to tear or stretch it.
14. Fold the excess dough under or trim it and create a decorative border.
15. Spread the cream cheese layer in the dough covered pie plate.
16. Layer the pumpkin mixture on top and try not to disturb cream cheese layer.
17. Cover edges of pie crust with foil to keep from getting too brown.
18. Bake 20 minutes. Then take out to apply topping.
Topping:
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
19. Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
20. Remove the pie. Take off foil. Layer topping on.
21. Bake for another 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool on counter.
22. Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours before serving.
I really enjoyed this a lot.
Dessert: Pear-Cinnamon Crisp
xhollydayx found and prepared this one too, and it was a definite winner.
Filling:
4-5 large pears (Bosc work well)
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel, core and dice pears. Place into a bowl and stir together with 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle melted butter gradually, stirring with a fork until all combined.
4. Pour pears into a 9x11 baking dish, top with crumb topping.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
6. Place pan on top rack of over for an additional 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Three supper club recipes in one meal, and several new recipes. Not bad for a standard issue Thanksgiving, eh?
Appetizers - Pastry-Wrapped Chorizo Puffs
These went over well, as they always do.
Appetizers - banderdillas
I love these, but most other people don't like anchovies. Their loss.
Appetizers - Olives stuffed with feta
We bought these at the West Side Market. They're a bit pricey and I love them dearly, so I'm going to need to learn how to stuff my own olives.
Soup Course: Sweet Potato-Peanut Bisque
We took this from the October issue of Eating Well magazine. We'd made it several times previously and really like it.
2 large sweet potatoes (10-12 ounces each)
1 tablespoon canola oil (we use olive)
1 small yellow onion, chopped
1 large clove of garlic (or 2 or 3 or 4, because hey, it's garlic!)
3 cups tomato juice
1 4 ounce can diced green chiles (mild or hot), drained
2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger (we used ground ginger)
1 teaspoon ground allspice (we skipped this)
1 15 ounce can vegetable broth
1/2 cup smooth natural peanut butter
fresh ground pepper to taste
fresh cilantro to garnish (if desired)
1. Wash sweet potatoes. Prick with fork and microwave on High until just cooked, about 7 to 10 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in large sauce pan over medium-high heat. Saute onion until it just begins to brown, 2 to 4 minutes. Add garlic and cook for one minute more. Stir in juice, chiles, ginger and allspice. Adjust heat so the mixture boils gently; cook for 10 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, peel the sweet potatoes and chop into bite-size pieces. Add half to the pot. Note: we saved the peel for step 4.
4. Place the remaining sweet potatoes in a food processor along with peanut butter and broth and puree until smooth. Note: we didn't put the broth in the food processor; we just dumped it straight in the pot.
5. Add pureed sweet potatoes and peanut butter to pot. Stir well. Season with pepper. Heat until hot.
It makes 5 servings, so we tripled the batch to cover our 9 guests and ourselves. We didn't triple the chiles though, as xhollydayx didn't think they'd like it that spicy. Although most of the attendees said they liked it, nobody ate very much so we had a lot of leftovers, enough to freeze some and still have plenty for the next few days.
Soup Course: Matzo Rolls
I know, it wasn't close to Passover. But we had extra matzo meal, and they were so easy to make, and they are quite yummy.
2 cups matzo meal
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup oil
4 eggs
1. Combine matzo meal with salt & sugar.
2. Bring oil & water to boil. Add to matzo meal mixture and mix well.
3. Beat eggs thoroughly, one at a time.
4. Allow to stand 15 minutes.
5. Oil hands and shape rolls. Place on well sprayed cookie sheet.
6. Bake at 375 degrees for 50 minutes or until golden brown.
Makes about 15 rolls.
Main Course: Turkey
Two years ago when we hosted Thanksgiving we purchased fancy Amish turkey and it was excellent. We did so again this year, but it wasn't nearly as good. I think I may have ordered the wrong thing, or they got a different supplier, or something. Oh well. It was still good, but just not as good as last time.
Main Course: Green Bean Casserole
I loathe green bean casserole, but xhollydayx likes it, and her grandmother volunteered to bring it.
Main Course: Baked Peppers
These have pretty much become our go-to side dish for events. They are super tasty and easy to make.
Main Course: Yukon Gold Mashed Potatoes with Goat Cheese and Basil
I don't know where xhollydayx found the recipe, but it came out very well. khiron1416 would have approved.
2 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 inch pieces
5 ounces fresh soft goat cheese
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
3/4 cup half & half
3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1. Cook potatoes in a large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well and return to pot.
2. Mix in cheese and butter. Mash until smooth.
3. Add half & half, basil and garlic and stir over medium heat until heated through.
4. Season with salt and pepper.
We made a double batch and had a lot left over. A double batch has 5 pounds of potatoes and 10 ounces of cheese. Unfortunately, goat cheese comes in 8 ounce packages. Rather than have 6 ounces of extra cheese left, we threw it in the pot. We also had an extra 1/3 cup of half & half, so we tossed in that in too. It was so creamy and smooth and wonderful. My mother had suggested using the Kitchenade mixer to mash everything, but I had no trouble whatsoever doing it by hand.
Main Course - Cranberry Relish
xhollydayx's aunt's mother makes this. It's delicious.
Main Course: Cranberry Fluff
xhollydayx's great-aunt makes this. It's very sweet and almost desert like.
Dessert: Pumpkin Roll
xhollydayx's cousin made this. It's a standard issue pumpkin roll, which if you like pumpkin roll (I do) is a good thing.
Dessert: Bakerella's Pumpkin Pie
My wife found the recipe and made it. It was pretty much the best pumpkin pie I've ever had.
Pie Dough:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour, cold
1/2 teaspoon salt, cold
1 tablespoon sugar, cold
2/3 cup shortening, cold
4 tablespoon water, cold
1. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl.
2. Add shortening and gradually work it into the flour with a fork or pastry cutter. The mixture should be crumbly.
3. Add cold water and stir until combined.
4. Roll in a flat disc-shape, wrap in plastic or zip lock and place in the fridge for about an hour or until firm.
Cream Cheese Layer:
8 ounces cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon lemon juice
5. Mix the cream cheese and sugar using a mixer. Add egg and lemon juice and continue mixing until creamy.
6. Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes.
Pumpkin Layer:
15 ounce can of pumpkin
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
2 eggs
1/2 cup evaporated milk
7. Beat pumpkin, sugar and spice with a mixer.
8. Add eggs and beat until combined.
9. Add milk and beat until combined.
Assemble Pie.
10. Preheat over to 375 degrees.
11. Flour surface.
12. Roll out dough in a 13-14 inch diameter to fit a 9 inch pie pan
13. Carefully place rolled dough in pie plate. Try not to tear or stretch it.
14. Fold the excess dough under or trim it and create a decorative border.
15. Spread the cream cheese layer in the dough covered pie plate.
16. Layer the pumpkin mixture on top and try not to disturb cream cheese layer.
17. Cover edges of pie crust with foil to keep from getting too brown.
18. Bake 20 minutes. Then take out to apply topping.
Topping:
1 cup pecans, chopped fine
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
19. Mix the ingredients in a bowl.
20. Remove the pie. Take off foil. Layer topping on.
21. Bake for another 25-30 minutes. Remove and cool on counter.
22. Cover and chill in fridge for a few hours before serving.
I really enjoyed this a lot.
Dessert: Pear-Cinnamon Crisp
xhollydayx found and prepared this one too, and it was a definite winner.
Filling:
4-5 large pears (Bosc work well)
2/3 cups sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
Topping:
1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cups sugar
1/3 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 cups pecans, finely chopped
1 stick butter, melted
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Peel, core and dice pears. Place into a bowl and stir together with 2/3 cup sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Set aside.
3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, cinnamon and pecans. Stir together. Drizzle melted butter gradually, stirring with a fork until all combined.
4. Pour pears into a 9x11 baking dish, top with crumb topping.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
6. Place pan on top rack of over for an additional 10 minutes or until topping is golden brown.
7. Serve warm with vanilla ice cream.
Three supper club recipes in one meal, and several new recipes. Not bad for a standard issue Thanksgiving, eh?