Thanksgiving cooking discussion thread

Making chicken stock to have plenty on hand
Setting out bread to go stale
Making pie dough
Going shopping for non-perishable ingredients

This is a good article on stuff you can get done ahead of time:
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/11/14/what-can-i-prepare-before-the-actual-day-of-thanksgiving/

This is adapted from a really good recipe from the New York Times a couple years ago:

November 11, 2009
CHANTERELLE AND PEAR STUFFING

1 large loaf Pullman or other firm white bread
1 pound chanterelle mushrooms
1/3 pound pancetta, diced small
10 tablespoons butter, more for greasing muffin tins
1 large chopped onion
1/4 cup minced shallots (about three)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/3 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups diced pears (about four or five firm, ripe varieties like Bartlett or Anjou)
1 teaspoon sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh thyme, or 1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme
1/4 cup minced chives
1/3 cup chopped Italian parsley
2 cups turkey stock.

1. Tear bread into small pieces (you should have about 16 cups) and set in roasting pan or bowl. To dry bread, cover with paper towels and leave out overnight. Or, place on a baking sheet in batches and lightly toast. Set aside.
2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. Wipe mushrooms with a clean, damp towel. Trim tough ends. Slice some thickly, chop others. Set aside. Place pancetta in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook slowly until fat is rendered, about 7 minutes. Remove to a large plate.
4. Add 2 tablespoons butter to fat in pan and turn heat to medium high. Add onion and shallots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until just soft. Do not brown. Remove to plate holding pancetta.
5. Add 3 tablespoons butter to pan. Add mushrooms, season with salt and pepper and quickly sauté until starting to brown. Remove and add to plate.
6. Add wine to pan and deglaze over medium high heat, cooking until wine reduces by about half. Pour remaining liquid over mushrooms. Wipe out pan and add remaining butter. Add pears and sugar and season with salt and pepper. Sauté pears, in batches if necessary, over medium high heat until they begin to brown slightly.
7. In a large bowl or roasting pan, add sautéed ingredients to bread. Toss lightly to combine. Add herbs and toss again. Slowly pour one cup stock over mixture and toss. Add more broth to make a very moist stuffing. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper.
8. Generously butter muffin tins and fill each with stuffing, pressing down so each cup is well filled. Top each with one tablespoon stock. Bake for about 20 to 30 minutes, until a golden crust forms on bottom. To serve, use a butter knife to remove each stuffing muffin and invert onto the plate.

Yield: recipe will fill two dozen muffin tins or a small casserole dish.

We’ve got a huge Christmas this year so we’ll have two turkeys. I thought we might try something different for the second one.

This column from the NYT’s Minimalist has a bunch of interesting ideas for dishes that you can make in advance:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/11/18/dining/18mini.html

You don’t need any gravy on these mashed potatoes. My main piece of advice is to err on the small size when cutting the big root vegetables (turnips, celery root, rootabaga) and let them soften in the butter before adding the potatoes.

MASHED POTATOES AND ROOT VEGETABLES WITH BACON AND THYME
Serves 4. Published November 1, 2007. From Cook’s Illustrated.
 
Russet potatoes will yield a slightly fluffier, less creamy mash, but they can be used in place of the Yukon Gold potatoes if desired. Rinsing the potatoes in several changes of water reduces starch and prevents the mashed potatoes from becoming gluey. It is important to cut the potatoes and root vegetables into even-sized pieces so they cook at the same rate. This recipe can be doubled and cooked in a large Dutch oven. If doubling, increase the cooking time in step 2 to 40 minutes. This variation is particularly nice with turnips.
 
4 ounces bacon , cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
16 ounces total of carrots, rootabagas, parsnips, turnips, or celery root, (all peeled); carrots or parsnips cut into 1/4-inch-thick half-moons; turnips or celery root cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes , peeled, quartered lengthwise, and cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; rinsed well in 3 or 4 changes of cold water and drained well
1/3 cup low-sodium chicken broth
Table salt
3/4 cup half-and-half , warmed
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme leaves
Ground black pepper
 
INSTRUCTIONS
1. Cook 4 slices (about 4 ounces) bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces, in large saucepan over medium heat until browned and crisp, about 8 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer bacon to paper towel-lined plate; set aside. Remove all but 2 tablespoons bacon fat from pan.
2. Add butter to pan and keep over medium heat. When foaming subsides, add root vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter is browned and vegetables are dark brown and caramelized, 10 to 12 minutes. (If after 4 minutes vegetables have not started to brown, increase heat to medium-high.)
3. Add potatoes, broth, and 3/4 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Cook, covered, over low heat (broth should simmer gently; do not boil), stirring occasionally, until potatoes fall apart easily when poked with fork and all liquid has been absorbed, 25 to 30 minutes. (If liquid does not gently simmer after a few minutes, increase heat to medium-low.) Remove pan from heat; remove lid and allow steam to escape for 2 minutes.
4. Gently mash potatoes and root vegetables in saucepan with potato masher (do not mash vigorously). Gently fold in warm half-and-half, reserved bacon, and thyme. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve immediately.

I live in an NYC apt, and my kitchen is miniscule, but i wanted to try a turkey in pieces rather than whole because brining is really good, but it’s kind of a nightmare in my apartment. Anyway, the brined whole turkey was better than the unbrined turkey in pieces. We’ll do cornbread dressing, a walnut and raisin stuffing (new recipe), brussels sprouts (simply, butter and salt is all), mashies (i worked at a family-style restaurant in high school and my job was to prepare mashed potatoes for a couple hundred every night—i got it down pat), butternut squash soup (i may try the recipe above); my wife’s in charge of the pies. Love this holiday.

And is awesome!

http://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/cabernet-cranberries-10000000258141/print/#