Monday, November 26, 2012

Thanksgiving 2012, a few details

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving.  
Every Thanksgiving has some expected and some unexpected elements.  
Here are a few from ours in 2012.

Comadre Delfina and I have been known to be goofy.  You want a phony picture?  Sure, we can pose.


Matthew and Leslie added some youthful flair to the table.  


We started with a menu based on two items - cornish game hens and butternut squash soup. 


By a stroke of luck we had input from Lynne Rosetto Kasper.  I called in to her Thanksgiving special, asked a question, and she gave her advice.  The Splendid Table website provided the last bit of info for this post.

Our friends Sandra and Luis helped with the dinner, too.  Sandra shared her enthusiasm and Luis shared his to-die-for soup as well as the following marinade for the game hens.


Luis Torres -  Marinate the birds for 24 hours before you roast 'em.  Here's one marinade I use: 

Shred some fresh ginger. Finely mince a few cloves of fresh garlic. Get some honey and grab a bottle of reduced-salt soy sauce and get some extra virgin olive oil. Rub the birds with olive oil. Rub the finely shredded ginger and minced garlic into the birds. Put the birds into deep bowls. Bathe them in the honey and soy sauce. Cover the bowls and put them in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. 

Before you roast them, taken them out of the refrigerator for at least an hour in order to get them to room temperature.


Ancho Cider Glaze:
1 quart apple cider, boiled down to about 2/3 cup
1/3 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon ground Ancho or other medium-hot chile, or to taste
2 tablespoons packed light brown sugar
4 large garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste 


4 comments:

  1. I hope I remember this next year because I much prefer game hens to turkey.

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  2. I like them both and these recipes were so simple. I think that I'll post a memo to myself on my Calendar. I have a file that is dedicated to recipes that I like and that have been successful.

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  3. The sign of a true cook -- someone who has bothered to learn the difference between marinate and marinade. I always get it wrong.

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  4. Luis is one of the finest cooks I know. Every once in a while we have dinner at their home and we always leave with happy tummies and happy minds.

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