This Thanksgiving we did the usual get together with all of our friends and family. This year Michael and Anh were gracious enough to host in their beautiful new home with one of the best views in the city. In the past it seems that some folks have been stuck on trying to find ways to screw with tradition. One year it was turkey dinner deconstructed. We served everything tasting menu style. It was exhausting. To make things even more interesting, we did it at our friends house in their Kosher kitchen. I can't tell you how many times Hillel would say, "no stop! That is the milk board". The year before that, Alex made Turduckin. That was a ridiculous amount of work. This year, we kept it simple. I was so happy. I ended up making one of the stuffings and three desserts.
Pear and Macadamia Nut Stuffing
1 lbs European Butter, 1 Cup Onion (coarsely chopped), 1/4 Cup Shallots (finely chopped), 1/2 to 1 Whole Bulb Garlic (finely chopped), 1 Cup Carrots (coarsely chopped), 1 Cup Celery (coarsely chopped), 1 Tbs Rosemary, 1 Tbs Thyme, 1Tbs Sage (all fresh and finely chopped), 3/4 Cup Macadamia Nuts (coarsely chopped), 3 Hard Bosc Pears (cored and coarsely chopped), 2 Loaves Artisan Bread (cut or torn into 1 inch squares), 2-3 Cups Chicken Broth, 2-3 Tsp Kosher salt
Melt butter in large stock pot over medium heat. Add onions, shallots, rosemary, thyme, sage, carrots, celery and garlic. Stir until onions are translucent. Add pears, macadamia nuts and bread. Add stock 1 cup at a time until bread is wet but not too soggy.
This can be prepared one day in advance. I usually prep everything and use zip-lock bags a couple nights before and then prepare a day ahead. Place stuffing in a large casserole pan and bake at 350 for 1/2 hour or until warm all the way through.
Desserts in order of yum:
Comments