Suzi's Blog
Thanksgiving Ideas 2011
“How long have you had these symptoms?” the doctor asked me.
“A week or two,” I answered.
“About a month at this level. Decades at a reduced level.” Suzen was contributing to my diagnosis. I did not appreciate the “decades” bit.
“So,” the doctor continued, “your issue is confusion.”
“Yes,” I said.
“YES,” Suzen said. I really must remember not to bring her next time.
“Who is the President of the United States?” the doctor asked me.
“You don’t want to get into politics with Brian,” Suzen remarked quickly. You know, she does serve a purpose.
“What month is it?” the doctor continued.
“November,” I said. “But it seems endless to me. I just received more emails saying our blog has not put up any Thanksgiving recipes.”
“And?” the doctor asked.
“Well, I figured Thanksgiving had to be over already.”
“Why?” the doctor probed.
“Because Christmas decorations and store displays have been up for six weeks now. We have to be way past Thanksgiving,” I argued.
“Thanksgiving is next week, Brian,” the doctor corrected me.
“Yes, Brian.” Suzen concurred.
“Oh, dear,” I slumped back. “What can I do?”
“Well, I think you need to publish some Thanksgiving recipes on your blog,” the doctor began. “And then you might consider moving to a society that is less commercially oriented. I hear Iceland is a very mellow place.”
“Oh, great,” Suzen was staggered. “Can’t you just give him a prescription?”
So, we are six days from Thanksgiving 2011 and you may be wondering what to do. In the coming week I will, of course, supply you with some new holiday ideas. Fortunately, this blog is already flush with great menu ideas, from appetizers thru dessert. Here’s a table showing the blog titles for several wonderful recipes. And, I’ve included the word to search on, using the blog’s search feature, so you can easily isolate the recipe.
I’ll say that the Arrows Roast Turkey recipe is now our standard. We’ve done it for five or six years running and it has become a tradition. Nick’s Cranberry Sauce defines Thanksgiving for Suzen. Dorie Greenspan broadened everyone’s food horizons last year with Around My French Table. The stuffed pumpkin is directly from the book and Suzen created a stuffing recipe, sans pumpkin, as an alternative.
Here you go. I’ll be blogging more after my next doctor’s appointment. I’ve never been to Iceland.
| Blog Title
|
Search Word |
| Arrows Roast Turkey | Arrows |
| Nick’s Cranberry Sauce | Nick’s |
| Pumpkin Stuffed with Everything Good by Dorie Greenspan | Pumpkin |
| Thanksgiving Stuffing 2010 with Thanks to Dorie Greenspan | Stuffing |
| Pumpkin Chiffon Cake for Thanksgiving | Pumpkin |
| Apple and Jalapeno Tailgate Pie | Tailgate |
Pumpkin Chiffon Cake for Thanksgiving
Here is a Thanksgiving dessert that is classic yet different. The pumpkin flavor is here, but it’s a cake, a glorious chiffon cake, and not a pie. [Okay, make the pie, too, and serve it on Friday to avoid tears].
I led my Cooking by the Book team as the official test kitchen for the last two editions of The Joy of Cooking. That last time, I was the only test kitchen. This wasn’t a one week job. It was 18 months, five days a week, with 4 or 5 people here every day. Besides the thousands of recipes in the book, the team had to test all those wonderful recipes that did not make it into the book, because the editors had a page limit. Literally.
That testing process is now mostly a blur. In all that time, with all those recipes, it’s hard to remember any one thing. Hard, but not impossible. We all remember testing this cake and being stunned by how absolutely, delectably wonderful it is. Truthfully, her team made it twice just to make sure it was as grand as it seemed. It was and is.
Chiffon cakes are light and airy. This one is certainly that with 8 egg whites. But that airiness is now filled with pumpkin flavor. It’s truly a wonderful dessert, and one that all your Thanksgiving table will give thanks for.
Pumpkin Chiffon Cake
Yield: about 10 slices
Equipment: one ungreased 10-inch tube cake or a139-inch cake pan
Have all ingredients at room temperature, about 70°F. Preheat the oven to 325°F.
Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups sifted cake flour
- 1 ¼ cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon ground ginger
- ½ teaspoon grated or ground nutmeg
- ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
- 5 large egg yolks
- 1 ¼ cups cooked or canned pumpkin
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 8 large egg whites
- ½ teaspoon cream of tartar
- ¼ cup sugar
Preparation:
In a large bowl, whisk the cake flour sugar, baking powder, and salt.
In a mixer bowl place the egg yolks, water, oil, pumpkin, and vanilla. Beat on high speed until smooth.
Clean the beaters. Any remaining trace of egg yolk or oil will cause problems with the egg whites. In a clean bowl, place the egg whites and cream of tartar. Beat on medium speed until soft peaks form. Then gradually add the sugar, beating on high speed. Beat the whites until they are so stiff they being to lose their gloss. Use a rubber spatula to fold 0ne-quarter of the egg whites into the egg yolk mixture, then fold in the remaining whites.
Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly. Bake until the top springs back when lightly pressed and toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 60 minutes, for a tub e pan or 30 to 35 minutes for a baking pan. Let the tube cake cool upside down as for an Angel Food cake. Rest the 9×13-inch pan on 4 glasses.
Unmold when cooled.
To finish the cake, you have many options: whipped cream, ice cream, a cream cheese frosting, or a quick icing with some spices. I opt for the icing with some ginger and cinnamon. Here’s the recipe.
Spiced Quick Icing
Ingredients:
- 4 cups (1 pound) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 to 6 tablespoons milk, dry sherry, rum, brandy or coffee [I prefer half milk, half brandy]
- ½ teaspoon ginger
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 teaspoons vanilla
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Preparation:
In a mixing bowl, add the sugar and butter and beat until combined.
Add the remaining ingredients, using just 4 tablespoons of the liquid. Beat until smooth. Add more liquid to achieve the consistency you want.
With this icing, you can attempt to classically frost the cake. Or you can add more liquid to have a runny consistency so this icing is more of a glaze, which you can simply pour over the cake.
Source: The Joy of Cooking 75th Anniversary Edition
