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A Napa Valley Thanksgiving
All the feast favorites,
made with California style.
By Janet Fletcher, Photographs
by Reed Davis - Eating Well, November/December 1999
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For those of us who live
in the Napa Valley, a traditional Thanksgiving is just
as sacred as it is anywhere in the country. But if a
little California flair sneaks into the menu, well,
blame it on the weather.
The mild temperatures here
led my husband, Doug, and me to our first great West
Coast Thanksgiving secret: grilling the turkey. Now
we wouldn't do it any other way, even if we lived
in Alaska. It's worth it. The skin turns a rich,
deep brown, the meat stays moist and succulent, with
just a hint of smoke.
In Napa Valley, a trip
to the local farmers' market determines the direction
of the rest of the feast. I walk through the stalls
and savor the sights; invariably I bag up sweet potatoes
and parsnips, beets and bunches of thyme. It is the
harvest that makes me thankful.
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Putting
a California spin on your own family's Thanksgiving needn't
be about being ultra trendy or forgoing timeless rituals.
It can simple mean
cooking outdoors, it can mean gravy enhanced with roasted
garlic, it can mean that the pumpkin finale is a creamy
mousse
with layers of old-fashioned gingersnaps. Above all else,
it can mean a meal infused with vegetables and herbs -
a lighter,
fresher, more healthful feast.
| Parsnip
& Sweet Potato Soup |
| Turkey
with Roasted-Garlic Gravy |
| Mushroom
& Artichoke Dressing |
| Mashed
Potatoes |
| Steamed
Brussels sprouts on green beans |
| Cranberry,
Beet & Walnut Relish |
| Pumpkin
Mousse with Brandied Cream |
This
menu contains 1,100 calories per serving, with 18
percent of calories from fat.
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| MAKE-AHEAD
PLAN
1 week ahead:
Make Pickled Vegetables.
2 days ahead:
Make Parsnip & Sweet Potato Soup.
Make Cranberry, Beet & Walnut Relish.
1 day ahead:
Prepare Mushroom & Artichoke.
Dressing through Step 3.
6 hours ahead:
Make Pumpkin Mousse.
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3 1/2
- 4 1/2 hours ahead:
Prepare turkey and roast.
Make Giblet Stock.
1 hour ahead:
Finish the dressing.
Make Mashed Potatoes; keep warm.
30 minutes ahead:
Make roasted-garlic gravy.
Reheat the soup.
Make Brandied Cream.
Just before serving:
Steam Brussels sprouts or green beans.
Carve the turkey.
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Janet Fletcher's most recent cookbook is Fresh
from the Farmers' Market (Chronicle Books, 1997).
Next: Pickled Vegetables, Parsnip &
Sweet Potato Soup and more! >>
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