A Very Southern Thanksgiving

THIS year was my first Southern Thanksgiving ever; it was spent at my sister-in-law's house in Columbia, South Carolina.

After my brother-in-law, Brad, picked David and I up from the Charlotte airport, we were welcomed by Christy and David's nieces, Emma and Jane with a late-night spread. Amongst the sunflower bread, rare roast beef and kalamata olives was a new discovery for me: pimento cheese.

Pimento Cheese

Ingredients:

Cheddar cheese (you may use grated)

Jar of diced pimentos (drained)

Mayonnaise

Dash of garlic powder, salt & pepper (optional)

The amount of each of the ingredients will depend on your taste preference. Start with small amounts of each, then add more, as you see fit...

• Beat the cheese using an electric mixer at medium speed (or in a food processor) until fluffy.
• Mix well: the remaining ingredients, along with the cheese, in a bowl.
• Serve on crackers or bread.

Also on hand, were Jane's spiced mixed nuts.

Spiced Mixed Nuts

Ingredients:

Shelled Walnuts, pecans and almonds

Sage

Rosemary

Thyme

Maple Syrup

• Very finely chop: sage, rosemary and thyme; stir the spices together in a small bowl.
• Combine nuts in a large bowl.
• Add "just enough" maple syrup to lightly coat the nuts.
• Sprinkle in spices, stirring thoroughly, until the nuts are "lightly dusted."
• Spread the nuts in a single layer on a cookie sheet and bake at 250° for 20 minutes, or until lightly toasted.

THE next day, we went to "Five Points" so I could taste some authentic Southern grits from Mr. Friendly's. David recommended I try Low Country shrimp & grits with blackened shrimp, creamy grits, andouille sausage and creole sauce; it was great.

Afterwards, we walked over to The Gourmet Shop; I could have taken home the entire stock...

First things first: chocolate. David found his favorite, Côte d'Or.

White truffle cream, $24.99.

Sweet potato crackers. Who doesn't love sweet potatoes?

Blood orange mascarpone cakes...

and blood orange sparkling juice.

Vosges (bacon) chocolate bars.

'Brix' chocolate for wine.

Blueberry açaí chocolate bars.

All kinds of German wines from Qualitätswein to Spätlese.

Of course, Beaujolais Nouveau.

And to make me feel like I'd never left work,

Pellegrino's Missoni-labeled bottles.

Later that night, Brad stoked a fire in the backyard while chili simmered in the kitchen and later, sweet potatoes, wrapped in foil, were thrown into the fire for us to enjoy as well...

Brad designated him and myself and the only two "allowed to mess with the fire."

Homemade chili with green bell peppers, topped with grated cheese and cilantro.

Post 'hot-potato-one' carnage.

THURSDAY morning, Thanksgiving arrived and Emma had finally completed all the prep work for her homemade pumpkin pie.

Everybody loves pecans.

A leisurely walk and a few boardgames later, Brad's Heritage Turkey was in the oven while we all relaxed with a glass of Foris, pinot blanc, Rogue Valley, Oregon.

(While we were picking out wines for Thanksgiving in Five Points, I'd told Christy that Oregon generally produces some nice American wines.)

By 8 o'clock the turkey had finished cooking and DeeDee (a house guest who's currently dancing with Emma at the Columbia Classical Ballet company) had ladled out her magnificent vegan butternut squash soup with ginger purée.

For the second course, also prepared by DeeDee, was a wonderful wheatberry salad.

After salad, there was a brief pause while Brad carved the turkey and Christy spooned cornbread stuffing and roasted vegetables into serving dishes.

Awaiting the main course...

Heritage Turkey with cornbread stuffing, gravy,

roasted vegetables and cranberry sauce.

It was the best turkey I'd ever had; completely moist and full of flavor. As we neared the end of the main course, going around the table, we all attested to what we were thankful for.

AT last, it was time for dessert. DeeDee had also been making preparations for a vegan cheesecake which was absolutely flawless; I'd never known vegan food could taste so good!

Also on the dessert menu was a surprise birthday cake; I'd told David not to tell anyone it was my birthday...

(but I never can resist a surprise!)

Followed by the cake was also a surprise gift.

Fruitcake: Heirloom Recipes and Memories of Truman Capote and Cousin Sook. I couldn't have asked for a more personalized or perfect gift!

I already finished reading the book which is full of delightful anecdotes and recipes straight from Cousin Sook's cookbook! I've already decided upon "Civil War Fruitcake" as my first fruitcake-making attempt, perhaps with "Fruitcake Flaming"--a brandy dressing lit with a match!

Blue Ribbon Birthdays Are Best

seafood plateau with new orleans shrimp and whelks

up close and personal...

'famed' salt and pepper shrimp

jettison

pu pu platter for four

banana split & chocolate bruno

Thanksgiving With The Fatty Crew

Thanksgiving is less than one week away and if you haven't made your plans yet, Fatty Crab Upper West Side would like to invite you to join them for a Thanksgiving day blowout for just $55 (all inclusive) if you make a reservation in advance! Start the night off with some passed hors d'œuvres and cocktails, and keep the party going with a "Fatty style buffet spread," including smoked Heritage turkeys and red curry turnips... and of course, more cocktails. To make reservations, call Fatty Crab at (212) 496-2722.

Thanksgiving Industry Dinner at Fatty Crab UWS

$55 with reservations (all inclusive)

$65 day of (all inclusive)

Available from 4 p.m. - 10 p.m.

Select wines by the glass, draft beer & punch

Passed Hors D'œuvres

Local Oysters | apple mignonette

Tea Sandwich | mortadella, duck liver, cucumber

Pork Fries | yuzu pepper aioli

Blood Orange | peanut powder, smoked cured lemon, chili oil

Buffet Dinner

Fatty 'Cue Smoked Turkey

Roasted Sweet Potato | red chili butter, maple syrup

Stuffin' | cutting celery, onion

Red Curry Turnips

Gravy

Cranberry Sauce

Dessert

First Prize Pumpkin Pie

Fatty Crab Upper West Side, 2170 Broadway, (212) 496-2722

My New Favorite Soap

Recently, David has been delving into all sorts of 'natural home remedies' and one that he came across that I've found to be gainful is: olive oil as a natural moisturizer. (I've yet to adjust to him using honey as a nightly face wash)

On David's last trip out to pick up soap, he came back with Dalan "antique" olive oil soap. Since Aspen, I'd begun using Dove as my daily bath soap and when David came across Dalan, he thought I could do with trying something new.

At first use, I was a bit taken aback by its strong, "earthy" fragrance, but was soon pleased with how cleanly it rinses off, leaving no residue behind. And after just one use, the soap's moisturizing benefit was markedly apparent in my skin!

I'm definitely going to stock up on Dalan for the dry months to come...

Available at Amazon.com

DJ Cynthesizer One Year Anniversary

Come out tonight for DJ Cynthesizer's one year anniversary of her NYC debut! As always, the good lady lays down her all vinyl set of the best in 80's, indie dance, electro, hip-hop, funk and soul!

The deliciousness takes place at LP Bar in Brooklyn, 683 Grand Street, between Manhattan and Graham Avenues. 10 p.m. to 4 a. m. No cover!

Cookshop's Pumpkin Chanterelle Corn Bread Pudding

photo: Melissa Hom

Just in time for Thanksgiving comes this recipe for Cookshop's Pumpkin Chanterelle Corn Bread Pudding straight from the pages of Grub Street!

Chef Barry's Pumpkin Chanterelle Corn Bread Pudding

Serves 12

For the cornbread:

1 1/3 cups butter
1 cups white sugar
6 eggs large
2 3/4 cups buttermilk
1 tablespoons baking soda
2 3/4 cups cornmeal
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon salt

Preheat oven to 375, oil a half-size sheet pan with parchment paper on the bottom cut to fit.

Melt butter in large skillet; remove from heat and stir in sugar. Quickly add eggs and beat until well blended. Combine buttermilk with baking soda and stir into mixture in pan. Stir in cornmeal, flour, and salt until well blended and very few lumps remain. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 30 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

This step can be done a day ahead.

For the pudding garnish:

2 Spanish onions peeled and diced
2 cups of cleaned chanterelle mushrooms (can sub any mushroom if chanterelles unavailable)
2 branches of celery diced
5 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon chili flake
1 small sugar pumpkin roasted and broken into one to two inch pieces
1/4 cup picked fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Season with salt, chili flake, and pepper to taste the garlic, celery, and onion. Then sweat in olive oil until translucent.
Add the cleaned chanterelles and turn up the heat; cook mushrooms until soft and add sage. Let cool on plate and add roasted pumpkin.

Custard mix:

9 whole large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
3 cups heavy cream

Blend all this together and season to taste with salt and pepper. This is important. All the elements will be put together and baked, and the seasoning will be finished at this point.

Assembly:

Break up the cooled cornbread into three-inch or so rough pieces, not too much at this point. Add the garnish with the Parmesan and fold together, trying not to break up the cornbread too much. Add the custard mix and fold together, and put into a large oiled and parchment-paper-lined casserole dish. Tap lightly to settle the ingredients together. Leave for the custard mix to soak into the cornbread for three hours. Cover with parchment paper and then wrap with aluminum foil. Bake at 300 degrees for one hour and twenty minutes or until a thermometer reads from center 180 degrees. Let cool completely; overnight is best. Turn out cornbread pudding onto cutting board and slice to appropriate serving pieces, and sauté in a little butter until golden and warmed through and serve.

My New Favorite Band

Colors of Mid-Fall

This weekend, I plan to go back to the Isham Street Farmers' Market in search of more beets; until then, there's still plenty for David and I to enjoy...

The first thing I made from last weekend's green market purchases was a beet and goat cheese salad, Jean-Georges style.

After trimming and cutting the beet it into halves, I placed it into a pot of boiling water with a touch of vinegar (to hold the color); the bleeding beets made for a brilliant picture.

As the beets boiled, my kitchen became fragrant with the scent of boiling beets. By the time they were finished, it was quite late and I decided to let them cool overnight and save the beet salad for brunch, the following morning.

The next day, David sent me to pick up a few groceries from Fine Fare (where I also picked up goat cheese and bread) and some freshly ground beef from Broadyke Meat Market (Broadway and Dyckman Street, Inwood).

Neither David nor I had been there before and I was quite surprised to find such a gourmet selection of meat products and more. In addition to selling fish and crab cakes and rabbit, they also carry a variety of cheeses and artisanal breads. I only picked up a pound of beef, which the butcher ground fresh for me. $5.

When I returned home, I sliced the cooled beets and delicately arranged them on a plate with a few scoops of goat cheese and a sprinkling of salt and oil. On the side, a portion of French bread with an olive oil and balsamic vinegar dressing...

Just as good as JG's, if not better.

The following day, with the beef from Broadyke Market, David made a delectable cabbage casserole in béchamel sauce.

The only downfall to this dish was that it was too much for just the two of us and we had to put half of it in the freezer.

Monday night was my only free evening of the week and David decided, with the purple potatoes, to make potato croquettes!

David actually made two different kinds of croquettes: potato with diced ham and potato with butternut squash, seasoned with cinnamon and nutmeg. I liked the potato and squash croquettes best, although the potato and ham ones proved to be most photogenic.

Hopefully, this Saturday's farmers' market will be as good as the last!

From the Blue Ribbon Cookbook

Flipping through my recently acquired Blue Ribbon Cookbook I was surprised to find so many recipes beyond the dishes they serve at 97 Sullivan Street!

With the holiday season just around the corner, I picked out two that I thought might come in handy for all the added holiday snacking about to befall us...

First, a simple recipe for cumin-roasted almonds.

Cumin-Roasted Almonds

Makes about 3 cups

1 pound raw, unpeeled almonds

3 tablespoons canola oil

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons kosher salt, more if needed

2 ¼ teaspoons ground cumin

Preheat the oven to 350°F.

In a large bowl, toss the almonds, canola oil, olive oil, salt, and cumin together and mix well. Spread in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Roast, stirring once halfway through, until golden, 20 to 25 minutes.

Transfer the pan to a wire rack to cool slightly. Sprinkle with more salt, if desired, while still warm. Serve warm or at room temperature. The almonds can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.

Or if it's a cookie you're craving, with a little "crisp" to it, try Bruce and Eric's thin and crisp chocolate chip cookies.

Thin and Crisp Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 24 cookies

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

1 cup (packed) dark brown sugar

½ cup granulated sugar

1 large egg, at room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream together the butter and the sugars until light and fluffy, two to four minutes. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the egg and vanilla; beat to combine.
• In a small bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the mixer in three additions, scraping down the sides of the bowl between each addition. Mix until just combined and then stir in the chocolate chips.
• Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and place on the baking sheets. Leave at least two inches of space around each cookie. Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the cookies are golden brown and just set (they will crisp up as they cool). Transfer the cookies to a wire rack to cool.

photo by Quentin Bacon for the Blue Ribbon Cookbook

An Early Birthday...

Saturday night found my good friend Cynthia and I, once again, at Blue Ribbon. (it'd been a while) We were just going to have one quick drink, each, but instead ended up sharing some bar snacks as well. After bartender James whetted our appetite with a half dozen malpeques, I decided our next communal nibble would be the pu pu platter.

I had had the pu pu platter once before, but had imprudently rushed through it (one too many cavas, prior). It wasn't until Saturday night that I realized the best way to enjoy Blue Ribbon's pu pu platter is to slowly grill each item atop the hibachi grill until there's some blackening. This time around, I enjoyed the pu pu platter so much more.

As we neared the end of our late night nosh, I told Cynthia it was time we finally purchase our Blue Ribbon Cookbook. (I also decided we should have the entire staff "autograph" it)

The cookbook was supposed to be something for the both of us, but Cynthia turned around and gave the cookbook to me, as an early birthday gift. (complete with birthday wishes from everyone who'd signed it) I'd wanted this cookbook for quite some time; Saturday night proved that good things come to those who wait.

The Verdict Is...

Mercer Kitchen's Raw Tuna and Wasabi Pizza

Mercer Kitchen's Raw Tuna and Wasabi Pizza is better than Lure's Smoked Salmon Pizza.

spiked shake at B&B

And B&B's caramel twist spiked shake is better than their salty peanut butter brownie sundae.

(I still adore Lure though!)

An East of Eighth Thanksgiving to Remember

Relax with your friends and family at East of Eighth this Thanksgiving while Chef Martin Markovitz prepares your favorite dishes. The three course Thanksgiving dinner is just $32 per person. Seatings at 12, 2, 4:30, 7 and 9; reservations required.

- Menu -

first course

Endive, Apple and Walnut Salad

with gorgonzola cheese and Dijon dressing

Baked Acorn Squash

with bacon and a touch of maple syrup

Grilled Trio of Mushrooms on Polenta

Shrimp and Corn Chowder

Purée of Butternut Squash Soup

second course

Roast Vermont Turkey

with mashed sweet potatoes, cranberries, and chestnut stuffing

Baked Salmon

with horseradish crust, sautéed vegetables and mashed potatoes

Baked Country Ham

with spiced honey & Dijon mustard glaze and mashed sweet potatoes

Roasted Sirloin of Beef

with mushroom au jus, sautéed vegetables and mashed potatoes

third course

Apple-Pecan-Raisin Crisp

Chocolate Espresso Cake

Ice Cream Tartufo

Crème Caramel

Pumpkin Pie

East of Eighth, 254 West 23rd Street, Chelsea

(212) 352-0075