Turkey and strawberry trifle . It’s Turkey Day !! Happy thanksgiving to all who celebrate.
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Followed the Fallow instructions for cooking a turkey and it was flawless! Best turkey recipe ever! And the 2013 DePonte Baldwin Reserve was perfect.
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What? I don’t see any meat in that trifle?
What exactly is trifle, anyway? 
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That’s because Rachel Green didn’t make it!
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Didn’t take many pics of the table tonight, as I was running. I did get a “roasted vs smoked” pic before I started breaking the birds down.
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Our week was upended for various reasons, so we ended up doing what passed for our Thanksgiving dinner yesterday. We had a smallish (10 lbs) fresh capon which we wet brined with star anise/salt/sugar/cinnamon/ginger/garlic/sage/parsley/thyme/allspice/black peppercorn, then dried for 24 hours, mostly in front of a fan. Day of, Chef Jonathan prepared the wood burning oven and popped that baby in over a pan with aromatics and white wine. I neglected to get a shot of the whole bird post roast, which is a shame, as it was beautiful. I can’t praise this method enough - and I assure you it works for a turkey as well - as the subtle flavors of the brine and the kiss of smoke lend depth and complexity. Sides were smashed potatoes par boiled and roasted with lamb fat, finished with herbs, and baby carrots cooked sous vide and then turned with butter and a touch of sugar. And last but not least, a completely lights out sauce of chicken stock and capon drippings reduced to a silky unctuousness. After it cooled, you could turn the pan completely upside down and it didn’t budge.
As a first course, Jonathan did a favorite Keller recipe of yellow and purple beets with selles sur cher, beet powder, beet reduction and beet greens. I can never get the pictures of this dish to show the colors due to stacking and lighting, so you’ll have to imagine the vivid hues. The dish is one we love, and is certainly a labor of love.
Wines matched beautifully - the 2009 Huet demi sec with the beets/goat cheese and the carrots, and the Drouhin slightly edging it out as a match with the capon, due to its synergy with the sauce. The Chorey les Beaune is a stealth choice in the Drouhin lineup, coming from a great plot of 50+ year old vines.
Despite it having been a very rough week, this meal was a delight and truly raised our spirits.
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Huet… Great call!!!
There’s nothing better with goat cheese than vouvray.
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Roast duck with sauce bigarade.
It’s not easy to find sour oranges yet, but my hunch the old-school C-Town a few blocks on the other side of the projects on Bond st would have naranja agria was correct. (Recipe by Daniel Gritzer on seriouseats.com)
No tasting notes, but the Kutch Sonoma Coast 2012, McDougal Ranch 2012, Rhys Alesia Green Valley 2006, Chidaine Les Tuffeaux 2005, Yvonne Saumur Blanc 2015, and a magnum of Lauer Faß 15 2007 that I was never sure what to do with until now were all big hits.
Also:
Stuffing With Mushrooms, Leeks and Bacon (Melissa Clark’s recipe)
Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut and Pomegranate Seed Salad (Yotam Ottolenghi’s recipe)
cranberry sauce with orange (Sam Sifton’s recipe)
Shredded Brussel Sprouts roasted with parm.
Oven roasted duck fat potatoes
(btw my wife’s at NYT cooking so almost all of what I might post on here will be an NYT Cooking recipe.)
Seen better here NYT Cooking on Instagram: "(Part 3) Happy Thanksgiving from our staff! ❤️ We’re so grateful for you all."
Apologies, I think these are paywalled:
stuffing-with-mushrooms-leeks-and-bacon
roasted-cauliflower-hazelnut-and-pomegranate-seed-salad
Roasted Cauliflower, Hazelnut and Pomegranate Seed Salad Recipe
cranberry-sauce with orange
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So I was breaking down a 20+ turkey. Broke off the thighs legs. Legs roasted for gumbo. Thighs saved for something later. The wings I took off the flats and tips thinking for stock. The breast I made a boneless airline. Carcass and bits roasted for stock and gumbo. But I still had a knife in my hand. And I do love to do fiddly stuff.
I give you the Conecuh stuffed grilled boneless turkey wing. Finished with some onion jam.
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Love this as my family would as well
I may have to try the Conecuh stuffed wings next year as a treat for my cousin’s husband. They’re a geographically interesting couple. He’s from Mobile and went north to Alabama. She’s from north of Huntsville and went south to Auburn. Despite coming from opposite ends of the state and rival universities, they somehow make it work.
Haven’t posted in a bit. 2 plates last night that did not go together whatsoever, but were both delicious
“Spicy Tuna” - Tombo Ahi (Hawaiian Albacore) Crispy Mushroom, Charred Cabbage, Chili Crisp, Sesame, Chive
The tuna was brined (about 5% for 15mins) and then torched and sliced. The mushrooms are Miatake crisped up and hit with a little sesame oil. This was spicy and full of texture. A dish I’ve never made before but will riff on after this.
Crispy Branzino, Ranchovy , Shaved Vegetables
“Ranchovy” is just what it sounds like - I make an anchovy and chive mayo to start, then combine that with creme fraiche and buttermilk, and then a ton of dill. I made a big batch of this over the weekend to have with salads and thought this would be a good match. The slaw is made with green cabbage, fennel, kohlrabi and purple daikon
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My wife graduated from Alabama and I graduated from Auburn. My daughter was raised an Alabama fan by my wife but fell in love with Auburn. My wife has now converted. Mostly because of the town of Auburn. We did start out in Mobile together.
The wings were really good and a good use for a part of the turkey that is not generally much use except when smoked and put in a post of greens.
The annual big announcement. The Christmas Hot is now available.
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That sounds like something I’m going to make, thanks!
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I do an unconventional Feast of the Seven Fishes, wherein I cook a fish a day for seven days. Last night I started this year’s feast with lobster and white truffle risotto.
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Let’s go 
An auspicious start!