What Thanksgiving's Really About.

What is Thanksgiving really about? The sentimental side of me says "Family and friends getting together to appreciate all they are thankful for!" (Sentimental side of me is deep.) However there is another side to me, my lushy hungry side and that side of me says "Let's eat til we explode and drink from goblets that shall never run dry!" (Lushy hungry side is feisty and into Olde English speak).

Fortunately those two sides come together happily on Thanksgiving, surrounded by loved ones, watching football, drinking wine and cooking up a storm in the kitchen that will later result in a round of food comas in the living room.

I love Thanksgiving so much in fact, that I have two! A traditional feast with family where turkey and mashed potatoes take center stage, and a non-traditional (aka. Fancy Thanksgiving) where I've been known to cook pheasant or quail instead of turkey, savory bread pudding in place of stuffing and a puree of celeriac instead of mashed potatoes. I change the menu every year so I can experiment with the crazy amount of recipe ideas streaming through my head. I've included a few favorite Thanksgiving recipes below.

This year we will be having our traditional Thanksgiving down in Rutland at my Uncle Chris's house. There will be turkey, stuffing (lots of it hopefully), mashed potatoes, vats of gravy and of course wine! For our Traditional Turkey Day feast I will be bringing three different wines.

To start, we need something to keep us sated while we prep and cook like crazy people, Bandol Rosé from Domaine Tempier (in a Magnum of course) will do nicely. Large format bottles = awesome, if you didn't already know. Not only do you get more wine for the crowd, they are simply festive...and...BIG! They are too fun! So in that spirit my second bottle is also a larger size. Domaine Piron Coteaux Bourguignons, Gamay from Beaujolais in a 1 Liter! Gamay is perfect Thanksgiving wine, it's light, fruity and with a bit of acid to balance it all out. It loves turkey, it loves squash, it loves food! (Oh my God, it's me!!!) It's versatile for not only the wide variety of foods but palates as well.
The third bottle that's coming to Rutland with me is Pierre and Catherine Breton's Trinch, Cabernet Franc in a Magnum. Yup, a trio of big bottles, I rock! The Trinch is medium-bodied and a bit rustic yet totally quaffable.

For "Fancy Thanksgiving" I have chosen three wines to pair with three courses. We will be starting with baked brie and Champagne from Gaston Chiquet, an elegant opening. Course two is roasted parsnips with truffle butter and a wild mushroom and spinach bread pudding, and where there are mushrooms and truffle butter, there shall be Burgundy. Boillot's Gevrey Chambertin to be precise, will match perfectly with course two. Lastly, a beautiful smoked duck breast with a side of broccolini in a walnut brown butter. Bordeaux from Chateau Marac is the answer, the body of the wine will stand up the the rich duck and the tannins in the walnut butter will calm the natural tannin in the wine.

Happy food times are ahead of me, and you too! Go nuts and have two Thanksgivings, the more food the better I say. The more wine the better, says lushy hungry me!


Brocollini with Walnut Brown Butter
Yield: Makes 10 servings

2 1/4 to 2 1/2 pounds broccolini (about 4 bunches)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots (about 2 medium)
1 garlic clove, chopped
1/2 cup toasted walnuts , coarsely chopped
Coarse kosher salt

1. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add broccolini; stir to separate and cook 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer broccolini to paper towels to drain. Cool.
2. Melt butter in extra-large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic, then pecans; sauté until shallots are soft, about 3 minutes. Increase heat to medium-high; stir constantly until butter is browned and pecans are aromatic, about 3 minutes. Add broccolini to skillet and toss gently until heated through, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with coarse salt and pepper. Transfer to platter and serve.


Parsnips with Black-Truffle Butter
Yield: Makes 8 servings


4 pounds parsnips (8 medium), peeled, quartered lengthwise
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 1/2 ounces black-truffle butter (5 tablespoons) at room temperature
3/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste

Garnish: chopped fresh chives

1. Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. Cut parsnips crosswise into 1- to 1 1/2-inch pieces and toss with a tablespoon of olive oil. Roast on sheet pan in one layer for about 20 minutes or until golden and soft.
2. Transfer to a bowl and gently toss with truffle butter, salt, and pepper. Garnish with fresh chopped chives.


Wild Mushroom and Spinach Stuffing
Yield: Makes 8 to 10 servings

3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 pound assorted fresh wild mushrooms (such as chanterelle, stemmed shiitake, and crimini), cut into 1/2-inch dice (about 9 cups)
3 cups chopped onions (about 1 pound)
2 cups chopped celery (4 to 5 stalks)
1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 5-ounce container or bag baby spinach leaves
12 cups (generous) 1-inch cubes day-old pain rustique or ciabatta bread with crust (about 1 1/4 pounds)
2 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons fine sea salt
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth

1. Melt 1/4 cup butter with olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add diced wild mushrooms and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Sauté until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 8 minutes. Transfer mushrooms to large bowl.
2. Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add onions and celery. Sauté until vegetables are tender, about 12 minutes. Add all herbs; sauté 1 minute longer. Add spinach and toss until just wilted, about 1 minute. Add vegetable mixture to bowl with mushrooms. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.
3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Divide bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets. Bake until bread is crusty but not hard, reversing sheets after 5 minutes, 10 to 12 minutes total. Transfer to very large bowl and cool.
Butter 13x9x2-inch baking dish. Stir vegetable mixture into bread. Whisk eggs, salt, and pepper in small bowl to blend well; whisk in 1 cup broth. Add egg mixture to stuffing, tossing to combine evenly and adding more broth by 1/4 cupfuls if dry. Transfer stuffing to prepared dish.
Bake stuffing uncovered until cooked through and brown and crusty on top, 50 to 60 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.

Baked Brie En Croute
1 sheet of Puff Pastry, thawed
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond (optional)
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1 (about 1 pound) Brie cheese round

Garnishes:
Sliced apples or pears, grapes, baguette or crackers

1. Heat the oven to 400°F. Beat the egg and water in a small bowl with a fork or whisk.
2. Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle. Sprinkle the almonds and parsley in the center of the circle. Top with the cheese. Brush the edge of the circle with the egg mixture. Fold the pastry up over the cheese to cover. Trim the excess pastry and press to seal. Brush the seam with the egg mixture. Place seam-side down onto the baking sheet. Decorate the top with pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.
3. Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden brown. Serve with any or all of the above garnishes.