The New Thanksgiving Table: BHM Cookbook Review
posted November 4, 2009 - 2:38pm
For food magazines, Thanksgiving rolls around in late spring, when the turkeys are all frozen, not fresh, but the photos have to look perfect anyway. It’s the problem with lead time, the time it takes to put a holiday issue together. Newspapers have it a
little easier, but those holiday issues come earlier than the holidays themselves, and there’s all the disassociated planning to deal with, the time out of time. Year in and year out. Imagine facing down yet another Thanksgiving issue and you are 25 years in to your food writing career, hoping the next round of newsroom cuts head over to sports and leave the food section alone. Just a thought. What the hell could possibly be left to say?
Well, the answer comes from Diane Morgan and can be found in her lovely new cookbook, The New Thanksgiving Table.
She cops to the holiday writer/ recipe developer struggle right off: “So there we were, my husband and I, enjoying an al fresco Thanksgiving dinner in May, followed by numerous other Thanksgiving feasts with family and friends in July, August, September, October, and – at last – November!” She goes on to talk about how writing about holidays and holiday cooking brings into “sharp relief the real stuff of life: baking bread with family and friends, sharing traditions, and creating memories.” As a result, what comes through in The New Thanksgiving Table is a refreshing honesty. This isn’t a cookbook based on a gimmick or a marketing plan, a cookbook written to fill a need and niche that never existed before. This is an honest embrace of a critical meal in American life, and the proof is in the food.
Diane Morgan begins with mouth watering and relatively easy to prepare appetizers such as Vermont Farmhouse Cheddar Cheese Straws, a tip of the hat to convention, and Tex-Mex Honey Pecans, an acknowledgement of expanding cultural definitions. I am particularly taken by the Crostini with Fig and Kalamata Olive Tapenade, as well as the Crostini with Gulf Shrimp, Jalapeno, and Lime. Nice way to start.
Her soups include an Oyster Stew designed to elevate the lusciousness of fresh oysters. Her Butternut Squash Bisque is garnished with Fried Sage and (believe it or not) Popcorn. Salads include Hearts of Romaine with Crisp Red Apples, Celery, and Cider Vinaigrette, Butter Lettuce Salad with Persimmons and Pomegranate, or a Chicory, Pear, and Toasted Pecan Salad with Buttermilk-Black Pepper Dressing. I don’t know about you, but I am feeling the season.
Turkey, of course, is the focus of the chapter on main courses. How to buy a turkey, how to brine a turkey, how to make turkey stock for gravy, how to truss, roast (those critical times), carve, and present the big bird – it’s all here and, from my modest experience, it all rings true. I am a big fan of brining and I intend to try Morgan’s Apple Cider and Ginger Brine this year. But then there’s her recipe for Juniper-Brined Roast Turkey with Chanterelle Mushroom Gravy. There’s also the Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey with Applejack Giblet Gravy to consider. Were the recipe for Jack Daniel’s Whiskey and Brown Sugar Crusted Ham not so engaging, you might think it an after thought.
And that’s not even half the book. There’s a chapter devoted to Stuffings, Casseroles, Biscuits, and Breads. Linguica Sausage Stuffing with Mushrooms and Caramelized Onions gets my vote, as do the Hazelnut and Fresh Herb Popovers. The chapter on side dishes has some show stoppers, to whit, Honey and Chipotle Glazed Sweet Potato Spears with Lime. The Sauteed Brussels Sprouts with Smoked Ham and Toasted Pecans looks particularly delish. There are also sauces, compotes and salsas.
Desserts include Spiced Pumpkin Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting and Bourbon Pecan Pie with Buttermilk Whipped Cream. And finally, the chapter on leftovers.
I am actually looking forward to Thanksgiving this year, a holiday meal that too often shouts out for the same tired old recipes because that’s the way it has always been. Well, not this year. This is the year of The New Thanksgiving Table.
The New Thanksgiving Table
By Diane Morgan
Chronicle Books
ISBN: 9780811864930
$24.95, 224 pgs.
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Comments
$5 Turkey
You might want to pause and think abut that $5 turkey for a sec. There's a reason it costs mere cents a pound while I will be paying $2.69 a pound for a free range bird void of any antibiotics or hormones, a bird that hasn't been pumped full of preservatives and god only knows what else, a bird that can actually walk around because it hasn't been bred to grw giant breasts that make it top heavy -- I kid you not. The commercial turkey industry is year round, not seasonal, and if you think chickens have it bad (take a look at Food, Inc. when you have the chance), turkeys have it even worse. A billion turkeys are killed in this country in a year, and I have to wonder what that has do wth Thanksgiving? Do yourself a favor, pay a little more and support the kind of farming that doesn't trivialize the animal and dehumanize the grower and slaghterhouse employee.
Blue Hat Man: He's on fire!!!
Savory
My mouth is watering after reading your review. Caramelized onions, pumpkin layer cake with cream cheese frosting, and bourbon pecan pie. YUM! And let's not forget the turkey. A friend told me yesterday that Walmart was selling 12-pound turkeys for $5.00 (I hope she means every Walmart and not just the one in her neighborhood). I don't know if any will be left when I get there today, but your article reminded me of her comment, so you'd better believe I'm going to at least try.
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Book sales just soared....
Due to your well written and informative reveiw of this book. Very good. Enjoyed the read. Thank you.
Interesting Cookbook...Will have to Read
Her cookbook sounds interesting, thanks for a good read.
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