A Very Bon Appétempt Thanksgiving

Last week, I watched Dirty Dancing on back-to-back nights. And by watched, I mean, watched, sans computers and folding laundry, simply gripped by the story of this unlikely romance at Kellerman’s resort in the summer of 1963, as if I hadn’t grown up watching it a million times. I could talk about all the reasons I love it—Don’t put your heel down! blah, blah, blah. Baby? Is that your name? blah, blah, blah, but there’s a good chance you already know these reasons, and if you don’t by now, you’re likely not to care.

Having said that, on this newly rekindled Dirty-Dancing high, I found myself repeating those lines that Johnny says to the little boss-man (I believe that’s his official title?) when the little boss-man approaches Johnny on the dance floor, and brusquely asks him where Penny is. With his back turned from his dancing partner—that creepy older woman deemed a “bungalow bunny” by the equally creepy owner of Kellerman’s—Johnny puts his hands in his pockets and shouts back: “Whaddya mean, ‘Where’s Penny’? She’s taking a break. She NEEDS a break!”

I just love the hyper-dramatic indignity with which Johnny responds to his boss. How dare he ask Johnny, one of his employees, where another one of his employees is! And so, slowly but surely, these lines became a kind of mantra for me this week. Because of work, Matt and I couldn’t go home for the holidays and because we both had work specifically on Friday (Matt left for his office before 7am Friday morning), we felt we needed the day to ourselves to fully recover and so, opted out of our friends’ potluck gathering. The fact that it was basically our choice to spend the holidays alone didn’t stop me, however, from spending the beginning of the week in different stages of pouting. I didn’t want to go grocery shopping. I didn’t want to plan a menu. I wanted what I couldn’t have: to travel someplace where snow was a possibility; to be able to request multiple hugs from my toddler-aged niece and nephew, to just show up at some relative’s house where my laptop (and pending work) was not invited and have someone I knew mainly through such holiday gatherings flop turkey meat on my outstretched plate. I wanted a break. I NEEDED a break!

But then, I turned a corner. I believe it started with the idea of mulled wine. If I could just get some mulled wine simmering on the stovetop… And then, I found the recipe for mashed potatoes with parsley and cream in—you guessed it—Tender. And then, the night before, Matt and I tackled Martha Stewart’s Sky-High Apple-Cranberry Pie followed by a viewing of a Mt. Everest documentary, which just might be required viewing for humans stuck in a rut. In the morning, Matt agreed to handle the chicken, which was our stand-in for turkey. And what do you know? Come Thanksgiving, after a jog through my neighborhood, a few musical acts from the Macy’s day parade and a large mug of mulled wine at 1pm, I didn’t have to fake my gratitude.

It ended up being a delicious meal and a beautiful afternoon well spent. Many thanks to Matt who, as usual, took all of the photos and served up one of the best roast chickens I’ve ever eaten. Also many thanks to the camera crews who have lugged their equipment to the top of Mt. Everest so that people like me can watch in complete amazement as those wonderful fools traverse the death zone. Oh, and while I’m at it, thanks to those who contributed to the Mt. Everest Wikipedia page—I read it in its entirety before falling asleep on Thanksgiving night. (Fun Fact: Early in our relationship, Matt read Into Thin Air aloud to me, in its entirety.) But most of all, I want to thank you, reader, for whom I doctored up this photo last year as a portrayal of my gratitude. I should really update it though, as my complaining has really paid off, and I can happily report that my mother now reads the blog regularly. In other words, hurrah and happy holidays, friends! YOU’RE WILD!!

Sky-High Apple Cranberry Pie via Martha Stewart
For the Crusts
1 large disk plus 1 small disk Pate Brisee (If you don't use all 10 apples the recipe calls for (Matt and I used 6.), you could probably get away with using two small disks of pate brisee and save yourself the trouble of making two separate batches of dough, as Martha warns against doubling the recipe.)
All-purpose flour, for surface

For the Filling
5 pounds (about 10) heirloom baking apples, such as Arkansas Black, Carpentin, Jonathan, Knobbed Russet, or Northern Spy (We used Granny Smith!)
1 1/2 cups fresh or thawed frozen cranberries
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Salt
2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 large egg yolk lightly beaten with 2 tablespoons heavy cream, for egg wash
2 tablespoons sanding sugar

Directions
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Make the crusts: Roll out small pate brisee disk to a 1/8-inch thickness on a floured surface. Fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim edges, leaving a 1-inch overhang. Repeat rolling with large pate brisee disk, and cut out a 12-inch circle; transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Refrigerate crusts until firm, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the filling: Peel and core apples. Cut each into 1/2- to 1-inch-thick wedges, and transfer to a bowl. Toss in cranberries, granulated sugar, flour, lemon juice, cinnamon, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Transfer filling to bottom crust; dot with butter. Cover with top crust. Fold edges under; crimp. Cut eight 2 1/2-inch vents into dough to let steam escape. Freeze until firm, about 30 minutes.

Gently brush top crust with egg wash; sprinkle with sanding sugar. Bake pie set on a rimmed baking sheet for 15 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 375 degrees. Bake until crust is golden and juices are bubbling, 1 hour 20 minutes more. (Tent with foil if crust is browning too quickly.) Let pie cool completely in plate set on a wire rack.

Giving Thanks: Golden Brown Butter and Pecan Praline Tart

It's the season of giving thanks, and truth be told, I'm feeling quite grateful for many things, one of which is you, my fair Bon Appetempt reader! All morning, I'd been searching for a funny, non-cheesy way to tell you this, but was coming up blank. It was a seriously gorgeous November day in Los Angeles—crisp-aired, chilly but sunny—and so I decided to take a break and go for a walk around my neighborhood, hoping this might help inspire. And about fifteen minutes in, I came across this strange contraption:
Do you see what's happening here? It's a tree being very much supported by a metallic, yellow arm a.k.a. the West Hollywood Street Maintenance. It's like a crutch for the tree. Plus, they literally moved the sidewalk to go around the OUTSIDE of the tree, and then gave it a nice yellow crutch just because.

Enter West Hollywood Street Maintenance metaphor:

No, I didn't knock down the one orange and white striped stand thing just to make fun of my lovely mother for not reading the blog. It was way down (much like my parents' readership) when I happened upon it.

OK, now. Moving on to Thanksgiving!

If ever there was an exact opposite of Marilyn's liver-y stuffing, it was this pecan tart. Instead of laborious egg peeling, vegetable chopping and liver boiling, there was a press-in crust, pecans, and some butter-browning. Instead of the appetite-crushing wet dog smell, the apartment filled with the warmth of toasted pecans and melted butter. And no tart pan? No problem. I used the springform one I acquired for the Ina Garten cheesecake attempt. Also, I couldn't find the golden syrup the recipe called for, but substituted (the ever present) corn syrup without issue.

Bon Appetit's version:

Jeanne Kelley / Recipe creator's version

our version:

By the way, many thanks to Jeanne Kelley, who I ran into the day after I'd made Marilyn's stuffing and who must have seen the disappointment in my face when I described the dish to her because as I went on to explain I was looking for a good pecan pie recipe, she mentioned this one. She could tell I needed an unfussy success, something that would inevitably deliver. And well, just look at that tart.

While making the pie, I also recommend fixing yourself a virgin (or otherwise) Bloody Mary with the brine left over from McClure's Spicy Pickles—pictured above on the left. That's the brown butter on the right. (Don't drink that.)

Thanksgiving dinner was very special. We spent it with some of our very talented and culinary-minded friends whose guest attempt is soon to come(!).

Food, friends, (football?), fizzy wine, and a fire equaled one of my favorite Thanksgivings to date. So many thank yous to everyone!

Recipe via Bon Appetit
Ingredients
crust
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter
1 1/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt

filling
1 large egg
1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1/2 cup golden syrup (such as Lyle's Golden Syrup)
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans, toasted

special equipment

9-inch tart pan with removable bottom (Bon Appetempt note: Don't sweat it if you don't have one. The removable bottom and tart-shape are are mainly for the presentation factor.)

The Technique: Press-In Crust
A press-in crust eliminates the (sometimes tricky) steps of rolling out the dough and transferring it to the tart pan. Instead of rolling, just combine the crust ingredients and press the sandy, crumbly mixture onto the tart pan. Start in the middle and work outward, or—if you're concerned about running out of crust as you go up the sides—start with the edges and work inward. That way, you'll have plenty of dough to form edges of uniform thickness for a pretty presentation.

Ingredient info
Look for golden syrup at some supermarkets and at specialty foods stores.

Preparation
crust
Cook 3/4 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat until butter turns golden brown (nut-colored), watching carefully to prevent burning, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat. Pour melted brown butter into 1-cup glass measuring cup. Let melted butter stand until barely warm, 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Butter bottom and sides of 9-inch-diameter tart pan with removable bottom. Whisk flour, brown sugar, and salt in medium bowl to blend. Add 1/2 cup of barely warm melted brown butter and stir with fork until moist dough forms (mixture will resemble wet sand). Transfer dough to prepared tart pan. Using fingertips, press dough firmly and evenly onto bottom and up sides of pan (dough will look glossy). Let crust rest 5 to 10 minutes at room temperature. Bake crust until set and just golden brown, 15 to 18 minutes.

Filling
Meanwhile, whisk egg and brown sugar in medium bowl until well blended. Whisk in golden syrup, whipping cream, and salt. Stir in remaining melted brown butter, leaving most of darkened solids behind in bottom of measuring cup. Stir in pecans. Pour filling into warm crust, distributing pecans evenly.

Bake tart until filling is browned and slightly puffed and set at edges (center will still move slightly when pan is gently shaken), 25 to 27 minutes. Cool tart completely in pan on rack (center of filling will set as tart cools). DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover loosely and store at room temperature.

Thanksgiving Part 1: New-School Stuffing

As soon as I hit driving age, I was put in charge of picking up the Thanksgiving turkey at Grandma’s house. Grandma always cooked the turkey, but at some point during my teenage years, Grandma stopped being able to lift or transport the cooked bird to my mom’s house where the dinner was taking place. And so each year, I so very reluctantly drove over to Grandma’s and loaded up the car with the turkey, which sat in a shallow roasting pan in about three to four inches of its fat that also needed to be transported in order to make the gravy. Why we couldn’t transport the fat in another container with, say… a lid, was my annual question. But Grandma’s response was simply: "Take it and drive carefully." Have you ever driven incredibly carefully with an open-air turkey and its liquefied fat so as to not turkey-grease up your mom’s car, yet still turkey-grease it up? (Pittsburgh is a hilly city that isn’t exactly open-air-turkey-transport ready.) I have. Many times.

Now that I’m all grown-up and married, and both Matt and I have jobs that don’t allow for enough time off to travel back to Pittsburgh for Thanksgiving, I miss the whole rigmarole and drama of family gatherings. And now that I know everything that goes into roasting a turkey, I would gladly accept some help and relinquish the duties to someone else, and sure, I’d even pick it up and put it in the trunk of my car (Read: I’d beg Matt to pick it up and put it in the trunk of his car.) if that were part of the deal.

Because now, I also realize that the planning and making of a Thanksgiving Day meal with all of its components is a bon appétempt in and of itself. So, you can imagine how my ears perked up when I heard about Claire Robinson’s Sausage Brioche Dressing, which she makes with just five ingredients, which, by the way, is kind of her thing. Maybe you’ve heard of her show, 5 Ingredient Fix?

I actually had the opportunity to chat with Claire about this dressing. It came up naturally after having described my grandma and the annual turkey transport. I asked her if there was anything she wouldn’t compromise on when it came to her Thanksgiving Day dishes.

Her answer? Stuffing cooked sans the bird, which is to say, on its own, which is to say: Dressing. (Prior to this conversation, I had always thought of the word dressing as a regional variation on the word stuffing, like soda and pop, but now I am more apt to think of the difference as describing whether it was cooked in or outside of the bird, though the verdict still may be out on this one.) Claire explained that when the turkey reaches the desired temperature of 165, oftentimes, “The stuffing isn’t quite there yet.” Good point, right? Plus, with Robinson’s dressing, you can get the brioche all browned on top—another thing not possible with in-the-bird stuffing. Oh, and another positive thing about Robinson's version? 5 ingredients.

So, for all of you looking for an easier but still homemade and delicious dressing option, I bring you: Sausage Brioche Dressing. (For those of you looking for a crazy, two to three hour stuffing adventure? I’ve got something for you, too. Hang in there.)

Claire Robinson / 5 Ingredient Fix's version:

our version:

(Robinson's version calls for brioche bread. I substituted challah. Same difference, right?)

When I was making it, I could hardly believe the lack of onion and garlic, but the end result was super flavorful. And with that eggy bread and the pork breakfast sausage, some bites were almost quiche-like—this comparison proven by the fact that Matt had it for breakfast the following two mornings.

Thanks for the recipe and for chatting with me, Claire!

Sausage Brioche Dressing via 5 Ingredient Fix

1 brioche loaf, cubed into 1-inch pieces
1 pound pork breakfast sausage
4 celery ribs, halved lengthwise and cross cut into 1/4-inch pieces
4 cups stock
1/4 cup chopped sage leaves
Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Spread the brioche on a baking sheet and put it in the oven until lightly toasted, about 10 minutes. Set aside in a large bowl.

In a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the sausage and break it into pieces with a spoon. Cook until browned, then transfer it to the bowl with the brioche. Add the celery to the sausage drippings and cook until softened, about 4 to 5 minutes. Put the sausage into the brioche bowl. Stir in the stock and sage and mix until the brioche absorbs most of the liquid. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the dressing to a 13 by 9-inch baking dish and cook, uncovered for 20 minutes. Cover with foil and bake until golden brown on top, another 20 to 25 minutes.