Any sensible hack far from home will take great care to cultivate his American friends as the third Thursday in November approaches – that’s when the scent of stuffed turkey and the rest of a classic Thanksgiving dinner fills the land of the free.
That’s how I’ve managed to enjoy about the same number of Thanksgivings as Christmases over the years. The Americans aren’t terribly good at Christmas, so I’ve been able to pay back Thanksgiving dinners with Christmas puddings, cakes and our version of the Ho! Ho! Ho! feast.
The result has been the inclusion of some seriously good Thanksgiving dishes at the Christmas table. Here are some that I’ve collected over the years.
Pumpkin Cheesecake
Get together, for 8:
225g digestive biscuits
60g butter
Juice and zest of one lemon
450g cream cheese
350g cooked pumpkin (or butternut)
225g caster sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
Half a tsp grated nutmeg
4 eggs
90ml double cream
90ml natural yoghurt
1 Heat oven to 170ºC.
2 Crush digestive biscuits. Melt butter over low heat and mix in biscuit crumbs and lemon zest. Grease a 25cm loose-bottomed cake tin and press crumbs into the base and sides evenly.
3 Mix cream cheese, pumpkin or butternut, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg until smooth. Beat the eggs and fold into the mixture. Turn into the tin and bake for 90 minutes, until the surface is set but the underneath still soft.
4 Remove from oven and cool in the tin. When cool, turn it on to a serving plate, cover with food-wrap and chill overnight.
5 Whip the cream until thick and fold into it the yoghurt and lemon juice. Spread over the cheesecake and serve at room temperature.
Sweet Potato Wedges.
For 8, get together:
4 or more large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges
4 tbs olive or sunflower oil
1 tsp thyme spikes
Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper
Chopped basil, parsley or mint to garnish
1 Roast in a 200ºC oven until lightly browned.
2 Serve on a warm plate garnished with herbs.
Southern American Roast Turkey
For 8, get together:
2.5kg to 3.5kg turkey, giblets removed and cavity rinsed and wiped dry
100g softened butter.
1 tsp sea salt
2 tsps fresh ground black pepper
3 large onions, halved
1 The night before, mix the butter with the salt and pepper, then season the cavity and add stuffing, if used (recipe below).
2 Rub butter mix all over the turkey. Fold a large sheet of greaseproof paper to double-thickness and lay over the breast to protect it during cooking.
3 Leave the bird in the fridge for the night.
4 Heat the oven to 220ºC while the turkey is coming to room temperature.
5 Put the onions in a large roasting tray. Place turkey on a wire rack in the tray.
6 Pour a cup of boiling water into the cavity and close with a skewer. Pour two cups of boiling water into the bottom of the tin then cover bird and tray with two layers of foil, tucking and sealing it well around the edges.
7 Cook for 20 minutes then reduce temperature to 200ºC.
8 After 1½ hours, remove foil and greaseproof paper.
9 Cook for another 40 minutes (don’t open the oven).
10 Test with a skewer or knife blade. Pierce where thigh joins breast. Juice should run clear.
11 If juice is pink, cook for another 20 minutes and test again. Leave turkey to rest for 15 minutes before carving.
12 Strain juices from the tray into a warmed jug. Skim off the fat that rises to the top and use as is, or make a gravy with it.
Sage and Onion Stuffing
For 6, get together:
1 large onion, finely chopped
1 tbs sunflower oil
1 tbs fresh sage, chopped or half a tbs dried sage
100g fresh white bread crumbs
Sea salt and ground black pepper
1 beaten egg
1 Sweat the onion in oil until soft but not browned.
2 Mix together the onion, sage and breadcrumbs. Add enough of the egg to bind the mixture.
3 Stuff the cavity of the bird or mould into individual balls and cook in the tray with the bird for 30 minutes.
Mississippi Mud Pie
For 6 to 8 get together:
300g digestive biscuits, crushed
80g butter, melted
85g dark chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa solids)
85g butter
2 large eggs
85g brown treacle sugar
100ml double cream
For a fudge sauce:
150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids)
150ml double cream
3 tbs golden syrup
175g sieved icing sugar
1 Pre-heat oven to 180ºC.
2 Mix the biscuits and melted butter together in a bowl. Press the mixture into the base and sides of a 23cm spring or loose-bottomed baking tin. Chill in the fridge for 10 minutes.
3 For the filling, melt the chocolate and butter together in bowl for 5-6 minutes over a pan of simmering water.
4 Whisk the eggs and sugar together in a bowl for 5 or 6 minutes, until thick and creamy. Fold in the cream and melted chocolate mixture. Pour into the tin and bake for 40-50 minutes, or until just set. Remove and cool.
5 Heat the fudge sauce ingredients in a saucepan, stirring over a medium heat the mix is smooth and glossy. Cool for 5 minutes.
6 Spread the sauce over the cooled pie and chill in the fridge for 20 minutes. Serve with double cream. - Sunday Tribune