The last champagne glass has been washed. The last return flight to the East Coast has landed. And the turkey soup is bubbling away on the stove. It’s time to give thanks for all the delicious things that friends and relatives brought to our Turkey Day feast --- new foods, wines and ideas that I’ll incorporate into the feasts of the future.
A Pumpkin By Any Other Name
Forget the traditional apple and mincemeat pies. I am now totally hooked on Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. These luscious treats incorporate all the flavors and aromas of Thanksgiving --- canned pumpkin, cloves, nutmeg, brown sugar and cinnamon. But, at the same time, they offer a touch of whimsy (and they’re great for breakfast the next day too).
Our holiday Whoopie Pies came from a recipe on the captivating BrownEyedBaker Website. It calls for the soft, cake-like sandwich cookies to be filled with a fluffy mixture of butter, cream cheese, confectioner’s sugar and real maple syrup. (There are many versions of Whoopie Pies on-line, including the lovely creation, pictured here, from Bon Appetit magazine which uses marshmallow crème and maple extract in the filling.)
The pumpkin poufs were a huge hit at our turkey day dinner, even though they were going head-to-head with a “Cookies and Cream” cheesecake from Brooklyn Cheesecake and Dessert Company (one of our guests bought it on RueLaLa) and my mother’s chocolate ice box cake (a "log" of Nabisco's Famous Chocolate Wafers and whipped cream) that’s been part of our family’s holiday for more than 60 years.
The 24 sated souls at our table also made room for the fabulous homemade toffee from Cups & Cakes, a boutique sweet shop in Rumson. NJ. Both the Almond and Chocolate-Pecan versions are amazing, with multiple layers of first-rate milk and dark chocolate and a buttery toffee with the perfect crunch (not too soft or too hard). The shop also does show-stopping “celebration” cakes and lovely gift baskets.
Calling All Coffee Connoisseurs
I’m not about to trade La Jolla for Portland, Oregon any time soon, but I sure would love for one of that city’s beloved coffee purveyors to open a shop close to me! Stumptown Coffee is the darling of coffee connoisseurs these days, with a handful of shops in Portland, two in Seattle and one in New York City (in the Ace Hotel).
Our Thanksgiving weekend breakfasts were happy times, indeed, thanks to the two Stumptown specials brought by a Seattle friend. The Hair Bender, said to be the best blend for espresso, was a heady brew, full-bodied, yet with elegant layers of flavor. The cute little business card tucked into the bag told the story about this “complex sweet and savory blend” and promised flavors of milk chocolate, caramel, jasmine, Meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple. I got the milk chocolate and caramel flavors loud and clear, and loved them. The other, Guatemala Finca el Injerto (Bourbon), was also intriguing with its notes of roasted nuts and earthy chocolate. I’m not a big fan of regular brewed coffee, but that’s how I prepared this coffee and it was fantastic with a double dose of half-and-half.
The other beverages of note at our festivities were gifts of our Walla Walla WA friends -- four distinctive, delicious wines from the wineries of that up-and-coming area. My favorite, the Garrison Creek 2005 Syrah, was lip-smacking good. This wine had the heft to stand up to a rich turkey dinner with all the trimmings, but also an elegance that made us sit back and say "wow." The requisite Syrah black pepper notes were there, but also an abundance of lovely fruit. We also drank a lush Leonetti Cabernet Sauvignon. From Walla Walla's first winery, this is a sophisticated wine, with ripe fruits, spice and dried herbs dominating the flavor profile, and an impressively smooth mouth feel.
Piqueing the Palate
Choosing the right hors d’oeuvre for Thanksgiving Day is a challenge. It has to be something unusual for this once-a-year extravaganza, it has to be satisfying; but at the same time it has to be light enough to leave us hungry for the main event. One of our guests brought a platter of crisp endive leaves stuffed with goat cheese, green onion, walnuts and mandarin orange bits. It was colorful, elegant, and delicious. You can find the recipe, which was adapted from an original “Cooking Light” recipe, at NaturalNoshing.com.
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