Thanksgiving and Other Considerations

This morning I made some delicious homemade biscuits with chanterelle-sausage gravy. I’d used up all of my chanterelles shortly after my last post, but then found more while in the field on Friday. By the time I found them, I wasn’t sick of them anymore.

This year Thanksgiving will be at our place, our first holiday in the new(ish) house! I’m spending a bit of time trying to learn how to bone out a turkey. If it works, I will have the advantage of a) having my carcass pre-roasted and stock pre-made for gravies and such a day early; b) I can remove the legs for a two-hour bath in the liquid gold that is duck fat (the confit last year was to die for); and c) the breasts can be seasoned, stuffed and tied 2 different ways!! This way I can do a simple, traditional one for my non-culinary (read: white trash) family and a fancy one for me, Scott and Scott’s bro the chef.

We’re having the whole gang here this year, including the toddlers. We will have all four nieces and nephews, the oldest of whom is 3 (and if isn’t actually autistic then at least has severe developmental and behavioral problems). The other ones are pretty well-behaved and won’t throw a shit fit if they have to eat something besides Eazy Mac, so maybe I won’t hafta choke a kid.

This year’s menu doesn’t stray far from last year’s, except that this year not all of my sides will be based on custard or béchamel. Just two of them, and dessert.

The menu: