I am starting tonight to prepare for Thanksgiving. I used to have a friend that joined me every
year to help cook, but no more. So in
order to have the kind of Thanksgiving I enjoy, I have to start early. Following is our menu. As I make items on the list, I will blog
them.
Appetizers
Pomegranate Champagne
cocktail
Mushroom turnovers
Onion dip with veggie
chips, celery, and carrots
Assorted Cheeses
Nuts
Main Meal
Autumn Spice-Brined
Turkey with Pomegranate Glaze
Madeira-Sage Turkey
gravy
Baked Mashed Potatoes
with Peas, Parmesan Cheese and Breadcrumbs
Corn Bread and Ham
Stuffing with Caramelized apples and Fennel
Brussels Sprouts with
maple Syrup
Parker House rolls
Cranberry compote
with Riesling and Pears
Desserts
Maple cornucopia Cake
Apple-Ginger
Cranberry Pie with Vanilla Ice Cream
Pumpkin Cheesecake
(by my sister-in-law Mary)
Today I started with the cranberry compote. I got this recipe from Williams-Sonoma. Cranberry compote lasts forever so you can
get it out of the way.
Ingredients:
2T unsalted butter
2 d’Anjou pears, peeled, cored and diced
1 # cranberries, fresh or defrosted frozen
2 C Riesling
½ C firmly packed light brown sugar, plus more, to taste
Pinch of cayenne pepper
4 thin strips of lemon peel
1 cinnamon stick, 2 star anise pods and 8 cloves, tied in a piece
of cheesecloth
Directions:
1.
In a 4-qt saucepan over medium-high heat, melt
butter.
2.
Add pears and cook, stirring occasionally, until
they are starting to brown, 8-10 minutes.
3.
Add the cranberries, wine, brown sugar, cayenne,
lemon peel and spice packet. Bring to a
simmer.
4.
Reduce heat to medium and simmer, stirring
occasionally, until the compote has thickened and the cranberries have begun to
burst, 15-20 minutes.
5.
Remove the pan from the heat. Remove and discard the spice packet.
6.
Taste the compote and add more brown sugar if
desired. Makes 2 ½ C.
This is a more tart than sweet compote. I like these kinds so I will not add more
sugar. I can’t tell you if it was
enjoyed until Thanksgiving day.
No comments:
Post a Comment