My menu planning started weeks ago. My schedule for the holiday weekend shortly followed. Cooking started last Sunday. Why? What makes this Thanksgiving different than others? Could it be that we moved into the city? Could it be that COVID is still around? Could it be that Dear Daughter should be arriving any minute now from college with a friend in tow - who could not go back home to Barbados. Maybe it is all of the above. Or maybe it was an excuse to cook. So here is the schedule and the menu...I dare not step on the scale for at least 2 weeks after the next three days.
The fanfare starts tonight - omakase dinner at Umi - which is now within walking distance of our house instead of a 45-minute drive. Cate, her friend, Jamie and I will savor seven small courses. It is a small, intimate place - perfect for conversation.
For tomorrow, I have already made a quiche for a late breakfast/brunch. I have told the "kids" to sleep in. If they do not want quiche, I have pumpkin bread and a cranberry orange bread. Our Thanksgiving dinner will consist of a new amuse bouche - a cranberry brie bite. I made the cranberry sauce earlier this week. The first course will be a wonderful Brussel sprout salad with the sprouts coming from a local farm. Dinner will be Cornish game hens, stuffing, and potatoes. I will admit that the gravy came from Trader Joe's. But Jamie did make a bourbon pecan pie for dessert. We will eat around 5pm, watch football and have enough time to take an evening walk to settle our stomachs.
Friday morning, I plan to make my normal Christmas Day breakfast - Southern Crab Hash with Poached Eggs. Again, this may be mid-morning or brunch time. I purchased tickets to the Science museum to see an immersive exhibit on Pompeii. Recently, Jamie and I went to an immersive exhibit on Van Gogh and it was super cool. We sat on cushions in a large room and the paintings came to life in front of us. While it wasn't quite like seeing his actual paintings as we did at the Van Gogh museum in Amsterdam, it was still an experience.
Dinner on Friday will be tapas. Iberico Ham and Manchego Cheese, Chiorzo in Cidre, Salt Cod Croquettes and Rabo de Toro (oxtail stew). For dessert - pumpkin flan. May I mention that all of this is basically homemade?
They will be gone by Saturday afternoon and I suspect Jamie and I will be quite quiet the rest of the day - maybe from all of the food but I suspect that it will be because the house has returned to its quietness.
Have a wonderful holiday weekend! I will keep you posted on the food results. In the meantime, if you are looking for a great and different cake - try David Lebowitz's Ginger Cake - the NY Times Cooking site has the recipe. I made it this afternoon - 4 ounces of chopped ginger! It is incredible and definitely needs some vanilla ice cream. But I am also wondering if it could be paired with a foie gras mousse as an appetizer or maybe yet another meal?
Cheers!