I thought it would be more helpful to post a couple of thanksgiving ideas now, rather than post holiday. I say thanksgiving, but these are Christmas recipes chez Woolf – so I guess turkey dinner ideas is most accurate.
Margaux and Tim invited me round for a trial run thanksgiving on saturday and I was an obliging guinea pig. My contribution was cranberry sauce, to try and convert Tim from the canned variety, he claimed to love. Their trial run was very successful with fantastic homemade pumpkin ravioli, excellent homemade rolls, two different pumpkin pies and some ‘not-overcooked’ green beans with almonds.
This cranberry sauce recipe is a family favorite, since we discovered it in a Financial TImes “Out of the Christmas rut” article many years ago. I think it was from Philippa Davenport. The quantities below are my own version as I had to make it from memory. It is very easy, although getting the seeds out of the pomegranate is a little fiddly.
Cranberry Sauce with Pomegranate
12 oz (one bag) cranberries, washed and picked over
1 cup sugar (I substituted 2/3 cup agave nectar)
Juice of one orange
zest of same orange
2 cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp ground cloves
seeds from one pomegranate
Cook the cranberries, orange juice, zest and spices in a saucepan over a moderate heat for about 10 minutes until the cranberries have burst and the liquid has reduced. Add the sweetener, stir and turn off the heat. When cooled stir in the pomegranate seeds and remove the cinnamon sticks before serving. A good quantity for 6 people if you want some for leftovers.
The other sauce we always have at christmas is bread sauce and here is a recipe from Delia Smith. Bread sauce is definitely a comfort food contender and a great accompaniment to turkey or roast chicken.
Do you have any favorite holiday recipes? I am sure every family has its own food traditions. I know that being away from home for christmas last year (I was in Australia so I can’t really complain), I definitely missed my family Christmas dinner and I am looking forward to being Chez Woolf for Christmas ’08….mmmm Christmas pudding – I can’t wait!
