Crust Ingredients:
Cut together until pieces are quite fine. Add ice water, depending on the humidity of the day and temperature of the kitchen. Stir with a fork in a round-the-bowl fashion until it just comes together and quickly finish mixing with your hands. Handle gently, divide into 2 portions, wrap in wax paper or plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour before rolling out. Makes one double crust pie.
Apple filling ingredients: * 6 or 8 large apples * 2 or 3 tablespoons cinnamon sugar * 1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg * salt * few dabs of unsalted butter
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Fill the bottom crust about to the rim with apple slices and shake the saltshaker over them a couple of times. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar over the apples, then the nutmeg. Repeat the process with another layer of apples, mounding fairly high. It’s extra good if you put a few dabs of unsalted butter on top. Top with the upper crust, flute the edges, and paint the top with some good whole milk. Cut some vents, pop into the oven close the door and keep it closed for an hour. Most delicious when served warm. I favor an accompaniment of a slice of sharp cheddar cheese.
Submitted by Connecticut Food and Farm’s Carole Miller, owner of the Topmost Herb Farm
Photograph Attached: Credit Liss Flint
Ingredients: - 1 cup raw local milk - 1/2 cup raw local honey - 1/2 teaspoon homemade Atlantic Ocean salt fresh ground pepper (optional)
In a bowl, whisk together the milk and remaining ingredients. Freeze according to ice cream maker.
Submitted by Christine Egan of Bayport, N.Y. Egan and her family have had several 100-mile Thanksgiving dinners. “It really puts the whole family in touch with the food you eat. It is also a great way to avoid the busy supermarket, help your local farmer and eat what is in season.”
Here is a sample menu from Egan:
Photos: honey ice cream and mixed vegetables from Long Island. By Christine Egan
Ingredients: - 2 loaves gluten-free bread, cut into 1/2-inch cubes - 1 cup oysters, shucked, drained and chopped - 1/2 cup yellow onion, diced - 1 cup celery, diced - 2 tablespoon olive oil - 2 cups portabella mushrooms, chopped - 1/2 cup Marsala cooking wine - 1 cup gluten-free chicken stock - 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped - 1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped - 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped - 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped - 1/4 teaspoon black pepper - 1/2 teaspoon salt - 2 cloves fresh garlic, chopped
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bread cubes onto a non-stick cookie sheet and bake for 10 minutes or until crispy. In medium skillet, add olive oil and sauté mushrooms, onions, and celery until they begin to soften. Add chicken stock, sage, basil, parsley, salt and pepper and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer for 10 minutes. Pour liquid mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add bread cubes, oysters and Marsala wine then mix evenly. Transfer to a non-stick 13x9-inch baking dish and cover. Bake for about 30 minutes or until the stuffing becomes golden brown.
Submitted by Chef Nichole Adriane of Urban Chic Chef. Adriane is planning on having her 100-mile Thanksgiving at her family's home in the Baltimore area.
"Shopping locally at farmers markets during Thanksgiving is actually pretty simple. After all, Thanksgiving is in essence our national seasonal feast.”
Photo: Attached, credit is Chef Nichole Adriane
Ingredients:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and remove the top rack of the oven. Put the butter and sage in a mixing bowl and mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated. Season with salt and pepper. Sprinkle the bird's cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the turkey breast and slip the remaining seasoned butter under, massaging it into the breast meat as you go. Truss the bird by crossing the legs over one another and tying with a piece of kitchen twine. Shingle the bacon strips over the breast so it's totally covered. Put the turkey on a rack in a large roasting pan, cover the turkey with aluminum foil, and place in the oven.
In a small bowl, stir the maple syrup with 2 tablespoons of hot water to thin. Roast the turkey for 2 hours, basting with the maple glaze every 30 minutes. Continue cooking until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meaty part of the thigh registers 170 degrees. The thigh juices will run clear when pricked with a knife, about three hours total (15 minutes per pound). About 1/2 hour before you think the turkey is done, remove the foil so that it can brown. When done take the turkey out of the oven and put the roasting pan on the stovetop. Transfer the turkey to a serving tray to rest at least 20 minutes before carving. Serve with Turkey Gravy. Adapted from a Tyler Florence recipe
Submitted by freelance journalist Whitney Pipkin of Alexandria, Va. This is the first time she will be in charge of the lion’s share of dishes for the Thanksgiving feast and she wanted to take full advantage of the local offerings in Virginia and Maryland. “We try to source our food as close-to-home as possible. Buying locally means I can get to know the wonderful people growing my food and know more about what's going into it.”
Here is Pipkin’s sample menu:
Photo: Attached, credit is Whitney Pipkin
Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Cut squash in half (carefully!). Remove seeds and set aside for another use or discard if not wanted. Rub the squash a few tablespoons of the maple syrup and place, skin-side down, on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper or foil. Drizzle with a few more tablespoons of syrup and tent with foil. Roast until fork-tender (usually an hour to an hour and a half). Remove from oven and let cool. This step can be done a day ahead. Scoop out flesh of squash and puree in a food processor. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, salt, allspice and ginger and pulse to combine. Add cream and eggs and pulse quickly to combine. Pour filling into pie dish and use a spatula to smooth out the top. Bake at 425 degrees for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 325 degrees and bake until set, about 45 to 55 minutes. The filling is set when it no longer jiggles when shaken gently. Serve cooled with whipped cream.
Ingredients:
If you’re like me, you buy two cups of whipping cream for any recipe requiring only a single cup, so you can make whipped cream with the leftovers! If you really want to dress up thanksgiving this year, make a batch of bourbon whipped cream. It tops any pie with panache. Two years ago a mom-friend of mine offered me 30 bucks to make the pie she had promised to bring to Thanksgiving. She said any old pie would do; I made her a fresh pumpkin pie from scratch with a cinnamon gingerbread crust and bourbon whipped cream. She accused me of trying to steal her husband! Point being, whipped cream is magic. And dressed up whipped cream earns you 100 extra chef-cred points (and possible jealousy from others). I’m pretty sure I used Four Roses Bourbon. Honestly, my husband has quite a few bottles up in our liquor cabinet so I might have just picked the first thing that said “bourbon” and tossed it in. (Editor’s note: If you’re trying to keep it local, we found a Texas bourbon distillery called Garrison Brothers, just outside of Austin. )
Ingredients:
Combine all ingredients in a chilled bowl (store the bowl in the freezer while you gather your ingredients) and beat with a hand mixer on medium speed until soft peaks form. Store in the fridge. Personally, I like my whipped cream to have slightly more hold. I beat to stiff peaks, but don’t go too far or you’ll make butter.
Recipe is from Courtney Jacobs for the Cardos Farm Project in Texas.
Photo attached credit: Courtney Jacobs
Ingredients
Bring 6 cups of broth to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Pour into a loaf pan and allow to rest. Once it begins to cool place in refrigerator and chill.
Place a small amount of cooking oil in a pan. Place on medium-high heat. Slice polenta to desired width (thicker will have a softer center while thinner will be more crispy). Pan fry in hot oil till sides are browned similar to french toast. Remove.
While you are doing this fry an egg. The egg can be hard or soft. Place egg on slice of fried polenta and drizzle salsa over the top of it. We use a homemade freezer salsa rather than a canned one because the flavor is a bit fresher and in the process we always seem to burn the bottom of the pot, which gives a nice smokiness to the mix. This time of year fresh peppers and good tomatoes will be hard to find and we'll look the other way if you decide to use a store bought salsa. You can substitute the salsa with some peppers, onions and mushrooms, if you like. Go crazy.
Submitted by Richard Stewart of Carriage House Farm.
"Thanksgiving morning usually means someone else is making breakfast. That is not to say our household is a sexist one. It just seems that the women in our family have always put together Thanksgiving dinner. They do it well and they get mad if you get in the way. Preparation begins early or, even the night before. In some cases even a full week if something is in brine. It appears to be chaos to the untrained eye but it is all well orchestrated, I assure you. What it means is that someone else is responsible for breakfast, which means me. And I love polenta. This simple breakfast polenta with an egg and a couple slices of bacon is no different than it was 200 years ago."
Submitted by Patrick Mulvaney of Mulvaney’s Building & Loan. Mulvaney and his wife Bobbin operate a white tablecloth, farm-to-fork restaurant in Sacramento. He settled in the area due to its proximity to the farms and the 12-month growing season. Every fourth Monday they have a family style meal for 150 in their banquet room and on Nov. 25, they will serve the restaurant’s family style Thanksgiving. The only non-local product they use is the pasta, an honor to food writer Calvin Trillin. It is his favorite Thanksgiving dish.
“Our food focuses on the seasonal and local everyday so our Thanksgiving Day meal will too. I think this helps raise awareness about all the great things we have growing in our region 12 months a year plus we enjoy the challenge of using a local box of crayons.”
Photograph: Our restaurant is in an old firehouse this is our banquet space next door during a party, Credit Patrick Mulvaney
Ingredients
Directions:
Bring 6 cups of broth to a boil in a heavy large saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Gradually whisk in the cornmeal. Reduce the heat to low and cook until the mixture thickens and the cornmeal is tender, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat. Add the butter, and stir until melted. Pour into a loaf pan and allow to rest. Once it begins to cool place in refrigerator and chill.
Preparing Fried Polenta
Place a small amount of cooking oil in a pan. Place on Medium-High heat. Slice polenta to desired width (thicker will have a softer center while thinner will be more crispy). Pan fry in hot oil till sides are browned similar to french toast. Remove.
While you are doing this fry an egg. The egg can be hard or soft. Place egg on slice of fried polenta and drizzle salsa over the top of it. We use a homemade freezer salsa rather than a canned one because the flavor is a bit fresher and in the process we always seem to burn the bottom of the pot which gives a nice smokiness to the mix. This time of year fresh peppers and good tomatoes will be hard to find and we'll look the other way if you decide to use a store bought salsa. You can substitute the salsa with a sort peppers, onion, and mushroom thing too if you like. Go crazy.
If you are the non-pork eating type of person you can substitute chicken broth for the pork broth (and if you are a vegetarian or Vegan you can substitute water as well). You can play around with this easily enough and go sweet rather savory and do it up like french toast substituting the salt with a bit of sugar. Get out the local honey, maple syrup, sorghum, or molasses and get crazy!
We high recommend serving this with bacon. We cure our own pork bellies. Heritage hogs and curing pork is coming back in fashion in a big way and there are an amazing amount of internet resources. We do a sweet cure and we use heritage hogs. In this case we were VERY lucky to receive a belly from friends of ours at Woodland Pork, a small cure house and hog producer that is just getting going down in Kentucky. Fat hogs are healthy hogs…and tasty hogs. Much of the flavor of a hog is in its fat. Fat is good. In the bacon pictured the fat is excellent…ignore everything you have been taught the last forty years regarding lean pork.
Submitted by: Richard Stewart of Carriage House Farm
"Thanksgiving morning usually means someone else is making breakfast. That is not to say our household is a sexist one. Its just seems that women in our family have ALWAYS put together Thanksgiving dinner. They do it well and they get mad if you get in the way. Preparation begins early or, even the night before. In some cases even a full week if something is in a brine. It appears to be chaos to untrained eye but it is all well orchestrated, I sure you. What it means is that someone else is responsible for breakfast which means me. I love polenta. This simple breakfast, polenta with an egg and a couple slices of bacon, is no different than it was 200 years ago. "