The Best Part of Thanksgiving – Leftovers!

Our turkey dinner is always a lovely occasion, but the holiday is just beginning, with three more days of scrumptious “leftover” meals. Sometimes I make turkey enchiladas, I always make turkey soup, or there is my Dad’s favorite, turkey tetrazzini. I entered my recipe on the Food52 site last Father’s Day, honoring my father by offering up one of his favorite dishes. Thanksgiving was his favorite holiday, as it is mine.

Cranberry, Tangerine & Crystallized Ginger Relish

This incredibly fresh-tasting relish came from an old food magazine – not certain which one. It freezes beautifully, a big plus for my cooking, since I use cranberry sauce/relish in several favorite recipes. Surprisingly, the brilliant color survives the freezing. I usually double the recipe, especially for Thanksgiving.

Note:  this relish is an ingredient in my recipe for Roasted Pork Loin with Cranberry Balsamic Sauce (coming in December.)

Yields 3 Cups

• one 12 oz. bag of cranberries
• one tangerine (unpeeled), halved, seeded, cut into one inch pieces
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped crystallized ginger
• 1/4 cup orange marmalade

1. Using on/off turns, coarsely chop cranberries in processor. Transfer to medium bowl.

2. Using on/off turns, coarsely chop tangerine in processor. Combine with cranberries. Mix in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

3. Can be made one week ahead. Keeps well in fridge and/or freezer. Serve at room temperature.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Like many families, our Thanksgiving holiday is filled with ritual and custom. We tend to prepare the same dishes, often served in a bowl or on a plate that is a sentimental favorite – Grandma’s gravy boat, my Mom’s crystal bowl for the cranberries. Recipes go back three generations at our table, but I add a new one from time to time.

I found a version of this cheesecake in a food magazine about ten years ago. I make it only once every year as the traditional dessert to follow the turkey soup we enjoy on Sunday, marking the end of my favorite holiday.

Serves 10-12

Crust:

• 1 container/box gingersnaps (I like Trader Joe’s triple gingersnaps)
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• 1 tablespoon organic brown sugar

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.<

2. Cover the outside of a 9-inch springform pan with foil.

3. Using a food processor, pulse cookies into crumbs. You will need about 4 cups of cookies to produce the 2 cups of crumbs needed.

4. In a medium-sized bowl, combine the crumbs, melted butter and sugar.

5. Press mixture into bottom of foil-wrapped pan. Don’t worry about trying to press the mixture up the sides of the pan.

6. Bake until crust darkens slightly, 5-10 minutes maximum. Remove from oven but do not turn off the oven.

Filling:

• 3 eight-ounce blocks of cream cheese, at room temperature
• 1 cup organic cane sugar
• 3 large eggs
• 1 cup organic pumpkin puree
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 pinch ground cloves
• 12 small chunks of crystallized ginger

1. Using a mixer, blend the cream cheese and sugar until smooth.

2. Add the eggs one at a time, then the pumpkin, vanilla and spices. Mix until smooth, using a hand spatula to finish, insuring that ingredients are well incorporated.

3. Place the pan with the crust on a sheet pan. Carefully pour filling on top of the crust.

4. Bake cheesecake 60-65 minutes until center is cooked and the edges are somewhat cracked.

5. Chill uncovered until cold, about 4 hours.

6. Cut around the sides of the cake and remove pan sides. Decorate top of cheesecake with crystallized ginger. Serve.

Spinach Gratin

This gratin is almost always on the buffet for Thanksgiving or Christmas at our house. A nice substitute for potatoes, it goes well with the turkey or beef tenderloin I usually serve for the holiday meal main course.

Adjust the salt and pepper to your liking, but the nutmeg is the classic spice to add. Made with less cheese than is traditional, and also without cream, this lighter version demands as great tasting frozen spinach as you can find. It took one truckload of the fresh stuff to convince me that frozen, organic spinach is the only way to go here.

Serves 8-10

• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 medium-sized yellow onions, chopped
• 1/4 cup unbleached flour
• 3 cups organic whole milk
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• pinches of cayenne
• 1 and 1/2 cup grated Gruyére cheese
• 3 16 oz. bags of  frozen, organic, chopped spinach – thawed
• 1/2 to 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon ground white pepper

Panko topping:

• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 and 1/2 cup panko breadcrumbs
• sea salt, to taste

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Squeeze the liquid from the thawed spinach, handful by handful. Set aside.

3. Heat milk to simmer in saucepan.

4. Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add onions and cook until wilted but not browned, about 10 minutes. Add flour and hot milk and whisk sauce until it thickens. Add nutmeg and cayenne. Turn off the heat.

5. Stir in the cheese and season with salt and pepper. Taste and correct seasoning. Add the spinach and mix in well.

6. Pour into a 9 x 11″ glass or ceramic baking dish. Prepare crumb topping.

7. Melt butter in medium skillet. Add panko, sprinkle with sea salt and stir until lightly toasted. This occurs quite suddenly.

8. Gently smooth the toasted panko on top of the gratin. Cook for 30-35 minutes until bubbling.

Food 52: Best Spinach Recipe Finalist.

Check out the video of Merrill and Amanda making this recipe.

Yam Biscuits

We visited New Mexico last month and so enjoyed our visit in lovely Taos, set against hills covered with golden aspen. As usual, we stayed at the Taos Inn, an elegant but comfortable compound of adobe buildings. We like to eat at the Inn’s restaurant, Doc Martin’s, and enjoyed these rich biscuits with our huevos rancheros for breakfast one chilly morning.

Our waiter was kind enough to give me the recipe and I was eager to bake off a batch once we settled in at home after our autumn vacation. I played with the ingredients just a bit, adding some brown sugar and spices. The ice cream scoop makes “free form” biscuits that are easily prepared for baking. These might be a nice addition to our Thanksgiving celebration – or yours!

Yield: one dozen

• 3 cups unbleached AP flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon cinnamon
• ¼ teaspoon nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ginger
• 1 ½ sticks unsalted butter, cold and cubed
• ½ cup whole milk or cream
• 3 cups cooked and mashed yams

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Sift dry ingredients together in a medium-sized bowl and transfer to mixer.

3. Add the cubed, cold butter and mix on low speed, using the paddle attachment, until the butter is the size of small peas.

4. Add the milk and mashed yams and mix until just combined. Expect to have small pieces of yam in your batter. They add color and fit with the rustic recipe.

5. Using a standard-sized ice cream scoop, measure out the biscuits onto a large sheet pan, lined with parchment paper.

6. Bake until biscuit centers are firm, 25-30 minutes.

7. Serve warm.