I am experimenting with a new kind of Thanksgiving dinner party. Good food. Good wine. And a good old fashioned shoe exchange.
Last Saturday, we decided to host a Thanksgiving dinner for 13 friends. Naturally for me, Friday began with panic. If you’ve ever attempted a Thanksgiving meal for that many people, you know you can’t walk in cold. You have to have time and patience. You have to prepare. You have to think and act like a granny.
I had just spent the entire week travelling around England for work. The most I had prepped was some homemade turkey stock and a ridiculous brine that sat quietly on our terrace in a large, plastic box from Ikea. I still needed all the ingredients. I wasn’t sure of the final menu. My dream of a pitch perfect Thanksgiving seemed to be slipping away.
That said, out of 10 years of cooking various Thanksgiving feasts, this was one of the best yet. Tom made the pumpkin pies. Jonny picked up the turkey. Mel made the mash. Katie gave me much needed support while I thought my gravy was going to hell. And Matt got drunk and tried on Mel’s high-heeled boots. It was a spectacular group effort, and that’s really what Thanksgiving is all about.
My stuffing is the recipe that usually kicks off the madness. You can make this a day ahead (which I was hoping to do, but failed). Follow the steps up to baking and instead refrigerate until needed.
- A generous chunk of butter
- 4 celery stalks, diced
- 1 onion, diced
- 1 large container of double cream (heavy whipping cream)
- 1 ladle or cup of chicken or turkey stock
- 4 bunches or packets of fresh sage, chopped
- 1 pomegranate, seeds only
- 1 package of pine nuts
- 2 loaves of french bread
- 3 eggs
- salt and pepper
Set the oven to 180 C/350 F, and cut the loaves of bread into cubes. Place on a baking tray and bake for 10-15 minutes. Keep watch to make sure the bread doesn’t brown too much. You’re just drying it out, not toasting. When the bread is ready, remove and place in a large bowl. On the same tray, add the pine nuts and toast in the oven. This will only take about 5 minutes so watch them carefully so they don’t burn.
In a large deep pan, heat the butter. Add the celery and onions and fry gently until the onions are translucent and the celery tender. Add the sage and stir to coat the veg. Add the double cream, stock, and a generous amount of salt and pepper. Let this cook on medium high heat for about 15 minutes. You don’t want it to scald or boil, but you do want the mix to gently bubble.
To the bowl with bread cubes, add the pomegranate seeds and pine nuts. Beat the eggs and add. Finally add the cream mixture and stir all ingredients until well combined. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Place in a large baking or casserole dish and bake, covered for 30 minutes in a 180 C/350 F oven. Uncover and cook for 15 more minutes, then serve.
