Tad Home = A Wild and Happy Thanksgiving Week

Last Monday night my daughter surprised me with a belated birthday gift of flying her brother home for Thanksgiving. What a treat! After all of us having a great week together he returned to NYC this morning. That boy can cook and we have decided that we are not eating again until he comes back home for Christmas. He smoked two chickens on Tuesday night after he and I went to about 8 stores to find all the components for making a smoker. On Wednesday he cooked NY strip steak (in the house) with purée of root vegetables, green beans and a spinach, blue cheese, pecan salad. Then came the Thanksgiving dinner which I was the lead on but he helped with deconstructing the turkey and all of the last minute details. Yesterday on the smoker Tad cooked pork and a package of the heirloom beans I had in the pantry and last night we again feasted on pulled pork sandwiches, smoked barbecue beans and coleslaw. What a week of good eats.

Here is the menu for Thanksgiving dinner and a recipe for the best apple pie I think I have ever had; made by Erin.

Julia’s Deconstructed Turkey
Cornbread and Sage Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Roasted Baby Sweet Potatoes
Creamed Onions
Fricassee of Brussels Sprouts
Giblet Gravy
Cranberry Chutney

Desserts:
Appie
Bourbon Pumpkin Pie
Crème Chantilly

Wine:
Red/Margaux
White/ Pouilly-Fumé

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Pate Brisee

3 cups flour
1 teasp. salt
1/2 lb. cold butter
6 to 10 Tbls. of Ice Water

In Cuisinart with Metal Blade add flour and salt and process for 10 seconds to sift.
Add the butter and pulse on dough speed until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.
Pour in water 1 tablespoon at a time and pulse on dough speed until dough JUST forms a dough.
Divide dough into 2 equal flat discs.
Refrigerate at least 30 minutes until ready to use.

Apple pie

(from The Joy of Cooking)

line 9" pie pan with pie dough

in large bowl add 1 Tbls. of Lemon juice
Pare, core and thinly slice 5 to 6 cups apples ( in this instance we used Pink Ladies, Macintosh and Granny Smiths)

Combine and sift over apples:

1/2 to 2/3 cup white or brown sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/16 teaspoon of nutmeg

stir gently until apples are well coated

add apples to pie and dot with
1 1/2 Tbls. of butter

grate 1/2 teas. lemon rind
add 1/2 teas. vanilla extract

Streusel

(from The Bon Appetit Cookbook)

3/4 cup all purpose flour
6 Tbls. sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoons ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teas. salt
1/3 cup toasted chopped pecans (optional)
6 Tbls. chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2 cubes

Mix all ingredients except butter medium bowl to blend.
Rub in butter with fingertips until pea-size clumps form.

Top pie with streusel.

Use leftover pie dough to embellish top of pie.

Bake at 375 for approx 35-40 minutes.