For a variety of reasons, the number gathered at my Thanksgiving table this year was quite small. This was a first for me. My extended family isn’t huge….but the small gathering was still unprecedented. Heading into the day, I was a bit bummed about this. But in the end, it turned out to be a lovely, unusually peaceful day. It was, in fact, a year of many delightful “firsts”.
One of the gifts that came as a result of our small
number was my first opportunity to enjoy Thanksgiving dinner on my
grandmother’s “turkey” dinner plates. I
don’t know how many plates were in the original set, but only three have made
it to my generation. There were
probably never very many…even as a child, we never ate off of them when we
gathered for the large celebrations in her home. But I heard her refer to them…and I know they
were special to her. Using them for our
Thanksgiving meal this year was a pleasure.
Another first of the day was pecan pie. I know this is a staple on many family
tables, but it never appeared on ours.
My family is quite attached to their tradition of pumpkin and mincemeat pies,
so this is what we always have. There is
nothing wrong with either of these pies…mincemeat pie is in fact a personal
holiday favorite….but there are other holiday pies in the universe and I have
always wanted to branch out a bit. This
year was the perfect opportunity.
The pie that I made was a bit unusual, and because of
that I thought it worth sharing here.
Heading into Thanksgiving morning, I fully intended to make my friend
Nancy’s version of pecan pie (the one she teaches in our joint class). But for some reason on Thanksgiving morning,
I was flipping through Rose Beranbaum’s Pie and Pastry Bible and I noticed that
she used Golden Syrup in her pecan pie instead of the more traditional Karo
Syrup.
For those unfamiliar with Golden Syrup, it is a British staple. It is a cane syrup rather than a corn syrup and it has a unique—I think it’s a bit caramel-y, but some say buttery—and delicious taste. Karo’s corn syrup by comparison is relatively flavorless. Since I always keep a jar of Lyle’s on hand in case I happen to be in the mood for gingerbread, I decided that while I was doing different, I should really be different and substitute Lyle’s Golden Syrup in the recipe. It is an inspired substitution…. the pie was delicious.
For those unfamiliar with Golden Syrup, it is a British staple. It is a cane syrup rather than a corn syrup and it has a unique—I think it’s a bit caramel-y, but some say buttery—and delicious taste. Karo’s corn syrup by comparison is relatively flavorless. Since I always keep a jar of Lyle’s on hand in case I happen to be in the mood for gingerbread, I decided that while I was doing different, I should really be different and substitute Lyle’s Golden Syrup in the recipe. It is an inspired substitution…. the pie was delicious.
On a technical note, because Lyle’s has a higher
saturation of sugar than Karo syrup, I decided to use just a bit less. The resulting pie was firmer than usual, but
I liked it this way…it sliced beautifully.
If you prefer the softer set of a traditional pecan pie, just add a
couple tablespoons of water (or Bourbon….or brandy…) to the egg-sugar-syrup
mixture. The easiest way to do this
would be to place two tablespoons of water in a one cup glass measure and then
add Lyle’s syrup to make 1 cup.
Finally, because our meal was smaller than usual, the
mountain of dishes after the feast was also comparatively small. So after the meal, I experienced another
first. I made turkey broth. I know this is probably a shock to hear since
I am a chef. But I have just never
bothered. There is so much else to do
during the clean up…and I have never been terribly motivated to do that one
more thing. But this year, as I looked
around the kitchen, I noticed that the stove wasn’t covered in used pots and
pans….and the stock pot had not been used for other things…. It was an easy thing to drop the turkey
carcass into a pot and let it simmer away while I cleaned up the kitchen.
And I was so glad I did. On Saturday night we had a simple turkey soup
with vegetables and rice. I’m not sure I
have ever used Thanksgiving leftovers for soup.
We always have sandwiches…tetrazzini and other casseroles…salads…etc.
etc. Thus, one more unexpected first. And as we sat down last
night to enjoy our turkey soup, I realized why it is such a traditional and
fine use of leftover turkey (and broth).
After a couple of days of rich holiday foods, the comparatively austere
soup was truly soothing. I will
definitely be adding soup to my rotation of uses for leftover turkey.
You can probably put anything you like in a “leftover
turkey soup”…but it will be better if you adopt a less-is-more mentality (your soup probably doesn't need stuffing...or a big mish-mosh of left over cooked vegetables). I started with a basic onion, carrot, celery
and thyme base and added cubed sweet potatoes, shredded Brussels sprouts (both
left on hand from purchasing too much ahead of the big meal), Basmati rice and
turkey. The Basmati rice was a wonderful
addition, subtly perfuming the soup with its unique aroma and flavor. But if you don’t keep it on hand, regular
long grain rice …or orzo pasta…or farro… would be fine.
As I mentioned at the first, I had a very nice Thanksgiving. Delightful moments...big and small...added up to a pretty special day. It is so unfortunate that at this holiday time of the
year, it is so easy to be disappointed. I confess I have been guilty of this. But this year, since I had no expectations
for this particular holiday, I found that there were so many things to enjoy. I’m not a
person who makes personal lists…resolutions at New Year’s…things I’m thankful
for at Thanksgiving….but if I were, this year at the top of the list of things
I’m thankful for would be that I had the rare opportunity to open my eyes and
see the delights that are there….rather than being disappointed about the
expected things that are not. And from
this vantage point, the list of things for which I am grateful becomes very
long indeed.
Pecan Pie
One 9-inch pie
crust, chilled
175 grams roughly
chopped pecans (1 1/2 c.)
3 eggs
200 grams brown
sugar (1 cup)
300 grams Lyle’s
Golden Syrup (7 fl. oz./1 cup minus 2 T.)
2 oz. (4 T.)
melted unsalted butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees.
Scatter the pecans
over the bottom of the pie crust.
In a large bowl, whisk the eggs, brown sugar, golden syrup, butter, vanilla and salt. Pour into the pie shell.
Place pie in the
oven and bake for about 30 minutes.
Carefully tent the pie with foil, to prevent over browning. Continue to bake until the pie is set—another
30 minutes or so. It will still be a bit
jiggly, but a knife inserted in the center should come out moist but not
liquid. Cool 4 to 6 hours before
slicing. Use a sharp serrated knife to get the cleanest, most precise slices.
Makes one 9-inch
pie.
Note: If you like, place two tablespoons of water in your measuring cup, then add Lyle's syrup to make 1 cup. This will give you a cup of syrup that has roughly the same sugar saturation as Karo syrup. The pie is delicious and slices beautifully as written, but if you are trying to mimic the texture of a corn syrup based pie, the added water will get you closer to it.
Basic Pie Dough:
1
1/3 c. all-purpose flour (150g)
3/8 t. salt
5 1/2 T. cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces (77g)
3 T. chilled vegetable shortening (36g)
3 to 4 T. ice water
Combine the flour and the salt in a medium-sized
bowl. Rub the butter into the flour
until the butter is in small pea-sized pieces. Drizzle 3 T. ice water over the
flour/butter mixture. Using your hands,
fluff the mixture until it begins to clump, adding more water if
necessary. If, when you squeeze some of
the mixture it holds together, the dough is finished. Turn the dough out onto a counter and form
into a mound. Using the heel of your
hand, gradually push all of the dough away from you in short forward strokes,
flattening out the lumps. Continue until
all of the dough is flat. Using a bench
scraper, scrape the dough off the counter, forming it into a single clump as
you do. Wrap in plastic wrap, pressing
the dough into a thick disk. Chill for
at least 30 minutes.
To roll out a bottom crust, let the disk of dough
warm up for a moment or two. Butter a 9-inch pie plate and set it aside.
Flour the work surface and the rolling pin. Begin rolling from the center of the dough
outward. After each stroke, rotate the
dough a quarter turn—always making sure that there is sufficient flour to keep
the dough from sticking. Keep rolling
and turning until you have a round of dough that is about 1/8 to 1/6 –inch in
thickness. Using a lid or an upside-down
bowl, trim the dough to form a 13-inch circle. Brush
off the excess flour and fold the dough circle in half. Slide the outspread fingers of both hands
under the dough and gently lift it and transfer it to the prepared pie
plate. Unfold the dough and ease it into
the pan being careful not to stretch it. Fold the extra dough under along
the rim of the pan so that it is double in thickness. Crimp the edge. Chill the pie shell for at least 1/2 hour before filling.
Printable Recipe
Printable Recipe
“Leftover” Turkey &
Rice Soup
2 1/2 to 3 T. unsalted butter
1 small onion (about 5 oz.), cut in 1/4-inch
dice (1 cup)
1 carrot, peeled and cut in 1/4-inch dice (2/3
cup)
1 small celery stick, cut in 1/4-inch dice (1/3
cup)
1/2 T. minced fresh thyme
1 1/5 c. diced (1/3- to 1/2-inch) sweet potato
3 1/2 to 4 cups Turkey broth (or more if you prefer
a soup with a greater proportion of broth)
3 T. Basmati rice
3 to 4 oz. Brussels sprouts, trimmed, cored and
thinly sliced (1 cup sliced)
1 cup diced cooked turkey
In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt
butter. Add the onion, carrot, celery and thyme along with a pinch of
salt and sweat until very soft (about 15 minutes). Add the sweet potato
and cook until hot and beginning to sizzle in the butter.
Add the stock and bring to a boil.
Taste and season with salt. Add the rice, return to a simmer, cover and
simmer gently for five minutes. Add the
sprouts, return to a simmer and cook until the sweet potatoes, rice and sprouts
are tender—another 10 minutes or so. Taste and correct the
seasoning. Remove from the heat, stir in the turkey and cover and let sit
for five minutes to warm the turkey through.
Makes a generous quart of soup.
Notes:
- Turkey broth can be made simply by placing the roast turkey carcass in a stock pot, covering by an inch with cold water and gently simmering until flavorful...two or three hours. You may of course add onions, carrot, celery, etc. as for a traditional stock if you like.
- Don't boil the soup after you add the turkey...it will make the turkey hard and chewy...particularly if you are using white meat.
- Recipe is easily multiplied.
Printable Recipe
