Brooklyn Thanksgiving 2010: A Menu Recap

So, Thanksgiving came and went, and we did pretty damn good, if I say so myself.

Other than a minor mutual meltdown when The Beez and I mistakenly thought we had ordered a “maple-crusted” turkey (The Rob, who was nice enough to pick it up, remarked that we were one of only two orders placed at the Brooklyn Fairway for a Maple Crest turkey, and a game of Telephone ensued), we managed to execute our entire menu sans agita. Thanks to our OCD planning of the grocery shopping and menu, there were no last-minute freakouts (though we may not have been smiling quite as widely as the ladies pictured above right, gentle reader).

We decided to do a dry brine on the turkey due to refrigerator-space constraints, and while I would still use the wet-brine method for smaller cuts of meat, I think this will be our go-to method for Thanksgiving turkeys henceforth; it turned out incredibly flavorful and moist, and we didn’t have to deal with the logistics of chilling a 20-lb. turkey in a massive vessel of liquid.

Here’s the menu we ended up with (to serve 12):

Brooklyn Thanksgiving 2010

~Appetizers~
Beet, Cheddar and Apple Tart
Deviled Eggs with Curry Filling
Pumpkin-Mascarpone Phyllo Cups
Hot Spinach-Artichoke Dip
Bacon-Wrapped Dates
Lamb Stuffed Mushrooms

~Soup~
Curried Heirloom “Musque de Provence” Squash

~Main~
Dry-brined Maple Crest Turkey
Brussels Sprouts with Shallots
Muffin-pan Potato Gratins
Green Bean Casserole with Fried Shallots
Cauliflower with Herbed Breadcrumbs
Creamed Onions
Mashed Sweet Potatoes with Paprika-Spiced Pecans
Pull-apart Onion Rolls
Cornbread Stuffing
Ritz Cracker Stuffing
Stove Top Stuffing
Variety of Cranberry Garnishes

~Dessert~
Maple Cheesecake with Roasted Pears
Chocolate Bourbon Pecan Pie
Pumpkin Pie
Apple Pie
Fruit Crumble
Olga Cookies

Full disclosure: My mom made the cranberry sauces (well, other than the canned one) and the pumpkin and chocolate pecan pies—the latter, I must say, was a total knockout. And the "Olga cookies," a.k.a. your garden-variety back-of-the-package chocolate-chip cookies, were brought by Aunty Olga, as they have been brought to every family holiday since the dawn of time...or, at least, of Aunty Olga, who is actually our great-aunt. Basically, you would need NASA to do the math on the number of Tollhouse morsels that have met their end in her oven.