Thanksgiving is Coming!

Fuck politics! Forget about reading! All I can think about right now is Thanksgiving. The holiday officially began for me last Friday when I pulled out my collection of miscellaneous recipes conveniently stored inside an ancient copy of The Silver Palate cookbook. (One year, I made the entire Silver Palate thanksgiving menu.) My recipes are tattered and stained now so I am thinking it might be time to annotate and copy them so that when I hand over my mother's hand painted turkey platter to Liz she'll have a road map for the holiday.

For years after my mom gave up the holiday and ceded me the platter I still called every Thanksgiving morning asking her once again to guide me through the turkey roasting process. Draping the bird with butter soaked cheesecloth, cooking it breast side down and constantly basting were her keys to a moist bird, rules which I continue to obey. I admit I've periodically flirted with the idea of a different cooking method--high heat, a foil tent, cooking the stuffing outside the bird but fear of producing a dry, overdone turkey like my Aunt Roz always prepared holds me back. My mom really did know best. Anyway, as Liz always tells me, Thanksgiving is all about tradition. No major changes allowed! I've managed to sneak in a few new things over the years--an apricot chutney that is faintly Indian in flavor, a luscious onion confit from Alice Waters--but god forbid I decide to vary my stuffing recipe (cornbread with sausage) or make the brussel sprouts a different way. Mutiny!!

Of course, our recent Thanksgivings have been incredibly enriched by the participation of the Pignataros. Now, we all look forward to the end of the meal and an array of gorgeous desserts lovingly baked by Alphonse. This year, we're starting a new tradition that I'm certain no one will object to. Alphonse is making pumpkin ravioli as a starter. I can't wait!