Thanksgiving – Canadian style

This weekend was Thanksgiving here in Canada. Now, thanksgiving is entirely different up here in the great white north, from what I am accustomed to in the states. For one, football does not play a central role but the oddest thing to me is that it falls on a Monday so most people have their big dinner on Sunday, as did we. This just makes sense because one needs at least a day to recover from any respectable Thanksgiving feast.

This year, I was quite excited about the holiday, since I have a great deal for which to be truly thankful. Less than a year ago I was diagnosed with cancer, had surgery, radiation and chemo yet here I am today, feeling good enough to lay out a decadent spread for the holiday. And decadent it was! I spent days preparing for the big dinner and it was worth every minute. Add to that, a birthday cake thrown into the middle of my prep, and I was very busy to say the least. Our feast consisted of two hors devours ala the French Laundry; parmesan crisps filled with chevre mousse and gruyere gougeres willed with warm mornay sauce. We also had a white asparagus soup, drizzled with sugar snap pea soup and topped with homemade creme fraiche and caviar as a starter. From there we had a mostly traditional meal; a maple brined 20 pound fresh local turkey, which I stuffed with lemon, apple, orange and clove studded onion – the brine made it so deliciously juicy that I highly recommend taking the time to do it.

The dressing was made with french bread (I couldn’t find any panettone and was to lazy to bake it), homemade pork sausage, dried cherries, cranberries and golden raisins with plenty of fresh made turkey stock. For sides we had brussel sprouts with pancetta, brown sugar and cider; carrots with parsley pesto from our garden; mashed potatoes made with creme fraiche and parmesan; cranberry chutney with ginger, orange and currants; arugula salad with pears, cherries, toasted pinenuts and pecorino; and fresh baked pretzel rolls – oh and of course about a gallon of madiera pan gravy! There was so much going on in the kitchen on Sunday that I made the dressing on the grill outside and finished it in the oven while the turkey was resting!

Of course, no Thanksgiving meal is complete without dessert. For that we had three choices; pecan pie with chocolate drizzles, open face apple pie and a pumpkin mousse pie.

The apple pie was my favorite – I got it from the Pie and Pastry Bible. I have heard that many cooks don’t care for Rose Levy’s books but personally, I love them because I can mix and match crusts and fillings, etc.

Best of all, though, was the gathering of family, the clinking of glasses, the laughter and sheer happiness of sharing a special meal and special thanks with people in my life that make it worth living. So whether your holiday is on a Monday in October or on a Thursday in November, remember to enjoy every moment no matter what you have to eat! BTW – champagne really helps!