Thanksgiving

Sadly, this year we have no photos of feasting or absurd bottles of wine.

We have no videos of rockets launching (in fact - this year there was no rocketry).

This was a slightly different thanksgiving than in the past (for various reasons).

Our meals were a bit more free-form... a little less structured.

Per requests, I will attempt to recreate from memory the salient details of key dishes below.

Egg Custard with Shaved White Truffles and Fried Potato Crisp

This was a really nice albeit rich way to start Thanksgiving day. Lovely farm fresh eggs made into a decadent custard with shaved white truffle across the top. Garnish was salty thin sliced yukon gold potato fried in duck fat. Served with a very nice Chandon Etoile Rose.

Roasted Apples with Cranberry-Cheddar Creme Fraiche

Fuji apples, roasted with Muscavado sugar and butter. Served with creme fraiche combined with very reduced cranberry (boiled with salt, clove, honey and lemon juice) and crumbled aged cheddar. Served with an insanely good XO Calvados.

Puff Pastry with Bitter Avocado Salad

A nice "transition" dish. Puff pasty filled with either Crab and Chevre or Roasted Golden Beets and Chevre. Served with a salad of baby arugula and avocado with a sherry vinegar dressing. Served with a really gorgeous dry Grand Cru Alsatian 'Traminer.

Creamy Cheddar Polenta

A take on cheddar grits. Served with either lardons, sauteed shrimp and crispy fried shrimp heads (for the carnivores) or ancho chilis and shoepeg white corn (for the vegetarians). Rich and hearty (small portion for sanity's sake). Served with beer.

Dry Fried Green Beans with Romesco

Just as it says. Served with a very nice Syrah-based Rose from Sonoma.

Risotto

Our usual centerpiece dish. Served with either Turkey Leg Confit or with Confit Cepes. Shaved white truffles on top. Served with a 2005 Beaucastel Chateauneuf-du-pape. Lovely.

Gingered Yams

Roasted yams mashed with ginger-butter, creme fraiche and muscavado sugar then baked in ramekins. The classic.