Thanksgiving Treats

Although Thanksgiving doesn't quite go in the culinary school department, I thought a post about the holiday strictly devoted to food (and I guess pilgrims, American Indians, giving thanks...yada yada yada, all technicalities) was appropriate. I am always excited for the Thanksgiving meal because it is the one time a year that my family gets together and doesn't eat Italian food. Now, don't get me wrong, I adore Italian food (see: cheesypasta, below), but sometimes starchy, heavy, buttery all-American fare provided in unnecessarily large portions for 3 days straight really hits the spot around this time of year. As my best friend J put it in a 7 pm text, "I'm rolling around the carpet burping and moaning." What's a better sign of a successful holiday?  I'm sure you all agree. 

cooking with cute mom and angry sister

ricing, whipping and mashing the potatoes. S did not like this job.

beautiful herb butter turkey:
how to: first, brine your turkey for 36 hours
next, liberally rub herb compound butter in between
the skin and the flesh before roasting.
warning: this is disgusting.
cook the turkey at 450 for about half hour
 to get that skin nice and crispy.
Then lower the heat to 350 and
cook until the breast is at 155 degrees.
Let big bird rest for 30 minutes.
Then cut off the legs and dark meat
and roast with pan juices until the meat is at 165 degrees,
about 20 minutes more. 

sugar and salt cured ham with maple glaze

roasted yams whipped with butter and maple syrup
topped with mini mallows.
I will always love these. sorry I'm not sorry.

piping hot buttermilk biscuits from scratch

mom's famous stuffing. ciabatta, walnuts, chestnuts,
sage, sausage, & mushrooms

stuffed 'shrooms

creamy, decadent brussel sprout and cauliflower gratin
with toasted bread crumb and pine nut topping

the lightest, creamiest whipped potatoes from scratch

the beautiful table

my beautiful plate

my beautiful family :)

Cheese and Pasta...Yup

Anyone who knows me knows that I am obsessed with pasta to an astounding and rather unhealthy degree.  And cheese. CHEE-EE-EE-EE-SE. Oh how I love you. While living in Italy, I seriously consumed anywhere from 3-5 pasta dishes per day, with perhaps a pound or two of fresh mozzarella/parmigiano/burrata in between (to balance out my food pyramid, of course.) I seriously must have broken some sort of record. It was the only thing I ate, and my classmates were horrified. 


After moving back to the United States of American Cheese and Atkins, I fell into a deep, dark depression. It was no longer possible (or acceptable) to behave in such dietary antics. Pasta wasn't everywhere, and cheese was orange and came in zip-lock bags. I was all alone. Sigh. Fortunately, after a few months of reintroducing my body to the other food groups, I was able to get over my lost love and go back to only needing it about once or twice a week. 


But now, at the FRENCH Culinary Institute, I am reminded of my depressed days, as no one seems to show any regard for Italian cuisine -- which, to me, trumphs all contenders. However, on one glorious day, we paid tribute to the greatest flavor in the world: cheesypasta (that's right -- one word). We had a cheese tasting, cheese making, and pasta making. I was literally hugging the sheets of dough as they transformed into spaghetti and getting choked up as I hand pulled my mozzarella. Needless to say, flavor cheesypasta is the reason why I am in this industry.

stinky, moldy, gorgeous cheese tasting

my mozzarella cuties

warm, fresh mozz, WOWWWW

sheep's milk ricotta

mushroom risotto

slow cooked bolognese sauce

rolling love

rolled love

gnocchi love

spinach love

gnocchi in a brown butter basil sauce

ricotta ravioli bolognese

spaghetti cacio pepe

150 Mouths to Feed.

The dinner party was a success -- with 7 intricate courses and twenty appreciative family members. Unfortunately, that experience in no way prepared me for the following weekend's exuberant festivities, where I fed 150 high school reunionees who were not innately inclined to liking my food. The week leading up to the event pillaged countless hours from me as I formed a deep and meaningful phone relationship with Harold, my Sysco Food Supplier representative. Turns out,  developing a ubiquitously appealing menu is pretty much impossible. Another exhausting hurdle was the thought of multiplying recipes by 25, and hoping it will taste somewhat normal. This, my friend, is not an easy task. How much salt should I put in 10 gallons of chili? Do I seriously need to peel and chop 100 shallots for the chicken? Good question, kiddo. 

 I asked my two friends from school to help out with the event, which eased my mind and made the whole experience much more fun and quite comical.  Thankfully, everything went smoothly and the food was incredible -- considering we were cooking in land of the giants. 

my accomplices in the world's largest kitchen

the breakfast spread before the guests arrived

freshly baked muffins and pastries

lox

dry rubbed pork shoulder

searing the 10-lb pork shoulders

slowly braising the pork shoulder (6 hours)

pulled pork with tangy tennessee BBQ sauce

garlicky vinegar & lemon oregano chicken

crisped up and juicy!

creamy béchamel macaroni and cheese

slow cooked 3-bean and beer chili

cornbread in the largest mixer of all time

cornbread with jalapeño lime compound butter