Thanksgiving 2 is back. Prepare yourself for Thanksgiving 2.15: ?

Hello there. It has been a long time, arguably too long. Over the last several years I realized that I missed the weekly blog entries. It kept me engaged with Thanksgiving 2 in a very different way than my normal research routine. Around Christmastime I decided it would be helpful to start writing again. 

Not being able to do Thanksgiving 2 in 2020 really screwed me up mentally. I put a tremendous amount of mental energy each year into this event, and to have all of that energy ultimately not go into anything took a toll. I also realized I have developed some issues with decision paralysis when it comes to larger decisions again. I thought I had moved passed this issue, but 2020 brought it back. To combat the mental blocks that were created during the pandemic, I am going to use these weekly entries to hold myself accountable and help plan for Thanksgiving 2.15.

You are probably wondering what the theme will be. I have been too since the day after Thanksgiving 2.14-Food Wars. It took me just over 2 months to come up with any decent ideas. I contemplated doing Pennsylvania Dutch (Amish/Mennonite), Russian and North Africa. However, over this past weekend I brought up the theming question to a few friends and Peru was mentioned. That was all it took. Often when I have big decisions to make, it just takes a single word and I know which direction I am going to go in. Welcome to Thanksgiving 2.15: South America the Blog!

Thanksgiving 2.8 Recipe #1: Pernil O Pierna Asada Estilo Cubano, Cuban Roast Pork

Cuban Roast Pork w mojo sauteed onions and foliage.

Since Thanksgiving 2.8 is right around the corner (303 days as of this writing), I wanted to start taste testing as soon as possible. This is the very first recipe I have tried. I want to get the big centerpiece dishes out of the way as early as possible this year. I chose pernil because when I asked all of our friends who are of Puerto Rican/Caribbean descent they each mentioned one or two special dishes, but they all mentioned having pernil for Christmas dinner. When I did my cookbook research I noticed the same thing. Some form of pernil was mentioned in several islands' holiday recipes. I happen to like pork shoulder, and one of the better recipes I made for 2.7 was pork I thought this would be a logical place to start.

Ingredients:

4-6 pound pork shoulder

2 C sour orange or fresh lime or lemon juice

1 bay leaf

2 tsp dried oregano

2 tsp cumin powder

2 Tbsp salt and 1 teaspoon salt.

1/2 tsp black pepper

20 cloves garlic peeled (cloves can be left whole)

cuban mojo sauce 

2 large onions sliced in thin rounds

1/2 C roast pork pan drippings

1/2 C reserved garlic and lime sauce mixture 

Directions: 

THE NIGHT BEFORE: Take the pork shoulder and poke deep holes into the meat with a pairing knife. Make the holes at least 1/2" wide and at least 1/2" deep. This doesn't have to be exact. Just make holes all over the roast.

Next take the salt and rub about two tablespoons all over the pork. Try to stick your fingers in the poked holes to penetrate the salt into the meat. (It says about 2 tablespoons of salt, but if it is a larger piece of meat you might need as much as three tablespoons).

Next, in a blender add the lime/lemon/sour oange juice, garlic cloves, bay leaf, cumin, oregano, pepper, & the 1 teaspoon salt. Blend on high until all is liquified. This is the Cuban Mojo, pour one cup of the mojo in a jar cover and reserve for later. 

Pour the rest of the sauce all over the roast making sure to rub the mojo sauce deep into the pork meat into the holes. Finally, sprinkle a little more oregano, cumin, black pepper over the entire roast again.

Cover with aluminum foil; and refrigerate until the next day for roasting.

COOKING DAY: Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. Remove pork from the refrigerator let stand on the counter for around hour (this is an important step, don't skip). Place the pork roast on an elevated rack in your roasting pan. Put it into the preheated oven.

Depending on how large a roast you have it will take from about 3 to 5 hours to cook (this is further changed if you have a bone-in roast or boneless). Pour a half cup of the reserved mojo and baste your roast every hour with some of the mojo. Cook uncovered.

The roast is done when the internal temperature reaches 145-150 degrees. Let the roast sit for 10-20 minutes before carving.

While the roast is resting. Pour the pan drippings into a frying pan over medium heat and add the onions. Fry them in the drippings until softened. Next take half cup of the reserved mojo from the refrigerator and pour into the onions sauteing everything for about five minutes more.

After the rest time, slice all of the roast and pour the mojo with onions over the meat.

     Overall, this was a fairly simple recipe. I love cooking these pork shoulder dishes. They may have a long prep time (marinade) and a long cooking time (4-6 hours), but they always taste great. The minor amount of work to make the sauce and only a few steps to prep the meat were so simple a knife capable child could have done them. The only change I made to the recipe was the removal of the bone. I took it out to make the carving afterward a bit easier. This is in no way necessary.

As far as flavor goes I can see why this is made every year. The outside had an almost sweet flavor to it, from the marinade I imagine. The interior meat itself falls apart as its eaten. That interior meat had a subtle flavor, but it was possible to taste the citrus and garlic. The onions were a great accompaniment. They have a much more powerful flavor, but when eaten with the meat as intended, it was great. I was very lucky with this recipe. The very first one and I know I will be making it for TH2.8. I couldn't ask for much more than that. The only caveat being that I would have to make two 5 pound roasts to serve as many people as I want. I could cook a 10 pound roast but I wouldn't get as much marinade penetration or browning. I will most likely make 2 seperate roasts. The tasting event I am going to plan for the end of February will help me make the final decision. 

Post Thanksgiving 2.7: Scandinavia Wrap-Up

Welcome back to Thanksgiving 2.com. It has been a couple months since Th2.7, and I feel I have had ample time to look back on the event objectively. I have had a chance to speak to everyone that came, and take in their opinions, good and bad. I'll take this entry to figure out what can be done to keep improving my signature event.

First, I'm going to list all off the positive and negative items that came up or were answers to my questions. Then I will go over how I'm going to rectify the negatives. I'll save any new ideas or praise for the positives for the next entry.

The Negatives (or stuff to improve)

• Outdoor temperature control
• Food locations that were not in the kitchen or outside
• Not enough room on the new dessert table
• Not enough mashed potatoes or stuffing
• Better knowledge of when the turkeys were being served 

The Positives

• The outdoor tenting set-up
• The outdoor buffet style food arrangement.
• The open beer bottle selection
• The beer tasting event

I am generally happy with the negatives this year. Happy? Yes, happy because these are all things I feel are relatively easy to fix. By far the easiest issue to fix is the turkey finishing time awareness. I know when they will be done to within 20 minutes. I simply need to either do a quick walkthrough of the property and inform everyone, or set out table cards in the beginning of the day with a rough timetable written on them. The cards could also have a neat fact or some other tidbit on them. I'm not quite sure what I would do there. Also, I have decided to add an electronic element to the proceedings. I will be using the Twitter/Instagram/Facebook accounts I have set up to let everyone know "turkey is out of the oven, 20 minutes till carving." This was suggested by a few people, and since I have my phone on me all the time it should be pretty simple to accomplish.

The second item I can fix is the amount of mashed potatoes and stuffing I had available. I didn't realize how quickly they had both run out. I'm going to hope that means that they were liked, and not that people were starving. I've decided that I will be making either 15 or 20 lbs of mashed this year. I have not decided quite yet. I think it is going to come down to whether or not if I have to peel all of the potatoes by myself. If I do have to do them by myself then it will probably be 15 lbs.

The third item to fix will be the amount of space on the dessert table. I found a new home for the desserts this past year. It was a bit larger than previous years, but I made several more desserts this time around. To alleviate the space issue I have decided to add a second or third level to the table through the use of multilevel pie stands. I want to be able to present several pies and a trays of cookies to everyone all at once. The dessert table was absolutely packed this past year. I know I am capable of either finding or building a pie/cookie stand that is at least 3 levels high. I think elevating the pies (of which I had 6) will give me enough room to alleviate this problem.

The fourth and last of the easier issues to deal with is the non-kitchen/non-buffet food locations. This only became a problem (and it was only mildly a problem) because of a gaffe on my part. I forgot to inform guests as they were arriving of the 2 other food locations as they arrived. I am also pretty sure I didn't use the invitations as well as I have in previous years to inform everyone of how the house would be set up. I will make a point of informing everyone that there will be some food in each room. I may make a 3D map of the house and post in in the invitation, here on the blog, on Twitter, and on Instagram.

Finally, we come to the most difficult thing to deal with at Thanksgiving 2, the temperature outside. I always knew this would be the hardest part to deal with every year. Since our friend David has been able to provide us with the "jet engine" heater the past 2 years I thought we had the problem solved. It still wasn't a perfect solution. I believe we will need that in addition to something else. I have found some propane patio heaters on Amazon that should help immensely. I have all year to purchase at least one of these. I think with the patio heater combined with David's heater I will have a lot more control over the situation.

There you have it folks. Another successful TH2 in the books. Only a few small issues came up this time, and I believe all of them are fixable. In my head I will now be looking forward to TH2.8. No more looking back on what I could or should have done. Only thoughts on how I can make the next one the best one yet. I want more people, more food, and more enjoyment.

Next time find out what the theme of Thanksgiving 2.8 will be.

Delicate Norwegian Almond Pudding - Delikat mandel pudding

     During a night when my wife was away and the baby is asleep and my TV is broken what should I do? I will make many recipes to test on my family on Saturday! I made 4 different things that night and I think I found a couple winners.  Each recipe will get it's own post to stick with the pattern I have set up. On to the food.

     The first recipe from the long Friday night is the "Delicate Norwegian Almond Pudding." This reminded me of an old fashioned pudding recipe. I had to separate some eggs, cook slowly over lowish heat then whip up some egg whites. I was surprised at the complexity of the recipe probably because I'm used to the American pudding from a box. It's more complex than Jell-O, but still fairly easy.

• 1/4 Cup cornstartch
• 1 Cup milk
• 2 eggs, separated
• 1 Cup heavy cream
• 1/2 Cup sugar
• 1/4 Cup finely ground almonds
• 1 TBSP rum (or rum flavoring)
• 1/8 tsp Cream of Tartar

Mix cornstarch with 1/4 cup milk to a smooth thin paste. Beat in egg yolks and then set aside. Combine remaining milk, heavy cream, sugar, and almonds in a saucepan. Bring this mixture to a boil. Then lower heat and stir in the cornstarch/egg yolk mixture. Cook 5 minutes over low heat, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Stir in the rum. Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar until stiff peaks. Fold in the beaten egg whites. Pour into a serving dish and chill. Serve with a warm fruit sauce.

     I was a little worried at first when I saw the odd looking texture. The little flecks of almond, and the strong rum scent made me a bit wary of what people would think. In the end I was pleasantly surprised. This is easily one of the best puddings I have ever tasted. The almond flavor is very evident, and the mouse-like texture is offset by the slight crunchiness of the ground almonds. The rum flavor comes around in the finish and is not as strong as the smell initially indicated. For what the recipe calls a delicate dish I was impressed by the complexity of flavor. Each of the 7 people I had taste it really enjoyed it. I tasted it the next day and the rum smell was less powerful. I will definitely be adding this to the final menu. I haven't decided if I'll provide an additional fruit sauce like the recipe calls for. I may point people towards the cherry sauce that is meant to be had with the Risalamande.

Thanksgiving 2.7 Beer Quandry Solved!

I have been trying to figure out what theme/concept I can use for the beer portion of Thanksgiving 2.7 this year. The Scandinavian beer selection in the tri-state area is pretty lousy. I will have the few available to me, but to round out that selection I was lost. Last night it came to me. I can and will do a tasting style selection.

     I have decided to offer the few Scandinavian beers I have found, plus some selection from the major beer styles as recognized by the American Brewers Association. Here are the beer styles I am thinking of including in no particular order, with a very brief description.

1. Barley Wine-A beer that has a ABV of at least 11%. Usually a heavy body, with a presence of alcohol and most often intense flavors. American varieties tend towards the hoppy & bitter while European ones are more balanced.
2. India Pale Ale/Pale Ale-Medium bodied with varying color from pale straw to a dark amber. The hop flavor is always very evident in the form of a big herbal scent and citric character. The bitterness can balanced by the sweet malt to overwhelming.
3. Lambic-Fruit versions add whole fruit and they will contribute from a subtle hint to a very intense fruit character.  Light bodied with little or no hop flavor or bitterness. A tartness from the wild yeast is very evident.
4. Porter/Stout-The roasted/dark/chocolate malt lend their color to create a range from from brown to black. Most times the roasted, coffee or chocolate notes will come through. Traditional varieties will keep the hop bitterness low. The body can vary from light to very full. This is a common style to see barrel aging. Oatmeal, coffee or chocolate are often used in brewing to add flavor or change the body & mouth feel.
5. Witbier/Wheat-A cloudy very pale beer. These use a yeast that creates flavors of banana, apples, and clove. Belgian versions are often brewed with an assortment of spices such as coriander and orange peel. Any hop character is almost non-existent.
6. Belgian Abbey/Trappist-This is a family of beers that share spicy notes and strong malt, caramel, and fruit flavors, and aromas. A higher than average ABV which can be completely hidden or overpowering. The malt and sugars used in brewing create a full body with very active carbonation.  
7. Scotch/Scottish Ale-A deep copper or brown in color. A higher than average ABV that is complemented by the malty caramel, and roasted notes. A low bitterness is found in some versions. A rich mouth feel and sometimes a pronounced sweetness are present.
8. Pilsner German/American-The most popular type of beer in America, sort of. This is the style that all those awful macro beers are based on. Pilsners should have a light golden color and have a slightly spicy or floral aroma. German versions should have their bitterness balanced by the malt, but American version can be incredibly bitter. 
9.  Doppelbock-A strong malty sweet beer that has a dark amber to black color. A very full body that has roasted and possibly chocolate notes.
10. Dessert (Chocolate, Peanut Butter, etc)-These can be from any of the existing beer styles, but with an overall flavor reminiscent of chocolate, caramel or some popular dessert such as a pie or a cake. Coffee flavor and bitterness are often present to help offset the sweetness. Usually a heavy body and little or no hop flavor or bitterness. (I want people to experience one of the extremes of brewing)

I feel that this selection covers most of the easier to find types of beer styles that the average American will find in a bar or a restaurant. I am hoping that by offering such a wide selection and my forcing people to use glasses for their beer I can accomplish a couple things this year. 1. My guests will get to try some new and different beers that may be out of their comfort zone, and 2. I can make food/beer pairing suggestions and possible increase everyone's awareness of just how good beer can be.    (I do realize that "dessert beer" is not really a true style, but from my experience the non-connoisseur is unaware the "dessert beer" is even something that exists. I am fortunate that several of the beers I regularly purchase for TH2 are in this style (Pumking, Warlock, Sweet Baby Jesus).)

     I am now doing a mild amount of research to figure out what will be the featured versions of each of the beer styles I have listed. I am as of right now going to attempt to offer 2-4 brands of each style ex.Dessert I'll have Southern Tier's Creme Brulee and DuClaw's Sweet Baby Jesus. This will let me purchase smaller amounts of each brand, but offer a huge variety of beer this year. I'm currently checking prices between 3 or 4 stores for the best deals.
Here are the brands and types I am considering so far (keep in mind I am choosing from what I am able to purchase in the tri-state area).

1. Barley Wine: Weyerbacher-Blithering Idiot, Uinta-Cockeyed Cooper, Schlafly-Barley Wine

2. India Pale Ale: Dogfish Head-60 Minute, Victory-Hopdevil, Southern Tier-2XIPA
3. Lambic: Lindemans-Framboise, Lindemans-Pomme, Fruli-Strawberry
4. Porter/Stout: Samuel Smith's Oatmeal Stout, Murphy's-Irish Stout, Clown Shoes-Blaecorn Unidragon
5. Witbier/Wheat: Allagash-White, Flying Dog-In-Heat Wheat,
6. Belgian: Malheur-12, La Trappe-Quadruppel, Allagash-Trippel, Boaks-Two Blind Monks,
7.Scotch/Scottish Ales: Founders-Backwoods/Dirty Bastard,
8. Pilsner: Slyfox-Pikeland Pils, Weihenstephaner-Pilsner,Iron City-Original
9. Doppelbock: Troegs-Troegenator, Weihenstephaner-Korbinian,
10.Dessert: Southern Tier-Creme Brulee, DuClaw-Sweet Baby Jesus, Southern Tier-Chokolat, DuClaw-Dirty Little Freak

     I am looking forward to this plan almost as much as the new dining hall layout idea that was brought up to me last year (more on that at in a later post). The great idea was brought up by the "turkey fry man" Sean was to schedule a "beer tasting hour" after the regular dinner time from around 7pm-9pm. I will highlight it on the menu and I'll add it to the invitations. If I make it a bit more formal and schedule it I think I can drive up greater interest. I want more interest than I had for the apperitif/digestif idea I tried last year. This also has a nice side benefit, it will force me to sit down and take a breather from the days activities while I do something I genuinely enjoy, tasting and discussing beer. I will have many small 1 or 2 ounce glasses for everyone and maybe we can create some craft beer connoisseurs.

     I would like to hear if anyone has favorite beers in the categories I have listed.

Scandinavian Recipe #4: Norwegian School Bread (Skolebrød)

Skolebrød or School Bun is a Norwegian type of sweet roll. They are filled with a rich vanilla cream or vanilla pudding and a dough that is slightly sweet, with a light cardamom flavor. Traditionally they are a special treat to include in children's lunches or prepared for special school gatherings, like a bake sale. This seemed like the perfect addition to the Norwegian portion of the table.
 

Prep Time: 2 hours

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 pkg. active dry yeast (2 1/4 tsp.)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
• 4 cups flour
• 1 pkg. (5.1 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
• 1 egg, well-beaten
• 6 Tbsp. powdered sugar plus 1 Tbsp. water, mixed to form a light glaze
• Shredded coconut

Preparation:

Combine milk and butter and heat in saucepan over medium-high heat just until milk is scalded (when small bubbles rise uniformly across the surface of the liquid). Remove from heat and cool until "finger-warm."

Stir yeast and sugar into lukewarm milk and allow to sit for 10 minutes. The surface should begin to bubble as the yeast proofs. After 10 minutes, stir in cardamom and flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the mixing bowl. Cover bowl with a clean kitchen towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 1 hour.

The dough coming together.

When dough has risen, punch it down, remove to a floured surface, and knead until smooth and shiny. Use your hands to roll dough into a thick 18"-long "snake," then cut this length into 20 equal pieces. Roll each piece between your hands into a spherical bun and place on a lightly greased baking sheet. Cover the buns again with the towel and allow to rise until doubled, about 30 minutes.

Prepare pudding mix as directed, only reducing milk to 2 1/2 cups. Allow pudding to thicken at room temperature while your buns rise.

Preheat oven to 375º. When the buns have risen, gently press down the center of each one to form a well. Fill with 1 to 1 1/2 Tbsp. pudding (you'll probably have some pudding left over). Allow to rise an additional 10 minutes.

Brush well-beaten egg on to the edges and sides of the buns. Place in heated oven and bake for 15 minutes, until golden brown.

Remove from oven and allow to cool. Brush sugar glaze on the top of the buns, around but not over the pudding "eye." Dip into shredded coconut.

Yield: 20 buns.

    In the end I discovered that this was not the easiest recipe for me. It wasn't the preperation, but the bun shaping and pudding depositing. I checked a few cooking and/or ethnic websites for pictures of the finished product to check mine against. They all resemble the general shape of what I ended up with, flying saucer with a pudding dome. However, I had difficulty keeping the pudding from running over the side while they cooked in the oven. Each one took a slightly different amount of pudding and therefore some ran and some did not. If I didn't make a deep enough depression in the buns or I added a little too much pudding is when I'd encounter my issue. While this might not seem like a huge deal it kept me from acheiving true repeatablity. Under normal baking-for-a-family-event or just-for-myself situation I wouldn't mind this type of minor problem. If I wanted to repeat the recipe 2 or 3 more times between now and December I'm sure I could figure out the best method of bun production. However, I do not want to spend my practice time trying to perfect this particular recipe. It is a bit of a shame because they did get really positive reviews from my co-workers and family.

As of right now the Skolbrød will not be on the final menu.

To Kickstart or not to Kickstart or for Charity?

     After seeing several Kickstarter projects for somewhat simple, interesting, and possibly joke ideas it occurred to me that I might be able to use this website to help me. I want to share my ideas and use this entry as a sounding/idea board. Why couldn't I Kickstart Thanksgiving 2.7?

     The idea had never occurred to me until I saw the Kickstarter project for Potato Salad. This project had a modest goal of $10 and let's just say that it has done fairly well. I realize that project became viral and was mentioned on the national news, so it is a very special case. I would be amazed if Thanksgiving 2.7 got mentioned on Good Morning America, but that shouldn't stop me. Should it?

     The basic idea is that by using Kickstarter I could improve the experience for everyone involved. Assuming I hit the goal I would be able to run TH2.7 just like the last  years, but if I manage to exceed the goal I could add in some great ideas I haven't been able to implement yet.

I think I may have a decent shot at this working, because I have something of a built in audience already. We had 55 people join us last year. At the $20 entrance fee I collect around $1000. If I add in a few reward levels not related to tickets I should be able to hit whatever reasonable goal I set. Then if I surpass the goal I can start on the improvements with the stretch goals.

1. Add a few of the favorite dishes from previous Thanksgiving 2's that are cost prohibitive to add this year (Goose, Pheasant, German sausages, a Heritage Turkey, etc.)
2. Add some of the more expensive game animals or unique dishes that are native to Scandinavia. (grouse, lutefisk, etc.) 
3. Increase the variety of craft beer
4. Actually pay someone to assist me with the cooking.
5. Change the location to somewhere bigger, yet stay local.
6. If a new location isn't needed I could improve the quality of the tenting situation at my home.
7. If a new location is used I can pay someone to run the movies/music
8. Pay someone to run the bar/vodka tasting area.
9. Pay a band to play live Christmas music!
10. Find a minor, holiday related or local celebrity to do an appearance?

     I have brought this Kickstarter idea up to a few people prior to this blog entry. I received positive feedback, but also a whole other idea that I hadn't thought of doing. For the Kickstarter newbies out there it may come as a surprise that Kickstarter is not for charity events. They leave charity to some of the other group funding sites like Indiegogo. The idea presented to me was to use Thanksgiving 2 to help promote a charity. It would be a turkey themed charity dinner.

     The example charity that was brought up to me was Philabundance. They are a 30 year old food bank that gives out food all year to the hungry people of the Delaware Valley. I would raise the entry price of my event to let's say $30 (the extra $10 going directly to the charity) or you can get in for $20 if you bring a qualifying bag of food. This way of the 50+ people who come, I would be able to hand in some combination of food and money donations. On their end they would help market the event, advertise the event on their website, and I would be allowed to use their name in conjunction with my event. If I am able to attach myself to a charity to help promote TH2, I would be hoping to move into a larger venue, increase the attendance, and promote the idea of Thanksgiving 2 to a much wider audience. I never wanted TH2 to become a for profit event anyway, so adding this charity element could be a very good idea on a few levels.
    
     A friend of my family throws a Halloween party every year. He has it sponsored by several stores, and has beer and food donated to the event. There is a very reasonable $35 door fee for all you can eat food and drink. He manages to give out at least 4 different costume prizes as well. He has managed to make it a town wide event for the past 29 years. I think if I put the same level of energy into TH2 that he puts into his Halloweenfest then I will have a very fun event to plan for the next 30 years.

     I definitely would like to hear from anyone with ideas. Back to recipes for next entry.

Scandinavian Recipe: #9 Norwegian Hazelnut Cake (Hasselnøtt Kake)

 

 I am coming up on the final thematic dessert that I will need for thanksgiving 2.7. I have finally found 1 recipe for each of the 4 main countries. If I am feeling adventurous I can look for a Finnish dessert, but it would have to be incredible. I'm very happy with the 5 themed desserts I've found and will start focusing on finding the on-theme side dishes. Enjoy the final dessert.  
 Prep Time: 30 minutes

 

Cook Time: 35 - 40 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 5 minutes

 

Yield: 12 servings

 

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 tsps baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3 eggs 
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Preparation:

The base after it's pulled from the pan.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease the bottom of one 9 or 10 inch spring-form pan.
2. Reserve 8 whole nuts for garnish. Pulse the remaining nuts in a food processor until ground, and reserve 1 tablespoon of ground nuts for garnish.
3. Melt butter in a small saucepan over low heat, cool.
4. In a large bowl beat eggs, sugar, and 1 teaspoon vanilla extract until thick and lemon colored (about 2 to 3 minutes). Add flour, baking powder, salt, and ground nuts, mix well. Continue to beat mixture while slowly adding the cooled melted butter or margarine until blended (mixture will be thick). Spread batter into prepared pan.
5. Bake at 350 degrees for 35 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 15 minutes then remove sides of pan. Remove pan bottom and invert onto a serving plate. Cover with a cloth towel and cool for another 30 minutes before glazing.
6. To Make Glaze: In a medium saucepan bring whipping cream just to a boil, remove from heat and stir in the semi-sweet chocolate chips until melted and smooth. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract. Spread glaze over top of cooled cake, allowing it to run down the sides. Sprinkle reserved ground nuts around top edge and arrange whole nuts over the middle in a pleasing pattern. .

     Overall, this was a really simple recipe. I was a little hesitant about using a spring form pan. I've had mixed experiences with them in the past when I was making anything other than a cheesecake. Thankfully, I was fortunate. I had no issues with the pan and as you can see from the cake base picture I had no problem with removing the cake from the pan. The hazelnut but for the cake ended up fairly moist, and had a nice texture. Probably the best part of this cake was the glaze. First, I really enjoyed the glaze on this cake. It not only gives the cake a fancy coating, it happens to be one of my favorite baking techniques, ganache. I don't have too many recipes in my repertoire that use chocolate ganache, but after making this recipe I may have to change this oversight.  (My favorite dessert ever used to be offered at the gourmet restaurant Olive Garden. It was a cappuccino truffle layer in-between 2 layers of chocolate cake that was coated in chocolate ganache and bittersweet chocolate shavings.) The extra crunch added by the ground hazelnuts on the top of the glaze was a great final addition. 3 very different textures and 2 enjoyable flavors. I will be adding this to the final TH2 menu for this year. I only have to decide if I should make 1 or 2 of these.

The finished cake.

 

Scandinavian Recipe #8 - Swedish "Royal Pot Roast" or Slotsttek

There are several variations on the traditional Swedish recipe for Royal Pot Roast. This type of recipe dates back to a time when meat was expensive and reserved for the wealthy. This traditional Swedish dish is also often translated as "Castle Fry". The Swedish name, "slot" or "slitted" steak, refers to earlier methods of roasting the meat on a spit over an open fire.The recipe has a unique addition. It uses anchovies to add flavor to the gravy. (The picture below has sardines in it, not anchovies, I grabbed the wrong fish item from the cupboard) This dish can also be made using venison, elk, boar, or moose roasts rather than beef. Because of the difficult time I had 2 years ago during TH2.5 to find the game birds, I will not be scouring the nearby counties for moose. However, if someone happens to have some moose or boar lying around in their freezers let me know. 

The most ingredient intensive meal to date. 

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 hours

Total Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes

Yield: 10 servings

Ingredients:

• 4-pound boneless chuck roast
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 1 large onion, finely diced
• 1 large stalk celery, finely diced
• 2 cups beef stock or bouillon
• 5 anchovy fillets, minced
• 5 white peppercorns
• 5 whole allspice
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. dark Syrup or molasses (I used Steen's Pure Cane Syrup)
• 2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp. water
• 1 1/2 cups cream

A well browned piece of meat.

Preparation:

The onions and peppers. 

Rub the roast all over with salt and pepper. Melt the butter in large pot or dutch oven over medium-high heat; brown roast well on all sides. Remove from pot.

Place chopped onion and celery in pot and cook until opaque - 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in beef stock, minced anchovies, peppercorns, allspice, bay leaves, white vinegar, and dark syrup; return roast to pot and heat liquid to boiling. Reduce heat to medium-low, place lid on pot, and simmer until meat is tender, about 2 hours.

Remove meat from pot to cutting board. Strain solids from the pan juices, add enough water to equal 3 cups, then return liquid to pot and increase heat to medium-high. Whisk together flour and water then add to gravy, stirring constantly until gravy thickens; stir in cream and heat until warm. Remove from heat and serve with sliced pot roast.

      In general this was fairly simple to make. There were many steps, but each was nice and simple. This vaguely reminded me of a very stripped down boeuf bourguignon. I missed the extra bits of flavor and vegetables that come with the boeuf. The boeuf is a whole stew, and not just the meat. Once I realized that this is meant to be the centerpiece of a special meal I felt better about the whole thing. The many steps are there to pack as much flavor into something that appears to be simple. 

     Overall, I enjoyed the final product. The beef was very tender after the long cooking time.The creamy gravy complimented the tender beef really nicely. I was a little surprised at how subtle all of the flavors that made up the gravy became. It reminded me a lot of the traditional Swedish meatballs I have had in the past. The only difference being the meat's texture. The roast is soft like the meatballs would be, but there is significantly less work involved in this recipe. I have only had a few people taste test this recipe for me. They were all positive, but I am not sure if this will be included in the final menu. I don't know how well the subtle cream flavors will match up against some of the stronger scents and tastes of the other main courses. Yes, I know turkey has a mild flavor, but gravy and cranberry sauce do not. Since the theme this year is Scandinavia it may be expected of me to make Swedish meatballs. I'm positive that I do not want to make something that my guests can get at Ikea and enjoy there. I want the guests to experience food from the theme that they may not have had before. I will have to wait and see what other main dishes I come across before I decide on whether to add the "Royal Pot Roast". 

     

Scandinavian Recipe #5: Pork Roast with Cracklings (Flæskesteg)

     This entry is a few weeks late because of computer issues. However, it doesn't change the fact that it is a great recipe, and I can see why the Danish people eat it every year.
    This was my first attempt at a Scandinavian main dish. I was a bit hesitant to start with such an important recipe. This style pork roast or flæskesteg is the main dish eaten for Christmas dinner in Denmark. It's so popular that it is considered a national dish in Denmark.

• 5 lb. pork roast (neck or shoulder works well), with thick layer of fat
• 1 Tbsp. coarse or kosher salt
• 1 tsp. ground cloves
• 1 tsp. whole mustard seeds
• 5 bay leaves, crumbled into small pieces
• 3 cups boiling water

Preparation:

Notice the cross hatches. 

     Preheat oven to 450º. Remove the bone if your roast has one. The bone will change the cooking time entirely, and should be removed before continuing. This is a fairly simple process, if time consuming. (If you are uncomfortable attempting this process then talk to your butcher. They should be willing to do this for you for free.) Pat the pork roast with paper towels until it is as dry as possible. Then, using a sharp kitchen knife, cut halfway through the fat (but not into the meat) in horizontal lines 1/2" apart. Cut vertical lines 1/2" apart until entire layer of fat is cross-hatched.

     In a small bowl, combine salt, ground cloves, mustard seeds, and crumbled bay leaves. Rub mixture all over pork, taking care to workas much as possible into the cross-hatched layer of fat.

     Place roast on a rack in a deep roasting pan and bake on center rack of oven until top crackling is crisp and golden brown (about 30 minutes). Reduce heat to 350º and carefully pour 3 cups of boiling water into bottom of roasting pan (watch out for the steam!). Cook for an additional hour or until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160ºF. Let the meat rest for at least 15-20 minutes. 

     Remove crackling from roast, cut into thin slices, and serve alongside sliced pork.

Yield: 8-10 slices of pork with crackling.

     I was amazed at how juicy this was when it came out of the oven and even after letting it rest for 20 minutes it was still juicy. Removing the crackling was a bit tough. It was not terribly easy to cut it off without removing a thin layer of meat. I imagine this will improve with practice. I'm planning on making this recipe at least 2 more times before the big day. Also, the crackling didn't seem to stretch to the full 10 servings. (I can see this possibly being an issue at TH2 because this will be self-serve) This is either because it was too tasty and I screwed up my portion control or I got a pork roast with a smaller fat cap. Overall, this will make a great addition to the Main Course portion of my menu. It has a nice spiced pork flavor that most Americans will recognize, but won't find too odd.  The best part was just how easy this was to make. Very few ingredients, only a few steps, and a great taste, there is not much more I can ask for in a Thanksgiving 2.7 option. 

Next up: Swedish "Royal Pot Roast" or Slotsttek

Christmas 2 Interlude: The Search for the Golden Cocktail

     I have been searching for the perfect combination of mixed drinks to serve at Thanksgiving 2 and other events I hold for over 2 years now. It has been a mild issue for me because I do not want to have a cocktail station with a person permanently fixed there, but I want to offer mixed drinks to the non-beer/wine drinking guests. Thankfully, I've discovered 2 very popular and tasty drinks over the last few years, the "Happily Ever After" and the "Saltwater Cowboy". I am hoping that this year's Christmas 2: Christmas in July will finally fix the 3rd and final drink slot. I will be offering the 2 known and appreciated drinks, and 2 out of the 4 experimental drinks below.
   
     The previous 2 drinks that worked last year were:

Happily Ever After (the red drink)-

• peach schnapps
• cranberry juice
• ginger ale

and the Saltwater Cowboy (the green drink)-

• 6 parts rum
• 6 parts melon liqueur
• orange juice 
• ginger ale

     I have asked a question of my Christmas 2: Christmas in July guests. I've asked them to vote on the 4 drinks below and whichever 2 get the most votes are the cocktails I will offer to guests at this years event. 

Apple Gingerbread Cocktail

• 2 oz Domaine de Canton Ginger Liqueur (or the homemade version I know have)
• 1 oz vanilla vodka
• 2-1/2 oz apple cider
• 3 drops lemon juice
• agave syrup

     The ginger liqueur in this one caught my eye. In preparation to try this one I found several make-at-home recipes for ginger liqueur. I was happily surprised when I saw that a few of the recipes for very similar to one another. I picked the one that claimed to taste like the Domaine de Canton. I have since made it and tasted it. It has an incredible smell and a nice ginger bite at the end. I think it would be just fine over ice all by itself. Also, since I already own some homemade vanilla vodka, it made choosing this cocktail recipe even easier.

Drink of the Gods

• 2 oz vodka
• 1 oz pineapple juice
• 1 oz blueberry schnapps

     I was drawn to the blueberry schnapps in this one. I can't recall ever tasting it before. Also, I'm pretty sure that this one will not be yellow/gold because of the schnapps, but it is currently the most popular one that I have mentioned to everyone. If it is tasty I will find a way to make it golden looking or just live with whatever color it ends up.   

Goombay Smash

• 3/4 oz dark rum
• 1/2 oz coconut liqueur
• 3 oz pineapple juice
• 2 dashes lemon juice

     This is a very tropical drink, most likely created in the Bahamas. It's semi mysterious origin doesn't particularly matter to me. This is the third year that I have been searching for a set of cocktails to offer, and I am getting desperate. If Thanksgiving 2.7 has a tiny bit of a tropical taste to it, I can live with it. 

Gorky Park Cooler

• 1-1/2 oz strawberry vodka
• 1/2 oz coconut rum
• 1/2 oz spiced rum
• 4 oz pineapple juice

    I have a bottle of homemade strawberry infused vodka at
my home right now, and it is by far my favorite of the infused vodkas that I've made. It's always nice to find new uses for such an unusual liquor. I like that this one uses mostly vodka and just a bit of rum.

     There they are, 4 fairly different cocktails. 3 of which are yellow/gold in color and one probably not. I am not thrilled with the use of rum in 3 of the 4, but from what I have observed at other events (mine and others) rum is particularly popular. On an intellectual level, I'd prefer 4 different cocktails based on 4 different alcohols, but this is real life, so I want to serve what will be enjoyed. Also, if the 2 cocktails that are chosen are popular enough then perhaps I will offer 4 drinks at Thanksgiving 2. 

Scandinavian Recipe #7: Icelandic Vinarterta (Striped Lady Cake)

     When I started looking for Scandinavian desserts I knew I wanted to try this one. It looks fancy and the recipe is fairly straightforward. I didn't realize it had such an unusual legacy.

First attempt at the Vinarterta.

     The Vinarterta has an unusual history. The recipe is from around 1860 and was similar to the English fruit cake while highlighting the then rare . . prune. Apparently, if you were to go to Iceland right now you would be hard pressed to find a native that has made it, or even knows what it is. The tradition of the Vinaterta has migrated very successfully to North America and mainly in Canada. I didn't realize this has become more of an Icelandic/Canadian dish then an actual Icelandic dessert. It is too late now, and it does originate in the appropriate area.

    The recipe I found increases the number of layers from its usual/traditional four or five layers into a giant 8 layer petit four-like tower. The recipe has ingredients listed for a frosting, but I am still unsure of whether you should frost it or not. With 7 sweet layers of filling, it's could be too rich for some people. If you choose to frost, it would be best to do it lightly.
Prep Time: 1 hour

Cook Time: 10 minutes per sheet pan

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

The Ingredients.

For the Cake:
1 cup European-style butter (Plugra) (I found this at Wegmans and Acme)
2 cups sugar
3 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. vanilla or cardamom extract
6 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. freshly ground cardamom
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup milk
.
For the Filling:
3 cups prune filling (or substitute rhubarb jam) (I used Raspberry Preserves)
.
For the Frosting (optional):
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp. European-style butter (Plugra), melted
1 Tbsp. milk
1 tsp. vanilla or cardamom extract
1/2 tsp. lemon zest

Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350. Cream the butter and sugar together in a heavy mixer. Add the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla or cardamom extract.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, cardamom, and salt.

Add the dry ingredients and the milk to the cake batter, stirring until it's all combined into a very stiff, almost bread-like dough.

Divide dough evenly into 4 portions. Line a 10" x 15" jelly roll pan with a silicone baking mat or buttered parchment paper. Press the first portion of dough evenly across the pan (as you would pizza dough). Try to fill as much of the pan as possible and keep the 4 portions to roughly the same overall size. Then place the layers into the oven, and bake just until golden, about 10 minutes. Cool on a cake rack; repeat for the remaining 3 layers. (You are building it on the sheet because you will not be able to transport the dough when you have flattened it.)

The dough divided.

Once the layers have cooled, slice each in half lengthwise so that you have a total of 8 even layers.

To assemble, place the least attractive layer of cake on a plate and spread with a thin layer of filling Repeat the layers, ending with the prettiest of your layers. Place in an air-tight container and allow to sit for 24 hours (the prune filling will soak into and soften the cake layers).

To serve, either dust the top of the cake with powdered sugar or frost the top and sides lightly with the frosting Cut into very thin slices.

Close up of the preserves and cake layers.

     In general this was a fairly easy recipe to follow. The only issue I encountered was something I noticed in almost every version I have seen. It does not say how thick to make each layer. You will notice in my pictures that each of the cake layers is rather thick. I feel that when I make this again I will be rolling the layers out on the silicone mat. The "hand pressing" gave me similar thicknesses, but a rolling pin would have made this easier. The thinner slices would have created a more uniform flavor and texture also. Overall, I will be adding this to the Thanksgiving 2.7 menu. It was enjoyed by enough people that I gave it the approval. It is different enough and simple enough that after a couple more test bakes I may add it to my regular baking recipe list.

Stay with us because next time you will see: Roast Pork w Cracklings.

Scandinavian Recipe #6: Lingonberry-glazed Pork Loin with Potatoes

     For the second main dish experiment I wanted to try my hand at a pork dish again. The first one came out so well, and I was hoping this one would be just as good. It uses lingonberries, dried cranberries, and dried apple slices together to create a mildly sweet flavor that melds with the roast pork. This is a relatively easy dish to make and I recommend buying an entire pork loin. Even if you get a 9 or 10 lb loin it will be worth it in the end. You save a good bit of money, and pork loin freezes fairly well, but that's another blog entry for a later time.

The ingredients.

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes

Ingredients:

• 1 4-pound boneless pork loin
• 2 tsp. ground allspice
• 1 cup dried cranberries (orange-flavored if you can get them)
• 1 cup dried apple slices
• 1/8 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 10-15 new potatoes (multi-colored if available)
• 2/3 cup lingonberry preserves
• 1/4 cup orange juice

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350º. Remove pork loin from web netting (if present) and slice length-wise. Sprinkle ground allspice over length of each piece, and then spread the dried apples and cranberries on bottom layer. Cover with top layer, season with salt and pepper, and either push back into web netting or tie with string. 

     

Layers of Apples, Cranberries and Allspice.

Place stuffed pork loin in large roasting pan and bake on center rack of oven for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, rinse and halve the new potatoes. After 30 minutes, add potatoes to roasting pan. Bake for an additional 30 minutes.

Whisk together the lingonberry preserves and orange juice into sauce consistency, then drizzle over the pork loin and potatoes. Bake for a final 15-20 minutes (until pork reaches an internal temperature of 150º to 155º). Cool slightly, remove string, and slice pork loin into 1/2 inch slices of possible; serve with potatoes and a fresh salad.

Yield: 8 to 10 servings 

     I purchased a 10 lb pork loin to attempt this recipe. Which meant I was increasing the ingrediants by 2.5 times. The only issue I had was slicing the loin in half. I decided to cut it into two 5 lb sections and then slice each one in half. Each half then went into the oven separately. The final product as you can see resembles a giant meat hoagie (sub, grinder, sandwich). I opted not to tie is as directed in the recipe, because I felt it wasn't necessary in this case. It held together very well in the end.  I cannot recall having issues with this recipe. It is as simple as it is written. I made it a bit more difficult by more than doubling it, but that was no trouble at all. 

This is now the second and what I believe will be the final pork recipe I try for Thanksgiving 2.7. I was very fortunate this past week to have around 6 people try this dish with me to help determine if it's worth making. In general I am not a huge fan fruit mixed/cooked/served with a meat of any sort. The flavors do not meld to me. I was very pleasantly surprised to find that I enjoyed this dish so much. It became a much better experience once I made sure to get a bit of apple, cranberry and pork onto my fork. I will have to try this technique in the future when I encounter another meat fruit combo.

Finished Loin. 

   Since this is such a departure from what I normally serve guests I was not expecting overly positive reviews. I served each guest about a 1/2 an inch slice making sure to scoop some of the lingonberry sauce onto each one. I had made the recipe a couple days before the guests were able to try it. This worried me a bit because I would be re-heating each slice. Thankfully, pork loin is a forgiving piece of meat as far re-heating goes. All of the tasters claimed to really enjoy it. The most surprising part of the whole night was the 2 requests that were made for the recipe. 

    I have now successfully attempted 2 Danish pork dishes this month, with plans on doing an Icelandic cake in the next few days. I am desperately trying to make up for the last 2 months in which I neglected to recipe test. If I can keep up this pace I will have fleshed out my entire Scandinavian menu by October. It is a good place to be. 

     Next time look for Icelandic Vinaterta (Striped Lady Cake). It should be interesting.