We were not like most families, especially where holiday traditions were concerned. Although we had our time-honored rituals and recipes, most visitors to our Thanksgiving table were initially surprised, then delighted, to see a 10-pound lobster on the centerpiece platter instead of a 20-pound turkey.
Growing up in a family that defied the usual culinary customs inspired me to do the same when I began my own household. Though not quite as radical as lobster, my menu departs from the usual Thanksgiving spread in one important way.
A typical holiday dinner-turkey basted with butter or margarine, gravy from the drippings, mashed potatoes, creamed onions, rolls and butter, followed by double-crust pies-gets a minimum of 50 percent of its considerable calories from fat. This one-Cornish game hens glazed with fruit juice, sweet potatoes flavored with ginger, rice pilaf and custard made with skim milk-leaves guests satisfied, not stuffed.
LACQUERED CORNISH GAME HENS
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 65 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
To achieve the lacquerlike finish, the hens are baked on a rack and basted frequently with an orange juice-wine-honey mixture.
3 Cornish game hens, about 1 1/2 pounds apiece
3 small onions, cut in quarters
6 whole cloves garlic, peeled, crushed
Salt, pepper to taste
1 cup each: orange juice, red wine
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Rinse Cornish hens; dry inside and outside with a paper towel. Remove any excess fat. Place 4 quarters of onion and 2 garlic cloves in each cavity and sprinkle the inside with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together and arrange the hens on a rack in a roasting pan, breast-side up.
2. Mix orange juice, red wine, honey and soy sauce and spoon some of the mixture over the hens. Bake 15 minutes, then spoon more of the mixture onto the hens. Continue cooking 50 minutes more, basting the hens with additional glaze every 10 to 15 minutes, until skin is crisp and dark brown and juices run clear when thigh is pierced with a skewer. (About 1 1/2 cups of glaze will be left; reserve for sauce.) Remove birds from pan and allow to cool 10 minutes. Skim fat off pan juices. Pour pan juices into a saucepan, along with remaining glaze. Bring to a boil.
3. Cut each bird in half with poultry shears or a knife, removing string, back-bone, onions and garlic. Place skin-side up on a serving platter and serve with the sauce.
WILD RICE PILAF
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
The chewy qualities of wild rice make it especially appropriate for this pilaf.
1 cup wild rice
2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 1/2 cups chicken stock, heated to boiling
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup pine nuts or slivered almonds
1/2 cup raisins
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1. Wash rice in a colander until the water runs clear. Heat oil over low heat in a heavy saucepan with a tight-fitting lid. Add onion and cook, stirring, until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir briefly over the heat. Add chicken stock and pepper, and when the liquid reaches a boil, cover tightly and simmer over low heat until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender, 45 to 60 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread pine nuts on a baking sheet and toast in oven, stirring occasionally, until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Toss rice with toasted pine nuts, raisins and orange rind.
SWEET POTATOES ANNA
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
Pommes Anna is a classic French dish in which slices of potato are layered with butter in a pan, baked until crisp and unmolded onto a serving platter. In this variation, sweet potatoes, flavored with a touch of ginger and brown sugar, are baked in a similar manner.
1 tablespoon each: vegetable oil, melted butter
3 medium-size sweet potatoes, about 1 1/2 pounds total
1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tablespoons light brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
1. Combine oil and butter in a small bowl. Line a 9-inch glass pie plate with aluminum foil and lightly brush with oil-butter mixture. Peel sweet potatoes and slice them thinly with a food processor fitted with a slicer blade or by hand.
2. Place the potato slices in a bowl and toss with ginger, brown sugar, salt and a scant tablespoon of oil-butter mixture. Arrange the slices in slightly overlapping concentric circles around the bottom of the pie plate, adding another row around the sides. Brush the top lightly with oil-butter mixture.
3. Layer the remaining slices and drizzle remaining oil mixture over the top. (The dish can be made ahead to this point, covered with plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 days.)
4. Heat oven to 400 degrees and place oven rack on the bottom rung of the oven. Cover potatoes with aluminum foil, weight with a flat, heavy lid or a cake pan or pie pan and bake on the bottom rack of the oven 30 minutes. Remove the foil and bake another 30 to 35 minutes, or until the potatoes are brown and crisp on top. Remove from the oven and invert onto a serving platter.
SPICY PEAR CHUTNEY
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 1 1/2 cups
With its tart spiciness, this chutney is a superb contrast to the rich meat of the game hens. Unlike some chutneys that require a substantial aging period, this one may be served immediately once it is cool.
3/4 cup each: sugar, cider vinegar
3 firm pears, such as Bosc (about 1 1/4 pounds total), peeled, diced (tart apples may be substituted)
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 teaspoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
3/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, or less to taste
1/2 teaspoon mustard seed
1. Place sugar and vinegar in a 3-quart nonreactive saucepan; heat to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 10 minutes. Add pears, garlic, ginger, red pepper and mustard seed to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer briskly, uncovered, 45 minutes, or until the chutney thickens. Spoon into another container and refrigerate until well-chilled. (The chutney can be made ahead and refrigerated up to 2 weeks.)
PUMPKIN CARAMEL CUSTARD
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: 6 servings
With its silky texture and caramel topping, this dessert is a fitting finale for a holiday meal.
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
2 cups low-fat milk
1/2 cup pureed cooked pumpkin or canned solid-pack pumpkin
1/2 cup sugar
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1. Mix sugar and 1/2 cup water in a heavy saucepan. Cook mixture over medium heat, washing down the sides with a brush dipped in water. Once the sugar has dissolved, gently swirl the pan from time to time and cook mixture, without stirring, over medium heat until it is a deep caramel color, about 15 minutes. Once the caramel has become golden, it can burn easily, so watch it carefully. Working quickly, divide the caramel among six 3/4-cup ramekins and swirl the ramekins to coat them on the bottom and a little on their sides. Let cool.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Scald milk in a heavy saucepan. Mix pumpkin, sugar, eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger in a bowl. Whisk milk into the pumpkin mixture and divide among ramekins.
3. Place the ramekins into a baking dish, cover the tops with a piece of foil and pour hot water into the pan to reach halfway up the outsides of the ramekins. Bake until custards have set, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove from the baking dish and let custards cool on a rack. (The custard can be made up to 2 days ahead and chilled. Before unmolding, place ramekins in a tray with 1/2 inch hot water and let sit 5 minutes to melt the caramel.) Run a knife around the sides, invert onto plates and serve warm or chilled.
