Two weeks should enable a notable holiday. While American in origin and practice, a Jewish element also has its place. Rabbis in America, maybe elsewhere, debated whether turkey qualified as a Kosher bird. It did, though I do not understand the uncertainties. Then could Jews adopt the day as special? It was not of pagan or idolatrous origin. We did. Its placement on Thursday also has a convenience. Torah is read Thursday mornings. In the era of automobiles, driving is prohibited on shabbos. Many families arrange Bar Mitzvah celebrations on Thanksgiving, and now the Monday legal holidays, so that guests who would not be able to drive to the synagogue on Shabbos can attend on a weekday. Having those days free from work also facilitates travel. Moreover, appreciation, called Hakaras HaTov, recognition of The Good, unites Thanksgiving with a core Jewish value.
It has long been a demarcation holiday for me. As the one who took medical call every Christmas to enable my colleagues some special time with their families, I could guarantee having Thanksgiving with my family. Once established as a kitchen maven, I could create a meal, part traditional, part surprise, that the others could not duplicate.
Now, we are empty nesters with minimal surviving family or at least readily accessible family. I anticipate only three or four at my table—three or four special people with their own preferences and idiosyncrasies. Something special for them elevates them and challenges me.
As with most elegant kitchen intentions, I made a grid, this with twelve boxes instead of my more typical nine.
- Motzi
- Appetizer
- Soup
- Salad
- Dressing
- Turkey
- Stuffing
- Sweet Potatoes
- Cranberry
- Vegetable
- Dessert
- Beverage
I bake a bread at home. I have my favorites. Last year I made bialys. This year, something in a loaf.
Appetizers challenge me. An elegant one last year with beets, herring, and potatoes. Simpler in presentation this year, though not necessarily in execution. Soup and appetizer at the same meal, I rarely do. But Thanksgiving warrants a special effort. There are many options. Traditional like mushroom-barley. Seasonal like butternut squash. Ethnic like harira. I serve it with some elegance in a white tureen with porcelain ladle. Salad tends to be simple. Sometimes green, sometimes Israeli. I gravitate to marinated salads like cucumber with red onion. The dressing is usually incorporated into the salad recipe except for the green salad where I make the right amount of herbed vinaigrette. Turkey depends on attendance. For just a few, a half-turkey breast works well. Olive oil, seasonings, roast 90 minutes, slice with an electric knife after resting. It yields enough for me to give some to a guest for Shabbos and have some left for me the following night. Stuffing I vary each year, though always with a basic foundation. I find commercial stuffing cubes overpriced. Instead, I cube my own bread, dry it in an oven, and assemble it with other ingredients. Often I make it in a crock pot, as my oven has competition from other courses. I've not yet tried the Instapot. Sweet potatoes, cranberries, and apples appear in some form, either stand-alone or incorporated into something else. Cranberry sauce with a citrus additive is simple to make. Since it is served cold, I can make it on Wednesday, then refrigerate it. I don't focus a lot on vegetables. I happen to like beets, but few others share the fondness. Easy to roast, goes well with everything else, adds unique color. I might consider squash. And there's green stuff: broccoli, asparagus, haricots vert. Cauliflower looks too pale on the plate. Orange like carrots, my most common side vegetable, gets overwhelmed by the sweet potatoes. Visual appeal matters here.
Desserts usually appear as a cake. Polish apple cake is pareve. I have recipes for puff pastry apple strudel. Baklava is always among my favorites, though phyllo expensive and the process too tedious for other meal tasks.
I am the only one who likes beer, but for Thanksgiving there are better options. Many families splurge a bit on wine. My guests shy away from alcohol. Sparkling cider seems a compromise with something my guests would probably not buy for themselves.
There is food, and there is experience, both for me and for my guests. Choosing them is straightforward. Getting non-drivers to my home takes some planning, effort, and patience. Elegance gets incorporated in different ways. I have fine china but don't use it. Instead, I set the table with ordinary fleishig dishes and utensils. Bread on a tray, sliced with a serrated knife. Appetizer on small plates. Soup served in tureen, ladled into bowls. Salad onto the main plate, in an elegant bowl, served with either silver or wooden sets. Turkey on a platter. Stuffing in a bowl. Sides in appealing bowls, plate or dishes. Cake on a platter, served on dessert plates with dessert forks. Stemmed goblets for the beverage. Tea cups with saucers. And energy reserved for the following day to wash the dishes and create a Friday night meal suitable for shabbos.
Always worth the effort. Planning, executing, concluding. Many steps. Me at my very best most of the time.
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