Thanksgiving dinner | The Rambling Epicure

Venetian Hours: Looking for a Home

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, May 3, 2017 Permalink 0

I’ve come home. No, I should state that differently. I’ve had to redefine home.

Bacino Grand Canal San Giorgio Maggiore Venice

We have decided to spend winters in Venice and summers in France and Switzerland. I have been absent from The Rambling Epicure over the last year and a half only in body, not in spirit. I continue living like a nomad, often not taking time to unpack my suitcase, hopping from Venice to Chartres and occasionally landing in Switzerland, which is still officially my home.

I am alive and I even kick from time to time just to make sure I still can. During this long absence, I fought an unnamed virus. Italian, French and Swiss doctors agreed that it would pass and it finally has. It was, in principle, an entirely physical ailment, yet became trying to the spirit.

Our Word of Thanksgiving: Thanks to our readers for their loyalty

Published by Jonell Galloway + Thursday, November 22, 2012 Permalink 0

We would above all like to thank our readers for supporting us in our efforts to build a site that joins the voices of people from around the planet who care about cooking, farming, health and everything related in a responsible, ethical manner. We think of our readers as part of our community, a sort of family that cares about the way food is grown, cooked, eaten; the mark it leaves on the planet; the health of our children.

So to all our readers (and contributors) around the globe:

Jonell Galloway, Editor

In Europe, sometimes it has to be sweet potato pie instead of pumpkin for Thanksgiving

Published by Jonell Galloway + Wednesday, November 21, 2012 Permalink 0

Tom and Maggie’s Thanksgiving Sweet Potato Pie

We’ve been making Thanksgiving dinner together for oh so many years — ever since we were in college in Paris. Since the pumpkin in France is always too watery, no matter what method of cooking we used and what type of pumpkin, we had difficulty getting it to set, so we decided to use sweet potatoes, which give a much more predictable and reliable result, which is absolutely necessary when preparing a Thanksgiving feast for a crowd of 20 or 30 convives. In addition, we’ve grown to like it better (perhaps because we know it will always set, unlike pumpkin?).

Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes: Cranberry-orange Relish

Published by Jonell Galloway + Sunday, November 18, 2012 Permalink 0

Spontaneous Cuisine, by

From the archives

A healthier, tastier recipe than the traditional cranberry sauce

Cranberry sauce is of course a mainstay of any Thanksgiving dinner. In Switzerland, we eat a lot of game, so it is good to always have some on hand to eat with deer, wild fowl, boar, or whatever the hunters bring in.

This is a variation of the very plain, classic recipe. I’ve been using it for years. It’s easy, quick and a no-brainer. You can make it ahead of time (in fact, it’s better to make it a day or two before Thanksgiving). In addition, it keeps for ages, just like jelly or jam.

Recipe

Cranberry-Orange Relish

Click here for Imperial-metric converter

12 oz/375 g fresh cranberries
1/2 cup light brown sugar (if you like it really sweet, you can double the quantity)

1 tablespoon water

1 large navel orange

1 small sliver of ginger, finely grated (optional), or 1 stick of cinnamon (optional)

1/2 cup shelled walnuts (optional)

Place cranberries in a large saucepan with sugar and water.
Juice the orange and remove any white pith that lingers. Cut peel into small juliennes or zests, carefully removing any pith that is sticking to them. Add zests and juice to cranberry mixture.
Add ginger (optional) or cinnamon stick (optional).
Bring to a boil, then turn down heat, cover and cook until all the berries have popped open. This can take 20 to 30 minutes. Just be patient and keep an eye on them. If liquid evaporates before all the berries burst, add a just enough water to prevent them from sticking. Remove from heat.
Taste and adjust sweetness if necessary.
Pour into bowl you plan to serve it in and let it set. This can take a couple of hours, so it is advisable to make it well ahead of time, even 2 or 3 days. It keeps well in the refrigerator.
When ready to serve, shell and chop walnuts. Add at last minute, right before serving (otherwise, they tend to get soggy).

This recipe was originally published on GenevaLunch.