Good Gourd & Gratitude: Ideas for Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving Ideas, Roasting Veggies & "IT GIRL" Honey patch Squash No Churn Ice Cream
The internet is inundated with Thanksgiving content right now, and in this house all we are talking about is to Turkey or Not to Turkey? If Turkey, fried, grilled, spatchcocked? If NOT do we do Chicken, Duck or jump the shark and do a large roast? We’re still debating, we love a novelty. And sides? I like to keep it simple and just roast off fall veggies with olive oil, salt and pepper. This way I can load up with gravy, cranberry jam and house favorite tahini (trust it goes on everything) - without competing flavors. Sauce and condiments are KING. It also lets me focus my attention on my favorites - THE CARBS - aka the first and last bite. Sometimes roasting your vegetable sides can double as ice cream prep! Honestly, we might even just focus on dessert and travel to celebrate with some friends. Only time will tell.
Roasting vegetable technique in depth below. All recipes in this post FREE to ALL subscribers out of gratitude for the year together.
If you are like me and still making decisions for your mains , I’m right there with you. I’ve put together some ideas from Bread and Roses and Eat More to cover the carbs. I’ve unlocked the pay wall on archived recipes, most are free below. Still celebrating the first anniversary of both and the community you’ve built here with me:
Thanksgiving 2024
First Bite
Sweet Biscuits with Fried Herbs and Cranberries (Video)
Wholegrain Challah (Sweet or Savory)
Last Bite
Apple Khorasan Halva Lattice Sheet Pie (Video)
Barley Pear Licorice Custard Loaf
Chocolate Custard Sonora All Butter Crust Pie (Video)
Pumpkin Cake with Cream Cheese Mousse
Order: If you are in Los Angeles, the Thanksgiving Menu is Live to order. Featuring our award winning treats in classic flavors with a twist - apple, pumpkin and pecan. See the full menu and order here.
Bonus Recipes: Make a treat to have in hand with my Drizzle Olive Oil Chocolate Crinkle Cookie. Get some graza for your desserts or mains here and save $5.
Gifting: Get an early jump on holiday gifting! Order our Buttercream Calendar for 2025, which is already earning a place on gift guides and in a second printing. 12 seasonal buttercreams inspired by the months, dive deep into sweet days.
Necessary Poetry:
Obsessed with: Maxine McCrann illustration. I recently discovered her because she is the brilliant illustrator for my friend Hailee Catalano NEW COOKBOOK By Heart that is now on preOrder.
Hailee is an absolute star, with a calm and trustworthy presence in the kitchen. This is a must cookbook, I can already tell you. I look forward tro her videos everyday, I can only imagine the treasures she’s saved for her first book. But back to Maxine! Her illustrations are enchanting, joyful lines - embracing the whole rainbow and favoring pinks.
Just for fun: Did you know there was a (non serious) debate within continental congress about the national bird being an eagle or turkey? Adams favored the former and Franklin made a strong case for the latter. Jefferson actually wanted a dove. Ultimately our bald feathered friend won out. For a fun recount of the history and turkey facts to redirect cocktail conversation should your odd relative start bringing up drama of any shade, I recommend Heather Wall’s Substack Natural Wonder on Turkeys. Including where Ben Franklin’s Science Lab and Kitchen overlap. Perhaps this years way to cook a bird?
For a bird fued summary see this great scene from 1776, a musical, that is dying to be revived. This was a huge hit -long before Hamilton made nation founding history hip - starring notably Ken Howard as the smoking hot redheaded Jefferson, Blythe Dancer (Gwyneth Paltrow’s mom) and William Daniels (Mr. Feeney for my Millennials) :
Roasting Vegetables
Roasting begins over 400 degrees Fahrenheit, I like to roast at 425. This is the heat when the natural sugars in produce caramelize, bringing out the full flavor. You can roast things separately or together. The key if you’re roasting everything on one sheet pan - hurray for less dishes! - is to cut everything to the same size. This will help everything bake evenly. For baking separately, quarter sheet trays are so useful. The smaller size lets you get up to six different things into your oven, utilizing your space to the max.
In a large bowl toss cut vegetables in olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread evenly on a sheet tray. The more space between your produce, the more of a crisp and charred edge you’ll get. The more crowded they are, the more tender and partially steamed they will end up being. Pick your fighter.
OR If roasting whole as above, coat in olive oil and season as above, inside and outside. Roast cut side down.
Roast between 15-30 minutes, till produce is fork tender and jewel toned. Return to the oven if you want more color or deeper cook. Reserve to reheat for dinner as a classic side, or serve room temperature tossed with lettuces as a salad. For a side, I like to serve with creme fraiche whipped with a little brown sugar, heaped generously into the cavity of whole side - perhaps even throw in some lightly toasted hazelnuts or pecans to top - for a dramatic presentation.
If you roast like I did above, definitely make the ice cream below!
Honey patch Ice Cream
Honey patch is Row 7 Seed Co. newest squash, it’s tiny and it’s intensely flavored. I love eating them and my son loves playing with them. A couple years ago they had the Honey nut and it didn’t seem like it could be improved upon. But Dan Barber has done it again. Honorable mention to the Koginut he has also brought to the table. These are worth seeking out, but if you can’t find them/order them other varieties like butternut, honey nut, kabocha, red kuri or a sugar pie pumpkin. Botanically speaking there is no distinct thing as a pumpkin. This is why different countries disagree on what is a pumpkin and a squash. Turns out it’s all squash. And the PSL craze - it’s about the spices NOT about the pumpkin - it is the same old CRAZE for spices that flourished along the Silk Road but in modern times.
Makes 2-3 pints
2-3 Honeypatch Squash, you want about 5-6oz of cooked squash at the end
700 ml heavy cream
400 ml condensed milk, 1 can
2 tsp Pumpkin Spice 2.0 Seasoning
To Make: Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Split honey nut in half and brush cut side with olive oil. Sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper. Roast cut side down on a sheet tray with a piece of parchment. Roast for 25-30 minutes till caramelized and fork tender. Cool completely. Scoop out flesh, place in a cheesecloth and squeeze extra moisture out. Use a blender to blend until smooth.
In a bowl of a stand mixer or with a hand mixer, whip heavy cream on high till medium peaks. Reduce speed and continue to whip while drizzling in condensed milk. Stop mixing when cream has returned to medium peaks. Add pumpkin spice seasoning. Add pureed honey nut squash, fold in or mix on low. Taste and season with salt if necessary. Portion into pint delis and move to freezer. Freeze for 4 hours. Keeps for 3 months.
Note: Pumpkin Spice 2.0 is a new collaboration spice between Arielle Johnson, queen of flavor science, and Burlap and Barrel. I normally blend my own - but this is a supreme blend utilizing some of my favorites - mace, grains of paradise, cardamom, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg. Make your own blend or save loads of time during the season of warming spices and get a bottle to use in everything from this ice cream, warmed apple cider, custard pies, roasts and more.
Add fixins’ into your ice cream or on top of, such as: toasted nuts, a ripple of caramel or brown butter cinnamon, marshmallows for a pumpkin rocky road vibe.
Gorgeous issue!! :)