Thanksgiving recap

In case you've missed it, I will state it once again: I LOVE THANKSGIVING. It's my favorite holiday. In fact, depending on the day (the mood, the stars) I might even say that Thanksgiving is THE ONLY holiday I really like. So when we found ourselves somewhat overworked this year, we knew we had to downsize our Thanksgiving celebrations, but we knew we would still enjoy the holiday nonetheless. After all, I believe Thanksgiving is about the love you put into a meal you will be sharing with your loved ones. And that's exactly what we did. Let me show you a selection of  some of the stuff we had last Thursday.

The apps. We received our friends and family about an hour away from feasting so we kept the appetizers simple. We basically had goat and cheddar cheeses, served with quince and sweet potato pastes/jam. You might not see them on the pic but we also had whole wheat crackers and a trail mix. Also, we had a delicious cheese and paprika dip courtesy of Mama Pia, who was was kind enough to send us some goodies, even though she wasn't feeling well enough to make it to the dinner.

 

The salad. Well, I didn't have anything against having a more traditional salad for our Thanksgiving dinner, (you know, besides those greens not being seasonal) but I decided to go for something else instead. I made this apple and orange salad with walnuts in a maple vinaigrette. It was really good.

The rice. Although the thought of rice during a Thanksgiving dinner may sound to many like a continuation on the theme (of me getting away from a traditional menu), that is not the case. In fact, my first 20 Thanksgivings were equally centered around arroz con gandules, a staple dish of any Puerto Rican dinner that claims to be special. Since I must (sadly) admit that my rice skills are spotty, I called in a professional; my friend Alice makes the best arroz con gandules this side of the Atlantic, and she was responsible for this beauty.The gandules have a nutty taste that plays so well with the saltiness of the bacon/ham, the capers and the olives. And it goes perfectly with turkey.

The stuffing. Well, there is no way I am letting anything stuff my Thanksgiving turkey. There's no way in hell. But I do love stuffing/dressing, and my BF makes the best I've ever had. He was feeling adventurous and wanted to try a different recipe this year, so he made this one. It features rye bread (his favorite, my acquired taste) and celery.  I really, really loved it.
 

The turkey. OMIGOD. I love turkey. I love turkey so much that during my college years about half of my meals were turkey based. I made this turkey the Puerto Rican way, as a pavochón - a turkey (pavo) that tastes like pork (lechón). In a nutshell, the turkey sits in a garlic-heavy marinade for at least one day, and then it's roasted to perfection. Besides eating it, my favorite part of making this turkey is to actually smell it as it roasts. This picture was taken halfway through the roasting process.  After that, I was devoted to my guests and to what I call the Thanksgiving spirit.

The dinner. In addition to the stuffing, our dinner featured two other dishes made by my BF. Almost at the last minute I asked him to make scalloped turnips and parsnips. At that point he probably realized I wasn't kidding when I said I didn't want a single potato served for Thanksgiving. I'm glad he was in charge of this winter roots, because they turned out so good! The creaminess was amazing. He also made a wonderful cranberry sauce, the second one he made within a few days. They were somewhat different, but both of them were super tasty!

The desserts. I feel like most of us are lucky if we actually end up eating a good dessert during Thanksgiving. Well, we were really lucky to get to eat two wonderful desserts. First, we had what is probably the best sweet potato pie I've ever had. And I've had plenty of pies. This one was made by our friend Krista. I was greedy so I kept the very last piece of the pie and while storing it to eat it the next day (when I took this picture) I may or may not have ruined the beautifully browned pics of cream/meringue topping the pie. I didn't mind it; the pie was still so good! I especially loved how well the Graham crust contrasted with the flavors she developed in the filling. Yumm.

Also, we had a luscious flan, courtesy of Mama Pia. Not only it was good, but it was so beautifully decorated that I even felt guilty slicing it. But I did. And I ate it like there was no tomorrow! This flan reminded me to be thankful. Thankful to be able to enjoy all of this wonderful food with friends and family.

Orange Cake with Orange-Mascarpone Frosting and Peaches

 

Easter is coming! The eggs need to be colored, the lamb needs to be roasted and the desserts need to be planned, ASAP! As exciting as it is, Easter celebrations are still somewhat new to me since I did not grow up celebrating it because I’m Puerto Rican and we just don’t do anything special that day. We don’t have a special dinner, we don’t have any food associated with it, there are no eggs involved (colored or otherwise), and certainly there is no bunny to be found, unless you look for it in a stew. To this day, I’m not sure how bunnies and eggs fit into Easter, but I do know that here in the States, Easter is one happy holiday, and people are really, really happy that day. 

Since it’s so fun and cute, and I don’t really need much of an excuse to eat good food, I started celebrating it after moving to Cleveland. But I’ll admit that I barely get involved in the planning and the cooking leading to the celebrations. It’s not my holiday, and I don’t want to risk ruining it for those who love it and want to make sure they have their more traditional choices. I can relate; I know the feeling all too well. Thanksgiving is MY holiday and to be honest, I tend to disapprove of basically every turkey I don’t make myself (and some of the ones I’ve made as well). So instead of offending everyone with a “deconstructed” Easter dish, I decided to make and share a small dessert that can be eaten either before, during or after Easter. Let’s just say it’s a “spring-y” dessert. 

While I deal with my new traditions and my ‘spring-y” dessert, back home they’re our traditional celebrations should be unfolding by now. I know I said that in Puerto Rico most people don’t celebrate Easter, but that doesn’t mean they aren’t doing anything. On the contrary, they can get quite busy.  Back home, we’re all about the “Holy Week”, and its peak, Good Friday.  During Good Friday, people in my hometown gather around the main streets “downtown”, to watch the processions that circulate them, portraying the agony of Jesus and Mary, as He was on his way to be crucified. These processions feature a mix of beautifully crafted statues and real-life reenactments of some of the key moments of Jesus’ journey to the cross, the crucifixion and sometimes a bit of the resurrection.  

But that’s not all. All through the week, but especially on “Holy Thursday”, the neighborhoods have their “Via crucis”. Via crucis translate to something like “The road to the cross” and once again, it’s meant to make people reflect on Jesus’ agony, and hence, the sacrifice he was making. For these, the community members go around the neighborhood chanting and singing lamentations with a megaphone. There are 14 stops in which people read biblical passages relating Jesus’ last hours and again, Mary’s suffering. It may sound a bit morbid, but it’s actually pretty cool.  

When people are not wondering around town, they really have some time to kill. Most people get Thursday and Friday off, but many still get the traditional ALL-WEEK OFF. No work y’all! But it’s not like they can go all crazy partying because traditionally there are so many limitations regarding what you are allowed to do during Holy Week. There is no nailing, cutting, or any work-oriented activities; there is no dancing, singing or heavy drinking; and depending on the family, additional restrictions are added as well. Of course, there’s been a departure from those restrictions in recent years, especially as the non-Catholics increase in numbers, and part from many of these traditions. Overall, there’s still a strong religious buildup to Easter, but Easter day itself is very anticlimactic. You just go to church, and that’s the end of it. 

Coming back to my new-found interest in Easter, I decided to make a light, fragrant dessert that would be simple enough to make just for myself, but that would be nice enough to share with friends after the Easter dinner. I made an orange cake that is light, fluffy and spongy, and refreshing. I glazed it with an orange-mascarpone frosting that is light in flavor, without compromising texture or taste, and its freshness can’t help but reminding you of a beautiful spring morning. To balance the flavors and to garnish the cakes, I added slices of peaches (from a can, I’ll admit) to get yet another sunny and fresh flavor. I came up with the recipe using weights and ratios (to which I’ll have to dedicate a post in the future) so I’ll provide some measures by weight, and then I’ll give the conversions.

I really hope you enjoy your Easter Sunday with family and friends!

On the road shortcut

Nutritional info per serving (4 servings):

311 calories, 60 g carbs, 19 g fat, 2 g protein

Orange cakes

1 egg

2 ounces (1/4 cup) granulated sugar

½ teaspoon orange juice

¼ teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon baking powder

Pinch salt

2 ounces (1/4 cup) flour

2 ounces (4 tablespoons) butter

Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease and flour the bottom of 4 ramekins.

Using a handheld mixer, beat the egg and sugar together until they triple in size, about 2 minutes. Just before finishing beating the eggs, add the orange juice and the vanilla extract. Continue mixing for a few more seconds.

Combine the baking powder, salt and flour. Fold the dry ingredients into the egg mixture. 

Fold the butter into the batter. Split the batter into 4 ramekins and bake at 350F until a toothpick comes clean after inserting it in the center of the cake (about 20 minutes). Let them cool completely, and remove from the ramekins.

 

Orange-Mascarpone Frosting

2 ounces mascarpone cheese

2 ounces (1/4 cup) powdered sugar

½ teaspoon orange extract

6 slices of canned peaches, sliced in half lengthwise

Beat the mascarpone, powdered sugar and orange extract together until creamy, about 2 minutes. 

Split the frosting between the 4 cakes, and spread. Top with the sliced peaches.