I took it upon myself to cook thanksgiving dinner for family and friends this year. Which is kind of a silly thing, because they all are pretty sharp, from a culinary point of view.
Undaunted, I decided to go non-traditional, despite every available media outlet (including, of all things, NPR) telling me that I was a Bad American who kisses terrorists on the beard if I don’t make TURKEYTURKEYTURKEY.
But screw them. I’m making brisket. I mean, just look at that thing. Salt the hell out of it and let it sit at room temperature for an hour. Don’t worry, it will be safe.
It’s a bit large, so cut it in half against the grain, dredge it in flour, and brown it.
Holy crap, look at that color. This is gonna be good.
Ok, time to make a sauce. Take a dried Ancho chile, and re-hydrate it in warm water for about 30 minutes. Then seed and mince it.
You’ll also need plenty of garlic, coffee, tomato juice, red wine, balsamic vinegar, lime juice, soy sauce, pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce. Sautee garlic, and add the liquids and powders. Strain the ancho steeping liquid, and add that, too.
Bring to a boil, and then add the brisket back into this bubbling pot of awesome. Cover and braise in 300 degree oven for about 3 hours. Remove from oven, let cool, and then let it chill overnight in the fridge.
While we’re doing that, let’s make some snacks. Spread oil and melted butter over a baking sheet. Add pecans, and toss with rosemary, paprika and salt. Bake for 20 minutes, and then drain on paper towels.
Remove brisket from liquid, skim off as much fat as you can without killing yourself over it, and slice the brisket thinly against the grain. Then put it back into the liquid, and pop it back in the oven to warm up.
Transfer slices to a platter, top with lemon zest and parsley, and pour the braising liquid into a bowl for a sauce.
Ok, we’re not done. We need some sides. How about a kale and Brussels sprout salad? Shred the sprouts, and stem and chiffonade the kale.
Mix Dijon mustard, lemon juice, shallots, and minced garlic together. Drizzle in olive oil while whisking to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper.
Roughly chop almonds, and then fry up in some oil until brown.
Grate some pecorino cheese into the greens, toss with dressing, top with almonds.
Finally, we need some squash up here. But first, we need to make some compound butter. I know, right? Toast up coriander, cumin, and cardamom. When lightly browned, throw it in the grinder.
Add dried rose petals(!) lime zest, lime juice, cinnamon, nutmeg, and black pepper. Mix to form a paste.
Add a stick of room-temperature butter, and mix to combine. Then dump it out on some parchment, and roll it into a log. Return to fridge to firm up.
Split, seed, and slice squash (I used acorn and kabocha) into half-rings.
Bring a half-inch of water to a boil, add squash, cover, and steam for about 20 minutes until tender. Remove squash, reduce water, add butter in chunks to make the sauce.
Pour over squash, top with pomegranate seeds.
And that’s how you make a Thanksgiving dinner!
And then this happened: One of the guests brought homemade sage ice cream with a pumpkin cake that came from her garden. I have no idea how she did it—you’ll have to ask her.
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