Thanksgiving Here, There and NOT Everywhere

My first visit to Ireland was during Thanksgiving, and I celebrated the occasion with my son over a delicious Italian feast at a small restaurant called Kitty's Kaboodle on Merrion Row. It was near the famous O'Donoghue's Bar. Turkey was not on the menu. Thanksgiving isn't celebrated on the Emerald Isle or most of the world outside North America. We used the occasion to make hand traced turkeys to decorate the paper tablecloth the aged photo is included below.

Despite the important role pilgrims have in our feast history, Americans probably owe credit for the Thanksgiving celebration to our neighbors to the north. Canadians have been celebrating their Thanksgiving feast since the 1500s. Rooted in a religious harvest influenced by early French settlers, the holiday, held on the second Monday of October, was made an official public holiday in 1957. Unlike our Eve of Black Friday celebration, shopping is not part of the Canadian tradition.

For Canadians, the meal is quite similar to the state-side version with turkey or ham and plentiful harvest vegetables. The tradition allows folks to celebrate the Thanksgiving meal on any of the three weekend days in contrast to our single day focus. A distinct addition to the Canadian menu is the inclusion of maple syrup in their recipes. YUM! EY?

Your family may not be ready for a maple syrup glaze on your turkey, so try incorporating my pumpkin maple bread with maple topping. This bread can be made a few days before Thanksgiving just refrigerate it. This is perfect dessert to serve to people who are not fond of traditional pumpkin pie. It is delicious and attractive as shown below!

Most people bake sweet breads in a 9 X 5 pan, but I use a 12 X 4 pan shown below. These pans are hard to find in stores, but Amazon can deliver this to you quickly. The larger pan produces slices for a perfect size serving unlike the smaller pan that I cut slices in half. And, you get more slices! You will love this pan! I keep the baking time the same for both pans, but check the bread 10 minutes before the end time in case the larger pan bakes faster.

Pumpkin Maple Bread (one loaf)

READ RECIPE FIRST

Heat oven to 325 degrees. Bake 1 hour 15 minutes. Done when toothpick inserted in middle is dry.

Ingredients:

Streusel for top before baking:
1/2 stick of butter at room temp (1/4 cup)
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

Bread:
1 can 15 ounces pure pumpkin
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup maple syrup (100% Canadian preferred, Vermont good)
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup vegetable oil (canola preferred)

2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1/2 cup milk at room temp

Glaze for when bread comes out of oven:
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup maple syrup

Method:
Mix the streusel with a fork keeping it lumpy cut in butter like pie crust mix. If it blends too much put in the refrigerator for 15 minutes. It should look like a crumb as in photo. Set aside.

In a bowl blend first 6 ingredients with a hand-held mixer until blended. In another bowl whisk flour and 5 ingredients.

Add dry ingredients to the liquid by alternating the additon of the milk.

Prepared bread pan by adding a sheet of parchment paper and spray with nonstick oil.

Add mixture to pan. Sprinkle the streusel to the top of the mixture. Move to preheated oven.

Bake 1 hour 15 minutes.

While baking, make the maple glaze and sprinkle on top of the hot bread. Cool bread in pan 30 minutes. Lift out and cool completely before serving. Refrigerate any leftovers. Keeps for days.

Use pure maple syrup.

Add maple glaze to top when hot out of oven. Gorgeous!!

Purchase the 12 X 4 pan on Amazon here priced for 2 pans. 

This handprint now cuddles his 7 month old daughter. Paper tablecloth from
 Kitty's Kaboodle 2001. Happy Turkey Day Everyone!

Julia Child Inspired 45 Minute Soup

When I woke up to a chilly 16 degrees yesterday here in Chiberia, my second thought was let's make soup! In Julia Child's first cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking the very first recipe was Potato Leek soup (page 37). With an abundance of fall potatoes in my possession, I had the 3 main ingredients stocked in the fridge.

Most soup recipes, including Julia's, are written to serve 4-6 people. I think for most people the thought of eating soup for 3-4 days does not sound appealing. I have adapted parts of Julia's recipe, and I reduced the amount to make this soup a one-time meal for 2, or a starter to serve 4 (not the 2 quarts that Julia's recipe makes).

Potato and Leek Soup

Serves 2 as a meal / 4 as a starter

Ingredients:

1/2 leek chopped and rinsed in a bowl
2 large potatoes or 4 smaller peeled and diced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

2 cups whole milk heated for 2 minutes in microwave
2 cups hot tap water

Salt and pepper before serving per taste and 1 Tablespoon butter if you like

Method:

In a heavy pot lightly heat olive oil with a medium flame. Add chopped cleaned leek and stir for 2 minutes. While this is cooking, heat the milk for 2 minutes in the microwave just to remove the chill. Add the chopped potatoes to the oil and leek in the pot for one minute.  Do not brown the potatoes, just absorb some of the flavor of the leeks. Add the warmed milk to the pot. Add the hot water from the tap. Stir and halfway cover the pot and let the potatoes cook for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are soft. With an immersion hand-held blender, turn off the heat and blend the contents of the soup. If you miss not using cream in the recipe feel free to lop one Tablespoon of butter to the soup at this point for the added fat content and flavor.

Let the blended contents cook for 25 minutes under low heat. Add salt and pepper before serving, Sprinkle herbs like fresh parsley or chives on top.

Bon appetit!

Julia Child's First Recipe in her First Cookbook Page 37.

YIKES!

Soup's On in only 45 minutes!

Lovely Leek & Potato Soup.