Thanksgiving has now come and gone.  I hope you had a good one.  I know I did.  How many of us know about the roots of Thanksgiving and why we eat the dishes that we do? Like so much of history, much of what we learned as kids was not correct.  For instance, did you know the pilgrims didn’t really wear buckles on their clothes?  The dinner we were taught about occurred in 1621. However, Thanksgiving wasn’t officially declared a holiday until Abraham Lincoln did so in 1863. It took Congress until 1941 before they finally made it official. Much of the history of the holiday is a complete mess. Try looking it up and see for yourself.  Most of the food that we serve for Thanksgiving dinner today comes from the late 1800’s. Venison was the main meal at the original 1621 Thanksgiving.  There were also a lot of wild turkeys according to Governor William Bradford’s account of the Plymouth Plantation.  This account along with the love of the bird by the Victorians of New England in the 1800’s probably led to the turkey being the main course for our Thanksgiving meal.  Benjamin Franklin himself thought so highly of the turkey, that he wanted it to be the national bird.  The bird did not end up on the seal of the United States, but the aura that he esteemed upon the turkey could have helped seal the deal for the turkey to end up on our yearly plate.

    The original pilgrims may have had pumpkins but no pumpkin pie.  They did not likely have the materials to make the pie crusts. They also may have had cranberries, but there was no sugar to make cranberry sauce.  These were people who were trying to survive each day and not feasting. The feasting comes from the New Englanders of the 1800’s.  What the pilgrims did have that does not often appear on most tables today is seafood.  They had clams, shellfish, and lobsters.   Oysters became a large part of the Thanksgiving tradition in New England in the 1800’s. Often oyster stew was served before the main course or oyster stuffing was made in the Turkey.  Eventually, this tradition died.   Many families stopped serving the soup course, as dinners became less formal or oysters became less available.  This tradition is still retained however in some southern families. 

            Thanksgiving today has essentially created itself. While it may not be historically correct, it has become a bird all of its own, born of its own traditions.  Does it really matter what these traditions are as long as we are creating happy memories?  In today’s world so few families sit down and have dinner together nightly, as once was the custom.  Thanksgiving is the one time where families still get together and create their own tradition.  Every family is different. Some go out and hunt for their dinner. Other families roast the turkey in the oven. Today, many even fry their bird, or even stuff it with other birds, such as ducks and chickens.  Some families purchase their bird already cooked, but most cook their own, even if it is the only day of the year they cook.  No matter the method, friendship, tradition and bonding with family occur.  For many today, football aids in the process.

            My tip for cooking a good bird is to brine your turkey.  You need a large stock pot or bucket in which you can put your bird and soak it in a solution of water, salt, and sugar (preferably brown).  This is the main part of the brine, but then you also add flavoring components as well. I prefer to use apple cider, whole black peppercorns, a bunch of thyme, bay leafs, three large oranges quartered along with their juice, at least 6 cloves of garlic and 1 cup of honey.  Let the turkey sit covered in the liquid for 6 hours. You may want to turn the turkey once during the process, to ensure every part gets properly brined.  Brining will infuse your bird with flavor and moisture, and make for a very tender, juicy, bird.  No matter how you plan to cook your bird, brining will ensure your turkey is a success! 

            To make my life easier this year, I decided to add a twist for dessert. Normally, we eat pumpkin pie for dessert, but this year I came up with the idea to make a pumpkin Crème Brule.  I went searching to see if anyone had done this before, and of course Emeril had beat me to the punch. So I tried his recipe, and it turned out great! I wouldn’t change a thing. All of my guests loved it! Here is a link: 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/emeril-lagasse/pumpkin-creme-brulee-recipe/index.html

Hope you enjoyed your Turkey Day as much as I did. What foodie doesn’t love a day that revolves around food?  Until next year, I cannot wait. I am already planning the menu.  Happy Turkey Day!