Happy Thanksgiving

Hope U all had a wonderful time with your family for Thanksgiving. I know I did. We had Thanksgiving at Amy’s parents place. Lots of dine & wine. And a lot of people made a lot of things. I made the appetizers. It was a little unconventional for thanksgiving – but when are we conventional at all?

Beer fondue served with sliced brats, pumpernickel bread, and mini turkey link & blanched cauliflower. The turkey links were a replacement for the pork links – owe it to thanksgiving. It came out very well (as per audience) & the colors were very apt to the holiday mood. Another appetizer I made was a seafood martini. It came out a little hot for few folks but overall – for the little effort I needs – it was a hit. And again the colors, just added perfectly to the holiday spirit.

Thought for the day – vary the chili sauce in both these dishes in accordance with the target audience. Use wild caught fresh shrimp if possible & cook them very carefully to ensure they do not become rubbery. Lastly, the cauliflower boils very quickly & hence needs extra caution when blanching.

Happy thanksgiving to you all & have a great Holiday season. Let the party begin.

As always – Love is the most important ingredient.

Beer Fondue –

Ingredients –

-          3 cups grated cheddar cheese

-          1/2 cup each of grated Mexican cheese blend

-          1 cup of grated gruyere cheese

-          2 cups German beer – lager. I use the hofbrau lager

-          4 TBSP whole grainy Dujon mustard

-          1 ½ TBSP all-purpose flour

-          3 TBSP Sriracha hot chili sauce (vary according to taste)

-          Pumpernickel bread – 1 small loaf

-          1 head cauliflower – separated into florets & blanched

-          Mini Turkey Links – cooked & heated

-          Your choice of Cooked & heated bratwurst – sliced into small pieces

Recipe –

-          Blend all of the cheese & flour in a bowl & set aside

-          Bring the beer to a boil in a Fondue pot on low to medium heat (or in a regular deep pan – in this case U will have to transfer into a serving bowl later which U can keep warm)

-          Start adding cheese mixture in small amounts – about ½ a cup at a time and mix continuously to ensure no lumps

-          Once all the cheese is fused add the mustard & hot sauce and mix to ensure it is well blended

-          Serve with the bread, cauliflower, turkey links & the bratwurst

Seafood Martini (for 6 servings) –

Ingredients –

-          3 jumbo scallops cooked & chopped fine

-          18 ounces of tailless small shrimp cooked & deveined

-          12 ounces of crabmeat

-          6 shots of vodka – chilled

-          3 ribs of celery hearts chopped into small pieces

-          3 TBSP Lemon juice

-          Sal & pepper to taste

-          1/2 cup Sriracha Chili sauce (vary according to audience)

-          1TBSP horse radish

-          Olives with garlic or pimientos

-          6 red pickled small peppers

-          6 pickled vermouth tipped onions

-          1 celery rib cut into pieces for garnish

-          12 toothpicks

Recipe –

-          In a bowl mix the scallops, shrimp, crabmeat, 3 shots of vodka, the celery, horse radish, chili sauce, salt n pepper

-          For garnish – on 6 toothpicks add an onion & pepper and on other 6 add celery cut & olives

-          In chilled martini glasses add ½ a shot of vodka each.

-          Add the seafood mixture in equal amounts to each glass.

-          Add two garnish tooth picks – one of each kind to the glass.

-          Add some crack pepper to finish.