entertaining

november 2002

Now that we are empty nesters and our children are married, we have to share them for the holidays with the other side of their family and, frequently, work. This Thanksgiving we get to spoil our daughter, but her husband is on call for work and expected at his grandparents. He will come for Christmas. Our son who has two small children will not be able to travel across country so we will miss the invasion of the munchkins as my husband calls them. With that in mind, and after speaking to friends who are in similar boats, we decided to make a simple meal with less left-over fixings than if we went for the 12 to 14 pound turkeys we used to tote home. Knowing that the meal was to be shared by someone with diabetes, we also tried to stress fresh vegetables, little fat, and one carbohydrate, which combines the stuffing, potatoes, and bread all in one dish. We had seen a recipe that combined corn bread and sweet potatoes, and made our own version which will satisfy all of those memories from childhood and past Thanksgivings.

Thanksgiving is a glorious holiday, which is known in some way around the world. Harvest celebrations abound and in the US. Thanksgiving is ours. I love the fall because I can decorate with cascades of mums in glorious colors as well as squashes and pumpkins of all sizes. These are usually our decorations for the table along with an arrangement from our special florist. Use the flat wear and dishes you like best. I tend to go with rustic wear in colors that go with fall décor. In terms of ingredients, I would suggest that you purchase a fresh and preferably free-range turkey. The one we selected was 8 1/2 pounds and can serve 6 people with enough left over for lunches. We know the arguments against free-range poultry, but to tell the truth, I taste the difference, so I get in line and order early. Some more turkey hints include removing all fat you can see before roasting, rinsing the bird under cold water and drying it, always washing your hands and work place after each step, so you do not contaminate other foods, and refrigerating your food within 2 hours of service. We garnished our bird with fresh seedless grapes, although if you must have cranberry sauce, look at one of our earlier Thanksgiving menus. We have the recipe on our web site www.diabetic-recipes.com. The stars of this menu are our fresh vegetables. They are an excellent counter point to the richness of the turkey and will go a long way toward allowing you make it through the meal without a spiking blood glucose level. The low fat Crème Fraîche recipe is available on our site and in our cook books. Feel free to substitute another wild mushroom such as shiitakes. Because we are making a dinner for the immediate family or close friends, we decided to make a simple dessert, which was the very first dessert we ever made in cooking class at age 8, apple brown betty. For those who are not counting calories, top this with cinnamon ice cream. You can make your own with softened vanilla ice cream to which you add spice and then refreeze until ready to serve. No one will be disappointed. By the way, if you just don't like turkey, try a capon.   Fresh Herb Roasted Turkey with Madeira Gravy Sweet Potato Corn Bread Green Beans with Cremini Mushrooms Sautéed Fennel Apple Brown Betty (for the recipes, click on the individual recipe above) BSP