Thanksgiving Day

This year, in addition to the traditional turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, etc. we decided to have the kids cook with us. Greg and Mina prepared the appetizers and Karen the vegetable. All are pictured here....Pear and Prosciutto Salad with Champagne Vinaigrette, Garlic and Eggs in olive oil and Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme. (Top is the Pear and Prosciutto plate, Middle Pear and Prosciutto with the Garlic and Egg and Bottom the Brussel Sprouts.)

Pears and Prosciutto - Prepare the vinaigrette by whisking together 1/4C champagne or white wine vinegar, 1T white wine or water, 2T minced shallot, 1t Dijon mustard, 1t sugar, 1/4t salt, 1/4C extra virgin olive oil, 2T walnut oil, freshly ground black pepper. Quarter and core 2 Bartlett pears and wrap them tightly in the prosciutto. Brush lightly with the vinaigrette and grill until the prosciutto is browned and crispy. Toss 8C of arugula leaves (we substituted water cress) with the vinaigrette. Place the leaves on four serving plates, add the pears and crumble goat cheese over the salad.

Garlic and Eggs - Gently poach 20-30 cloves of garlic in hot olive oil until they are cooked to your liking; they can be soft to crunchy but be careful not to burn them because garlic becomes bitter if burned. Drain the garlic and add 1 egg which has been scrambles gently to the hot oil. Serve the garlic, the egg and the oil on thin slices of french bread.

Brussel Sprouts with Bacon and Thyme - Clean and quarter 2lb. of brussel sprouts and set them aside. Brown about 5 rashers of diced bacon in a pan then remove it to a plate. Discard the fat. Add 4 finely chopped shallots and 2T finely chopped thyme leaves. Transfer the shallots and thyme to the dish with the bacon. Add 1/2C chicken stock to the pan to deglaze it. Pour this stock over the bacon. Add the brussel sprouts to the pan and gently cook for 3-4 min. Stir in 1/4C stock and continue cooking until the sprouts are tender. Add the bacon and stock mixture back and stir to incorporate and serve.

The rest of the Thanksgiving meal was the same as the one pictured here last year.