Cranberry Sauce and other sides

I adore Thanksgiving. It is the only holiday where there are virtually no expectations. The kids are not expecting something to open, the food is extraordinarily colorful and each dish has a taste all to itself. I love the flowers this time of year, I love the color palate and I like the weather outside (however, here in Los Angeles, it is supposed to be 90* tomorrow -boo hoo).

I like that the kids have 4 days off from school (don't have to pack lunches -yahoo) and it is a relatively easy, relaxing weekend.

I have a few dishes that I make each and every year. Those are my standards, my ritual, my own tradition. Yet, each year I try and add a new one into the mix. Sometimes, they bomb completely, yet others...mmm mmm good!

This year my contribution to the Thanksgiving table are:

• Cranberry relish

• Beet Pear Puree

• Corn Pudding (new)

• Caramelized Shallots

• Haricot Verte Vinaigrette

• Pecan Pie

• Upside down Cranberry Cake

Cranberry Relish

(adapted from Marlene Sorofsky)

1 lb fresh cranberries

10 oz frozen raspberries - thawed

2 tart green apples, peeled and cut in to small cubes

1/2 cup orange marmalade

1/2 cup sugar

juice from half of a lemon ( or to taste)

Throw it all into a food processor and chop, chop, chop.

Real Creamed Corn Pudding

(Food & Wine 11/2009)

12 ears of corn, shucked

4 Tbl. butter, divided

2 cups chopped onions

1 cup chopped celery

2 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

4 large eggs separated

1/2 cup creme fraiche

1/8 tsp. pepper

1. Grate corn on large box grater. Should create about 4 cups

2. Preheat oven to 425*. Melt 2 Tbl. butter in skillet and add onions and celery. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Saute until tender about 15 minutes.

3. Whisk egg yolks for 2 minutes. Add corn, onion mixture, creme fraiche, 1/8 tsp. pepper and 2 tsp. salt. Whisk egg whites until stiff but not dry. Fold into corn batter in two batches.

4. Put remaining 2 Tbl. butter in baking dish and transfer to oven and heat until a little brown. Brush butter up sides of the pan. Add pudding. Bake for 15 minutes then reduce oven temp to 350*and bake for an additional 30 minutes. Let cool 5 minutes.

Beet Pear Puree

(adapted from Thanksgiving Dinner by Kathryn Blue

this book is out of print)

I have been making this for 25 years. It is so good! When I originally starting make it, I followed the directions perfectly. Yet, years later I questioned why I needed to use 4 sticks of butter. Yes, that's right, 4 sticks of butter? Over the years I have cut that back to 1 1/2 sticks and the recipe is just as good.

8 medium beets

1 1/2 - 2 sticks unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups minced onions

4 bosc pears, peeled, cored and minced

2 Tbl. sugar

1/2 cup champagne vinegar

1 tsp. salt

1. roast beets. 375* in a small covered casserole and cover with water. Cover and bake until fork tender.

2. Rinse beets in cold water and peel. Chop

3. Melt butter in a pan and add onions, pears, sugar and vinegar. Saute about 20 minutes.

4. Add onion mixture to a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add salt and half the beets, pulse 4-5 times. Add the remaining beets and pulse 2-3 times. This should have some chunks in it.

Caramelized Shallots

These are great with almost any meal. These are from Ina Garten's Barefoot in Paris. The recipe can be found here.

So much of the Thanksgiving table is starchy type foods. We needed something a little green. I am keeping it simple with haricot vertes with my new favorite vinaigrette. I found this recipe in a Martha Stewart Magazine and everyone in my home is happy with the new addition.

Haircot Verte w/ Shallot Vinaigrette & Crispy Shallots

I blanched the string beans for about 3-4 minutes and then dumped in ice cold water. I drained the beans until they were dry.

Dress the beans with this recipe (here) and I topped it off with some crispy shallots (slice shallots, saute in very hot olive oil, drain on paper towels and sprinkle with a little truffle salt or fleur de sel).