November is one of our favorite months because it kicks off the holiday season. With the frantic hustle and bustle that leads up to Christmas, it’s important to find ways to slow down. So make Thanksgiving a little more relaxed this year. The focus should be on spending time with friends and family, being thankful for what you have, and of course, sharing a delicious meal together.
We created a hassle-free Thanksgiving menu this year. The work involved in brining, stuffing and roasting a whole turkey can be time-consuming, so we gave the traditional Thanksgiving turkey a rest. Cornish game hens are just as delicious and succulent as turkey, but take a lot less time to prepare.
We paired the hens with a crisp throwback Waldorf Salad, a nutty and filling Brown Rice Pilaf with Sherried Raisins and a cozy and creamy Buttermilk Pie for dessert.
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This simple menu will leave you with plenty of time to relax and enjoy your holiday with the ones you love.
The Menu:
– Waldorf Salad
– Beer-Brined Cornish Hens Roasted with Garlic and Herbs
– Brown Rice Pilaf with Sherried Raisins
– Buttermilk Pie
WALDORF SALAD
Fall is the height of apple season, and now there are so many different varieties of apples to choose from. We like to take advantage of what the season has to offer with a very traditional version of the Waldorf salad. The Waldorf salad was created in the famous Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City in 1896 by one of the hotel’s maître d’s. The original recipe consisted only of apples, celery and mayonnaise. We took this historic salad and gave it a twist by adding a variety of apples, grapes, dried cranberries and toasted walnuts.
Servings: 6
For the dressing:
1 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
¼ cup honey
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
1. In a small mixing bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients.
2. Cover and set it aside while you assemble the salad.
For the salad:
2 medium Granny Smith apples (chopped)
2 Jazz or Honey Crisp apples (chopped)
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup green grapes (cut in half)
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup toasted walnuts
6 leaves washed bib lettuce
1. In a large salad bowl, combine the chopped apples, celery, sliced grapes and dried cranberries.
2. Toss the dressing into the salad until everything is well coated.
3. Cover the salad and chill for an hour.
4. Before serving, fold the toasted walnuts into the salad.
5. Place the bib lettuce on six chilled salad plates and top each with the Waldorf Salad. Serve immediately.
BEER-BRINED CORNISH HENS ROASTED WITH GARLIC AND HERBS
Cornish game hens, also called rock hens, are a delicious main course to serve in the fall. They are generally available at most grocery stores in the freezer section and weigh 1-2 pounds. The hens are very tender and take just a little over an hour to roast. We made a brining solution using beer and a little local honey to help ensure the hens would stay juicy during roasting. Cornish hens are small enough to place in a quart-size freezer bag, making the brining process very simple to manage. Because the hens are so small, they only need to brine for a few hours as opposed to overnight like larger birds.
Servings: 6
2 cups water
½ cup salt
¹⁄³ cup honey
¼ teaspoon black peppercorns
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer
12 cloves garlic
6 shallots (peeled and quartered)
9 sprigs fresh thyme
6 large leaves of fresh sage
3 (1½ to 2 pounds) Cornish or Rock Cornish hens
3 (1 quart) freezer zipper bags
1. In a large sauce pot, combine the water, salt, honey and peppercorns. Heat until simmering, or until the salt is completely dissolved. Remove this from the heat and allow it to cool. Pour in the beer and set the pot aside.
2. Rinse the Cornish hens well under cold water. Make sure their cavities are cleaned out.
3. Pat the hens dry and stuff each hen’s cavity with the garlic cloves, shallots, thyme and sage.
4. Place each hen into a large zipper freezer bag. Carefully divide the brining liquid among the 3 bags, making sure the liquid is covering three-fourths of each hen.
5. Gently squeeze the remaining air out of the freezer bags so that each hen is completely surrounded by the brining liquid.
6. Seal the bags and place them into a roasting pan or 9×13 size casserole dish.
7. Place this all into the refrigerator and allow the hens to brine 3 to 4 hours.
8. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and line a roasting pan with aluminum foil.
9. Remove each hen from the brining liquid. Keep the garlic, shallots and herbs in the cavity of the hen. Pat the hens dry and place on the roasting pan.
10. Rub each hen with a little olive oil and sprinkle each with freshly cracked black pepper.
11. Gently place a piece of aluminum foil over the hens and roast for 35 minutes.
12. Reduce the heat to 350 degrees and remove the foil from the top of the hens. Continue roasting for an additional 25 to 35 minutes or until the hens are golden, the skin is crisp and the juices run clear.
13. Let the hens sit for 5 minutes before cutting them in half down the middle. Serve half a hen along with the Brown Rice Pilaf.
BROWN RICE PILAF WITH SHERRIED RAISINS
The main course is usually the star of a meal, but the sides are what makes a Thanksgiving spread so tempting. We like our side dishes to taste great but not to overpower everything else on your plate. This brown rice pilaf answers the call on taste and complements the other dishes without taking over. The brown rice has a nutty flavor and a hearty texture. Sautéing the shallots in butter to start the recipe helps give the rice a rich and savory flavor. This dish is balanced out by the sweetness of the raisins that are steeped in sherry. It’s a wonderful complement to any meat, poultry or pork.
Servings: 6
½ cups chopped shallots
4 tablespoons butter
2 cups brown rice
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
½ cup raisins
½ cup sherry
½ cup green onions
1. In a large skillet, sauté the shallots in 3 tablespoons of the butter until they are translucent, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the rice and stir to coat.
2. Pour in the chicken broth, salt and pepper, and bring it all up to a boil.
3. Reduce the heat and cover. Allow the rice to simmer 10-15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed and the rice is tender.
4. In a separate skillet, heat the remaining butter and add the raisins. Sauté the raisins for 1 minute and add the sherry. Simmer the raisins in the sherry for an additional 2-3 minutes or until the alcohol has burned off.
5. Fold the raisin-sherry mixture into the brown rice. Top with chopped green onions and serve.
BUTTERMILK PIE
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without a plethora of desserts. We always have pumpkin, apple and pecan pie. Several years ago Tracey came across a recipe for a buttermilk pie, and it has become a permanent addition to our family’s holiday dessert table. Neither of us can remember exactly where the recipe came from, and there are several version you can find online. However, this version that Tracey has committed to memory seems to be our favorite. It is the perfect balance of sweet and creamy with a hit of nutmeg. It is an easy pie to make and can be made a day in advance.
Servings: 6
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1 (9-inch) ready-made pie crust
1 stick butter, softened
1 ½ cups sugar
3 tablespoons flour
¼ teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice or white vinegar
¹⁄8 teaspoon fresh grated nutmeg
1 cup buttermilk
1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees and line your pie plate with the 9-inch ready-made pie dough.
2. In a large mixing bowl, use an electric mixer to cream together the softened butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
3. Add the flour and salt. Mix well to combine.
4. In a smaller bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy and then quickly beat the eggs into the butter-sugar mixture.
5. Add the vanilla, lemon juice and buttermilk and carefully pour the filling into the prepared pie dough.
6. Place the pie onto a baking sheet and bake it for 35-45 minutes. The pie is ready when it is puffed and golden and the tester comes out clean when inserted into the center. Allow the pie to cool before slicing.
This article was originally published in the November 2016 issue of 225 Magazine.