Text 7419, 88 rader
Skriven 2013-12-02 22:28:00 av MICHAEL LOO (1:123/140)
Ärende: Thanksgiving 536
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Thanksgiving dinner at the farm that Rosemary's granddaughter
and her beau are running. On this side of the family we were
told to each bring a pie, plus Rosemary was supposed to
contribute a vegetable. On the whole, things were to be
supplied by the farm, and this was supposed to be a primarily
lactose-free refined-sugar-free gluten-free locavore meal.

An easy half hour from the island, the torrential rains of
Wednesday giving way to temperatures just below freezing: so
the anticipated muddy last leg up the rutted driveway was
solid and gave no trouble.

We were not ready for the chill and wind (after the 60 degrees
plus of the storm day), and we were pretty happy to find the
kitchen nice and toasty and a fire burning in the dining room
fireplace.

Eighteen people, five from Ben's side, the rest friends and
relations of Rachael, and two dogs, one from each side.

The usual snackies, including raw vegetables from the farm.
Someone brought a quite redundant crudite tray whose contents
were distinctly inferior.

Organic gluten-free low-salt corn chips with salsa and various
kinds of storebought hummus.

The main event was a pair of grown on premises organic heirloom
turkeys (with a second Red waiting in the wings, as it were, in
case we were greater gluttons than anticipated).

A White Holland was like a good supermarket bird, only with more
intense flavors. Its freerangeness was betrayed by its not being
of the tenderest, but the taste made a little chew worthwhile.

The Red Bourbon, the same breed as our last year's turkey, was
of a different order altogether, more wild than turkey. It was
also, strangely, reddish inside, though probably from less
cooking rather than any intrinsic redness (the name I believe
comes from the plumage). I found it very delicious.

Sides included rather lumpy but thankfully quite tasty without
added dairy mashed potatoes and plain roast brussels sprouts,
both from the farm - I prefer butter in both dishes, but the
freshness made these more flavorsome than I'd have expected.

Rosemary, anticipating a glut of pies, combined her commissions
and made a broccoli cheese quiche. It would have been good but
for her addition of several handfuls of leftover cheeses of
various sorts, a la Dame Edna.

The three of us chipped in to cobble together a butternut and
pumpkin mash with vanilla (the soy stuff we used as a cream
substitute was vanilla-flavored). I thought it undistinctive,
reminding me of the anonymous solution of that Agatha Christie
mystery, what was it, Murder on the Orient Express; on the
other hand, it was the first dish to run out.

My pie was a gluten-free, dairy-free, honey-sweetened pumpkin;
Linda made a conventional one for those who didn't have any
strange dietary requirements. These tasted pretty much as
expected.

Debbie made both regular and rice-flour-crust molasses pecan
pies. The regular was better: I don't think the rice flour
tastes as good, Bob's Red Mill notwithstanding. And molasses
is just too overpowering a flavor.

There were a couple apple offerings from other people: I was way
too full to be tempted by them.

Jekel Pinot Noir is in that uneasy territory between cheap and
good; It's not cheap (I guessed it at 10-12 a bottle; in fact
it's 15-18), and it's not bad bad in a thin cherry soda way.
Not hideously sweet, and with a tad of tannic depth but not
something I'd pay over $15 for nor truly seek out to drink at all.

Ruffino Orvieto - pretty okay, but too citrusy greeny Sauvignon
Blancish for my taste. Both wines went decently with the turkey,
though actually, given the flavoriness of the Red Bourbon I'd
have preferred a more robust red.

Fresh-pressed cider from the farm was probably the best
beverage on offer.

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