Very few eat goose at Xmas in the UK these days. As I recall, it's a bit pricey and factory farming of geese isn't that prevalent. Since the early 1900s, I think roast turkey became the more traditional dish. Supermarket freezers and chillers over here are full of turkeys when December rolls around.
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Thanksgiving 2010
- Thread starter Blue Velvet
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Very few eat goose at Xmas in the UK these days. As I recall, it's a bit pricey and factory farming of geese isn't that prevalent. Since the early 1900s, I think roast turkey became the more traditional dish. Supermarket freezers and chillers over here are full of turkeys when December rolls around.
It was always goose until those damned Americans started all that turkey business.Turkey is traditional to have for Thanksgiving (though some Philistines eat tofurky).
Christmas seems to be more open as far as the meat portion of the meal goes. Plus it varies by country. I would consider a goose to be the traditional meal. As that is what Charles Dickens mentions in "A Christmas Carol". As I recall a Christmas Goose is also mentioned in at least one of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "Sherlock Holmes" stories.
I'm jealous! Thanksgiving was a month ago here in Canada, so no big meals to look forward to until Christmas.
The Left overs are long since gone, but it was a great mix as usual.
Turkey & cranberries, pyrogies, tourtiere, lefse, cabbage rolls, mixed veggies, potatoes swimming in gravy and for desert, pumpkin pie loaded with whip cream. Followed of course by a nice snifter of the Talisker I brought home from our last trip to the UK.
The Left overs are long since gone, but it was a great mix as usual.
Turkey & cranberries, pyrogies, tourtiere, lefse, cabbage rolls, mixed veggies, potatoes swimming in gravy and for desert, pumpkin pie loaded with whip cream. Followed of course by a nice snifter of the Talisker I brought home from our last trip to the UK.
Turkey - my favorite is cajun fried, or even smoked, but oven-baked is fine, too. I like giblets in the gravy, but I'm the only one in the family who does.
Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, AND stuffing. All three. Marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, and a helluvalot of brown sugar and butter!
Green bean casserole seems to be popular, but I can take or leave it.
Ham. Sweet, not salty. (stop it)
Cranberry sauce. I like the whole berry and the jelly type.
Pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Both. This is not an either/or for me. And whipped cream - none of that "non-dairy topping" crap that my wife likes.
Mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, AND stuffing. All three. Marshmallows on the sweet potatoes, and a helluvalot of brown sugar and butter!
Green bean casserole seems to be popular, but I can take or leave it.
Ham. Sweet, not salty. (stop it)
Cranberry sauce. I like the whole berry and the jelly type.
Pumpkin pie and pecan pie. Both. This is not an either/or for me. And whipped cream - none of that "non-dairy topping" crap that my wife likes.
You know, I'm not sure whether it's the kind of turkeys we have over here, or that I've never had turkey cooked in those ways, but I've never been that fussed on it. Matt Yglesias agrees:
Turkey: overrated?
thanksgiving was in early October, surely? Can no longer abide turkey. A good sized chicken from one of my neighbours will do nicely for both chrimbo and thanksgiving. Home made cranberry sauce, it's very easy actually. Quinoa stuffing. Plenty of sprouts, carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, a few sausages wrapped in bacon. Boy, I'm hungry now.
A rather unexpected opportunity to vacation/be a tourist for ten days in Israel has superseded thanksgiving this year. Might be the first time in 22 years I won't be participating... Even when I was studying in France two years ago we had a big turkey dinner for thanksgiving (arguably done better than in America with vast quantities of French wine )
)
Actually it is quite true. Really the only part I like of the turkey is the bit of meat with the skin and all the flavoring. Otherwise it is quite bland.
It is simply too thick for the flavor of seasoning and sauces to penetrate very far. It's bulk makes it too large for most pots people have in their kitchens to roast it like one would roast beef, allowing the flavor to penetrate throughout.
However, I make gravy from the drippings. Thus allowing me to cover the cut pieces and get the full flavor of the seasoning throughout. I have to disagree on the authors assertion of using a baguette instead. I've dipped biscuits, rolls &c in the gravy. None are the same as slices of turkey covered in gravy.
I'm absolutely in the minority on this one. Every year around Thanksgiving I start crowing about how we should have turkey more often, "because it tastes good" - and I'm usually met with a chorus of groans. I know that part of the reason is because of the time and hassle it takes to roast a good turkey, but you're right, a lot of people just don't think it's all that exciting.
I've smoked whole turkey breasts in the smoker before, not around Thanksgiving, and it was pretty popular - but it's also much more flavorful that way, IMO.
If turkey is cooked correctly, no it's not overrated. As mentioned, a seasoned and deep fried turkey is amazing. The deep frying prevents it from drying out, and most of the seasoning kits include a giant syringe for injecting the marinade deep into the meat. Also, a properly seasoned and smoked turkey is really good. A turkey cooked in the traditional manner is pretty boring.
Turkey's okay, but I'm more a fan of the stuffing. Mmm...stuffing. I may make a pumpkin cheesecake again this year, as it was a pretty big hit last year. You can't go wrong with 24 ounces of cream cheese.
Black Friday is online only. I haven't gone anywhere near a mall on that day for the past ten years, and that is what I'm thankful for.
Black Friday is online only. I haven't gone anywhere near a mall on that day for the past ten years, and that is what I'm thankful for.
Roasted Turkey, with Granny Smith Apple stuffed inside...seriously the best turkey ever. The apples bake with the turkey, making the turkey taste like apple...the apples are then served as a side dish, we also make a traditional stuffing as a side dish. We've got home made mashed potatoes, yams, and cranberry sauce. And of course, pan gravy. For dessert, my family doesn't like anything with pumpkin eek so I make a chocolate pecan tart or pie. Probably a pie because I found a recipe for an incredible flaky pie crust.
Cannot wait.
eek so I make a chocolate pecan tart or pie. Probably a pie because I found a recipe for an incredible flaky pie crust. Cannot wait.
^LMAO!!
We tend to do both turkey and ham for T-Day: most of us like turkey, except my oldest son, so we do ham as well, which we all like. Sweet potatoes, stuffing, jello salad...this year we're cheaping it out and doing a Stouffer's family-size mac-and-cheese instead of mashed potatoes. Pumpkin and Dutch Apple pie for dessert.
We tend to do both turkey and ham for T-Day: most of us like turkey, except my oldest son, so we do ham as well, which we all like. Sweet potatoes, stuffing, jello salad...this year we're cheaping it out and doing a Stouffer's family-size mac-and-cheese instead of mashed potatoes. Pumpkin and Dutch Apple pie for dessert.
A good sized chicken from one of my neighbours will do nicely for both chrimbo and thanksgiving. Home made cranberry sauce, it's very easy actually. Quinoa stuffing. Plenty of sprouts, carrots, roasted sweet potatoes, parsnips, a few sausages wrapped in bacon. Boy, I'm hungry now.
So am I. Reading this thread when you haven't eaten much during the day is fatal. And parsnips, mmm. Had to look up quinoa on wikipedia to know what it was; not sure whether you can get it in the UK.
I'd eat my own arm off if it had enough proper gravy and stuffing to go with it.
Sounds gorgeous. What's the texture of it like? A bit pulpy?
I do that with lemons and chicken. Same thing, tastes divine.
If I was there, you know I'd be there as I easily qualify for poor schmuck status.
:::
Some classic scenes from Thanksgiving movies and TV shows:
• WKRP in Cincinnati: The Turkey Drop (full version)
• Planes, Trains and Automobiles (Airport Scene) NSFW (language)
And for dmr727...
• Charlie Brown's Thanksgiving (Thanksgiving around a ping-pong table). Loves me some Snoopy.
:::
Hope everyone's family plans and travel arrangements are looking OK.
Favorite foods:
mashed potatoes with a gallon of sour cream
turkey << no s**t
green beans
the fixin's
place I'm traveling to:
my mother's house. This will be the first thanksgiving I can remember where both my parents will be under the same roof.
what I'm thankful for:
alcohol, to make this event bearable
the fact that my roommate will be gone that night when I return home.
keyboard shortcuts.
what I'm doing for black friday:
working retail.
mashed potatoes with a gallon of sour cream
turkey << no s**t
green beans
the fixin's
place I'm traveling to:
my mother's house. This will be the first thanksgiving I can remember where both my parents will be under the same roof.
what I'm thankful for:
alcohol, to make this event bearable
the fact that my roommate will be gone that night when I return home.
keyboard shortcuts.
what I'm doing for black friday:
working retail.
I'm so excited for Thanksgiving! It's gonna be pretty Tofurkin' awesome at my house. I've finally convinced the cooks of the family to try their hand at rockin' the Tofurky, so they'll be plenty of that along with some turkey for the carnivores, green beans, root vegetable casserole, garlic mashed potatoes with turkey gravy (which I told my grandmother I'd eat just to keep her from tearing out her eyes in veggie-frustration) and my uncle's ridiculously gross sweet potato in goop. It'll be swell.
That's the kind of situation which I and many others will appreciate. I haven't seen my entire family together at Xmas, for instance, for over 25 years and I doubt it will ever happen again. Can completely understand why you're thankful that there will be some booze there.
I have a question for those of you who are travelling: how far have you got to travel to get to where you need to be at Thanksgiving?
mmmmmmmm pie!!!!
there's pumpkin pie! and squash pie! and apple pie! and sweet potato! and mince pie! and sugar pie!
I'm not allowed to bake the pies so I don't know which of these we'll be having this year.....but there WILL be more than one type. I'm assigned my usual duty of bringing champagne.
there's pumpkin pie! and squash pie! and apple pie! and sweet potato! and mince pie! and sugar pie!
I'm not allowed to bake the pies so I don't know which of these we'll be having this year.....but there WILL be more than one type. I'm assigned my usual duty of bringing champagne.
A good health food supermarket should have it in bulk. I pay about the equivalent of £1 per 100g at most for it. Cooks like rice. I'll be following this recipe for Christmas.
Oh OK, thanks. I can check out Holland and Barretts and maybe Waitrose. Not sure about the raisins in the stuffing, though.
Oh OK, thanks. I can check out Holland and Barretts and maybe Waitrose. Not sure about the raisins in the stuffing, though.
I might sub some dried cranberries instead as my wife isn't keen on the idea either. Waitrose might be a good bet, I really miss shopping there.
I can get quinoa at my local Costco so you should be able to find it somewhere. It has no flavour on it's own, btw.