We'll be gathering tomorrow at my sister's home. It's a lovely place to celebrate Thanksgiving, pastoral acreage not too far out of the city, with a view of a small private lake (belonging to a neighbor) and a pine covered hill behind it. I am hopeful that there will be a fire in the fire pit (maybe the inside fireplace too). Her sons will both be home from their lives away from here (college and work) and with my sons home as well, there will be lots of young men flexing muscles and telling stories. My husband will be joining us because he belongs with his sons on the holiday (and because I have a generous spirit). I am looking forward to it. We have tried to streamline the cooking to fewer, easier items so that we can have less work and more fun. I am bringing champagne, orange juice (you know, the important stuff), soft drinks and my current signature dish, Baked Brie en Croute.
Now, I've had a number of signature dishes over the years. I've been lauded for making some of the best chocolate chip cookies you've ever eaten (I will never reveal my secret), and if you asked my kids today what their favorite thing I cooked was, they might tell you it was my homemade vegetable soup, judging by the way they've torn through that pot I put together night before last. On Veterans Day and his birthday my husband always requested meatloaf. It's messy and takes a long time to make, but it really is pretty darn good, when done just right (there's meatloaf and then there's meatloaf). A meatloaf sandwich on white bread with Hellmann's mayo, a bit of catsup and a tall glass of milk is still one of my favorite things in the world to eat.
But, of late, I am usually asked to bring *my* Brie. It's dramatic and it's delicious. I slice a large round of cold (doesn't hurt to spend 30 or so minutes in the freezer first) Brie through the middle so that there is a top half and a bottom half. Then I kind of gouge some little holes into both halves, without actually removing any of the cheese, just enough to make it kind of porous and I slather the bottom round with honey (you can use a whole fruit preserve here - blackberry or raspberry are both yummy - instead) and cover with chopped pecans (or almonds). Then I replace the top round and quickly begin the wrapping (before the honey oozes out). I turn it upside down and generously cover the bottom with layers of filo pastry, brushing (as in "painting") between the layers with melted butter, until there's a fairly significant "crust". Then turn it over into a buttered glass pie dish so that the crust is on the bottom and fold the edges up and onto the cheese, brushing with more butter to make it stick. Then I begin the process of layering the top crust of filo, one sheet at a time, again brushing between layers with melted butter and tucking the outside edges down the sides so that the ends of the filo stick up like a lacy edge. It's important to work quickly because the filo becomes brittle and will break (I am sure that my years and years of working with porcelainous clays have enabled me to make this dish with relative ease). It's also important to sort of crisscross the sheets (top and bottom) so that the coverage is uniform around the cheese. For a large round of Brie (which I find at Costco), I use about one roll of filo. Then I bake at 350 degrees until the crust and "lacy edges" begin to turn a golden brown. I serve it with almost any sort of *better* cracker or with sourdough bread. It's amazing.
We'll add to that ham and turkey brought by Gramma and Auntie (via the Honeybaked Ham Company), spinach salad (Costco), fresh green beans, baked cheese grits (something new my sister wants to try), cranberry sauce and rolls. There will be pumpkin pie for dessert, along with good coffee and liqueurs (or more Mimosas) by the fire pit. I'm actually quite excited.
I'd like to wish everyone a safe and happy Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for so many things this year. I'm thankful for my sons being home and healthy and happy. I'm thankful that it looks like my oldest is going to graduate from college, something many thought would never happen (I'm not just thankful, I'm proud). I'm thankful to be out of my marriage (or at least the cohabitation phase thereof), which was painful and horribly difficult from the start and for having a home (albeit an apartment home) that feels like a place of my own for the first time since he moved into my house after the honeymoon. It's been just over a year and I'm feeling better and stronger, as if I'm healing with each day. I'm thankful for family and gathering and food (see above!), although I hope my husband and my mother don't do anything to hurt each other!
For those of you who are traveling, I hope your travel is safe. For all of you I hope that the food is delicious and the company is glorious (good football wouldn't hurt - go Falcons!). Happy Thanksgiving!
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