Holiday Staples at My Table

I wish I had a holiday staple. When people learn I like to cook they inevitably ask me what my specialty is. And then, because I am Indian, they ask me if I can cook good Indian food. And my answer is always the same, “No, I don’t have a specialty, and yes, I can cook Indian food, but my mother’s is better.” I suppose most people do have a specialty. Just recently I made Karyn’s famous family carrot cake recipe that they serve up at weddings and events that call for cake (and really, what event doesn’t call for cake?!). Note that I’m not even in Karyn’s family, but she shared the recipe with me. And boy did it rock. I just might adopt that as my staple.

I do have some go-to meals and dishes, but nothing that gets the culinary John Hancock as my signature. I love to entertain, especially over the holidays, and prefer experimenting to tried and true. The only substances I ever really experimented with were food related (Mushrooms, yes. Shrooms, no.). I pore over magazines, food blogs, and cookbooks. I watch Giada and Ina and Alton. I dog ear pages. I make lists. I scratch out my lists. I ask everyone I know what they’re cooking. And then, with scribbled out list and torn magazine pages in hand, I wing it.

I walk through the grocery aisles and let impulse take over. While everyone else marches through with a purpose, unyielding to the list, I saunter through the aisles and take time to smell the persimmons. My pantry is generally well stocked with the basics so when I shop for a holiday meal I just buy the main ingredients. At this year’s table I’ll be serving:

Roast turkey with an Indian spice rub

Gravy made from pan drippings, natch

Gingered cranberry sauce

Cornbread stuffing with apples and pecans

Smashed sweet potatoes with bourbon glaze

Garlic mashed potatoes

Roasted fennel with parmesan (We do love some fennel around here!)

Roasted beets and parsnips with fancy smoky salish Mac Daddy brought me from the restaurant Salt

Green beans with carmelized onions

Pumpkin pie (Mac Daddy’s favorite)

Apple/Pear tart or crumble or brown betty

So there you have it, my Thanksgiving spread for 2010. Nothing on my menu is a staple, and you won’t likely find it here again next year. Holler if anything looks good. We have room at the table.