Thanksgiving means many things. For many it's a day of gratitude and family. For some the day is all about the delicious food. For others it's all about the parade and football.
For us, it's all of the above.
We acknowledge Thanksgiving brunch at home isn't common, but we think it should be. We can think of no better way to maximize our favorite qualities of Turkey Day. Serving Thanksgiving brunch frees the rest of the day for walks, naps, football and time with friends and family.
We consider brunch as occurring between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., which roughly falls in line with Ben Jacobson's "is it brunch time yet" definitive window of 10:01 a.m. and 1:40 p.m. as the official brunch hours. (Read all about Jacobson's process here, arkansasonline.com/1114brunch.)
To streamline our menu, which features twists on the traditional flavors of Thanksgiving — turkey, cranberries, cornbread dressing, sweet potatoes and green bean casserole — almost all of the recipes bake in the same temperature oven or call for doing some of the assembly and prep work in advance.
Maple-Bacon Glazed Turkey Tenderloins
- 2 turkey tenderloins (about 1½ to 2 pounds total)
- Salt and ground black pepper
- 6 slices bacon
- 1 cup chicken broth, plus more as needed for basting
- 1 cup apple or pear cider
- 2 pears, peeled, cored and diced
- ¼ cup maple syrup
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons bourbon, or to taste
Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Season turkey tenderloins on all sides with salt and pepper. Place the tenderloins in a roasting pan. Lay the bacon slices across the tenderloins. Add the 1 cup of the broth, the cider and diced pears to the roasting pan. Cover pan tightly with foil and roast 15 minutes; remove foil and baste with pan juices, return foil to pan and roast 15 minutes. Remove and discard foil. Roast, uncovered, basting turkey with the pan drippings (adding broth as necessary) and brushing with the maple syrup often, for 20 minutes more or until a thermometer inserted in the thickest part registers 165 degrees and the juices run clear.
Transfer turkey tenderloins to a platter and tent with foil to keep warm.
Pour the juices, holding back the fruit and browned bits, from the roasting pan into a 4-cup glass measuring cup. Let juices stand for at least 10 minutes or until the fat separates. Spoon 4 tablespoons of the fat back into the roasting pan; discard the remaining fat. Add enough broth to the juices to make 2 cups.
Sprinkle the flour over the fat in the roasting pan. Place pan over low heat and whisk flour and fat to make a roux, scraping the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook, stirring constantly, for 5 minutes. Gradually whisk in the pan juices and broth, cooking and whisking occasionally, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. Add the bourbon and taste. Adjust seasoning with additional salt, pepper or bourbon. Keep warm while you carve the turkey.
Makes 6 to 8 servings.
Glaze and gravy adapted from Fine Cooking Thanksgiving Cookbook
These waffles get a touch of sweetness from brown sugar and are topped with tart cranberry compote and drizzled with maple syrup. The cranberry compote can be prepared up to a week in advance.
Pair them with turkey for a Thanksgiving twist on chicken and waffles.
Brown Sugar Waffles With Orange-Ginger Cranberry Compote
For the compote:
- 1 orange
- 1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries (about 3 cups)
- ½ cup maple syrup, plus more for serving
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger, or to taste
For the waffles:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 3 eggs
- 4 tablespoons butter, melted and cooled slightly; plus more for serving
To make the compote: Zest and juice the orange. We use a rasp-style grater, such as a Microplane, for very fine shreds of zest.
In a saucepan, combine the orange zest and juice, the cranberries, ½ cup maple syrup, the ginger and 1 cup water. Bring to a simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer 20 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover and refrigerate 2 hours to 1 week.
To make the waffles: Heat oven to 200 degrees. Heat a waffle iron.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, buttermilk and eggs until combined. Add the cooled butter. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the flour mixture and stir until combined.
Cook batter by the ½ to ¾ cup, depending on the size of your waffle iron, until golden. Transfer cooked waffles to the oven to keep warm while you prepare the remaining batter.
Serve hot with compote, additional butter and maple syrup as desired.
Makes about 6 (6-inch) round waffles.
Recipe adapted from Breakfast by the editors of Extra Crispy
Skip the canned soups and say hello to fresh flavor with this cheesy green bean casserole. Mushroom lovers may wish to add about half a pound of sliced mushrooms when sauteing the onion.
Green Bean Casserole
- 2 tablespoons butter, melted, divided use
- Salt
- 2 pounds fresh green beans, trimmed
- 6 slices bacon, cut into ½-inch pieces
- 1 yellow onion, diced
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 cups sour cream OR creme fraiche
- ½ pound Emmental or Gruyere cheese, grated
- ½ cup fresh bread crumbs (see note)
- ½ cup slivered almonds
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Coat a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with 1 tablespoon of the melted butter.
Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt lightly, then add the green beans and cook 5 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain and immediately rinse under cold water in a colander. Place beans in a large bowl; set side.
In a large skillet, cook bacon, stirring frequently until it's crisp and the fat is rendered. Using a slotted spoon, transfer bacon pieces to the bowl with the green beans. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of the bacon drippings. To the bacon drippings in the skillet, add the onion and cook over medium-high heat, stirring, until softened. Transfer onion to the bowl with the green beans and bacon. Season with salt and black pepper.
In a separate bowl, stir together the sour cream or creme fraiche and grated cheese. Fold cheese mixture into the green beans. Transfer beans to the prepared casserole dish, smoothing the top.
Toss the bread crumbs and slivered almonds with the remaining tablespoon of melted butter. Sprinkle over the green beans. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until browned. Serve hot or warm.
Makes about 8 servings.
Note: To make fresh bread crumbs, whirl bread in a food processor or blender. One to 1½ slices of soft white bread will produce ½ cup crumbs.
Recipe adapted from Hot & Cheesy by Clifford A. Wright
