Circle M Farm

When Thanksgiving is as warm, sunny and in every way gorgeous as this one was, it’s easy to get into the spirit of gratefulness. This year I was especially thankful that we had another balmy 10 hours to get more winterizing done in the gardens and paddocks, and I was also thankful that while Shannon and the boys were outside doing that, I was inside making dinner out of my fabulous new cookbook, “The Joy of Cooking.”

New to me, that is. I’ve never before owned a copy of the old standard by Irma S. Rombauer, and now that I’ve got it, I can’t believe I’ve gone this long. What a terrific resource! I’ve made about 10 recipes out of the book since it was delivered a week ago, and every single one has been great.

I ordered it because my old paperback everything-cookbook, a Betty Crocker from the year I got married, finally tore in half at the pancakes. I’d never felt it was a great book, but it was compact and not very intimidating to me when I was 20. Friends over the years had expressed shock that I didn’t have the Rombauer book, so when it came time to buy a new stand-by, I went straight to Joy on amazon.com.

The first recipe I tried was a cake. I needed one for a little coffee get-together with friends here on the farm, and the first to catch my eye on the text-packed pages was “Lightning Cake (Blitzkuchen).” My first impression upon opening the book was how very much like a textbook the layout appears – on the one-bowl cake two-page spread there are no less than nine recipes. At age 20, that scared me away. I confess that at 41, it makes me feel like a grown up cook! The Blitzkuchen, though I chose it purely for the name, turned out to be a delightful light tea cake, like nothing I’d ever actually made before.

The second recipe I chose, a few days later, was for a double-crust apple pie I needed for a school fundraiser. I’ve made a million apple pies and have been satisfied with my crusts for a while, especially since I started rendering my own lard from our own pigs. Still, the Joy recipe was an improvement AND it specifically called for lard, which very few cookbooks do these days. The main difference in Rombauer’s recipe from my own was that it added a few tablespoons of butter, as well. The crust turned out perfectly light with a nice amount of bubbles throughout. And the leftover crust cookies were the best I’ve made!

One of the main reasons I bought the book was that with Thanksgiving was approaching, I was nervous about preparing one of the heritage turkeys we raised this year. Research on the web had convinced me that these turkeys were another bird altogether from commercial toms, and I’d read everything from instructions to cut the bird up first and cook it in braising liquid, to cooking it upside-down with lard layered under the skin. Reviews of Joy praised its extensive section on cooking wild game, and I though those recipes would apply. I was pleasantly surprised to find specific instructions on farm-raised wild turkeys!

What I ended up doing with ours was “barding” the bird, something I’d never heard of before I read page 455. This involves covering the breast with bacon or prosciutto to sort of baste the meat as it cooks, since free-range and wild birds are more lean and apt to dry out during cooking. The turkey turned out to be delicious, not at all dry and with a delightful rich flavor and texture. My biggest regret is that is wasn’t bigger.

The other two Joy recipes that made it to our Thanksgiving table were Sausage Dressing and and Cooked Cranberry Relish and both were proclaimed instant family favorites. Here’s the relish recipe – amazingly simple, but amazingly fresh and wonderful. This recipe is what really cemented my love for the cookbook. Truth is, I tend to not actually follow any recipe. I read through to get a general feel for what I’m doing and then I head out on my own. Rombauer writes in a way that seems tailor-made for that sort of cook, offering various alternative options and useful suggestions throughout the recipes, and the cranberry relish is a good example:

Cooked Cranberry Relish

Combine in a large skillet 2 cups fresh cranberries, 1 cup sugar, 1/3 cup water, 2 teaspoons orange zest, 1/3 cup orange juice. Bring to a simmer and simmer, uncovered, over medium heat until the cranberries pop and the relish is somewhat thickened, 7 to 10 minutes. Add, if desired, 1/2 cup slivered almonds. Let cool and serve, or refrigerate for up to 2 days.

Sweeten with maple syrup or molasses. For a Southwestern flair, add:
1/2 cup finely minced jalapeno peppers
1/3 cup chopped cilantro

This is exactly the kind of direction I like! I read through the recipe and put the cranberries on to cook, substituting home-made elderberry wine for the water. While they bubbled and popped away, I rummaged through my spice cabinet for inspiration and decided on Chinese five-spice powder as the direction I wanted to go. In the end, I also added some cloves and a splash of cognac. Simple, delicious and perfectly matched to the rest of the meal, since I adjusted the recipe to fit with what was going on in my kitchen at the time. I may not make it just that way ever again, but it was perfect for the feast at hand.

Thanks, Irma and family, for the Joy you brought to our Thanksgiving this year!