Thanksgiving is the most celebrated
holiday in the American calendar. That
is because mostly every family who lives in the United States participates in
the holiday in some way, regardless of religion or race.
But what is the essence of
Thanksgiving? Beyond the eating and the
shopping, it is the foremost way to celebrate the harvest, and send hopes into
the void for a future bounty one. I like
this latter idea of Thanksgiving. Since
I moved to Florida, over 20 years ago now, I especially enjoy the Autumn. Once the last days of August hits I seem to
become alive, and the smells of the new season come alive in my kitchen as well.
From the entertaining point of view, it is
the ideal time of year. The fruits of
the harvest invite a varied sort of cooking, and the chillier weather makes for
wonderful get-togethers and cozy moments.
This year I decided to by-pass the
ubiquitous turkey and made an Argentinian classic – carbonada. This version is
by Chef Guillermo Calabrese, one of Buenos Aires top chefs, who started his
career at the famous Gato Dumas Restaurant in Recoleta. I remember eating at this trendy restaurant
in the 90’s. It was a mixture of refined
Argentine specialties with a touch of French cuisine, in an ambiance that was stylish
without being presumptuous.
The carbonada
is a fulfilling dish for a cold day, not unlike the weather we were lucky to
have for Thanksgiving. It is served
inside an acorn squash, making for a beautiful presentation. Although it takes some time to prepare, it
beats the long hours of the turkey and proves for a dish full of the typical
flavours of Fall for which you will be remembered.
Argentine Carbonada in acorn squash:
Ingredients for 4 servings:
- 4 small
acorn squash (about 6” in diameter)
- 4oz
unsalted butter
- 3oz
sugar
- ¾ cup
milk
- 3 small
corn stalks
- Corn
oil, as needed
- 12oz
plain rice
- 1 medium
yellow onion
- 2 small
white onions
- 3 green
onions
- 1 red
pepper, chopped
- 1pd
veal, cut in cubes
- 1 can
tomatoes
- 3.5oz
white wine
- Salt
and pepper to taste
- 5 oz
veal stock
- 3.5 oz
dried apricots
- 1 Tbsp
sugar
- ½ Tbsp
cumin
- 2 bay
leaves
- ½ Tbsp
sweet paprika
- ¼
grated goat cheese
- More
salt and pepper to taste
Preparation:
Wash and dry the acorn squashes. Cut the tops, which will be used as covers,
clean and remove the seeds, and cut small incisions on the inside with a knife.
Coat the insides of the squashes with softened
butter, dust with sugar and bathe with a bit of milk. Place on an oven plaque and bake at 380F for
25 minutes. Check halfway to ensure the
squashes are not disintegrating. They
should only be partially cooked at this point.
Cut the corn in smaller pieces, blanche
and reserve. In a separate saucepan add
about 2 Tbsp of corn oil and sauté the rice no longer than 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and reserve.
In another saucepan with 2 more Tbsp oil
sauté the onions, previously chopped.
Add the pepper, the meat (make sure you clean all the fat) and
brown. Add the tomatoes and deglaze with
the wine. Season and cook until the
alcohol evaporates.
Add the rice, the veal stock, dried
apricots and season with sugar, cumin, bay leaves and paprika. Cook for 15 minutes on high. Fill the squashes with this stew and bake for
another 25 minutes at 380F. Sprinkle
with a nice grated goat cheese. I chose a
Spanish one from La Mancha, flavored with paprika, which you can buy HERE. It mimicked the flavor of the pieces
beautifully. Serve with corn cobs on the side.
 |
| A tablescape inspired by the colours of Autumn |
After such a nice main course, the dessert
had to be just as memorable. And maybe a
bit more patriotic. I find nothing more
authentically American than cheesecake.
Thanks to the Martha Stewart magazine, I became aware of a uniquely
crafted maple syrup, infused with Tahitian vanilla and Egyptian chamomile. As soon as I saw the recipe, I ordered it
immediately.
This is a very rich, creamy cheesecake,
ideal to have with some strong Earl Gray tea.
Maple-Walnut cheesecake:
Ingredients for 8 to 12 servings:
Crust:
·
9 Graham crackers
·
¾ cup black walnuts
·
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
·
4 Tbsp melted unsalted butter
·
Pinch of fresh nutmeg
·
Pinch of salt, ideally Himalayan pink salt
Filling:
·
Four 8oz packages of cream cheese, at room temperature
·
¾ Noble Tonic 02 Maple syrup, available
HERE
·
½ cup granulated sugar
·
4 large eggs
·
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
·
½ cup heavy cream
·
1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
·
¼ tsp maple extract
Preparation:
Fill a roasting pan halfway with water and
set on a rack in the lower third of the oven (this will ensure a very moist
environment for the cheesecake to cook into); position another rack in the
middle and pre-heat to 350F. Wrap the
outside (bottom and side) of a 9” springform pan with foil.
To make the crust, pulse the Graham
crackers in a food processor a few times until crushed. Add the walnuts and brown sugar and continue
pulsing until finely ground. Add the
melted butter, nutmeg and salt and pulse to combine. Press into the bottom and about 1” up the
side of the prepared pan. Bake until the
crust is golden, about 10’. Transfer to
a rack and let cool completely.
For the filling, beat the cream cheese in
a stand mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed until nearly smooth,
about 1’. Add the maple syrup and
granulated sugar and beat until smooth, about 2’ more. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after
each addition. Increase the speed to
medium high and beat in the flour, heavy cream, lemon juice and maple extract
until the filling is smooth and silky, about 1’.
Pour the filling into the cooled
crust. Transfer the cheesecake to the
oven, placing it on the middle rack, directly over the water bath. Bake until golden and set around the edge but
still jiggly in the center, about 45’ to 1 hour. Transfer to a rack and let cool to room
temperature, then cover and refrigerate until cold and set, preferably
overnight. Let the cheesecake sit at
room temperature 20”, the run a thin knife around the edge and remove the
springform pan. Serve and enjoy!
