Preparing for Thanksgiving at My Farm
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.
The holiday season is one of my favorite times to entertain, and this year I am hosting Thanksgiving dinner here at my Bedford, New York farm - about 40-guests are expected to attend. Over the last few days, we’ve all been very busy getting ready, inside and out - cleaning and decorating my Winter House, pulling out all the necessary plates and platters, baking delicious pies and tarts, and of course picking up our fresh turkeys.
Enjoy these photos of my holiday preparations - I hope some of my tips help you while you do all your last minute baking and cooking before today’s feast.
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- Every year, I get my turkeys from Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture in Pocantico Hills, New York – just north of New York City.
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- A welcoming sign at the entrance points the way to the Stone Barns Market. Built in the 1920s by John D. Rockefeller as his dairy barns, the complex was later converted into Stone Barns by his youngest son, the late David Rockefeller.
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- This is the market where the turkeys are distributed. I order my turkeys about four-weeks in advance – three large birds, each weighing between 18 and 25 pounds.
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- My executive personal assitant, Shqipe Lulanaj, arrived bright and early, but the line for turkey pick-up was already quite long.
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- Inside the market, there were several booths set-up with various holiday meal provisions, such as the Stone Barns vegetable stand, where visitors could purchase fresh eggs, potatoes, carrots, and other organic produce grown in their gardens.
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- There was also a maple syrup table, with local syrups available for purchase.
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- This table was filled with an array of homemade cheeses.
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- And this table offered Brooklyn Cider House beverages.
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- Here are my turkeys – safe in my fridge back at the farm. These turkeys are free-range and hormone and antibiotic free. I got two broad breasted whites and one heritage breed bird.
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- Also this week, Molly Wenk, who does a lot of the baking for my “Martha Bakes” television show on PBS, came up to help me make the pies for my gathering. Here she is cooking down the cranberries for a delicious cranberry curd tart.
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- These cranberries will cook in citrus juice and peel until they pop – about 10-minutes.
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- Molly also prepares the pie crust dough using my tried and true Perfect Pie Crust recipe. She pulses the dough in the food processor exactly 12-times… and one for good luck.
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- The dough is ready when a squeezed handful just holds its shape.
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- And when rolling it into a disk, make sure there are no cracks – or else there will be cracks when you roll it out for your pie dish.
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- Molly, and our test kitchen crew, always prepares all the ingredients before baking. Sticky notes are used to identify everything – it is a must especially when using a lot of different recipes.
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- Molly also prepares various dough cutters for the pie decorations. Gathering everything in advance helps speed up the process when it comes time to bake.
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- Early the next morning, Chef Pierre and his crew from PS Tailored Events, arrived to start working on the Thanksgiving dinner. Chef Pierre Schaedlin and I always collaborate on my entertaining menus. This year, I served three turkeys, lots of traditional Thanksgiving dishes and roasted vegetables. Here, Pierre prepared the cranberries for my cranberry and pomegranate sauce. http://pstailoredevents.com/
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- Chef Pierre’s sous chefs, Kevin and Joshua, prepared the mis en place – the ingredients needed for all the dishes. There’s a lot of peeling, cutting and dicing to do.
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- We have the freshest vegetables on hand – look at these gorgeous carrots.
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- And our big bowl of Brussels sprouts.
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- I had a great idea for this year’s appetizer. I decided to serve curd in the butternut squash – wait until you see how beautiful these butternuts look when done.
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- Inside my Winter House kitchen, Molly and I are busy cooking and baking – it’s the day before Thanksgiving, so everyone is very busy.
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- Molly makes lots of small autumn themed decorations for the pies. These are maple leaves. The decorations will be baked separately and then placed on the pie at the end – this allows for pieces to be moved onto each individual piece of pie when served.
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- I always take out all the plates and platters – it is a good idea to do this ahead of time to avoid scrambling for them last minute. And always label, label, label, so nothing is forgotten.
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- Next door in my servery, my longtime housekeeper, Laura, cleans a large silver platter.
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- The mantel in my Brown room is filled with pumpkins grown right here at my farm. They look so pretty underneath the avian prints.
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- My Brown Room is ready for my guests. I set two tables in this room, and two in my smaller dining room and another in the indoor porch. One tip is to always be prepared for extra guests just in case someone decides to bring another along.
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- I love using the beautiful antique turkey plates I’ve collected over the years from tag sales and fairs. These were made in the early 1900s. I originally purchased the gold colored turkeys in papier mache, and then gilded them with faux gold leaf.
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- Here’s a view of the smaller table in my “faux bois” dining room. This table for six was also set with pretty turkey plates.
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- Turkeys are everywhere – on the plates and on the placemats! The children will love them.
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- In my entrance hall, another gold leafed papier mache turkey sits on this antique table. I have a large collection of turkeys – I love taking them out for the holiday. After all, I once lived on “Turkey Hill Road”.
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- Here’s Molly with one of her blind baked pie crusts. I love using these large deep dish pie plates, especially when I entertain large groups.
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- Here’s a sneak peek at one of Molly’s gorgeous pies – this is a Brown Butter Bourbon Pecan Pie.
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- And here’s a Maple Custard Pie. Molly is making a total of eight-pies. Wait until you see the others.
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- Outside, Fernando places logs in my giant sugar pot, so I can build a fire before guests arrive – we are expecting frigid cold temperatures in the Northeast!
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- Back in the Flower Room, Chef Pierre gathers ingredients for the stuffing.
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- And then fills my turkey molds with pomegranate and gelatin. The pomegranate will fill the crevices of these detailed molds.
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- It’s important to chill the molds and then fill in spaces in phases until all the details are covered with the gelatin. You will love how they turn out.
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- We’re all very busy here at the farm, but I know it’s going to be the best Thanksgiving meal we’ve ever prepared. I am so excited. Kevin watches over all the pots on the stove – the aroma is amazing.
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- Thank you, Molly, Pierre, Kevin and Joshua – it’s all going to be so delicious! Happy Thanksgiving to all of you. Please share some of your memories with me in the comments section below. I will share photos from my Thanksgiving party very soon! Have a safe holiday.
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