My Thanksgiving at the Farm 2022
I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. Thanksgiving is among my favorite occasions, and mine was perfect - celebrated at my Bedford, New York farm with close friends.
Every year, my holiday begins weeks before with careful planning and preparation. Outside, the gardens around my home are groomed. And inside, all my beautiful turkey decorations are taken out and displayed. This Thanksgiving, my long dining table in my Brown Room was set for 15. I, along with my sous chef Moises, cooked two large turkeys, which came from Mike's Organic in nearby Stamford, Connecticut. I also served traditional sides including scalloped potatoes with white truffle, Brussels sprouts, corn bread and cranberry gelatin made in my fanciful turkey molds, and more. And for dessert, I was proud to share a variety of beautifully decorated homemade pies.
In all, it was a most enjoyable holiday gathering, enjoy these photos.
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- Here I am on Thanksgiving Day with our perfectly roasted turkey and some of the pies I made the day before – all displayed for my guests to see when they arrive.
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- Here is the 18-foot long dining table in my Brown Room. It is set for 15 – my 14 guests and myself.
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- Whenever I entertain, I try to set the table so it is a little different every time. I work with my housekeeper, Enma, on choosing just the perfect combination of plates and linens. This year, we chose gold as the main color. I also like to mix in some plants from my greenhouse. This table looks very pretty.
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- Guests arrived right on time for my holiday dinner. Here’s my friend Christopher Spitzmiller – in his cheerful winter knit hat.
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- We started with warm gougères. A gougère in French cuisine is a baked savory choux pastry made of choux dough and mixed with cheese. The cheese is commonly grated Gruyère, Comté, or Emmentaler. These are always a big hit to serve before the main meal.
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- I also made carrot, leek, and butternut squash soup using carrots grown right here in my vegetable greenhouse.
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- Here is one of the cornbread turkeys fresh out of the oven and plated on an antique bread board. The turkey molds I use are five-cup molds from Nordic Ware available on Martha.com. They can be used for cornbread, cranberry sauce, or even cake.
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- We used the same molds to make these beautiful cranberry gelatin turkeys.
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- Everyone loves scalloped potatoes for Thanksgiving. I made this dish with white truffle.
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- My Perfect Roast Turkey 101 recipe, which is found on Martha.com, really creates a well bronzed and glistening bird. This turkey was stuffed with brioche bread, white bread, apples, and vegetables cooked in broth. The turkey is plated on a bed of herbs grown right here in my garden, with citrus and pomegranate slices.
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- This is my Roasted Spatchcocked Turkey. It was so moist. This is a great option when one wants the bird done quickly. When the turkey’s backbone is removed and the halves are flattened, the meat cooks in just about an hour.
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- Here is Moises – he did a fantastic job helping me make this wonderful holiday meal.
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- My handsome Emperor Han is always hoping for something to drop nearby.
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- And here’s my beautiful champion, Empress Qin, also eagerly waiting underfoot.
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- I was so pleased with all the pies I baked. I made 25-pies – most to give away to my hardworking staff – a tradition I do every year. The rest were saved for me and my friends to enjoy. Not one crumb was left over. This is a squash pie.
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- This is a squash crème brulée getting torched. I made two – and both went very quickly.
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- Chocolate Pecan Pie – made to perfection. This was also a popular favorite. Almost everyone on my crew requested chocolate pecan pie.
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- And here is a lemon curd pie topped with whipped cream.
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- I love taking out all the turkey decorations I have amassed over the years, including these dark amethyst turkey dishes. I have a large collection of turkeys. After all, I once lived on “Turkey Hill Road”.
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- More turkeys were displayed on this side table in my Brown Room.
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- Here are some gold turkeys in the servery – more than 110 came out for Thanksgiving this year.
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- I made some of these turkeys years back for a shoot. We casted numerous turkeys from a material called PermaStone, a lightweight, durable cement and then gently tinted them in various earth tones. They look so beautiful sitting on this counter.
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- I wish you all a very joyous holiday season. In my next blog, I will share photos from friends and colleagues – another tradition I enjoy every year! Stay tuned.
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