November 24, 2022 Thanksgiving Dinner at Billy and Elaine’s house

November 24, 2022 Thanksgiving Dinner at Billy and Elaine’s house 

Suzette toasted three bagel slices and we spread cream cheese on them and I sliced some thin slices of a Morbier style cheese that we garnished them with.

We dressed and watched soccer until 1:00 and then drove to Billy and Elaine’s for Thanksgiving Dinner, except when we arrived the table in the TV room was filled with charcuterie Mickey and Rebecca had bought at 840 Farm in Waxahatchie that raises pigs and makes at the farm. There were four types of salami and a spicy pork paste.  Elaine had bought Leyden and Manchego cheeses and water biscuits and crackers.

As we snacked we drank a bottle of Brillet-Salmon champagne rose and then the bottle of DePonte Blanc de Noir.  Mrs Holzeig arrived soon thereafter with the pecan pies, plain and chocolate and we nibbled cheese and charcuterie and sipped champagne and watched some of the Cowboy v. Giants game until 5:00.

Billy had made wild rice and Elaine made Ratatouille without eggplant and cranberry sauce.  Jerry brined the turkey and cooked  and Marian made the rest of the dishes, creamed turnips and potatoes, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney sauce, sweet potatoes with apples, gluten and non-gluten dressing, mushroom gravy, a kale and butternut squash salad, and turkey gravy plus pumpkin pie.  At 5:00 the turkey and Marian and their child, Sigil, arrived bringing  all the fixin’s.  Mickey and Rebecca roasted a rib eye roast at 200 degrees to 125 degrees and then seared it to produce uniformly tender slices of steak.

Jerry carved the turkey and Marian arranged all the bowls and platters of food on the kitchen counter and we opened a bottle of Elk Cove Pinot Gris, a bottle of 2013 Calstar Sangiacomo and a bottle of Pied de Terre Cabernet Sauvignon.  

The turkey was wonderfully tender and I liked the mushroom gravy on the dressing and the turkey dressing on the medium rare steak plus cranberry sauce, turnips and sweet potatoes.  I thought the sweet potatoes with slices of apples was particularly good but everyone restrained themselves because the pies are particularly desirable and a feature of every family Thanksgiving since we began coming to Dallas for Thanksgiving 20 years ago.  One of the things I like about Thanksgiving in Dallas is the fact that our family are all so pleasant to get along with.

Elaine made tea and cut slices of pie.

We lingered at the table for a while and I drank some more wine. Finally, Miriam and the daughter left and we retired to the TV area and Mickey opened the 1988 Graham’s Vintage port and we drank port for a while and then left for the BNB.

Bon Appetit