November 23, 2023 Brunch - Duck, Potato, onion, and plum omelet. Thanksgiving dinner

November 23, 2023 Brunch - Duck, Potato, onion, and plum omelet. Thanksgiving dinner 

I woke up at 7:00 and brought in the turkey.  I drank a cup of tea and ate a pain au chocolate and watched the Qatar news conference regarding the release of hostages and Palestinian prisoners and the temporary pause in Israeli attack of Hamas. Suzette soon woke up and watched the news conference and then I helped her open the clasp with a screwdriver to save the plastic netting holding the turkey so she could later bag a boned turkey stuffed with dressing like we saw on the Internet.

Suzette then washed out the turkey and made the dressing and stuffed the turkey.

She put the neck, liver, and gizzard in a sauce pan that I filled with water and added a mirepoix to and started it boiling for a broth for the gravy.

Then we trussed the turkey after filling the stomach and neck cavity with dressing and put the turkey in a bag with some flour and into a large roasting pan and put the turkey in the oven at 8:45.

I then decided to make breakfast.  I found a container with potatoes Savoyard and duck and diced a plum and a slice of red onion and a mushroom.  I sautéed the onion, plum, and mushroom and then added the duck and then four egg whites and a whole egg whisked to make an omelet.

It was not as fabulous as the stewed duck at Entre Piedras, but it was interesting and filling.

I then peeled the six Yukon Gold potatoes while Suzette swept and mopped the kitchen and started vacuuming which I finished after the potatoes were peeled.

I lay down a 12:00 and napped until 12:45, when I got dressed.  

Suzette had boiled the potatoes.

Linda and T.R. arrived at 1:00 with a casserole of creamed baked green beans topped with fried onions (my favorite) and sweet potato tarts.  

Soon thereafter Aaron and Alexi arrived with cranberry sauce and a pecan pie from Costco.

Then a little later Willy arrived with the pull apart bread that needed to be baked, so Suzette put it in the 350 degree oven and took out the turkey.

Suzette cooked the carrots she picked from the garden this morning and she and Aaron grilled fresh asparagus. 

Suzette also had decorated the table with fresh flowers.

I had chilled a bottle of each of 2016 Red Newt Big H, 2019:Hermann Weimar Reserve dry Riesling, and Hermann Weimar 2019 Late Harvest Riesling last night. I had also chilled bottle of Roederer champagne, but only three of us wanted champagne, but everyone enjoyed a vermouth cocktail to start with as we organized the meal service.  My job was to slice the turkey and fill a bowl with the dressing. Then Suzette took some of the cooking juices from the turkey and made gravy and mashed the potatoes.

After everyone’s dishes were ready and Mother’s recipe for pull apart bread baked, I opened the bottle of Red Newt and poured six glasses and we each served ourselves turkey. I poured root beer for Alexi and we then passed the rest of the dishes around the table.

The Big H had a wonderful balance of acidity and fruitiness.  TR thought it was sweet and he was correct. After the Red Newt Suzette opened and poured the Weimer dry Riesling which with .08% residual sugar was breathtakingly dry and went well with the sweet elements of the meal.

I loved all the dishes and the orange flavored cranberry sauce reminded me of mother’s cranberry sauce.

We talked and talked and ate and ate and then everyone rested and we talked some more. 

In a few minutes Suzette suggested we eat dessert.  We brought in the pumpkin mousse and chocolate sauce filled parfait glasses and Suzette put a dollop of whipped cream on each and a dusting of ground roasted pumpkin seeds and Aaron cut slices of pecan pie and I poured sips of 2019 Wiemer Late Harvest Riesling that had 5.8% residual sugar.

We ate dessert around 3:00 and then we started packing food so everyone could have some leftovers. 

After everyone left Willy and I walked around the block and then he left.

We collapsed in front of the TV after putting away all the leftovers and Suzette went to bed at 8:00.

I stayed up until 11:00 and blogged and watched an old episode of Midsomer Mystery and blogged.

It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.

Bon Appetit