Micah's 2022 Thanksgiving Recipe Extravaganza
The Third Annual Edition.
Hello, and welcome to Micah’s Read of the Week.
This is a newsletter filled with things Micah Wiener finds interesting. Check out the archive of previous newsletters here.
Welcome to the Turkey Day Edition of Micah’s Read of the Week.
For the first time, we’re hosting Thanksgiving at our house this year. I’m excited! My in-laws are already here and it should be a wonderful holiday. Please let me know if you use any of the recipes featured below. And check out previous extravaganzas here and here.
Baby boomers can’t stop staring at their phones
Everyone struggles to put down their phones, but some families have had enough
Too much screen time is something we usually associate with children. But there is another demographic that is struggling with putting down their devices: Baby boomers.
Smartphones came into their lives late, but they were quickly won over. Now some of their children say they are hooked, staring at their screens constantly, even when they should be paying attention to their own grandchildren.
So, what’s the big deal? Let’s keep it simple boomers: pay attention to your grandchildren.
“My mother has become very attached to her phone over the last five years. Whenever we’re together, she’s often on her phone, usually scrolling through social media,” says Angela, 37, who declined to use her last name to avoid hurting her parents’ feelings. “It really only bothers me when my children are around because they’re often trying to get her attention, and she’s unaware they’re trying to get her attention because she’s on her phone.”
So what are our elders doing on those screens?
They are playing Words with Friends, Candy Crush and card games, often with the volume turned up. They are looking at the news, checking sports scores, scrolling Facebook and texting. Some are even using them as actual phones.
“Phone calls are the worst,” says Richard Husk, a parent of two. “They will take a 45-plus-minute phone call with some random golf buddy while I am over with the kids trying to visit with them.”
Agreed! Phone calls are the worst.
Tyler McClure said his mom is on Facebook constantly and can’t do anything without her phone, while his dad “Googles the things he’s watching on television as he watches television.” Both parents are prone to staring at their phones instead of their grandchildren.
“My 75-year-old Vietnam vet dad, who once called smartphones ‘a time waster’ in 2009, today has his Bluetooth hearing-aid connected to his phone and his truck,” says McClure, who lives in Tennessee with his family. “Honestly, his iPhone may as well be a Borg implant the way he lives with it like a teenager.”
Not all screen time is the same. Sometimes the additional minutes spent staring is them figuring out the phone itself.
“They’re spending more time on just looking at their phone just figuring out what they’re actually looking at,” says Abbie Richie, the founder and CEO of tech-support company Senior Savvy. “For the first couple of seconds, an older adult really needs to figure out what they’re seeing. They have to process it. Their time on the device is longer because of the processing required.”
Everyone struggles with looking at their phones too much. It is likely grandparents picked up some of their habits from their own children and their children.
“The somewhat embarrassing reality is that they’re much better at not being distracted by their devices than my partner and I are,” says Lucas Mitchell, a dad of two from Vancouver. His parents use their iPhone and iPad frequently but are good at focusing on the family.
“You have to model the behavior you want them to have,” says Richie. “It’s almost like a boomer is using their phone as if they’re a 12-year-old who first got their phone and they’re screenager.”
Enjoy the time together. Now, on to the recipes…
Thanksgiving Recipe Extravaganza
Let’s start with a drink. This would be a good aperitif that could be easily batched ahead of time. And it’s a chance to show your family how sophisticated you are by serving Fernet and using the word “aperitif.”
Follow the Black Rabbit
.75 oz Fernet-Branca
.75 oz parts Gin
.75 oz parts Orange Juice
.5 oz Lemon Juice
.5 oz Maple Syrup
Garnish with orange slices and cloves. Cheers.
On to the main event.
Mayo-Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey With Gravy
OK, a couple of notes here. I will be cooking the bird with this technique, slightly modified. If you haven’t cooked a spatchcocked bird, you should. It’s easy. It cooks fast. It’s the only way to do it.
In regards to the modification mentioned above: my wife is a weirdo and is vehemently anti-mayo (and mustard— SMDH). So, we’ll take the same approach below but use a compound butter instead of the Hellman’s.
For the Turkey
1 whole turkey, backbone removed, neck, giblets and backbone reserved for the gravy
½ cup kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal) or 6 tablespoons coarse salt
2 celery ribs, diced
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, diced
For the Herb Mayo
1 ½cups mayonnaise (such as Hellmann’s or Best Foods)
1 cup loosely packed fresh parsley leaves, stems reserved
½ cup loosely packed fresh sage leaves, stems reserved
2 tablespoons fresh thyme or oregano leaves, stems reserved
2 scallions, roughly chopped
1 lemon, zested
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
For the Gravy
2 teaspoons neutral oil, such as vegetable, light olive oil or canola
2 celery ribs, roughly chopped
1 large onion, diced
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
Reserved backbone and any neck or giblets from the turkey, roughly chopped
1 ½quarts homemade or store-bought low-sodium chicken or turkey stock
Reserved herb stems from the Herb Mayo
2 bay leaves
¼ cup all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
Dry-brine the turkey: Pat the turkey dry with paper towels. Carefully loosen the skin from the breast of the turkey — going in through the neck may be easier here — until you can slide your hand between the skin and the meat. Season each turkey breast with 1 teaspoon salt, spreading it as evenly as possible with your hands. Sprinkle the remaining salt evenly over every surface of the turkey. Place the turkey skin-side up on a rimmed sheet pan, and refrigerate, uncovered, for 12 to 24 hours.
While the turkey dry-brines, make the herb mayo: In a tall container just wide enough to fit the head of a hand blender (or using a regular blender or food processor), combine the mayonnaise with the parsley, sage, thyme or oregano, scallions, lemon zest and 1 tablespoon water. Season generously with salt and pepper. Use the hand blender to blend until it all forms a relatively smooth, pale-green sauce. Transfer to a sealed container until ready to use. You should have about 1¾ cups of herb mayo. (You can make the mayo in advance up to a week and keep it in the fridge.)
Roast the turkey: Take the turkey out of the refrigerator to let it rest as the oven heats. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat the oven to 425 degrees for a 10- to 12-pound bird or 400 degrees for a 12- to 14-pound bird. Line a sheet pan with aluminum foil. Scatter the diced celery, onion and carrot over it. Place a cooling rack directly on top of the vegetables, then place the turkey on top, skin-side down.
With your hands, slather ½ cup of the herb-mayo mixture over the exposed side of the turkey, making sure to lightly coat every surface. Flip the turkey skin-side up. Spread the legs out to the sides (they should remain skin-side up) and tuck the wing tips behind the breast. With your hands, spread a couple of tablespoons of the herb mayo between the skin and meat of the breast. Generously slather the rest of the turkey with the herb mayo, getting it into every crack and crevice. (Reserve any remaining herb mayo for your day-after-Thanksgiving sandwiches.)
Transfer the turkey to the oven and roast until the breast meat registers 150 degrees at its coolest point (typically the deepest point of the breast next to the breastbone) and the thigh and leg meat register at least 165 degrees at their coolest point (typically the center of the joint between the drumstick and thigh or thigh and hip), 80 to 90 minutes, rotating halfway through. (You may want to start checking the turkey’s internal temperature after about 1 hour.) If any of the skin starts to darken too much during roasting, tent darker areas loosely with aluminum foil. Remove from oven, transfer to a cutting board, and let it rest.
While the turkey roasts, make the gravy: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over high until lightly smoking. Add the celery, onion, carrot and turkey parts, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned, about 15 minutes. Add the stock, herb stems and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook gently until reduced by about half, or until the turkey is done.
After removing the turkey from the oven, strain the stock mixture through a fine-mesh strainer into a large bowl. Tilt and strain any collected liquids from the turkey-roasting tray into the same bowl. Discard the vegetables at the bottom of the tray. Skim off and discard most of the excess fat from the liquid.
Heat the flour and butter in a medium saucepan over medium, stirring constantly with a whisk until the mixture is golden brown. Ladle the stock mixture into the saucepan, about a ½ cup at a time, whisking until smooth after each addition. Once all the stock is added, bring the gravy to a simmer until your desired consistency, stir in the soy sauce and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Carve and serve the turkey with the gravy.
Spiced + Charred Carrots with Tahini, Pistachio + Herbs
We’ll get a little non-traditional for this side. I’ll also be making cornbread dressing.
8 large carrots, sliced in half lengthwise
1 tsp. coriander
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. salt (more to taste)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. + 1.5 tsp. honey, divided (or maple syrup if vegan)
1/3 c. tahini
Juice from 1/2 lemon
1 clove garlic, grated
2 Tbsp. pistachios, chopped
1/4 c. herbs, chopped (parsley, dill, cilantro)
Pre-heat oven to 425 degrees F.
Toss carrots with olive oil, coriander, cumin, paprika + salt, and spread in 1 layer on the baking sheet.
Roast for 15 minutes, flip the carrots, and roast another 10-15 minutes until carrots start to appear charred at the edges. Then, drizzle carrots with 1 Tbsp. honey, and roast another minute.
While carrots are roasting, make the tahini sauce. Whisk together tahini, 1.5 tsp. honey, juice from 1/2 lemon, grated garlic, and salt + pepper to taste. To thin out the sauce, add water, 1 Tbsp. at a time, until sauce is desired consistency (you’ll want to be able to drizzle it!).
Spread carrots out onto a serving platter. Drizzle with tahini sauce, and sprinkle with chopped pistachios and herbs. Serve.
Pumpkin-Praline Pie
So here’s a secret most people know: pumpkin pie stinks. But, you gotta have it on the table one day a year. So here we are. Might as well make one that could actually be good, right?
1 (9-inch) pie shell, chilled in pie plate for 30 minutes
Pumpkin Filling
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree
¾ cup packed (5¼ ounces) dark brown sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground ginger
½ teaspoon ground allspice
pinch ground cloves
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup evaporated milk
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Praline Topping
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons granulated sugar
2 teaspoons dark corn syrup
½ cup packed (3½ ounces) dark brown sugar
pinch salt
For the pie shell: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Line pie shell with foil, cover with 2 cups pie weights (pennies or dried beans are fine, too), and bake until dough under foil dries out, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove foil and weights, poke crust several times with fork, and continue to bake until firmly set and lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove pie shell from oven (keep oven on) and set aside. (Shell can be cooled, wrapped tightly in plastic, and stored at room temperature for 1 day.)
For the filling: Puree pumpkin, brown sugar, spices, and salt in food processor until smooth, about 1 minute. Cook mixture in large saucepan over medium-high heat until sputtering and thickened, about 4 minutes, and remove from heat. Meanwhile, put pie shell back in oven to warm.
Whisk evaporated milk into pumpkin mixture, then whisk in eggs and vanilla. Pour filling into warmed pie shell and bake until filling is puffed and cracked around edges and center barely jiggles when pie is shaken, about 35 minutes.
For the topping: While pie is baking, toss pecans, brown sugar, and salt in bowl. Add corn syrup and vanilla, using fingers to ensure that ingredients are well blended.
Scatter topping evenly over puffed filling and sprinkle with granulated sugar. Bake until pecans are fragrant and topping is bubbling around edges, about 10 minutes. Cool pie completely on wire rack, at least 2 hours. (Pie can be refrigerated for up to 2 days.) Serve pie at room temperature.
Brown Sugar Layer Cake With Cranberry Buttercream
Here’s the dessert I’m actually excited about this year.
For the Cake
3 cups/385 grams cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 ¾cups/420 milliliters buttermilk, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 ¾cups/385 grams light brown sugar
¾ cup/170 grams unsalted butter, softened
¼ cup/60 milliliters neutral oil like canola or grapeseed
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 large egg whites, at room temperature
For the Jam
12 ounces/340 grams fresh cranberries (3½ cups)
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
½ cup/120 milliliters orange juice
½ teaspoon orange zest
1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Buttercream
4 large egg whites
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
2 cups/450 grams unsalted butter, softened and cut into tablespoons
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of kosher salt
Sugared cranberries, for garnish (optional)
Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter three 8-inch cake pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. Flour the pans and paper.
Sift the flour, baking powder and baking soda into a large bowl. Combine the buttermilk and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the sugar, butter, oil and salt. Beat on medium-high until very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Stop the mixer occasionally and scrape down the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add egg whites one at a time, mixing for about 20 seconds between each egg.
Set mixer to low and alternate adding the dry and wet ingredients in three additions. Mix until a few spots of flour remain. Remove the bowl from the mixer. Using a rubber spatula, finish folding in the dry ingredients: Make sure to scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl to ensure the batter is evenly mixed.
Divide the batter among the prepared pans (about 2⅔ cups per pan), smooth the tops and tap the pans on a countertop to release any large air bubbles. Bake cakes until golden and puffed, and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes.
Cool the cakes in the pans on a rack for 10 minutes, then use the tip of a knife to loosen the edges and carefully place them parchment-side down onto the rack to cool completely.
Meanwhile, make the cranberry jam: Combine cranberries, sugar, ½ cup water, orange juice and zest, ginger and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally, and cook until the cranberries have burst and juices are thick and jammy, about 5 minutes. Cool mixture to room temperature, then use an immersion blender or food processor to purée the mixture until smooth. Set aside. (You should have about 2½ cups.)
Make the buttercream: In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the egg whites and sugar. Set the bowl over a pot of simmering water and whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and mixture is hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.
Return the bowl to the stand mixer, and using the whisk attachment, beat the egg white mixture until stiff, glossy peaks form and both mixture and bowl are cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and reduce the speed to medium. With the mixer running, add the butter a couple of tablespoons at a time and beat the buttercream until smooth and fluffy. During this step, the buttercream will likely break and look curdled: Turn up the speed on the mixer for a few seconds, and it will come back together. Continue until all the butter is incorporated, then add the vanilla and salt. Slowly add ½ cup cooled cranberry jam, and mix until well combined. If the buttercream is extremely soft or runny, refrigerate for about 10 minutes, then whip until smooth.
Assemble the cake: If necessary, use a serrated knife to trim the cake layers so they are flat and even. Add a small spoonful of buttercream onto a cardboard cake round or serving plate, and place the first layer of cake, cut side up, on top.
Spread about ¾ cup buttercream on top of the cake. Spread about ¼ cup cranberry jam over the buttercream. Be careful not to spread the jam all of the way to the edge so it doesn't spill out the sides. Place the second cake layer on top, and repeat with buttercream and jam. Place the final layer on top, cut side down, and spread the top and sides of the cake with a thin, even layer of buttercream. (Store leftover jam in an airtight container in the refrigerator.)
Refrigerate the cake until the buttercream is firm, about 30 minutes. Then spread the remaining buttercream in an even layer over the cake. Serve at room temperature.
Did Micah practice yoga this weekend?
Yes. 60 minutes Saturday at Searsana Dripping Springs.
That’s 42 in-person weekend classes in 46 weeks this year.
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