Traditional Thanksgiving Menu 2019

• Steam the kabocha squash with the water for 20 minutes, or until tender. Set aside and let it cool slightly before blending.
• Add the kabocha squash to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients. Pulse the blender to get the squash chopped up and then hold down the power until a nice smooth puree forms. Scrape down the blender as necessary. Depending on the moisture of the squash, you may need to add additional water to the dip.
• Once it is smooth, transfer to a serving dish and garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and black sesame seeds. Serve with crackers and enjoy!

• Unroll the puff pastry so that it is laying flat on the countertop. Brush the puff pastry with the beaten egg and evenly sprinkle the parsley, sage, Parmesan and pepper evenly across the pastry.
• Begin by rolling the pastry back up, starting with one side and rolling it into the middle. Repeat for the other side and ensure that it is rolled tightly so no filling falls out. Wrap the roll in parchment paper and place in the refrigerator for 40 minutes to firm up. Alternatively, if you are making this ahead of time, you can place it in the freezer and cook from frozen.
• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Remove the pastry roll from the refrigerator and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, slice the roll into 1 centimetre thick slices. It's best to use a sawing motion to slice the roll so that you don't squish it. Place each of the pinwheels on a parchment lined baking tray about 2 inches apart.
• Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until the bottoms are golden brown and the pastry is cooked. Once cooked, let the palmiers cool for 5 minutes then serve.

For the Chicken & Herb Butter:

• Begin by making the herb butter. Add the butter, parsley, sage and thyme into a bowl along with the finely chopped garlic. Mix everything to combine and set aside. You will use this mixture to rub underneath and on top of the chicken skin.
• Preheat oven to 400°F.
• Remove the chicken from the packaging. Remove the giblets from the cavity (if they are included) and pat the outside of the chicken dry using a paper towel.
• Get ready to stuff the bird by placing the chicken into a roasting dish. Prop the chicken up and season the cavity lightly with salt and pepper mixture. Next, cut 1 onion into quarters and stuff them into the cavity of the chicken along with the remaining 3 whole cloves of garlic.
• Lay the chicken back down into the roasting pan, breast side up. Using your fingers, begin to separate the skin of the chicken from the breast and legs by running your fingers underneath the skin and gently pulling upwards. Try not to tear the skin.
• Next, place tablespoon-sized balls of butter underneath the skin of the chicken, distributing it evenly across both on the breasts and the legs. I find it easiest to add dollops of the butter underneath the skin first then massage the butter across the breasts and legs by pressing on the top of the skin. If you use your hands to spread the butter underneath the skin, the moisture of the chicken makes it much harder and it tends to clump up.
• Rub any the remaining butter mixture from your hands over the skin of the chicken. Make sure you rub the legs, wings and underside of the chicken as well as the breasts. F
• Wash your hands and then sprinkle with salt and pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil. Make sure to rub the olive oil evenly across the skin so that it gets nice and crisp.
• To ensure that the chicken cooks evenly, truss the legs together. Simply use butchers twine to tie the legs together. It doesn't have to be too tight, just make sure the legs won't separate. Additionally, to ensure the wings don't overcook, simply tuck them underneath the chicken, no trussing required.
• Scatter the remaining onion and chopped carrots on the bottom of the roasting dish and set the chicken on top.
• Bake the chicken in the center of the oven for 45 minutes. After 45 minutes, flip the chicken on its back and roast for another 15 minutes. After these 15 minutes, flip the chicken back to breast-side up and roast for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven once the temperature reaches 160 degrees F. Then, cover the chicken with aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 15 minutes before serving. Resting will continue to cook the chicken to its perfect doneness at 165 degrees F and will make it nice a juicy.

For the Gravy:

• To make the gravy, simply pour the chicken drippings from the roasting pan into a small sauce pot. Add the chicken stock and bring to a boil.
• In a small bowl, mix the water and cornstarch together until it’s smooth and then add it to the pot. Whisk until the gravy has thickened up and pour into a gravy boat to serve.
• Carve the chicken into the breasts, thighs, and drumsticks, and serve. Leftovers will keep for about 3 days in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 3 months.

• Preheat to the oven to 350 degrees F. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the butter and olive oil. Once the butter has melted, add the celery, carrots, onion, and pepper and saute until the vegetables have softened, but have not browned. This should take 5 to 7 minutes.
• Meanwhile, slice the bread into small cubes and then add them to the skillet along with the sage, thyme, and parsley. Mix everything together to combine.
• Once mixed, remove the stuffing from the heat and add the stuffing into a 9x13-inch baking dish. Spread the stuffing evenly in the dish then pour the chicken stock all over the stuffing.
• Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. Once the hour has elapsed, remove the aluminum foil from the baking dish and continue to bake for an additional 30 minutes so that the top gets nice and golden brown.
• Remove the stuffing from the oven and garnish with a sprig of thyme and extra chopped parsley. Enjoy!

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Butter the bottom and sides of a 9x12” baking dish. Arrange one layer of potato slices across the bottom of the dish so that they slightly overlap. Top with ¼ cup cheddar cheese and 1/8 cup Parmesan cheese. Sprinkle a pinch of thyme and black pepper onto each layer.
• Repeat this process until you have 5-6 layers of potatoes. Add the chopped garlic to the third layer.
• Combine the heavy cream, chicken stock, and cornstarch together in a separate bowl and pour over the potatoes. Top the potatoes evenly with the remaining cheddar cheese.
• Cover the dish with tin foil and bake in the oven for 1 hour. After 1 hour has elapsed, remove the foil and let the potatoes cook for an additional hour.
• Let the potatoes cool for at least 20 minutes before digging in.

• Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the bacon and cook until it has become nice and crisp, about 3 to 4 minutes per side. Remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
• Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon fat from the pan. Add the onion to the pan and sauté until it has softened and has become translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Next, add the brown sugar and black pepper to the pan and mix to combine. Add the beans on top of the onions, followed by the bacon, and the water. Cover and let the beans steam for 5 minutes, or until they are bright green and tender.
• Once the beans are steamed, add the apple cider vinegar and cook, uncovered for 2 minutes. Then chop the bacon into 1-centimetre sized pieces and add to the pan. Mix everything together to combine then serve immediately. Enjoy!

• Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
• Roll out one round of the pie dough on a lightly floured surface into a 12” circle that is 3 millimetres thick. Carefully place the dough into a 9” pie dish. Fold the excess dough underneath to form a thick crust along the perimeter of the pie. Dock the bottom of the pie with a fork to avoid any air bubbles from forming.
• Blind bake the pie for 10 to 12 minutes in the centre of the oven. To blind bake the pie, place a sheet of parchment paper over the pie dough and add pie weights (or uncooked dry rice or beans) to weigh down the pie. This ensures that the pie crust keeps its form and helps the crust start cooking.
• While the pie crust is baking, prepare the filling. Add the eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, cornstarch, salt, pumpkin spice mix, black pepper, and heavy cream to a large bowl. Mix everything together until it is combined and smooth.
• Make the egg wash by combining the egg and cream in a small bowl. Beat to combine and set aside.
• Remove the pie crust from the oven and carefully remove the parchment paper and pie weights. Pour the pie filling into the crust. Brush the edges with egg wash and bake in the centre of the oven for 50-55 minutes. About 30 minutes into baking, check the crust. If it is becoming too browned, remove the pie from the oven and wrap the crust in aluminum foil to protect it. Return to the oven and keep baking. The pie will be cooked once the filling is not jiggly.
• While the pie is baking, roll out the other round of pie dough to a 3-millimetre thickness. Use leaf-shaped cookie cutters to cut out leaves to decorate the top of the pie. Arrange the leaves on a parchment-lined baking tray so that they do not touch.
• In a small bowl, combine the white sugar and pumpkin spice mix. Brush each leaf with egg wash and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon sugar. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until golden brown.
• Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool for 20 minutes before adding the leaf decorations on top. Let the pie cool completely to room temperature (about 4 hours) before serving. If you are serving it the following day, loosely cover the pie with aluminum foil and place in the refrigerator overnight.
• Enjoy this Classic Pumpkin Pie on its own or with a dollop of fresh whipped cream. Enjoy!