Tag Archives: Caribbean Thanksgiving

Rice and Peas Thanksgiving Style

Posted on by November 20, 2014

Rice and Peas Thanksgiving Style was one of the recipes that while based on a standard, needed a lot of tweaking before it was ready for my Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu. Most Rice and Peas recipes use a traditional sofrito that has tomatoes in it, and truth told, the tomatoes were too distracting and didn’t pair well with anything Thanksgiving. Also, a part of me wanted to use dried cranberries and pecans in the Rice and Peas Thanksgiving Style because of their obvious Thanksgiving ties, but it just wasn’t quite right, and it conflicted with the coconut milk, which was really important for the Spicy Jerk Turkey Drumsticks. So, after a final tasting which culminated in three different Rice and Peas Thanksgiving Style iterations plated at once, my brave tasters and I settled upon this version. And I’m so glad we did. Also, if coconut milk isn’t your thing, consider making a version omitting the coconut milk, dried mango, and cashews. The truth is this sofrito is really really good, and the plain version was perfect on its own. We just liked the crunch and texture of the spiffed up one a little more for such a festive menu. After all, … Continue reading →

Spicy Jerk Turkey Drumsticks

Posted on by November 20, 2014

Even if I hadn’t printed the menu and been teasing about it forever, you probably could have guessed that the main dish would be some version of Spicy Jerk Turkey Drumsticks. This is a Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu after all and jerk chicken is about as Caribbean as it gets. I had to keep things interesting though, as well as keep the attention on classic Thanksgiving ingredients, so I changed things up just a bit starting with the poultry. For Thanksgiving, turkey kicks chicken out of the pan, and because I really love dark meat, I picked drumsticks. One of my main goals was to create a dish that I could make ahead and not have to worry about taking prime oven space the day of, so pulled meat that I could warm in the crockpot was a sensible choice that made for a fun day for the cook as well as the guests without compromising on flavor. The rich, moist, Spicy Jerk Turkey Drumsticks were paired with MacRostie’s syrah, (it’s good to be related to an amazing winemaker who brings you an entire case of magnums for the event) which was one of the best wine pairings I’ve ever had. … Continue reading →

Lima Bean Gratin

Posted on by November 21, 2014

Sometimes the Thanksgiving dish that really blows you away is what you were least expecting, like this Lima Bean Gratin did on my Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu. I often make a gratin for Thanksgiving, but it rarely steals the show. Gratins are great make ahead dishes, and this Lima Bean Gratin is no different in that regard. Gratins are rich and creamy and something you wouldn’t make for a normal dinner, so that makes them special. Also, since I love really spicy things and tend to cook spicy even at Thanksgiving, (for example, my Thanksgiving Jerk Turkey Drumsticks) a gratin is excellent for cooling off your less spice inclined friends. This Lima Bean Gratin does all that and more. In fact, this was the most commented on dish of my Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu. It has just a touch of heat in the cream and lots and lots of leeks and shallots for lots and lots of flavor. Add some parmigiano reggiano and parsley laced breadcrumbs for the crunchy topping. Hey, I would never steer your wrong, and you’re onto something great with my Lima Bean Gratin. In the case of this Lima Bean Gratin, the dish that’s supposed to be the … Continue reading →

Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish

Posted on by November 24, 2014

I love cranberry relish, and no matter my theme, it’s going to be at my Thanksgiving table in some form or the other. So when I took on a Caribbean menu, there was no doubt that I would still make a cranberry relish no matter how foreign cranberries may be to the Caribbean and that was enough to make this Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish possible. I just needed to add the right flavors and accents to make the cranberry relish fit in with some of my more traditional dishes on the menu, like the jerk turkey. I also knew that since my classic relish is raw, I would need to combine it with a sauce of some sort if I wanted to sneak in something as bold as dark rum. So here we are with a best of both worlds Lime Dark Rum Cranberry Relish that combines a cranberry sauce and cranberry relish. While you’re making the relish, be sure to keep tasting both sauces throughout both processes (which is, of course, a good general practice) because while I like things a little tart, you may not, and should feel justified in upping the sugar just a bit here and … Continue reading →