Cooking Cove: Thanksgiving tidbits and nibbles

Cooking Cove: Thanksgiving tidbits and nibbles

Dolores’ Cranberry Cheddar Spread. Stock photo

By Barbara Beltrami

So it’s Thanksgiving. Bearing foil-covered trays and pans, tracking in wet leaves, and offering sumptuous hugs and air kisses, here they are … your family and your friends and probably a couple of strays from work.

The turkey is nowhere near done, a fact which my mother-in-law, Rose, reminds me is because I didn’t do it her way. Uncle Hal is already smashed and proselytizing about the election. My 2-year-old great-nephew, Harley (named after his dad’s bike), is poking holes in the pumpkin pie. My great-niece, Opra (without the “h”), is wired to her iPhone. Aunt Dolores is already out on the deck having the first of many smokes, and  my sister Lynn unveils a bowl of her “famous Brussels sprouts” while I internally grimace and mutter, “You shouldn’t have.”

To get him out of the kitchen because his after shave lotion is so staggeringly overpowering that I’m starting to feel woozy, I ask my brother-in-law, David, to go to the family room and turn on the parade or game and take platters of nibbles with him. Predictably, others follow in his wake and start gobbling (pun intended) everything in sight as if there were no dinner coming soon.

I ask my brothers to swirl their wine glasses outside while they light the grill to cook the oysters. No one except Uncle Hal has had enough to drink yet to bring up politics, but that should get rolling any minute and reach a crescendo over what’s left of the pumpkin pie.

With apologies and wishes to all perfect and imperfect families, Happy Thanksgiving!

Dolores’ Cranberry Cheddar Spread

Dolores’ Cranberry Cheddar Spread

YIELD: Makes 24 servings

INGREDIENTS:

8 ounces softened cream cheese

2 cups shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

2 tablespoons half and half

¼ teaspoon mustard

¼ teaspoon cayenne

3 tablespoons chopped dried cranberries

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium bowl, vigorously combine all ingredients except cranberries. Stir in cranberries. Place in a serving bowl and refrigerate or serve immediately with crackers and crudités.

My Grilled Oysters

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

1½ sticks softened unsalted butter

4 tablespoons snipped fresh chives

2 tablespoons hot sauce

Scant half teaspoon coarse sea salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

4 dozen large fresh oysters, scrubbed but not opened

DIRECTIONS:

Place the butter, chives, hot sauce, salt and pepper in a food processor and pulse until completely combined. Transfer to small bowl. Meanwhile, light the grill. When it is hot, place the oysters, flat side up, on a sheet of aluminum foil on the grill rack. Cover and cook for about 5 minutes, until they open. Using tongs and being careful not to spill any of  the liquid inside the shells, remove the oysters from the grill, remove the top shell and divide the prepared chive butter evenly among them. Return to grill, cover and cook until butter is mostly melted, about 1 to 2 minutes. Carefully remove from grill and transfer to a platter. Serve immediately with lemon wedges and toasted baguette slices.

Not My Sister’s Brussels Sprouts

YIELD: Makes 12 servings

INGREDIENTS:

½ cup extra virgin olive oil

3 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed and sliced in half lengthwise

10 garlic cloves, peeled

Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 400 F. In a large pan, heat oil over medium high heat, then add sprouts, cut side down. Evenly distribute garlic, salt and pepper, and roast, shaking pan frequently, until sprouts are browned on bottom and tender inside, about 35 minutes, depending on their size. Remove from oven, transfer to a large serving bowl and toss with balsamic vinegar. Serve as hors d’oeuvres immediately or at room temperature accompanied by a dry rose or white wine or as a side dish to dinner.