Thanksgiving week wraps up here at Leah’s Thoughts with THREE, that’s right, three of my favorite Thanksgiving recipes for you. Are you ready? Hold on to your seats. We have Cranberry Zinfandel Sauce, Creamed Corn and Pumpkin Roulade Cake with Ginger Buttercream.
First up is cranberry sauce. But this is no ordinary relish. It’s Cranberry Zinfandel Sauce. This recipe is from Phyllis Carey’s Wine Country Thanksgiving class I took at Great News Cooking School. I love this twist on basic cranberry sauce.
1 3/4 cups red Zinfandel
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
6 whole cloves
6 whole allspice
2 cinnamon sticks
1 (3? x 1?) strip orange peel
1 (12 oz.) bag of fresh cranberries
Combine all except cranberries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugars. Reduce heat and simmer until reduce to about 1 3/4 cups, about 10 minutes. Strain syrup into large saucepan. Add cranberries to syrup and cook over medium heat until berries burst, about 6 minutes. Cool, cover and refrigerate until cold. Keeps one week in the refrigerator. I always make this the Monday or Tuesday before Thanksgiving.
Next up: Creamed Corn. This side dish will knock the socks of of your dinner guests. Seriously it is incredible. Words cannot describe how good it is. I always double the recipe because it’s the first dish to run out. The recipe is from Diane Phillips’ Do-Ahead Thanksgiving Dinner class, also from Great News Cooking School.
1 pound frozen white kernel corn (defrosted)
1 1/2 cups whipping cream (use half-and-half or whole milk for a “lighter” version)
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon sugar
3 Tablespoons flour mixed with 3 Tablespoons softened butter
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Butter or spray a baking dish. Sprinkle dish with 2 – 3 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, tilting the pan to distribute the cheese. Bring the cream to a boil. Reduce the heat and add corn. Simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in salt and sugar.
Make a paste with the butter and flour, and stir into the corn and cook until the mixture boils and thickens. Turn corn into the baking dish and sprinkle with remaining cheese.
Refrigerate up to four days. Bake at 350-degrees for 30 minutes until bubbling and golden brown.
And finally, Pumpkin Roulade Cake with Ginger Buttercream for dessert. This recipe is courtesy of my cooking idol, Ina Garten (aka The Barefoot Contessa). I love this dessert because it’s a nice change from the traditional pumpkin pie. It’s unique and has a “light” taste to it. Don’t be scared off by the fancy looks of it either; it’s really easy and your guests will be so impressed.
I hope you enjoyed Thanksgiving Week! Don’t forget about crockpot stuffing and best brussels sprouts from earlier this week.
Happy Thanksgiving to all my wonderful friends and readers out there!
I am truly thankful for you!