09 December 2012

Bangkok Thanksgiving!


So dear friends...it has been ages! My apologies for having neglected my blogging duties for so long! Between an insanely busy month at work, travels and a lovely two-week visit by the Gastronomic Nomad, things have just been really, really busy. This doesn't mean of course that I haven't been cooking (and eating!), and I do have lots of exciting recipes and experiences to share with you in the weeks to come. One particular highlight was Thanksgiving, our first one here in Bangkok. With three chefs in the kitchen (Luis, the Gastronomic Nomad and myself), I would say that we rustled up quite the feast for a crowd of 20 or so friends! Here's a little peak at some of it. As usual when hosting a dinner party, I didn't have time to take many photos so thanks to the Gastronomic Nomad, Nett and other friends who did!

First, the decor...a special Thanksgiving tablecloth and napkins brought all the way from the States (thank you, Target!) as well as an acorn squash, leaves and pine cones foraged in Central Park (thanks, Gastronomic Nomad!). She was also kind enough to bring fresh cranberries and pecans (the former impossible to find here in Thailand, the latter quite expensive), while Luis brought back lots of comté and other cheeses from his recent trip to Paris. The turkey was a whopping 19-pounder acquired at Villa Market (a Butterball!).


The menu was as follows:

Cocktails
Apple-ginger-bourbon punch
Cranberry prosecco spritzers
Wine, beer, soft drinks

Nibbles
Comté & thyme gougères
Spinach & artichoke dip (as usual, I used my go-to recipe by the Brown-Eyed Baker)
Mushroom pâté with truffle oil
Blinis with caramelized onions, crème fraîche and sun-dried tomatoes
Pumpkin, corn & lemongrass soup shooters (recipe from November 2007 issue of Gourmet)
Sweet potato wontons (made by Rebecca)

Comté & thyme gougères
Spinach & artichoke dip
Blinis (left) and soup shooters (right)

Mains
Piri-piri marinated turkey (dubbed as 'Henrique')
Garlic mashed potatoes
Spicy, Southwestern-style creamed corn
Cornbread, butternut squash & kale stuffing
Cranberry sauce with notes of orange and cinnamon
Cheddar, comté and monterey jack macaroni & cheese
Green salads (made by Rita, Agathe and Swati)

'Henrique'
Creamed corn
Cornbread, butternut squash & kale stuffing
Salads and the rest of the spread!
Desserts
Apple & cranberry crumble
Classic pecan pie (made by Ae)

Pecan-chocolate tart (it was supposed to be topped with a bourbon crème fraîche, but we didn't have time)

Despite being far from home and the weather outside hovering around 32 C / 90 F, it was a most wonderful Thanksgiving! Beyond just stuffing ourselves silly with all the delicious food (including lots of leftovers over the next few days), we gave thanks for the great life that we have in Thailand and all of the wonderful people that we've met in the 10+ months that we've been here. Much to be thankful for indeed!




3 comments:

  1. What an incredible feast and it looks like everyone had a fabulous time. It's cool to celebrate that thye of holiday in a foreign country!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Wow! What an array of fabulous dishes! It makes my head spin to think that you guys made all this food! Congrats!-Mom

    ReplyDelete
  3. It was so fun and yummy!! Thanks for making my first Thanksgiving away from my family so special and amazing.

    ReplyDelete