To my american friends

Thanks Ian, I'm trying to decide on wines as I write this. Thanksgiving, like many holidays here in the US has lost it's original meaning over the years and to many has become the start of the Christmas retail season or perhaps the only reason all year to roast a turkey. In our home it's tradition to go around the table and each and everyone must give good reason to be thankful. My wife always cooks the turkey neck with the giblets to flavor the stock used for gravy. She uses the giblets in the gravy but gives the neck to the dog. A number of years ago, when my sons were 7 and 9, the younger one gave thanks that the dog got the turkey neck. I always laugh when I think of his sincerity in that message of thanks! I think this year I'll give thanks that neither of my sons are in Iraq.......and a prayer that those who are will come home safely very soon. Bi!!

Thanks, Ian. I also wish all and sundry a Happy Thanksgiving, even those who may not celebrate the event (or celebrate on another day). As it happens, though, I'm cooking a goose this year -- and we haven't decided on the wines yet, but are leaning toward a mature claret and something else equally gamey.

Mark Lipton

Ian Hoare writes a cheery post:

Ian---

My cheers to you: for roast turkey, a Monterey County Pinot Noir (Santa Lucia Highlands), and an old vines Zinfandel from Renwood, in the Sierra Foothills. New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc for the entering dish.

My best match for the traditional pecan pie (or the even more traditional pumpkin pie) is any 5 puttonyos Tokaji from Hungary. The match will send chills up your spine--it is sooooooooo perfect (especially if it's Tokaji in the old style, slightly aldehydic).

Thanks so much for your "foreigner's" point of view and endorsement of our customs!

---Pilgrim Bob

Merci beaucoup, Ian!

Tom

Thank you Ian. Betsy is busy (cranberry cornbread is done). I'm currently boiling shrimp for an appetizer, I'm also doing smoked salmon canapes, etc. Betsy is making Madiera-braised turkey with fried sage stuffing, another pan of stuffing/dressing with shiitakes, leeks with chestnuts, green beans, mashed potates, etc. Some guests eat fish but not poultry or red meat, so I have a nice side of salmon to grill. Obviously no one wine is going to go with these disparate dishes. So I've got a lineup - Pfalz & MSR Kabinetts, Vouvray, Burgundy (the Lafarge Clos.d.Ch.d. Ducs should go well with salmon), Zin, older Bdx. Only a couple of guests really care re wine, I'm just going to show this little array ande say "what do you want me to open?".

I spoke at a interfaith service in a nearby town last night, and was thinking about all the things I had to be thankful for. Compared to when I was homeless, there are are a lot of physical things I have to be thankful for - a warm safe home with a bountiful kitchen, etc. But the thing I'm most thankful for is the people in my life- most of all Betsy, but also David, Lucy the Basset, my family, and all my friends near and far. I count some of who who I've never met face to face among those I'm thankful for. Peace, all! Dale

Dale Williams Drop "damnspam" to reply

Ian Hoare snipped-for-privacy@wanadoo.fr stops by to say.....

And from an American back to you and the rest of the world........Thanks for the sentiment and thanks for the continuing displayed friendship at a time Americans and so many others can use extra friendship from any and all shores.

As the day to day grind can always be a little better, Lord knows it can likewise be worse, so always be thankful for what it is. Life is great, no matter the vintage.

BTW & FYI, the wine never matches the sage laden turkey. That's why we have eggnog with whiskey..........8^)

Cheers to you and yours Ian....

Always here for my fellow syngraphist or oenophile.

--=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=----=*=--

To: Ian & all my wino friends.

This is a day I'm very thankful for. If it wasn't for the quick thinking of a friend who I was driving with and excellent ambulance service, I dodged the big heart/stroke bullet. I'm home from the hospital now, waiting to go with Christina to a thanksgiving dinner, where they will drink some my former clients wines(balgera) from the Valtellina.

I still hope to see you in NZ and Europe someday in the next few years if not come to the DC area & say hi!!!! How do you say no sodium, low fat, low carb in French, Kiwi & Italian???? Nameste

"Joe Beppe Rosenberg" snipped-for-privacy@comcast.net asks...

Thanksgiving is not part of the British celebratory tradition, but thanksgiving is. Have a wonderful day our American winelovers.

I am off to the pub for a couple of pints of Adnams Broadside. In our pub there are three banned topics, sex, religion and politics ,but......rules are to be broken, and you Colonials across the pond may not realise there is a lot of support for our PM and OUR stand.

Slurp

John Taverner Solihull UK

Salut/Hi RV WRLee,

le/on 27 Nov 2003 03:00:54 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

WEll, with all the discussion around here these last few weeks, you're spoilt for choice! My take is that it all depends upon the accompaniments. If you do a south western style Turkey then you'll perhaps look to one kind of wine, while New England dressing and accompaniments would possibly allow more variety.

over the years

And not just in the US. Christmas has lost all meaning, with the laification of the UK, except as a time for immoderate eating and drinking, and (for too many) trying to get on with members of the family you never see at any price!

France is the same, with Halloween becoming a festival! Sigh... I'm an old fogey.

give good reason to be thankful.

A lovely idea, Bob.

Naturally.

I'll drink to that!

Salut/Hi Mark Lipton,

le/on Thu, 27 Nov 2003 05:31:03 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

Yum, my favourite poultry. We did one for Christmas last year for my brother when we were staying there with him. Stuffed with foie gras stuffed prunes, and served with a strong giblet gravy. Tony served a very nice burgundy with it iirc, and it went extremely well.

Salut/Hi RobertsonChai,

le/on 27 Nov 2003 06:28:47 GMT, tu disais/you said:-

I've never thought of Tokaji Aszu with Pecan pie, though your enthusiastic recommendation makes me tempted! Just to show you that I'm a keen afficionado of good american cooking this is the recipe for Pecan Pie that I developed alongside a very good friend from Boston, who really ought to read these pages, as he is passionate about food and wine.

----- Now You're Cooking! v5.62 [Meal-Master Export Format]

Title: Looho Pecan Pie Categories: american, desserts, nuts, pies Yield: 8 servings

-------------------------------EUROPEAN UNITS------------------------------- 250 g flour 1/2 ts salt 100 g butter 60 g shortening 1 egg yolk 1 ts sugar 1 ice water; as needed

--------------------------------PECAN FILLING------------------------------- 3 eggs; beaten 1 pn salt 1/2 ts vanilla extract 120 g light brown sugar 180 g pecans 300 g maple syrup canada #1 light 50 g butter; or more

-------------------------------AMERICAN UNITS------------------------------- 1 3/4 c flour 1/2 ts salt 1 stick butter 4 tb shortening 1 egg yolk 1 ts sugar 1 ice water; as needed

------------------------PECAN FILLING (US MEASURES)------------------------- 3 eggs; beaten 1 pn salt 1/2 ts vanilla extract 2/3 c light brown sugar 1 c maple syrup grade a lt amber 1 1/2 c pecans 3 tb butter

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Processor method Put flour, salt, sugar and cold fats in the bowl of the processor. Process until reduced to fine breadcrumb consistency. Add egg yolk and ice water, stop processing as soon as the pastry form a ball.

Manual method. In a bowl, using a pastry blender, combine the flour, sugar, salt, butter and vegetable shortening until crumbly. Add egg and cold water and mix to form a ball.

Roll out and place into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim off excess. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the beaten eggs, salt, vanilla extract, brown sugar, pecans, syrup, and melted butter. Pour into unbaked pie crust.

Bake in preheated oven for 40 to 50 minutes. Allow to cool and refrigerate.

Recipe M Loo & I Hoare 3 January 96 Forges France

-----

] Hi All, ] ] Just a quickie to wish you all a happy thanksgiving. ] ] Hope the wines matched the turkeys and that the turkeys matched your ] expectations. ] Thanks Ian,

Yes, there is still thanksgiving in Normandy! A '90 Bosquet des Papes was a treat with a small (8 lbs, to the astonished american audience) farm turkey stuffed with sage, onions and chestnuts, all from the garden.

An interesting Bosquet, actually. At first it struck me as all grapey, even oxidized, without much tannins. But after an hour of breathing the tannins really came to the fore, and the fruit mellowed to a thick kirsch aspect, still with a little prune. A very dark, tarry wine in the end.

-E

Any bread in that stuffing, Emery, or just the ingredients listed?

prune. A very

Good to hear about the Bosquet. I've still got some in the cellar (I think).

Happy Thanksgiving! Mark Lipton

] ] ] Emery Davis wrote: ] ] > Yes, there is still thanksgiving in Normandy! A '90 Bosquet des Papes was ] > a treat with a small (8 lbs, to the astonished american audience) farm turkey ] > stuffed with sage, onions and chestnuts, all from the garden. ] ] Any bread in that stuffing, Emery, or just the ingredients listed? ]

Hi Mark,

Well OK, about a half a loaf of bread baked that morning. Not by me though, so it hardly seemed worth mentioning. :) Also celery, apple (ours) and about a pound of fresh normandy butter. ] >

] >

] > An interesting Bosquet, actually. At first it struck me as all grapey, even oxidized, ] > without much tannins. But after an hour of breathing the tannins really came to the ] > fore, and the fruit mellowed to a thick kirsch aspect, still with a little prune. A very ] > dark, tarry wine in the end. ] ] Good to hear about the Bosquet. I've still got some in the cellar (I think). ] ] Happy Thanksgiving! ] Mark Lipton ]

You too Mark! Open a Bosquet and let us know what you think. My impression was that its time is now.

-E