Thanksgiving Tasting Menu at Casa Dyannita

‘Tis (once again) the season. And for those of us who hail from the U.S. of A. – it all begins with a Thanksgiving feast. Of course the 4th Thursday in November isn’t a holiday here in Ecuador (rather, Ecuadorians similarly gather for dinner with their entire family – every. blessed. Sunday!) And furthermore, for we expats – with our DNA spread in many different distant corners of the globe…

Suffice, for this year’s day of “Acción de Gracias” I opted for a very different sort of Thanksgiving feast. With my wondrous 15 course lunch at Nuema in Quito still fresh in my mind, I decided that – instead of the usual whole roasted turkey with all the trimmings (e.g. plates piled high with huge helpings of mashed potatoes, dressing, gravy, et al) – I’d rustle up all the family traditionals of Thanksgiving that I so fondly remember from my youth in…

In a delicious string of bitty “tastings” much like I so enjoyed at my amazing Nuema lunch. A potpourri of little bites, slowly served over time (a.k.a. “Service a’ la Russe” a French term, meaning “service in the Russian style” – courses served one at a time on individual plates – apparently a Russian king introduced this serving method to the French who, at the time were tossing every dish imaginable on the table all at the same time – sound familiar?) IOW, each delectable bite-sized dish leisurely enjoyed individually, with plenty of time to swoon and chat between tastings.

Indeed, I’ve never been one for heavy dinners that leave me in an overstuffed coma when I finally lay down my knife and fork. Instead, I’m much more of a “nosher” – favoring small tidbits rather than “pigging-out” on huge platefuls of eats in one fell-swoop. Better still – small tastings allow for a wider variety of dishes. Not just one or two appetizers, but… why not (as in this case) FIVE starters, plus TWO different mains? And for that matter, why stop at a single pumpkin pie when… why not a tasty bevy of FIVE different treats for dessert??

And so it was. Admittedly it took me several days to plan and prep the many bitty dishes on the menu, but hey – I honestly enjoy cooking nearly as much as EATING good food. So all the fiddling with chocolate spoons, shelling bitsy quail eggs (NOT for the faint-hearted!), grating tiny strings of sweet potato, etc. proved both challenging and great fun!

So without further ado – the full menu:

Whew! Depending how you count ’em – no fewer than 16 different tastings there! The truth is, even I’m surprised that I managed to create such a prolific offering of Thanksgiving treats. Starters are my weakness of course, so I (reluctantly) narrowed them down to “only” FIVE! And mains? Another stumper – so many interesting ways to serve turkey off the bird, and I couldn’t decide… so I made BOTH the kabobs and the stuffed turkey rolls. Btw, they both turned out delish, but I must say – the latter artichoke dip stuffed rolls were absolutely Diii-VINE! And for dessert? Likewise a gazillion options, but I (prudently – for my culinary fiddle stamina was wearing a bit thin by then…) settled for “just” five.

All in all, I was pretty pleased with the culinary results. Leastwise most everything turned out both pretty and tasty. And I even managed to shoot a pic of each dish to share:

First up – simple but tasty gazpacho shooters (w/ a gob of avocado fashioned w/ a melon-ball cutter) 😉

Starter #2: Parmesan Cones filled w/ prosciutto and red basil: Note: Um, (as you can imagine) the parmesan cones were a bit tricky to make (you had to be F.A.S.T. to roll them up just out of the oven. And while the cheese was melting, I opted to add a sprinkle of toasted sesame seeds and a dusting of smoked paprika to liven them up. Also, drizzled with homemade balsamic vinegar glaze (my fave!)

Starter #3: A single fresh shrimp with my own homemade shrimp cocktail sauce (yeah, like I could buy it already made here in Ecuador – NOT, sigh…)

Starter #4: Deviled quail eggs w/ a savory Spritz cheese cracker. Quail eggs are very popular here in Cuenca, and I never fail to buy myself a small bag of them (8 for $1) at the street carts in El Centro. They were also popular in Vietnam, where I first had the (hair-brained!) notion of “deviling” them for a potluck affair w/ some of my adult Vietnamese English students. So this was actually my 2nd try at PEELING the little buggers, and… actually it proved surprisingly easy-peasy (albeit very gently, under running water).

And the “Spritz” cheese cracker? That was inspired by my dd Alyson. She sent me the recipe and I used my Spritz cookie press for the first time.

Starter #5 (!!!): Sweet/Salty Pastry Puffs, filled with bits of fried bacon, a cube of marinated feta (was s’pose to be “halloumi” but I couldn’t find that here in Cuenca, so…), plus chopped dates and a bit of hot honey spiced w/ a smidge of sriracha sauce. Actually super easy/quick to make with store-bought puff pastry, but… alas they were suppose to have a sprinkle of pretty pink pomegranate arils (which – by some miracle – I actually had on hand). But alas – I completely forgot to toss them on the puffs before serving. ;(

The MAINS…

Main #1: Sweet Ginger Turkey Kabobs w/ a bevy of miniaturized traditional Thanksgiving side-dishes. The turkey – boneless breasts, nicely hammered into thin (and thus uber-tenderized) filets, marinated, skewered, and grilled on my beloved cast iron stove-top grill pan.

And the sides? That would be (inside the terracotta bowls) my favorite T-day dressing (w/ sausage, dried cranberries, apples, and walnuts) plus miniature versions (~1.5″ round) of my dear Gram Kruger’s potato dumplings. Indeed, Thanksgiving (no matter where on the Planet I happen to be) just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving, without her yummy potato dumplings.

And finally… a “deconstructed” version of the legendary “Green Bean Casserole” (made with good ol’ Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom Soup) that graces most every Thanks giving table in my native land. My version? Grilled fresh green beans, wrapped in proscuitto – topped with a single slice of mushroom (to fill in for the Campbell’s soup).

Oh, and lest we forget – a couple more uber-traditionals… My version of candied sweet potatoes (shredded raw sweet potatoes, swiftly toasted to a crunch in my air-fryer) plus the ubiquitous touch of jellied cranberry sauce (which amazingly I can – sometimes – find on the shelves of the gringo supermarket here in Cuenca).

Main #2 (only b/c I simply couldn’t choose between the two turkey recipes): Artichoke-dip Stuffed Turkey Rolls plus Grilled Bacon and Brussels Sprout Kabobs. As I said earlier – both turkey mains were delish, but the turkey rolls proved HEAVENLY! (I mean, how can you possibly go wrong if you’re stuffing them with ARTICHOKE DIP for heaven’s sake!) 😉

And finally – The DESSERTS:

Dessert #1 and #2: Cranberry Mousse Puffs  + a Chocolate Spoon w/ a dollop of Cranberry Cheesecake. The puffs were easy enough w/ store-bought puff pastry, and the chocolate spoons turned out to be easy-peasy in my silicone mold.

Dessert #3: A trio of Sweet Treats. This dessert concoction was directly inspired by my final “postre” at Nuema – 3 unique sweet nibbles perched upon a bowl of white rocks.

So of course… I dug up my clear marbles (that I use as props in my food photography) and voila! A chocolate/peanut butter/chopped date energy ball rolled in toasted sesame seeds (that I make for a healthy snack all the time) + a single wine gummy (my fave for easy-peasy edible Christmas gifts) topped w/ a wispy gob of edible gold foil +  a milk chocolate bonbon filled with jellied cranberry sauce. The latter, likewise a new favorite for uber-simple edible Christmas gifts.

Seriously. No doubt it all looks like a TON of WORK and by now you all think I’m a tad CRAZY for undertaking such an ambitious tasting menu, amirite?

But… the truth is, none of the dishes were particularly tough to prepare. Just a matter of spreading the fiddle over several days (which… most Thanksgiving cooks do anyway). And I must say – my guests seemed to enjoy every bite, and I think I may well do a tasting menu every Thanksgiving. So much fun to miniaturize/deconstruct the usual same-ol’-same-ol’ traditional foods, and spread out the bites into a more manageable/enjoyable tasting affair.

In any case, hope you all – near and far – have a most wonderful holiday season filled with all manner of delicious EATS!

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