How to Prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
December 6, 2012
•Emily Murray
•Scottsdale
• 0 Comments
How to Prepare a Thanksgiving Dinner for Two
A proper Thanksgiving Day meal does not have to resemble a scene out of a Norman Rockwell painting with every relation gathered around a heaping spread of autumnal food. It can be intimate, small scale, and perhaps most attractively, a fraction of the work. Preparing Thanksgiving dinner for two is an excellent opportunity to put a spin on traditional holiday dishes and exercise your flair for the culinary arts. Not only can cooking a smaller meal be easier, it can be a lot more fun too! If this goes well, perhaps you will want to enroll in one of the fabulous culinary schools in Arizona!
What Thanksgiving would be complete without a big beautiful bird on the table? A twenty pound turkey for two might be a bit much though, unless eating leftovers for weeks to come is an appealing prospect. Instead, consider opting for small individual birds such Cornish hens. Cornish hens are an ideal alternative to turkey as they have a similar gamey flavor over that of the average chicken. Their small size makes them very easy to prepare and serve as individual portions. There has also been a real trend in the culinary arts toward these single-serve birds.
To make cooking and presentation even simpler, serve the Cornish hens with a nice cranberry sauce. Braising or baking the meat in the sauce intensifies the flavor and saves the hassle of preparing an extra side dish. Cranberry is an excellent base for sauces served with poultry. It pairs nicely with almost every herb, adds beautiful color, and its tangy bite compliments the mild earthy flavor of the hen.
For consistency of flavor, use the same herbs in the cranberry sauce as are used in the stuffing. Instead of steaming stuffing inside the cavity of the turkey, it can be prepared as a casserole side dish. This is also a much safer way to make stuffing as cooking it inside a turkey can expose it to bacteria as well as make the texture soggy. When cooking for two, stuffing can be baked in ramekins for no-hassle serving. Leftover portions can be put in the refrigerator and easily popped in the microwave for a quick and scrumptious snack.
Of course, it would not be Thanksgiving without the pumpkin. When it comes to dessert, the sky is the limit. Use muffin tins to make individual pumpkin pies, put those extra ramekins to use for pumpkin crème brulees, pumpkin mousse, or even pumpkin flan! Pumpkin can be used in everything from cookies to custards to cupcakes so do not be afraid to incorporate it into existing favorite dessert recipes. It is also fun to have a selection of miniature desserts. Why choose just one?
With a little creative thinking, Thanksgiving dinner for two can be just as lavish and decadent as the traditional over the top spread. Enjoy the rich flavors of the season with that special someone without the seasonal stress. If you really enjoyed making your Thanksgiving dinner, you may also want to enroll, in classes at one of the culinary schools in Arizona.
This article is presented by Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale. Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts in Scottsdale offers culinary arts and pâtisserie and baking training programs. To learn more about the class offerings, please visit Chefs.edu/Scottsdale for more information.
Find disclosures on graduation rates, student financial obligations and more at www.chefs.edu/disclosures. Le Cordon Bleu® and the Le Cordon Bleu logo are registered trademarks of Career Education Corporation. Le Cordon Bleu cannot guarantee employment or salary. Credits earned are unlikely to transfer.