Reading today’s New York Times Food Section sent me reeling back to days of old with my Mother in the kitchen. Julia Child and my Mom are inextricably linked in my mind and my heart, as I first was introduced to Julia, as I have written here before, in front of a black and white tv in our living room. My Mom loved Julia and Graham Kerr and made it a point of watching them as often as possible. I was interested.
As I read the article today about Julia’s Thanksgiving proclivities in her own kitchen in Cambridge, MA, I was instantly taken back to my Mom’s interest and devotion to certain foods that I found to be suspect and unapproachable. One of those was mincemeat. Every year, my Mom would make a mincemeat pie at Thanksgiving and Christmas, and was the only one to partake.
Now, I can clearly say that my palate was in no way near as persnickety as my Dad’s was, but when it came time for my Mom to bake that pie, I was, to say the least, not intrigued by this version. Being that we were in the 1960s-era of convenience foods, my Mom used Mincemeat from a jar, and her choice was the brand shown above. I don’t recall her ever making mincemeat from scratch, but she may have. I can recall vividly not comprehending what mincemeat was and from the looks of it, I didn’t much want to know. Knowing that my Mom was also a fan of dried figs, dates and prunes, I just assumed this was another member of this category of sorts. These foodstuffs, together with this pie, were probably the only things I ever knew about her that I didn’t quite understand.
Back then, the idea of putting something called mincemeat into a pie and eating it for dessert threw me for a loop. I believe I recall some discussion of the word suet, which by the way she also employed dutifully in the starting of her pot roast. When I was old enough to go grocery shopping for her, I remember picking out a piece of suet from the meat case and thinking, “what the heck – what could this possibly be”? And, when my imagination got the better of me, it promptly switched off. Then again, back then my Mom was also known to have purchased a butter box container of lard, as well. These all remain considerable mysteries to me (even though lard has come back in style), but I went along with them since what came out of her oven or from her stove was always amazing. (Well except that squid and baccala which filled the house with the most repulsive smells that I’d head for the hills.) Well, nobody’s perfect.
Anyway, today it seems perfectly sensible that my Mom and Julia would both be fans of using mincemeat. But, I will have to say that despite my complete respect for both of them as cooks, bakers and the most wonderful people ever, I am still not budging off my position, even though I know in my heart I should try it before I swear off it forever. I admit there is a smidgeon of me that knows I could be wrong here……..
Here is a quick primer on mincemeat for the holidays. This, of course, is not to be confused with another term that I found confounding if not repulsive-sounding, that of forcemeat for patés, terrines and such:
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/12/09/mincemeat-explained_n_6288020.html
Every Thanksgiving my Mom would wrestle with a large Tom turkey on her small kitchen counter and prepare her stuffing, which to this day I can not bring myself to alter, well, except for a splash or two of white wine, to which I attribute to Julia’s influence as well.
Let’s just say my Mom’s Thanksgiving is still the model for mine and with the exception of a couple of new additions of which she’d likely approve, it remains unchanged:
only additions to my Mom’s menu:
sweet potato rolls
that dastardly-smelling mashed Turnip – preferably the Eastham variety (white) – https://kitchen-inspirational.com/2012/11/17/the-eastham-turnip-the-lore-the-fame-the-following/
roasted garlic in the mashed potatoes
This year, though, I may try to replicate those delectable slivers of brussels sprouts and truffled mashed potatoes I had recently with amazing salmon at JoJo in New York. Never have I had a more palatable iteration of this ever-burgeoning little cabbagey-looking member of the Brassicaceae family. There’s no wrestling on your plate or in your mouth with this awkwardly sized and textured, albeit wildly popular culinary selection in this version.
As with the mincemeat pie scenario in my childhood, there probably won’t be any servings on my kids’ plates.
here you go:
RECIPE – courtesy fbworld.com and Jean-Georges Vongerichten
Slow Baked Salmon with Truffled Mashed Potatoes
By Executive Chef Jean George Vongerichten, Jo Jo and Vong, Manhattan, NY
Mashed PotatoesIngredients:
2 lb. Yukon Gold Potatoes
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
3 tbls. Butter
3/4 cup Milk
1/2 lb. Truffle (chopped)
Method:
Boil the potatoes in salted water to cover, until soft. Remove, peel and pass through a ricer. Bring milk to a boil. Return potatoes to the pot over very low heat and stir in the butter and the milk until smooth and creamy. Season with truffle, salt and pepper as necessary. Keep warm.
Truffle Vinaigrette Ingredients:
1 1/2 tbls. Truffle Juice
1 1/2 tbls. Truffle Paste
1/2 tbls. Sherry Vinegar
1/2 cup Grapeseed Oil
1 tbls. Lemon Juice
1 tbls. Boiling Water
Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
Method:
Mix all ingredients except oil in blender. Blend well then drizzle in oil and season with salt and pepper.smashed.
To Serve:
4 – 6 oz. Salmon Steak (skin on)
2 Brussels Sprout (sliced and blanched)
4 tbls. Chive (chopped)
1 tbls. Butter
Cracked Black Pepper
Coarse Salt
Method:
Smear a baking dish with the butter and place the salmon, skin side up, on the butter. Let sit while you pre heat the oven to 275 degrees F. Put the salmon in the oven and set the timer for 12 minutes. Check the salmon after 12 minutes, the skin should peel off easily, it should flake, and an instant read thermometer should display about 120 degrees. Lift skin and scrape off the gray fatty matter on the skin side. Sprinkle with some coarse salt and cracked black pepper. Place a portion of mashed potatoes on a plate. Top with a piece of salmon. Drizzle truffle vinaigrette all around the plate and garnish with Brussels sprouts and minced chives.
So, whatever you are making, serving or wherever you are dining this Thanksgiving, take a moment to remember the loved ones who inspired you to cook, eat or make reservations. Their inspiration lives within us. 🙂