Our Thanksgiving Menu and Making Compound Butter

Wow, a compound title...

Okay, here's our Thanksgiving menu:

• Dinner Rolls...I'm tweaking the recipe as I write this, so we will see how it turns out. Hey, I actually kept track of the measurements this time


• Whipped Potatoes...there's a shock


• Manicotti...Yes, something different and just because I won't have enough to do, I'll be making my own Ricotta cheese to use in it. I am currently trying to find a recipe for this, so if you have one, please let me know. As soon as I have made and tried a successful recipe, I will share it with you



• Turkey


• Pumpkin Pie Cheesecake...Again, something different, but it's really good


• Apple Pie with Crème Fraîche and Black Pepper...This has become a family tradition

Over the next week, I'll be sharing each of these recipes and I'll also sneak in a few others that I have done at previous Thanksgivings. Because some of these dishes require advance preparation, I'm going to start by sharing those with you. To start things off, here is a guide to making Compound Butter. This is what I use to give additional flavor to the turkey (although, you could also use it in the potatoes).


Compound Butter:
Things you'll need:

Butter...1 lb. (4 sticks) unsalted, please
Fresh Sage...1 Tbsp
Fresh Rosemary...1 Tbsp
Fresh Thyme...1 Tbsp
Olive Oil...1Tbsp

These three (sage, rosemary, and thyme) are also referred to as a Poultry Mix. All measurements are considered a baseline; if you prefer a stronger flavor, you can increase the amount of herbs or reduce the amount for a milder flavor. If you cannot find fresh herbs and need to use dried herbs, you will need to reduce the baseline measurements by 1/2, as the dried herbs have a more concentrated flavor.

• Place butter on counter to soften


• Take the herbs (try to avoid including the stems) and chop them very fine or, if you have a food processor, place them in there and pulse until finely chopped.


• Next take your softened butter and place in your food processor


• Add olive oil...(this allows you to work with the butter more easily)




• If you do not have a food processor (like me), place butter and herbs in a bowl and mix with a mixer until well combined.


• Pulse until well combined


• Take plastic wrap and place on the counter


• empty butter onto the plastic wrap


• fold the wrap over the butter


• Using the edge of a cookie tray or other straight object, press it against the butter and tightly form into a log about 1-inch in diameter (the plastic wrap acts as a mold)


• careful not to get the plastic wrap under the butter, roll-up and twist both ends


• place butter in refrigerator