This year, my Mom and I hosted Thanksgiving in my home. There were 7 of us: Mom, Dad, Carol, Andy, Kerry, Rob, and me. The meal featured individual cornucopia charcuterie, poached stuffed pears, vegetable Wellington, and traditional pies, creating a memorable meal and atmosphere.

Appetizers: 

• Individual Cornucopia Charcuterie – I drew inspiration from many sources while planning these attractive cornucopias. This and this were helpful. I covered ice cream cones with aluminum foil, lightly sprayed with cooking spray, wrapped strips of pop-a-can French bread dough, brushed with an egg wash, and baked for about 10 minutes until golden. The charcuterie was individualized. Choices were: Red grapes, olives stuffed with blue cheese or pimento, various cheese (Munster, Provolone, Cheddar, Smoked with Jalapeno), spinach leaves, fresh Mozzarella, and cherry tomato skewers, sea salt Marcona almonds, Cocoa dusted almonds.

Main:

• Poached Stuffed Pears – I poached the pears two days ahead of the meal. For the filling, I didn’t measure. I chopped fresh cranberries. Some had blue cheese, while others had goat cheese, depending on preference. I used a small ice cream scoop to put the cheese mixture into the pears. I did not use honey.
• Vegetable Wellington (I used frozen Puffed Pastry with homemade pesto, goat cheese (one person had Cheddar), roasted zucchini and red bell pepper), served with Citrus Beurre Blanc sauce

Dessert: 

• Brown Sugar Pumpkin Pie (with an Oat Crust) – see below
• Lattice Apple Pie – see below
• Nuts to Crack – we used our historic nut bowl

Oatmeal Pastry

In a bowl, mix together 1 cup all-purpose flour and 1/3 cup regular or quick cooking oats. With a pastry blender or 2 knives, cut 7 tablespoons cold butter into flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs.

With a fork, gradually blend in 2-3 tablespoons cold water. Press pastry into a ball with your hands. On a floured surface, roll out dough 1/8 inch thick. Fit pastry into a 9 inch pie plan.

My critique of the meal: Over the years, I had made small and large bread cornucopias. This year was easier since I used ice cream cones instead of a foil mold. Also, to ease prep, I used bread dough from a can and made them the day ahead. I did not expect people to eat their cornucopias and told them not to. Nobody did. It did take time to assemble each individualized charcuterie board. I should have started my prep earlier. This year, I actually planned traditional pies for Thanksgiving. I made the crusts, and my Mom made the fillings. More of my guests gravitated towards the pumpkin pie. We garnished with whipped cream and a toasted pecan. I made the oat crust for the pumpkin pie that I used to make in my teens and early 20’s. My Mom loves it. For the apple pie, we used a selection of Macintosh and Honey Crisp. The apples were cooked and flavored perfectly! All of us enjoyed the food and company!