Thanksgiving 2009 At Home

Did you know? - Dessert is a course that typically comes at the end of a meal, usually consisting of sweet food but sometimes of a strongly-flavored one, such as some cheeses. The word comes from the French language as dessert and this from Old French desservir, "to clear the table" and "to serve."

Did you know how we do it? - As the pumpkin roasts, its skin becomes gorgeously burnished, while inside, slices of baguette, Gruyère, and Emmental coalesce into a rich, velvety concoction that is utterly fabulous served with a scoop of tender pumpkin flesh.

* 1 (15-inch) piece of baguette, cut into 1/2-inch slices (9 oz total)
* 1 (7-lb) orange pumpkin (or two smaller ones)
* 2 cups heavy cream
* 14 oz vegetable broth
* 1/2 teaspoon grated nutmeg
* 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Gruyère (6 oz)
* 2 1/2 cups coarsely grated Emmental (6 oz)
* 1 tablespoon olive oil

• Preheat oven to 450°F with rack in lower third.
• Toast baguette slices in 1 layer on a baking sheet in oven until tops are crisp (bread will still be pale), about 7 minutes. Transfer to a rack to cool.
• Remove top of pumpkin by cutting a circle (3 inches in diameter) around stem with a small sharp knife. Scrape out seeds and any loose fibers from inside pumpkin with a spoon (including top of pumpkin; reserve seeds for another use if desired). Season inside of pumpkin with 1/2 tsp salt.
• Whisk together cream, broth, nutmeg, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a bowl. Mix together cheeses in another bowl.
• Put a layer of toasted bread in bottom of pumpkin, then cover with about 1 cup cheese and about 1/2 cup cream mixture. Continue layering bread, cheese, and cream mixture until pumpkin is filled to about 1/2 inch from top, using all of cream mixture. (You may have some bread and cheese left over.)
• Cover pumpkin with top and put in an oiled small roasting pan. Brush outside of pumpkin all over with olive oil. Bake until pumpkin is tender and filling is puffed, 1 1/4 to 1 1/2 hours.

Did you know? - An apron is an outer protective garment that covers primarily the front of the body. It may be worn for hygienic reasons as well as in order to protect clothes from wear and tear. The apron is commonly part of the uniform of several work categories, including waitresses, nurses, and domestic workers. Many homemakers also wear them. It is also worn as a decorative garment by women.

Aprons are also worn in many commercial establishments to protect workers clothes from damage, mainly bib aprons, but also others such as farrier aprons. The word apron is from the metanalysis of the term "a napron" as "an apron". The original spelling of napron has been lost.

Did you know? - Grace is a name for any of a number of short prayers said or an unvoiced intention held prior to or after eating, thanking deity and/or the entities that have given of themselves to furnish nutrients to those partaking in the meal. Some traditions hold that grace and thanksgiving imparts a blessing which in some traditions is held to sanctify or make sacred the meal. In the English language tradition, reciting a prayer prior to eating is traditionally referred to as "saying grace".

A prayer of Grace is said to be an act of offering thanks to God for granting humans dominion over the earth and the right and ability to sacrifice the lives of divine creations for sustenance; this thanks is the "saying of Grace" prior to and/or after eating of any meal.

If one is not religious and the rest of the table is saying grace, it is considered to be polite and culturally appropriate to quietly observe or just bow one's head. It is often considered impolite or incorrect to start eating before grace has been said and completed.

The saying of grace may have entered into the English language Judeo-Christian cultures with the Jewish mealtime prayer Birkat Hamazon , though any number of cultures may have informed the practice or it may have arisen spontaneously by individuals and then perpetuated in family traditions and social institutions.

Did you know? - Amaretto is a sweet almond-flavoured liqueur of Italian origin. It is made from a base of apricot or almond pits, or sometimes both.

The name is a diminutive of the Italian amaro, meaning "bitter", indicating the distinctive flavour lent by the mandorla amara--the bitter almond or the drupe kernel. However, the bitterness is not unpalatable, and the flavour is enhanced by sweeteners, and sometimes sweet almonds, in the final products] Therefore, the liqueur's name can be said to describe the taste as "a little bitter". Conflation of the homophonous amare and amore ("love") is primarily responsible for the associations with romance. Amaretto should not be confused with amaro, a different family of Italian liqueurs that, while also sweetened, have a stronger bitter flavour coming from herbs.

Despite apparently clear etymology of the terms, and known history on the introduction and acceptance of almonds into Italian cuisine, more recent takes on the meanings and origins have come about, further popularized by the two major brands. Though of sometimes questionable factuality, these tales hold a sentimental place in Saronno culture.

In 1525, a Saronno church commissioned artist Leonardo Da Vinci and student Bernardino Luini to paint their sanctuary with frescoes. As the church was dedicated to the Virgin Mary, Luini needed to depict the Madonna, but was in need of a model. He found his inspiration in a young widowed innkeeper, who became his model and (in most versions) lover. Out of gratitude and affection, the woman wished to give him a gift. Her simple means did not permit much, so she steeped apricot kernels in brandy and presented the resulting concoction to a touched Luini.

Did you know? - The calorie is a pre-SI metric unit of energy. The unit was first defined by Professor Nicolas Clément in 1824 as a unit of heat. This definition entered French and English dictionaries between 1841 and 1867.

Did you know? - In the United States, cream is usually sold as:
* Half and half (10.5–18% fat)
* Light, coffee, or table cream (18–30% fat)
* Medium cream (25% fat)
* Whipping or light whipping cream (30–36% fat)v
* Heavy whipping cream (36% or more)
* Extra-heavy, double, or manufacturer's cream (38–40% or more), generally not available at retail except at some warehouse and specialty stores