Urban Goddesses (a meal in photographs)

It was a title bestowed upon us by our lovely friend Alison, and one I happily accept.  The occasion was the first annual Urban Thanksgiving: a gathering of friends, sometime around the actual holiday, to celebrate with those who technically are not family but at some point, well, they are.  Because it's nice to spend a holiday with the other people that matter, even if we have to make the holiday up.  This first annual event was also an occasion to celebrate Diana's new table, a gorgeous farmhouse number that, I hope, will seat many a party of 8 and 10 in the future.  It looked good with all those people gathered round it.

The menu began with a beautifully-festive (but only semi-delicious) cranberry sangria and a selection of spiced nuts.  Oh, and a plate of bacon that had been removed from the turkey so the skin could brown and crisp up.  It happened to pair perfectly with the sugary-spiced pecans.  All of that kept the guests busy while they mingled and Diana and I dealt with the still-not-quite-cooked turkey and other odds and ends in the kitchen.

Technically speaking, urban goddesses should probably be able to drink red wine without spilling it down their front, but...we all have our moments.  So while I took the salt cellar to my sweater, Diana kept a close eye on the turkey, our other mini-disaster of the day.

Disaster, though, is really such an overstatement.  It's just that the turkey took longer - a whole lot longer - than we anticipated, and we had hungry guests waiting.  But for a first-time-ever effort, it was pretty good.  And the carving job, compliments of Diana (with illustrated guidance from the handy Cooks Illustrated cookbook), was downright professional.

We'd brined and basted and stuffed and slathered it in butter and bacon and even made broth from the giblets.  I was impressed with us.  And thankfully, our guests were patient.  But really, the sides stole the show (isn't that so often the case?). 

The turkey was served with: sausage stuffing, caramelized-shallot mashed potatoes (mmm), butternut squash à la Jamie Oliver (with cream and parmesan but also coriander and chili, so it was a little spicy to counter the sweet), a gingered cranberry chutney, a deliciously-different and refreshing kale that was more like a salad than your typical greens dish and a wild mushroom tart with gruyere and ricotta atop puff pastry.

Oh my, it was good.

From there (well, after a few hours of lounging), we proceeded to dessert. Dessert was an apple-cranberry crisp and an outrageously decadent bourbon pecan pie.  I bailed on the maple-laced whipped cream that was my planned accompaniment because, well, I was feeling lazy and we were all dangerously close to bursting already.  We did, however, serve some of the best coffee I've ever had, imported direct from Guatemala via my oversized backpack.

The real pièce de résistance for me, though, was the small token we sent everyone home with - a goody bag of sorts.  Taking our cue from Gramercy Tavern, all of our guests left with their very own breakfast pastry: a holiday-appropriate pumpkin muffin.  It wasn't that the muffin was the best thing we served - though they were some very enjoyable muffins, if I may say so.  It's more the concept that I'm enamored with.  And, to be truthful, the presentation. I happened to have those pretty little cellophane bags in my apartment, along with some lovely satin ribbon, which we discovered, in a serendipitous twist, perfectly picked up the color of the pepitas scattered across the top of the muffins.  Probably no one else noticed this detail, but Diana and I did, and it's the kind of thing that still makes me happy, days later.  Gathered together on a pretty wooden platter, the breakfast goodies looked just beautiful.  And they made for some awesomely sparkly bokeh in the background of Diana's photographs.

The idea, in truth, was Diana's but I'm stealing it forever more.

Pumpkin Muffins

November 2008 Gourmet

1/3 cup golden raisins (left out of our version, because Diana doth protest)

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp ground cinnamon

3/4 tsp ground ginger

1/8 tsp ground allspice

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/2 tsp salt

1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled

3/4 cup packed light brown sugar

3/4 cup canned pure pumpkin (apparently I didn't read carefully when making the recipe...I've only just now realized that this didn't call for the entire can of pureed pumpkin.  I used the whole can...to no apparent adverse effect)

1/4 cup well-shaken buttermilk

2 large eggs

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

3 tbsp raw green pumpkin seeds (pepitas), divided

Preheat the oven to 400 F with a rack in the middle.  Line a muffin pan with 12 muffin cups and butter the top.  

Soak the raisins in hot water for 5 minutes, then drain.

Meanwhile, combine flour, baking soda, baking power, spices and salt in a large bowl.

In a separate bowl whisk together butter, brown sugar, pumpkin, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla.

Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined.

Stir in raisins and 2 tbsp pepitas.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups and sprinkle with remaining seeds. Bake until a wooden toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Cool slightly on a rack.