Do it for you...The What I Made The Day Before Thanksgiving

The If you haven't figured it out yet: you should always plan to have a least half (in my opinion) of your Thanksgiving dinner made before hand. Then that other half can be what people are bringing and the Turkey, Stuffing, and (if your my Husband, cuz he is picky about them) Mashed Potatoes.

So this is what I made ahead for Thanksgiving this year: The Appetizers (well, one of them as the other takes about 2 minutes to prep), Chocolate Whiskey Pecan Pie, Cranberry Sauce, and Cocktail Hour Punch Mixers.

Onion, Apple, Brie Canapes - A Cat Bock Original

Tools:

Large Skillet

Mini Muffin Tin

Cooking Spray

Ingredients:

1 large onion, finely sliced (I decided to use red this year and give it that extra time to caramelize)

1 tablespoon salt 

2 tablespoons of butter

1 tablespoon of thyme

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup apple cider

2 tablespoons of cornstarch (last year, it was flour and I think it bulked the dish verses just thickening)

2 green apples, peeled, cored, and grated (the grating is a new twist. Since I knew I was using a mini muffin tin, the smaller the apple, the more tart like it would look)

8 oz of brie, diced *It isn't necessary, but it is take less time to cook if you take off at least some of the rind*

1 package of Puff Pastry

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, oven medium heat, melt butter.

Add onions to the butter, sprinkling the salt over then as they soften to pull out the juices.

Allow onions to cook, stirring occasionally, until they are soft and lightly browned.

Add thyme and apple cider to the onions. Cook until reduced and syrupy.

Add balsamic vinegar to the onions and apple cider. Cook until reduced and syrupy.

Combine enough apple cider with cornstarch to make it into a liquid form and then thoroughly stir it into the syrupy sauce and onions.

Allow the onions and sauce to reduce and thicken even more. 

Add apples to onion mix and allow to cook further until the apples are soft.

Once apples are soft, reduce heat to low and stir in brie. Stir often to encourage the cheese to melt. 

**Don't be tempted to turn up the heat, as this will increase the chance of burning the filling.**

Slow and steady wins the yummy race.

Alternatively, you can just top the cups with a small slice of brie after spooning in the onion and apple mixture. Which is what I opted to do this year.
Once all the ingredients are well combined, allow the filling to cool slightly to thicken into a manageable consistency and scoop into a mini muffin tin cup lined with puff pastry or pie crust. 
<Refrigerate now if baking on the day of. > Bake as dough instructs you too.

This is a recipe I came up with myself. Most people I tell about it look at me like I am crazy. They haven't tried it yet. Everyone who attends our Friendsgiving agree that they are excellent. This year they became an appetizer and bite size. It all started out as a pie.

Chocolate-Whiskey Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 cup  light corn syrup                                                   

3/4  cup  light brown sugar

4  tablespoons  unsalted butter, melted                                

3  large eggs

2  tablespoons  whiskey                                                                

1/4  teaspoon  kosher salt

2  cups  pecan halves                                                     

1/2  cup  semisweet chocolate chips

9-inch basic flaky piecrust, unbaked

Directions

Preheat oven to 350° F. Whisk together corn syrup, brown sugar, butter, eggs, whiskey, and salt; fold in pecans and chocolate chips.

Pour mixture into the pie crust and bake until the center is set but still slightly wobbly, 40 to 50 minutes. Let cool before serving.

Gobble Gobble!

I like to save about 1/3 of the pecans out to make a fun design on top as well a bit of pie crust to make a little cookie. I allowed it to cool completely before covering and refrigerating it.

Design with Pecans!

Cranberry Sauce

Ingredients

4 cups (1 12 ounce bag) cranberries

1 cup water or orange juice or apple juice

1 cup sugar

Directions

Bring everything to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the cranberries burst and the sauce starts to thicken, about 10-15 minutes.

I used a bit of apple cider and marmalade and it made a very nice version of the apple/orange cranberry sauce I like.

Sugared Cranberries

Sugared Cranberries for Garnish

2 cups sugar, divided

1 (12-ounce) bag fresh cranberries

Directions

Combine 1/2 cup sugar and 1/2 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved, about 2-3 minutes which makes a simple syrup. Stir in cranberries until well coated. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to wire rack; let dry for at least 1 hour.

Working in batches, roll cranberries in remaining 1 1/2 cups sugar until well coated; let dry for at least 1 hour.

I made the simple syrup and let them sit in it for about 3 hours. Then I pulled them out to dry and coated them with granulated sugar and let them dry for another hour before refrigerating them.

So now, everything that I planned on making for Thanksgiving is prepped. On Thursday, the Canapes, Cranberry sauce, and Pie will need to be pulled out of the fridge to bring them to room temperature. I will bake the Canapes before the Turkey goes in and plate theman hour or so before cocktail hour. The Punches decided on, poured, and garnished. The Pepper Jelly Cream Cheese stacked and the crackers arranged in an attractive fashion. I will have plenty of time to transform our living room into a large dining room, set the table, apply a centerpiece, candles, and place cards, prep the sidebar as a buffet, and be MORE than ready to receive 14 people into my home.

That's how I holiday!

Until tomorrow...