Thanksgiving Day, 2007

Dividing the meal between three families makes everything easier, especially if you order the turkey from a local caterer. We had smoked turkey: tender and moist and flavorable.

All three families around the table.

Jenna shows off the desserts: pies from Emily and gang, small apple-pies by Jenna and her Dad, and a chocolate-pecan pie from me.

Ashley enjoys a little apple pie.

Okay, now the recipes.
I try a new side dish every year because I'm really getting tired of the same old thing. This year the new dish was Simple Two-Potato Gratin, only I made it a three-potato gratin. This one's a winner. Here's the photo, from before it was baked. The colors are amazing.

Simple Two-Potato Gratin
Bon Appétit | November 2006--Makes 8 servings.

Ingredients
3 pounds mixed russet potatoes and sweet potatoes, peeled and very thinly sliced (I used 3 sweet potatoes, 2 russet potatoes, and 1 yam)

Butter for baking dish and foil
1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1 minced garlic clove
1 teaspoon kosher salt
ground black pepper
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese

Preparation
Spread potatoes in a buttered 11x7-inch baking dish. Combine heavy whipping cream, chicken broth, chopped sage, garlic, and salt; pour over potatoes. Sprinkle with pepper. Cover with buttered foil; bake at 425°F for 35 minutes. Sprinkle with Gruyère cheese. Bake uncovered until brown and bubbling, about 25 minutes. Let rest before serving.

The other recipe that was a new one was the Chocolate-Pecan Pie. Simple, simple, simple and simply delicious.

Bittersweet Chocolate Pecan Pie--Ruth Cousineau
Gourmet | November 2007
Active time: 40 min Start to finish: 3 hr (includes making pastry)
Servings: Makes 8 servings

Ingredients
1 (3 1/2- to 4-ounces) fine-quality 60%- to 70%-cacao bittersweet chocolate bar, finely chopped
Pastry dough
2 cups pecan halves (7 ounces), toasted (about 5 minutes in the pre-heated oven) and cooled
3 large eggs
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup dark corn syrup

Accompaniment: lightly sweetened whipped cream
Preparation
Preheat oven to 375°F with rack in middle.

Melt chocolate in a metal bowl set over barely simmering water, stirring. Remove from heat.

Roll out dough into a 13-inch round on a lightly floured surface with a lightly floured rolling pin. Fit into a 9-inch pie plate. Trim excess dough, leaving a 1/2-inch overhang. Fold overhang under and press against rim of pie plate, then crimp decoratively.

Spread chocolate in bottom of pie shell with back of spoon and let it set (I put it in the fridge for a few minutes), then cover with pecans.

Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt in a bowl, then whisk in corn syrup and pour over pecans.

Bake pie until filling is puffed and crust is golden, 50 to 60 minutes. (If pie is browning too fast after 30 minutes, loosely cover with foil.) Cool pie on a rack to warm or room temperature. Serve with whipped cream.

Cooks' note: Pie can be baked 1 day ahead and chilled, uncovered, until cool, then covered. Reheat in a 350°F oven until warm, about 10 minutes.

**I use the Quick and Easy pie crust from the 1980 edition of the Joy of Cooking. Write if you need it.