Burnished to a glow
Thanksgiving, like so many of humankind’s rituals, celebrates transformation, and the golden brown color of its centerpiece food -- glistening roast turkey -- symbolizes not only the transformation of the seasons, but the turning of strangers into friends, pilgrims into homebodies, anecdote into myth.
In the golden brown colors of Thanksgiving, most of all, the transformative power of cooking finds full expression.
The rich, royally festive color of the bird as it’s paraded to the table is a testimony to our joy in turning the stuff of everyday survival into a holiday pleasure. The alchemy of flambeed Cognac brings a deep brandy-brown to the turkey pan sauce. The colors of Thanksgiving breads -- a deep auburn-tinged loaf of brown-butter pecan bread or the ale-colored braids of yeast braid made into a wreath -- speak of the ancient mystery of flour and leavening transmuted.
And the gold and brown gleanings of the woodland and the pantry -- mushrooms, nuts and bread -- are reconfigured into dishes that play subtle shades of brown against each other (such as stuffing) and into haute side dishes such as a savory bread pudding studded with chanterelles the color of Southern California’s autumn-golden hillsides. The seemingly subdued palette of the Thanksgiving plate is of course made up of a range of nuanced hues. Mushroom-brown, walnut-brown, wheat-gold brown: It’s a minimalist’s rainbow.
So let’s not take the browns of Thanksgiving for granted or mistakenly dismiss them as dull. Turn the heat up on the turkey at the end of roasting to burnish the skin; brush the rosemary and black-pepper breads with oil to deepen the color. Carefully caramelize those golden chanterelles for the savory bread pudding to highlight their glow. Uncovering a mushroom-walnut stuffing for a final few minutes of baking allows it to finish with a golden, slightly crisp crown. And browning the butter for the pecan bread gives the sweet slices added depth, not only of flavor, but of visual appeal.
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Pecan brown-butter bread
Total time: 1 hour, 45 minutes
Servings: Makes 1 (9-inch-by- 5-inch) loaf, about 12 slices
Note: From Donna Deane
1/2 cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons ( 1/4 stick) unsalted butter, divided
2 cups shelled pecans, divided
2 cups flour plus 1 1/2 teaspoons, divided
1 1/3 cups packed brown sugar, divided
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
1. Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Melt one-half cup butter in a heavy skillet over medium heat. After it melts, continue to cook, whisking until it turns nut brown, about 8 minutes. Remove the browned butter from the heat and cool, then refrigerate until it solidifies, about 30 to 40 minutes.
2. While the browned butter is chilling, put the pecans on a jellyroll pan in a single layer and toast them in the oven 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the nuts from the oven and cool in the pan, then roughly chop them so the pieces are no larger than one-fourth inch.
3. For the pecan streusel filling, combine one-half cup chopped toasted pecans, 1 1/2 teaspoons flour, and one-third cup brown sugar. Work the remaining 2 tablespoons butter into the sugar mixture until it is crumbly; do not over mix.
4. Cream together the chilled browned butter and the remaining 1 cup brown sugar until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat in the vanilla.
5. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the brown butter mixture alternately with the sour cream, folding each addition in gently by hand. Stir in the remaining 1 1/2 cups chopped toasted pecans, just until ingredients are mixed.
6. Spoon half the batter into the bottom of a well-buttered 9-inch loaf pan. Sprinkle the streusel filling evenly over the batter. Spoon the remaining batter over the filling and spread evenly. Bake 55 to 60 minutes or until the bread tests done in the center; note that the streusel filling will remain moist throughout the baking process. Remove to a wire rack and let cool to warm. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Each of 12 servings: 431 calories; 6 grams protein; 43 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 27 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 69 mg. cholesterol; 275 mg. sodium.
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Chanterelle-sage bread pudding
Total time: 1 hour
Servings: 6 to 8
Note: From Amy Scattergood. Use a 1-pound loaf of any high-quality country-white bread.
3 cups whole milk
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage plus 1/8 cup small whole sage leaves, divided
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/4 pounds chanterelle
mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
5 eggs
8 cups stale country white bread, crust on, cut or torn into about 1/2 -inch pieces
1 cup grated Gruyere cheese
1 cup grated Emmentaler cheese
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees and butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk, garlic, sage, thyme and black pepper. Heat over high heat until just before the milk reaches a simmer. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Heat the butter and oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and salt and saute, stirring often, until the mushrooms are soft and fragrant and beginning to caramelize, about 6 minutes. Remove from the heat; set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs. Whisk in the cooled milk. Add the bread pieces, cheeses and sauteed mushrooms and stir until well combined. Pour the mixture into the baking dish, pressing down on the bread to make sure it is submerged. Let the mixture sit for about 15 minutes while the bread absorbs the liquid.
4. Bake for 35 minutes, until golden brown, rotating once for even cooking. Serve immediately.
Each of 8 servings: 374 calories; 20 grams protein; 26 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 22 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 176 mg. cholesterol; 533 mg. sodium.
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Intertwined rosemary and black pepper breads
Total time: 2 hours, 35 minutes plus 2 hours rising time
Servings: 24 slices
Note: From Amy Scattergood. Save the bottom of the cheese box for use in step 8.
2 ( 1/4 -ounce) packages instant dry yeast, divided
2 teaspoons sugar, divided
10 to 11 cups flour, divided, plus extra for forming and dusting
4 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus extra for coating
1/2 cup wheat germ, divided
2 tablespoons kosher salt, divided
2 tablespoons finely chopped rosemary
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
Canola oil for brushing the bread
1 (4 1/2 -inch) round Brie or Camembert
1. In a large mixing bowl, stir together 2 cups warm water (120 to 130 degrees), 1 package yeast, 1 teaspoon sugar and 1 cup flour. Let sit 15 minutes, until it bubbles. (If the yeast doesn’t bubble, start over with new yeast.)
2. With a wooden spoon or your hands, mix in 2 tablespoons olive oil, one-fourth cup wheat germ, 1 tablespoon salt, the rosemary and 3 cups flour. Gradually add up to 1 1/2 cups more flour, if needed, until the dough is well-combined and forms a loose ball.
3. Turn the dough onto a floured board or table and knead it adding more of the remaining flour as needed to prevent stickiness and taking care that the dough does not get too dry. Knead for about 10 minutes, until elastic; when the dough springs back when you poke it with your finger, you’re done kneading.
4. Shape the dough into a round and put it into a bowl coated with about one-half teaspoon olive oil (turn dough to coat the surface). Cover the bowl with plastic and let the dough rise for about 1 1/2 hours.
5. Repeat steps 1 to 4, using the black pepper instead of the rosemary.
6. When the rosemary dough has risen, punch it down and divide it into three pieces. Roll the dough back and forth gently with your hands, forming a long snake. Let the dough rest for a few minutes, then roll again and allow to rest. Repeat the roll and rest procedure 3 or 4 times with each of the 3 portions of dough until each “snake” is about 32 inches long.
7. Repeat step 6 with the black pepper dough.
8. When the rosemary and black pepper doughs are each formed into three snakes of dough, wrap the round wooden bottom of the cheese box in aluminum foil, lightly oil the foil and place in the center of a large, oiled double-sheet pan. Place the three rosemary snakes on a lightly floured surface and press one set of ends together. Braid the three snakes of dough, keeping them as uniform in length as possible. Place the braid loosely around the foil-wrapped cheese-box bottom to form a circle. Trim the end of the braid on a diagonal so that it will easily attach to the second braid.
9. Braid together the three snakes of black pepper dough, trimming the front end of this braid so it will easily attach to the end of the rosemary braid. Wrap this braid loosely around the circle of the rosemary braid, continuing where the first left off. Press the ends under the entire circle when you’ve finished. Make sure the braids are wrapped fairly loosely, as the dough will rise before and during baking.
10. Cover the dough with plastic wrap and let rest for 30 minutes; meanwhile, heat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly brush the bread with oil. Bake until golden brown, about 50 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan after 30 minutes.
11. Cool the bread slightly, then carefully remove the foil-wrapped disc and place the wheel of cheese into the center hole. Let rest for about 10 minutes, so the cheese warms and the bread cools and settles. Slice the bread and serve on a platter or cutting board while still warm.
Each slice (without cheese): 232 calories; 7 grams protein; 44 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams fiber; 3 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 cholesterol; 282 mg. sodium.
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See more Thanksgiving essentials online
Food’s special Thanksgiving Web package of articles and recipes includes a step-by-step guide to shaping the intertwined rosemary and black pepper breads pictured here, along with plenty of how-tos on classic dishes (gravy anyone?), encore recipes from past holiday issues, a turkey-carving video and much more. At latimes.com/food.