Thanksgiving Dinner in Harrisburg - A Review

**This is a guest entry, written by Aaron Paul and Kristin Russell-Paul, two of my lovely dinner guests. I didn't change anything, or unduly influence them with bribes!**

Menu

Cheddar Cayenne Coins and Pepper Dip
Veggies and Ranch Dip
Arugula, gorgonzola, pears and candied walnut salad
Roasted Brussels Sprouts
Roast Duck and Confit
Cranberry Stuffing
Brown Butter Cake

For Thanksgiving this year, our lovely friend and host Jessica invited three of us to her new domain in Harrisburg for dinner. She promised a classy dinner with drunken shenanigans to follow, and who could turn down such an invitation? So we all travelled in on Thanksgiving morning, by train or car, in order to see what our always-talented chef was going to serve up.

The two of us arrived to find preparations well under way, and the kitchen smelling delightful. While the dogs played, the people snacked. First up on the menu were hors d’oeuvres of Cheddar-Cayenne Coins and fresh veggies with two delightful dips. The Cheddar-Cayenne Coins were a huge, huge, huge hit. Like Madonna in the 80s. Jess said she had not made up all of them, because she assumed that 10 per person would be plenty. This was an inaccurate assessment, because our merry group devoured them with as much enthusiasm as 12 year old girls at a Jonas brother concert. These were totally perfect, just a hint of Cayenne and a deliciously creamy cheddar flavor overall. They were also quite pretty, and had a good size and consistency for dipping. It was basically love at first bite, and the poor little things stood no chance. The flavors held up well against both the lighter-bodied red that Jess and Dean had already started in on before we arrived, and the heavier Cab Sauv that we moved on to shortly thereafter.

The sit down portion of the meal began with an arugula, gorgonzola pear, candied walnut, and pancetta salad. The ambitious combination of tart and sweet flavors in this dish resulted in a fantastic blend that allowed the dish to be simultaneously light and heavy. The arugula and pear combination gave the meal a green beginning while the gorgonzola and pork piqued one’s appetite for the impressive flavors to follow. What was amazing about the dish was its ability to remain well balanced while exclusively using big-flavored ingredients.

After finishing our salads the ducks were ready and were served alongside roasted Brussels sprouts and a cranberry stuffing. Probably due to the popularization of freeze dried foods in the 1950s and 60s, Brussels sprouts have earned an undeservedly bad reputation. These were fresh and roasted in olive oil and fresh herbs. A simple combination but one that made you feel like you were doing your arteries a favor while still being hearty enough to fend off the coming cold weather. The difference between fresh and frozen brussels is like the difference between Oscar Meyer cold-cut roast beef and a grass-fed, beef tenderloin cut from your local butcher the morning before you grill it. They’re virtually unrecognizable apart from the incredible fact that they’re from the same species.
The stuffing of cranberries and bread crumbs was a playful complement to the roast duck and, when enjoyed in conjunction with the confit, continued the evening’s successful juxtaposition between tart and sweet flavors. For anyone considering substituting duck for turkey on your favorite November holiday keep it mind two things: first, it’s worth it; second, it’s more work and more greasy than the iconic bird. We split two birds between the four of us and, instead of harvesting them for their meat, simply cut them down the middle with a pair of kitchen shears and allocated a half to everyone. While possible to conduct in a civilized manner, it really pays to use your hands so as to get at all of the delicious morsels of meat that these birds have to offer.

For dessert, Jess did her best to send us firmly into a sugar induced coma for the evening in the most delicious of possible ways. She made a brown-butter, pumpkin spice layer cake that also involved candied pecans, crystallized ginger and totally delicious, cream cheese frosting. We had been looking forward to the cake since she first described it and posted a picture on Facebook, and it was more delicious than it looked. Ample slices were served with a drizzle of pumpkin fudge sauce and we might have gotten instant diabetes, but it would have been worth it. The cake itself was nicely spiced and moistened, with a good crumb. There was a really lovely ratio of cake to frosting and toppings. The combination of flavors really worked well together, and made for a holiday appropriate alternative to the standard pumpkin pie. Jess described this as the Thanksgiving cake of Gloriousness, and we’d say that’s a fair assessment. One of us is not usually a fan of cream cheese frostings, but the frosting on this one was very smooth, with a good balance of flavor. The butter and two types of sugar cut the flavor of the cream cheese so that it wasn’t overwhelming or unpleasant, but rather quite yummy.

Overall, this was a delightful dinner, and Jess a very gracious host as always. The menu did an excellent job of putting a slight twist on the Thanksgiving standards, and we are very grateful to have been able to share the evening with our friends.