How do you "Gourmet" a turkey???

[danpeikes]

I am not sure if I am in the right forum, so please move the thread if need be.

I am looking really wow my guests this year. Now it is still Thanksgiving so I want to stay relatively traditional.

I am looking for suggestions of technics and recipes to give thankgiving a little flare.

For example, I want to do double baked sweet potatoes that I would pipe either back into the skins or into a cupcake pan to make them look nice.
Another idea I had was a dinner roll napkin ring.

How do you "Gourmet" a turkey???
How do you dress up dressing/stuffing?
How do you give roast potatoes some class?
How do you make squash soup spectacular?
How do you give pumpkim pie pizzaz?
How do you exhault caranberry sauce?

I am currently planning on just making a turkey breast, as I preffer white meat and I am not expecting enough people for a whole trukey. any and all suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[kadesma]

Dan,
on those sweet potatoes, bake them, peel, then add some mashed banana,butter salt,pepper a drizzle of honey or a little brown sugar, I doubt that the skin will stay in one piece for you so I'd plan to serve them from a pretty casserole or you could hollow out a large squash or pumpkin and serve them from there.For dressing I make my own bread or get some whole loaves from a good bakery. Cube, let dry over night then add some sauteed celery,onion,mushrooms, fresh chopped parsley and then some diced water chestnuts,a good amount of butter, I use 2-3 cubes, chicken stock or you could roast turkey wings and make a turkey stock, but chicken works great. If you are a sweet fan, you can add raisins and diced apple to the stuffing. I do not stuff the turkey but cook the stuffing in a casserole...I make my own cranberry sauce, with fresh berries, sugar, orange juice and a little water, plus the orange zest.
We don't roast potatoes as my family looks forward to mashed potatoes with turkey gravy. Hope this helps a little, I'm sue you will get some wonderful ideas from some of our other members. The best part of all of this is using old family favorites and just being with your family and friends.
kadesma

 

[Andy M.]

Debone and butterfly the turkey breast and roll it up with stuffing in it (jellyroll style). It roasts very quickly and is a snap to slice and serve.

Add some pecans and cranberries to the stuffing. Make oyster stuffing.

 

[CherryRed]

If you want a more interesting variation on pumpkin pie, try a two-layer approach: Paradise Pumpkin Pie Recipe | Recipezaar. Cheesecake on the bottom, pumpkin on top. I'm dying to try this, but most of my family is trying NOT to gain 10 pounds in a day so I'm making a more basic recipe. Lol. Good luck!