Thanksgiving was proclaimed a national holiday in Canada wayyy back in 1879 in order to give thanks to the bountiful harvest of which the country had been blessed. Earlier roots go even further back to November 14, 1606 when Samuel de Champlain and the French settlers first arrived in Canada adopting the traditions of First Nation tribes and even earlier explorers by establishing a similar celebration of thanks, calling it the Order of Good Cheer. These days we celebrate Thanksgiving on the second Monday of October, giving thanks for the goodness in our lives, our family, friends, health, wealth and pumpkin pie!
Living as a Canadian expat in France, it is actually impossible to find a whole turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving, I had been to butcher shops and markets all over the city to find a hefty bird to feed about twenty people. No luck. Come American Thanksgiving and Christmas though, no problem – I mean Canadians celebrated the feast first, so give us a little slack here?! I was successful in finding different parts of a turkey though, so it would have to do...a few turkey breasts here, a few turkey thighs there, threw in a few whole chickens into the mix (had to stuff something right?!) and the ovens were roasting away at full torque.
Living as a Canadian expat in France, it is actually impossible to find a whole turkey for Canadian Thanksgiving, I had been to butcher shops and markets all over the city to find a hefty bird to feed about twenty people. No luck. Come American Thanksgiving and Christmas though, no problem – I mean Canadians celebrated the feast first, so give us a little slack here?! I was successful in finding different parts of a turkey though, so it would have to do...a few turkey breasts here, a few turkey thighs there, threw in a few whole chickens into the mix (had to stuff something right?!) and the ovens were roasting away at full torque.
Two nights prior to the big feast, I went over to Valley and Martine’s to do some prep work and get started on the desserts. Our friend Scottie joined us, who gave me such a good little piece of advice; soften the butter with your hands! Works a charm! Never mind faffing with the microwave or oven. Day 1: Brussel sprouts cleaned. Potatoes peeled and cubed. Pumpkin pie done. Chocolate cake complete. Then time for some much needed rest before the big day.
Yesterday morning, I was up and going before 9, down to the Belleville market to get all of our fresh vegetables for the day. Who needs dumbbells when you have to lug kilos of veg up 120 stairs to your flat, then back down and to the other side of town?! Day 2, back at it in full force. Caramelized onion stuffing, sausage and sage stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, mash potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, glazed carrots, corn, string beans, cranberry and, of course, the birds! We made all of the classics but being in Paris, had to put a French twist on it with cheeses galore and baguette to start. And more cheese and fruit for dessert to go along with the pumpkin and apple pies and the chocolate and apple caramel cakes with vanilla ice cream. A quick dash of lipstick and the guests were arriving within a blink of an eye.
For many of our expat friends, it was their first Thanksgiving dinner. The scents lured them into the kitchen where everyone helped themselves to out buffet style meal. Hardly a crumb left on anybody’s plates, even after 2 servings of dessert! Everybody was happy.
I am going to have to say the highlight of the meal for most was the pumpkin pie. There is nothing more traditional for Thanksgiving than the tart, yet such an exotic dessert for most non-North Americans. Well let’s go back to the 1600s, when the first concept of pumpkin pie surfaced: American settlers would hollow out pumpkins and filled them with milk, honey and spices before baking them in hot ashes. Recipes that resemble pumpkin pie as we know it today didn’t develop until the 1650s in France when famed 17th century chef Francois Pierre la Varenne developed a recipe for a “pompion” torte, complete with a pastry crust. Nearly 150 years after the first pumpkin pie recipe was developed in France the modern pumpkin pie recipe was created in North America. We have now embraced it and adopted it as one of our own. Yum, yum....
Yesterday morning, I was up and going before 9, down to the Belleville market to get all of our fresh vegetables for the day. Who needs dumbbells when you have to lug kilos of veg up 120 stairs to your flat, then back down and to the other side of town?! Day 2, back at it in full force. Caramelized onion stuffing, sausage and sage stuffing, sweet potato soufflé, mash potatoes, roasted brussel sprouts with bacon, glazed carrots, corn, string beans, cranberry and, of course, the birds! We made all of the classics but being in Paris, had to put a French twist on it with cheeses galore and baguette to start. And more cheese and fruit for dessert to go along with the pumpkin and apple pies and the chocolate and apple caramel cakes with vanilla ice cream. A quick dash of lipstick and the guests were arriving within a blink of an eye.
For many of our expat friends, it was their first Thanksgiving dinner. The scents lured them into the kitchen where everyone helped themselves to out buffet style meal. Hardly a crumb left on anybody’s plates, even after 2 servings of dessert! Everybody was happy.
I am going to have to say the highlight of the meal for most was the pumpkin pie. There is nothing more traditional for Thanksgiving than the tart, yet such an exotic dessert for most non-North Americans. Well let’s go back to the 1600s, when the first concept of pumpkin pie surfaced: American settlers would hollow out pumpkins and filled them with milk, honey and spices before baking them in hot ashes. Recipes that resemble pumpkin pie as we know it today didn’t develop until the 1650s in France when famed 17th century chef Francois Pierre la Varenne developed a recipe for a “pompion” torte, complete with a pastry crust. Nearly 150 years after the first pumpkin pie recipe was developed in France the modern pumpkin pie recipe was created in North America. We have now embraced it and adopted it as one of our own. Yum, yum....
It is not an easy task to find pumpkin purée in Paris, but tucked away in St. Paul Village in the Marais, there is a little shop called Thanksgiving where you can pick up the pricey essentials. Here I was lucky enough to find a can of Libby’s Pumpkin Pie filling. Here is the recipe I used, so easy to follow:
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15oz) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Bon Appétit and Happy Thanksgiving!
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Ingredients:
¾ cup granulated sugar
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp salt
½ tsp ground ginger
½ tsp ground cloves
2 large eggs
1 can (15oz) Libby’s 100% Pure Pumpkin
1 can (12 fl. oz) evaporated milk
1 unbaked 9-inch deep dish pie shell
Whipped cream (optional)
Directions:
Mix sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger and cloves in small bowl. Beat eggs in large bowl. Stir in pumpkin and sugar-spice mixture. Gradually stir in evaporated milk. Pour into pie shell.
Bake in preheated 425° F oven for 15 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350° F; bake for 40 to 50 minutes or until knife inserted near center comes out clean. Cool on wire rack for 2 hours. Serve immediately or refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before serving.
Bon Appétit and Happy Thanksgiving!