The Recipes

Thought some of you might be interested in the links to the recipes I used for our Thanksgiving dinner.

Swiss Chard: Swiss chard is a highly underestimated vegetable, but it does have to be done up right to be appreciated. In this recipe, I switched the raisins for dried cranberries to give it more of a festive touch. As Etienne said, the finished result tastes like Chinese food and a definite thumbs up for a recipe I'll make in the future, maybe over some rice would be good.

Sweet Potatoes and Cranberries: This turned out wonderfully! I usually am a sucker for the typical sweet potato and marshmallow blend but I knew that it wouldn't go over well with the MIL and Etienne, as already they have a tough time with sweet potatoes. This recipe was a great way to combine cranberries and sweet potatoes, the two staples of Thanksgiving! And, the combination is mouth watering. For those who live in France, I've seen fresh cranberries at Monoprix. You might also check out the Grande Epicerie at the Bon marché for cranberries and other imported goods from the States. But, I usually just walk across the street to Picard and grab a package of "Airelles", the French version of cranberries.

Green beans: This recipe was my base but I changed it to accommodate what I could find here in our neighborhood grocery stores. The French onions were taken out first thing because I've never seen those here. And, instead of the mushrooms because I forgot to pick those up yesterday, I made this powdered "Vélouté de champignons" and added it to the sour cream mixture. Very good but I need to cook the green beans longer the next time. This would make a nice simple evening meal by itself I would imagine.

Pecan pie: If you are in a place where corn syrup is hard to get (I do need to check out the organic stores and the Grande Epicerie), this recipe is for you. It's very similar to the traditional Pecan Pie but does taste a little different. I would make it again, though, for a traditional American cultural event, but I'm not sure I'd make it just to enjoy or to bring as a dessert somewhere. It's much sweeter than normal pecan pie and you do have a strong honey taste, if you like that.

Happy Cooking!