Thanksgiving continued...

Far overdue but here nonetheless! Weeks after recovering from stuffing myself silly--pun intended-- I decided to share a family favorite that is a must in our Thanksgiving spread.

Italian Fried Cauliflower

(A family favorite that can be altered to taste. In my opinion, it's perfect!)

1 head cauliflower

Canola oil

6 eggs

Flour to thicken

Pecorino romano

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Powder (optional)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add whole head of cauliflower and boil until al dente.

Break cauliflower into florets.

In a separate boil whisk together eggs, salt (to taste), pepper (to taste), garlic powder, and pecorino romano. Add flour to thicken. Batter should be thinner than pancake batter.

Thoroughly coat cauliflower florets in batter and fry in canola oil until brown on all sides.

Notes:

Pecorino romano is a sharp and salty cheese so coat one small floret in the batter, fry, and taste before adding too much salt. The sharpness of the cheese adds a richness to the dish.

Make sure the batter is thinner than typical batters. This allows it to seep into the crevices of the floret and give the cauliflower more batter-y goodness!

Throwdown: Thanksgiving Style

This Thanksgiving my family decided to inject a friendly competition into the mix. My mom's brined turkey vs. my dad's fried turkey.

The contenders:

Brined turkey

Fried turkey

Much like Bobby Flay's show, the vote was inconclusive-- despite my mom's attempts to buy family votes! Due to the brining, my mom's turkey was moist and tender, while my dad's had the crunchy skin and a completely different flavor due to the cajun spices. Everyone said the flavors were too different to declare a clear winner. (I was partial to my mom's tender turkey but *shhh* don't tell my dad!)

A Twist on Sweet Potato Pie

In my family we prefer the flavor of sweet potato pie to pumpkin and have expunged pumpkin pie from our Thanksgiving dessert spread. If you've ever overzealously prepared your sweet potato pie filling--or pumpkin if you prefer-- you may have wondered what to do with the excess. Try sweet potato brulée. We put leftover filling in a greased pie pan and let it bake alongside the regular sweet potato pie. After baking for around 35 minutes take it out and let it cool. After cooling, spread brown sugar or white sugar liberally on top and torch until it bubbles and browns. If you don't have a torch on hand, stick the cooked filling with the sugar top under the broiler for a few minutes and it should do the trick. (If you don't allow it to cool properly then the sugar will melt on top instead of crystalizing into the crunchy brulée top we all know and love.) While the filling isn't the typical custard found in créme brulée, it still has the irresistable top that cracks with the pressure of a spoon. A dollop of freshly whipped cream perfects the sweet potato brulée.

By the way, the conspicuously center-placed dollop of whipped cream is because a certain someone-- ahem, dad, ahem-- snuck a spoonful before we brulée'd it.