'Splendid Table' helps prevent Thanksgiving disasters | Food & Drink

Are Thanksgiving meal preparations out of control? Is the turkey still frozen? Did the pie crust shrink?

"The Splendid Table" radio talk show hostess Lynne Rossetto Kasper and her famous chef guests can talk home cooks through those holiday kitchen disasters on the air and on the Internet Thursday morning.

Since the late 1990s, Kasper and guests have turned those disasters into successes for two hours every Thanksgiving morning. America Public Media's "The Splendid Table" will air from 10 a.m. until noon central time and also will stream live on the show's website,?www.splendidtable.org/

WMAH-90.3 in Biloxi carries "The Splendid Table" at 11 a.m. every Sunday.

Home chefs who are not even having problems may want to check out her chef guest list: Rick Bayless, cookbook author, founder of Chicago's Frontera Grill and host of PBS' "Mexico, One Plate at a Time;" Marcus Samuelsson, author of "Yes, Chef" and one of New York's top chefs and restaurateurs; Food Network's Ina Garten, better known as the "Barefoot Contessa;" and Peter Sagal, host of NPR's "Wait, Wait . . . Don't Tell Me."

Not only will these chefs and personalities be taking calls or e-mails, they will be sharing food trends, including vegan and vegetarian, full-course menu ideas, complete with sides and desserts.

"We are live on the radio and on the Internet so we never know what type of calls or e-mails to expect," said Kasper, whose show airs from Minnesota. "We just take it as it comes. People are so wonderful that we just love offering help and sharing our ideas."

Probably one of her most memorable calls, she said, was a young newlywed wife who called in tears.

"Her husband had told his family that she would be cooking her first Thanksgiving all by herself. She had no idea what to do," Kasper said. "We told her how to simplify and streamline her meal. She got it under control."

Another year a roofer called and said that he cooked his turkey, wrapped in lots of aluminum foil, in a large bucket of hot tar. He put tar in the bucket, then the wrapped bird and more tar.

"We never could find out if that was true or not," Kasper said. "I never could find any research on it, so, you see, we never know what's coming."

One trend that Kasper sees becoming much larger is people not eating meat, going vegetarian but still wanting a hearty main course.

"Vegans can replace the meat with a splashy Americana timbale, using collard greens, black beans, hominy, fresh vegetables and peppers," she said. "This is a dish that can be done ahead of time and heated right before dinner."

Another vegan idea is her golden celebration pie, a double-crust pizza-size pie filled with roasted vegetables and herbs, which is another make-ahead dish. By adding sweetening in the crust, it accentuates the sweetness of the vegetables. Cooks could get creative by doing cookie cutter cutouts on the top crust for a full-blown presentation.

While millions of turkeys are still sold each Thanksgiving, Kasper said game is increasing in popularity. Each year, she looks longingly at ducks sold in her local market, but still chooses the turkey.

After the show, she and her holiday guests will have a potluck dinner where she will do her fast and crisp turkey scented with apple and basil. She cooks the bird at 450 degrees, which cuts the cooking time down to about 10 minutes per pound or about a third of the time.

"I also do a special salad with mixed greens, both bitter and not, and shavings of apple, pistachios and either Parmesan or good Cheddar cheese," she said. "What I really love is gravy. I start the broth the night before, and it is really delicious. Anything that can be done ahead of time is great."

Another tip from Kasper is for hosts to enjoy the dinner, not to get in too big of a hurry and to make this a fun leisurely meal with friends and family.

For more of Kasper's recipes or suggestions, check outwww.splendidtable.org?or tune into the live webcast or broadcast.

Source: http://www.sunherald.com/2012/11/20/4316073/splendid-table-helps-prevent-thanksgiving.html

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