Projo Food Blog

Thanksgiving is fast approaching and if cooking isn't part of the plan, here are the restaurants that have reported being open. Call ahead to reserve or risk being sent on your way. Prices usually do not include taxes or gratuity.

>> Continue reading: Restaurants open on Thanksgiving (updated Nov. 16)

Tomorrow is Saturday Nov. 21, and its not just the last Saturday before Thanksgiving and there will be five, count 'em FIVE local farmers' markets operating, three of them indoors.

What a great way to shop for the holiday feast, support local farmers and eat the freshest food available.

The Wintertime Coastal Growers Market will open inside at Lafayette Mill, 650 Ten Rod Rd., on Route 102, just west of Wickford in North Kingstown 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The South Kingstown Indoor Winter Farmers' Market opens at the Peacedale Mill Complex, 1425 Kingstown Road (Route 108) in Peacedale and runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The Farm Fresh RI Wintertime Farmers' Market, will be open at Hope Artiste Village, 1005 Main St., Pawtucket, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Pawtuxet Village Farmers' Market will be open from 9 a.m.- noon at the Rhodes on the Pawtuxet parking lot.

Aquidneck Growers' Saturday Farmers' Market opens Saturday at Newport Vineyards & Winery, 909 East Main Rd., Middletown from 9 a.m.-2 p.m.

The James Beard Foundation shares recipes with members and I had to share it here.
It's a combo dish but oh what a combo.

A cook at Jacques-Imo's told the Beard folks that this two-in-one pie has been taken off the menu, in part because, "everyone serves it here"--here being New Orleans.

But thenl Jacques-Imo's served it at the Beard House, and everyone fell in love at first bite.

"Pecans and sweet potato pie live in perfect harmony: the subtle sweet potato custard tempers the usually saccharine pecan layer, and the textural contrast works well, too. In its deep springform crust, this is one impressive-looking pie," reported the newsletter editors.
And now for your holiday table:

Deep Dish Sweet Potato-Pecan Pie
Sweet Potato Layer:
1 pound sweet potatoes (2 to 3)
1 large egg
1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Pinch salt

Pecan Layer:
3 large eggs
1 cup dark corn syrup
1/2 cup brown sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (2 ounces), melted and cooled
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups pecan halves, lightly toasted*

Dough for a 10-inch pie crust

Ice cream or whipped cream, optional

To prepare the shell, roll the pie dough and use it to line a 9-inch springform pan, molding the crust 2 inches up the sides. Let the shell rest in the refrigerator at least 15 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 425º.

Line the pie shell with buttered tinfoil; fill with pie beans; blind-bake for 15 minutes. Remove foil and beans. Bake 5 more minutes until golden. Remove pie shell from oven. Cool.

To make the sweet potato layer, roast the potatoes at 425º F. until tender when pierced by a fork, about 45 minutes. Remove from oven, cool completely, and peel. Mash the pulp in a small bowl. Add the remaining ingredients, and stir to combine.

To prepare the pecan layer, whisk the eggs, then add remaining ingredients except pecans. Stir to combine.

Preheat the oven to 350º F.

To assemble the pie, spread the sweet potato layer in the cooled pie shell. Cover with the pecans. Gently pour the egg-corn syrup mixture over the nuts. Bake for about 70 minutes until the pie shell is golden brown and filling is almost set. The filling should wiggle very slightly. It will continue cooking--and firm up--after you remove it from the oven.

Serve barely warm or chilled with whipped cream or ice cream.
Yield:8 to 10 servings
Adapted from a recipe by Jacques Leonardi

Wednesday's Lifebeat Food story on how to make the perfect pie crust included an incorrect measurement from J & W chef and instructor Gary Welling.

Start with 12 ounces of flour sifted with 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt, eight ounces of butter and four ounces of water taken from an iced pitcher. That amount makes three pie crusts.

When adjusting for more or fewer pie crusts, follow 3 parts flour, 2 parts butter and 1 part water formula. Watch the video How-To here.
Read the recipe.

Chef Gary Welling's Pie Crust
12 ounces or 2 cups all purpose or pastry flour
1/2 teaspoon Salt
8 ounces or 2 sticks butter, unsalted, chilled
4 ounces or 1/4 cup water, ice cold
Sift the flour and salt into mixing bowl.
Cut the butter into small cubes. If butter becomes soft, re-refrigerate until firm. Add butter to flour mixture and coat cubes of butter with flour then cut into pieces the size of small peas.
Form a well in the center and add the water. Mix until the wet and dry ingredients are combined.
Portion the dough into round discs. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm.

Well, not quite gazillions, yet. But you'll find more than you'll ever have time to make on projo.com's Food section front, current story and recipes index, Thanksgiving recipe archive, and the survey of recipe links from around the nation 's food sections that has turned into an annual tradition on my blog.

And there'll be more to come before you head out to shop.

I've looked at dozens of turkey-day stories this week, but this lead on a new-product review, Go ahead, fry this at home, is the only one that made me laugh out loud:

When my editor asked me to try out Butterball's new indoor electric turkey fryer, I gulped.

Then I called the Fire Department...

Niesha Lofing of The Sacramento Bee got the pros to test this tool. Smart lady.

Last month Fr. Leo E. Patalinghug was a guest of Narragansett's St. Thomas More Parish. He is the creator of an inspirational food program, Web site and cookbook "Grace Before Meals."
He even took on chef Bobby Flay for a "Throwdown with Bobby Flay" cook-off with Fusion Fajitas on the Food Network.

He presented his program at the parish summer chapel, St. Veronica's while the cameras from "CBS Sunday Morning with Charles Osgood" rolled.

The segment will be shown on WPRI, Channel 12 Sunday, Nov. 22 at 9 a.m.

Read more about the event.

RISD is having its annual 100 Mile Meal Thursday, Nov. 19 from 5-8 p.m. at the Met, 55 Angell St., Providence.

This is a Thanksgiving feast with all the food sourced from within 100 miles.

It is open to the public and the cost is $12.

Much of what RISD purchases is through Farm Fresh Rhode Island.

Here's a list of the farms and a sampling of what was purchased:
Jaswells- apples and cider
Wishing Stone Farms- assorted produce
Aquidneck Honey
Baffoni's Poultry Farm- turkeys
Four Town Farm- various produce
Rhody Fresh Milk
Narragansett Creamery-cheese
RI Royal Potato / W. J. Canaan
Shartner Farms- produce
Allen Farms
Baby Greens Farms
Cooks Valley Farms
Fresh Meadow Farms
White Barn Farm

Susan Bucci, of Cranston, learns the ins and outs of making a perfect pie crust with the help of Chef Gary Welling, Department Chair of the International Baking and Pastry Institute at the Johnson and Wales Providence campus. Along side with Chef Welling, Susan makes makes a batch of pie crust dough enough for three crusts, using the basic 3-2-1 ratio by weight of flour, butter, and water. She takes home the chilled dough and makes three pies. View the video.

Providence Journal video and photos by Sandor Bodo