Pumpkin maple crème brulee.

How about Thanksgiving dinner to go?

Lynn Ogryzlo, Just a Taste
Published on Oct 10, 2008

Thanksgiving dinners are on the rise but no longer do they represent the pressure of stuffing, trussing, basting, baking and fiddling with all the fixings. More and more people, like a friend of mine in Toronto, are discovering Thanksgiving dinners to-go.

That's right, on Thanksgiving Day I'll be visiting friends in Toronto and dining on a feast prepared by the Fairmont Royal York Hotel. We'll start with Creamy corn squash and sweet potato soup, and go right into the turkey purchased from a local farm -- Rowe Farms Natural Turkey with Onion Sage Stuffing. The dinner comes complete with pan gravy, fresh cranberry sauce, herb roasted potatoes, maple glazed root vegetables and ends with home-style pumpkin tarts with whipped molasses cream -- yum! And all this from a friend who can't cook!

Here in Niagara, the Wild Flower Market on Hwy. 20 East in Fonthill (905-892-6167, www.wildflowermarket.ca) is also offering Thanksgiving dinners to go both Sunday and Monday. Their delicious dinner offers white and dark turkey meat, dried fruit stuffing, cranberry sauce, roasted garlic infused mashed potatoes, market fresh vegetables and light pan drippings. Just order a few days before and arrange the time that's most convenient for you to pick it up.

The Wild Flower Market focuses on organic foods whenever they can so this dinner appeases those looking for delicious, good, safe, healthy food. Prices are reasonable and you can pick and choose your accompaniments from a range of autumn salads. You can even bring your own platters and dishes ahead of time and dinner will be plated, family-style, for you.

How civil! Now you can set an autumn table complete with coloured leaves and tiny pumpkins or go to the gym in the morning and pick up Thanksgiving dinner on your way home.

Beyond Catering Market & Café in the Ridley Plaza in St. Catharines (905-680-7202 www.beyondcatering.ca) is also offering to do your holiday cooking for you. The turkeys are local, fresh and naturally raised free-range birds and cooked to your liking for $3.95 a pound and that includes delivery and heating instructions -- wow!

Chef Tony Nuth customizes Thanksgiving dinner by offering you options such as Classic Thanksgiving Turkey that is fuss-free or fresh prepared for you to finish off in your oven. I like this option because it fills the house with the irresistible smells of a good feast. Dinners come accompanied with traditional sage stuffing, Whitty Farms buttercup squash, celery root mash potato, and of course the gravy.

You can change the traditional to gourmet with Beyond Italian Turkey Roulade. This is stuffed turkey breast with Victory Farms organic Swiss chard, Pingue prosciutto and parmesan stuffing -- yum. This comes with cranberry salsa, roasted butternut squash and a Chianti gravy - who can resist!

Both restaurants offer in-house salads and desserts as options to the traditional or if you wish. Have a very delicious and stress-free Thanksgiving.

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GARLIC AND CHIVE BLOSSOM MASHED POTATOES

  • 2 to 3 pounds (.91 - 1.36 kg) russet potatoes

  • 4 tbsp (60 mL) unsalted butter

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced

  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) fresh chives, minced

  • 3 tbsp (45 mL) sour cream

  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) milk, or more if necessary

  • salt and freshly cracked white pepper

    Peel potatoes and cut into even pieces. Rinse and place in a pot, cover with water and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes.

    Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan with garlic. Cook over low heat for about 1 minute. Drain the potatoes and beat in the melted butter, sour cream and milk until desired consistency is reached. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Serves 6

    PUMPKIN MAPLE CREME BRULEE

  • 1/4 cup (60 mL) granulated sugar

  • 8 large egg yolks

  • 2/3 cup (160 mL) cooked and mashed sugar pumpkin

  • 1/3 cup (80 mL) White Meadow pure maple syrup

  • 1 cup (250 mL) whipping cream

  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) whole milk

  • 1/2 tsp (2.5 mL) freshly grated nutmeg

  • 1/2 cup (125 mL) sugar

    Preheat oven to 300 F (150 C). Whisk sugar and yolks together until pale yellow and creamy. Add pumpkin and maple syrup; whisk to blend. Combine cream, milk and nutmeg in a saucepan and over medium heat, slowly bring to a boil. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk and pumpkin mixture, whisking constantly. Divide custard among six custard cups. Set dishes into a deep baking pan. Transfer pan to oven. Carefully pour enough hot water into pan to come halfway up sides of cups.

    Bake custards until almost set in centre of oven, about 1 hour. Let custards cool slightly in the pan at room temperature for 15 minutes. Remove custards from pan and chill uncovered until cold, about 5 hours. (Custards can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and keep refrigerated.)

    Arrange custard cups on baking sheet. Sprinkle sugar evenly over the top of each. Place under a hot broiler until sugar melts and browns evenly. Refrigerate crème brulee until cold, about 1 hour. Serves 6.

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    Lynn Ogryzlo is food and wine writer for Niagara this Week newspaper, Niagara Life Magazine and author of Niagara Cooks, a farm to table cookbook. She is also culinary host of CHCH-TV's Niagara Express airing Sundays at 7 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.