In a Thanksgiving Panic? Here's Five Easy Recipes

The large American population of St Andrews means that Thanksgiving (or, more often, Friendsgiving) has added itself to the list of local traditions. But if you’ve found yourself with a last-minute invite, so caught up in deadlines that it completely slipped your mind, or just wanted to try out some traditional food to see what the hype is all about, no fear. Here are a few quick, easy, and (mostly) traditional Thanksgiving dishes you can throw together for a swoon-worthy contribution.  

Baked Brie

Ingredients

1 7-inch wheel of Camembert

¼ cup dried cherries

¼ cup sliced toasted almonds

3 tbsp brown sugar

1 sheet of puff pastry

1 egg, beaten

Recipe

1. Cut the wheel of cheese in half horizontally and separate the top half of the wheel from the bottom half.

2. Sprinkle the bottom half of the brie with the dried cherries, toasted almonds, and brown sugar.

3. Replace the top half of the brie and apply pressure to secure the stuffing. 

4. Roll out the puff pastry on a well-floured surface.

5. Place the brie in the middle of the puff pastry and fold the excess pastry around the wheel.

6. Using a pastry brush, brush the pastry with the egg wash.

7. Place the brie on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper.

8. Bake for 25 minutes at 200℃. Turn the temperature down to 160°C and bake for another 20 minutes.

   

   
   

Easy Crusty Bread (1 loaf)

Ingredients

1 ½ cups warm water

¾ tbsp instant yeast

½ tbsp salt

3 ¼ cups flour (preferably strong or bread flour)

Recipe

1. Mix yeast and salt into the warm water. Let sit for five minutes until foamy.

2. Mix in flour, the dough will be very loose (tip: mix with a wooden spoon).

3. Cover loosely with a towel in a warm place and let rise for approximately two hours (if you don’t have a warm place for the dough to rise, place in an oven with the light on).

4. Turn the dough to lightly stretch, creating a smooth, rounded top and lumpy bottom.

5. Place on a piece of parchment paper and let rest for approximately 30 minutes.

6. While the dough is resting, place a Dutch oven or baking stone (or upside-down cookie sheet) in the oven and preheat to 235℃.

7. Dust with flour and slash the top of the dough with a sharp knife.

8. Slide parchment paper with the dough onto the baking stone. Toss several ice cubes into the hot broiler tray. Shut oven quickly to trap steam — this will help form the crust**.

9. Bake until well browned, for 24-28 minutes.

**If using a Dutch oven, place the dough in the oven and cook with the lid on for 25-30 minutes, and off for an additional 10 minutes.

Butternut Squash & Goat's Cheese Galette

Ingredients

Pre-made pie crust

¼ of a butternut squash, peeled and sliced

1 package of garlic & herb Boursin cheese

¼ red onion sliced

½ tbsp olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp thyme

1 sprig fresh rosemary

1 egg, beaten 

Recipe

1. Heat oven to 190℃.

2. In a bowl, combine the squash, onion, oil, paprika, thyme, salt and pepper. Toss to coat.

3. Roll out the dough and spread the cheese in an even layer, leaving about an inch of dough around the edges.

4. Place the squash and onion on top of the cheese in a thin, even layer.

5. Fold over the edges of the crust.

6. Brush edges with the egg wash.

7. Bake for about 35-45 minutes, until the squash is cooked and the crust is golden.

Creamy Au Gratin Potatoes

Ingredients

4 russet potatoes, sliced thinly

1 onion, sliced into rings

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp all-purpose flour

½ tsp salt

2 cups milk

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 200°C. Butter a 1-quart casserole dish.

2. Layer half of the potatoes into the bottom of the prepared casserole dish. Top with the onion slices, and add the remaining potatoes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.

4. Mix in the flour and salt, and stir constantly with a whisk for one minute.

5. Stir in the milk and cook until the mixture has thickened.

6. Stir in cheese all at once and continue stirring until melted, about 30-60 seconds.

7. Pour cheese over the potatoes and cover the dish with aluminium foil.

8. Bake for 1 ½ hours.

Pecan Pie

Ingredients

1 pre-made pie crust

3 large eggs

⅔ cup golden syrup

⅛ tsp salt

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

12 pecan halves

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 180℃.

2. Roll out pie crust and place in a pie tin.

3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, sugar, corn syrup, salt, melted butter, and vanilla.

4. Stir in the chopped pecans.

5. Pour the filling into the pie crust.

6. Arrange the pecan halves on top of the filling.

7. Bake for 55-65 minutes.