THANKSGIVING DAY 2007

Thanksgiving Day - the Macy's Parade

All set to watch the Rockettes kick off the parade and WHERE are they? Still the show opener was a terrific choreography for six-hundred kids to kick off 2007 Macy’s parade.

Since we do not cook on Thanksgiving (a tradition started over a decade ago when I was in graduate school), the few things we like for the holidays are getting scheduled into the next couple of weeks. Number one on the to-do list, a no-bake Date-Nut Log, a syntheses of several recipes on the web and modified with a snappy twist.

BONNIE’S DATE-NUT LOG
A chewy treat with sweetness, flavor and crunch.

1 C. Ginger Snap cookie crumbs
1C. Gingerbread Graham Cracker crumbs
1 C. Chopped Dates
1 C. Chopped Pecans
1/2 C. Sweetened Condensed Milk
1+ Tbsp. Cognac

Crush the cookies and crackers in a food processor and dump into a LARGE mixing bowl. Chop the dates (if using whole, pitted dates) into medium chunks, about 4 cuts per date. Add the dates and pecans to the mix.

At this point prepare two layers of waxed paper for kneading the dough. Place open on counter top BEFORE you hands get sticky.

Pour in some Cognac (nobody’s watching),into the mix and open the can of milk. Pour by letting the thick consistency drop slowly into the bowl as you stir and drop, stir and drop, until the milk is absorbed. Knead the sticky dough with your hands to distribute the moisture throughout. Now dump the whole mess onto the waxed paper sheet and begin to knead, roll and shape into a log. Once the log is formed, pull off the sticky layer of paper by rolling onto the under layer and twist the ends to secure the log. Now roll the log into a covering of plastic wrap (Press ‘n Seal works best) and store in fridge for a week or more.

To serve, cut thin, quarter-inch slices and place two on a plate with 3 pecan halves, a fresh fig, a few grapes, a dab of whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Your choice but not necessarily all of the above.

There is a story behind this recipe. Once upon a time (really, as an undergraduate in the 60's), working as a waitress at the then upscale steakhouse in Columbia, Missouri. The Ranch House was owned by a restauranteur who owned most of the local campus pizza parlors and this edge of town dinner restaurant converted from an old farm house. The Cook was an ex-Navy, short-order cook who somehow got promoted to a steak joint and was faced with creating a menu that featured the mainstays of charcoal grilled steaks, country-fried chicken and spaghetti with, or without, meatballs. Since Cook was not a baker or a pastry chef the dessert portion of the menu was short: vanilla ice cream and two kinds of sherbet.

A little two short so Cook was directed to find another dessert, the main criteria being easy and cheap. The Date-Nut Log recipe was taken directly from the back of a package of dates (circa 1964), and once chilled could last more than a week - the perfect dessert solution. The big surprise for the staff was that after a steak and baked potato dinner the patrons loved the sweet bite of the log dessert with a dollop of whipped cream on top. I must admit that I loved it too - and had the pounds to prove it. That must be where my diet went astray (?).

Somehow I forgot that date-nut-log over the past decades, thinking of it only as my nutrition needs turn more to grains, dried fruit and nuts. The recipe I remember is lost forever, searching the web and date packages I found nothing. But cooks.com came close with a recipe using Nilla Wafer crumbs. Last night was the make-it deadline and the recipe was simple and quick. The ginger-flavored crumbs was my twist, a bit of snap to balance the sweet.

The parade continues and I am supposed to be updating the label-list for the holiday letter. And then of course, writing the holiday letter. Best get started.....
Stay tuned, bb