Your Ultimate Holiday Food and Wine Guide, Pandemic-Style!
With less than two months left of 2020, it may feel like a huge relief to think that the current global pandemic will fade away around New Yearโs once we roll into 2021. Yet, the reality of that actually happening is probably further away than we think. As the holiday season is typically a very hectic time for most (between all your typical Christmas sweater parties, cookie exchanges, family gatherings to plan and cook for, company celebrations, and the list goes on๐), this year has been stressful for other obvious reasons.
Given the current situation with COVID-19, many households are choosing to stay home and not celebrate with extended family members or friends this year. Grocery stores are even seeing small turkeys between 10 and 15 pounds fly off the shelves quicker than ever before, and the ones remaining are outrageously large. Weโre talking 30-pound โdinosaur turkeysโ here! If you are planning to cook one of these, I really hope you have room in your fridges for LOTS of leftovers. You may want to start bookmark all the turkey leftover recipes you can find now๐. Here are some ideas in case you need some inspiration:
Hopefully these make your mouth water immediately, and not dread those boring slices of turkey that would have inevitably shown up on your plate for the next few weeks๐
Itโs Turkey Time!
With most families are staying home and enjoying a more intimate gathering this year, lots of people find themselves cooking a turkey for the first time everโฆ Talk about intimidating!! Thereโs nothing like the pressure to prepare the perfect bird without undercooking or drying it out. Iโve done a bit of research, and listed a few articles below for you in order to successfully slay that dino turkey without the stress. Donโt worry, as I made sure to include one that specifically addresses a 30-pounder since all the others refer to a much smaller turkey!
Simple Roast Turkey from New York Times Cooking (with 2.4k 5-star reviews)
Easy, No Fuss Thanksgiving Turkey from Tastes Better From Scratch (with 878 5-star reviews)
How To Cook a Turkey: The Simplest, Easiest Method from The Kitchn (with 409 5-star reviews)
How Long to Cook a 30-Pound Turkey That Will Feed the Whole Family from Better Homes & Gardens (no reviews mentioned, but it looks like a promising one๐ค๐ป)
Once that tasty turkey has been cooked, cut, and thoroughly enjoyed, the carcass may seem like an challenging task to tackle alongside cleanup, packing away leftovers, and that sink full of dishes to do. Having a game plan in mind beforehand is the trick. Here is an article to help you decide what to do, and how to knock it out quickly: Hereโs What You Should Do with Your Turkey Immediately After Dinner Today. If you have a helper or two, you can indulge in that post-meal chill or dessert even faster!
Pass The Sides, Please
Now onto the fun side and appetizer dishes! Personally, Iโve never been a big stuffing fan. Iโm more of a build-my-mountain-of-mashed-potatoes kinda girlโwith a large canyon in the middle for a gravy pool, of course. Since itโs not your average holiday gathering, perhaps youโre looking for new recipes to try. Here are a few that are sure to be absolute standouts:
Rosemary Garlic Sourdough Bread (my favorite sourdough recipeโฆ youโll have everyone begging for more!)
Save Room For Dessert?
My response to that question: ALWAYS! Back to me not liking stuffing much, I donโt drool over pie either. When it comes to dessert, my true weaknesses are cheesecake and ice cream, which is why I included some pie-alternatives because I know Iโm not alone on this one.
Gingerbread Cake (donโt forget the vanilla ice cream๐จ)
Kahlua Whipped Cream (amazing in coffee with a dash of cinnamon๐๐ป)
Most of these recipes result in small, self-serve portions so there is less fear of someone touching another personโs foodโฆ And in case youโre watching your portion sizes. I hate that groggy and sleepy feeling due to eating too much, especially if itโs not even dinnertime yet!
Hereโs My Glassโฆ Fillโer Up
And last but definitely NOT least, the piรจce de rรฉsistance: WINE!!! (Cue the confetti๐) For the holidays, I typically choose wines that pair extremely well with food. In my opinion, three categories come to mind: Sparkling, dark rosรฉs, and medium-bodied reds. These are all pretty versatile and please just about everyone. Sure, you might have that annoying aunt that will only drink Chardonnay or your brother in-law that insists he canโt stand anything lighter than a bold Cab๐. But they can both bring their own bottle if theyโre really that picky. After some extensive research (yes, LOTS of tasting was involved), I put a list together for my 2020 holiday top wine picksโฆ Drumroll, please๐ฅ!
Sparkling Wines
Bubbles are always a hit, serving well as a pre-dinner aperitif or with a slice of dessertโฆ Or perhaps both! No judgement here. My favorite aspect of sparkling is that excitement you get with hearing that first cork pop. It means that thereโs something to celebrate; and considering that weโre still alive in the middle of a global pandemic, Iโd say thatโs worth popping at least a bottle or two!! These sparklers are sure to dazzle you and your family, ranging from Demi Sec (medium-sweet) to Brut Nature (no sugar added, but may have a touch of residual sugar):
NV Laetitia XD Sparkling ($28)
NV J Brut Rosรฉ ($45)
Dark Rosรฉs
Yes, you read that correctly! Rosรฉs are not only amazing summer wines, but they also compliment holiday dishes quite as well. Personally, I always love a good shade of pinkโno matter what the occasion. And with so many platters possibly loaded with rich, buttery flavors, having a little palette-cleanser thatโs easily accessible makes enjoying that decadent meal a bit easier. The rosรฉs you typically enjoy in warm weather (and possibly chug on some occasions in extreme heatโฆ guilty๐ ) are different from what Iโm referring to now. Rather, bold rosรฉs with more color are produced via longer skin contact between the grape skins and juice; this means that the red grapes would have also imparted more tannin, structure, and flavor. Instead of zippy tropical notes, this style tends to rock more of the red fruit and spice notes with pops of herbaceousness and minerality. Below are some suggestions that embody that entirely:
Medium-Bodied Reds
Typically, medium-bodied reds range from delicate Pinot Noir to dark and jammy Zinfandel. The fullness of the mouthfeel and body truly depends on the winemaking techniques used. Some Pinot Noirs can be super light and lower alcohol whereas others can be intense and close to 15% alcohol when produced in a warmer climate area; this goes for most other varietals as well.
What makes this style perfect for pairing with holiday meals (i.e., poultry, gravy, and roasted vegetables) is the incredible flavor without the punch. What you donโt want is an overly powerful Bordeaux blend that could mask certain spices and nuances of dishes meant to be complementedโnot buried under tons of intense tannins and angular structure. Cooler climate regions, like Edna Valley or Monterey here on the Central Coast, are incredible producers of varietals that might be considered more full-bodied (like Syrah) but introduce more plushness to make them softer. Here are five of my current favorites that would be SUPERB with your holiday meals this year:
2015 Epoch Estate Blend ($60)
2018 Groundwork Grenache ($20)
Before I wrap up, here are some last-minute tips to make the best of your quarantine celebrations:
If possible, host your meal outside. Enjoy it out on the patio, or pop up a canopy tent. Bundle up and light a fire pit or portable heater to keep warm. It may be fun to feel like youโre camping while indulging.
If celebrating indoors, welcome some fresh air by opening windows and doors. Placing a fan in an open window will blow air out, and pull fresh air in through other open windows.
Schedule a Zoom call with family between appetizers and dinner to keep everyone awake and alert. Waiting under after the meal could be a bad time, especially once that food coma kicks in.
Sanitize everything. Make sure to wipe down the kitchen, cooking utensils, and all surfaces before and after eating. Remind everyone to wash their hands before and after eating. Having some hand sanitizer thatโs easily accessible wouldnโt hurt, too.
If youโre kindly delivering food to others, use a contactless method like leaving it on the porch for them.
With that said, I hope that you can make the best out of the upcoming holidays and choose to have an abundance mindset. Remember to focus on being present and enjoying these special moments with your loved ones while you can. Weโre all struggling in this together, doing our best to navigate through difficult times. At the end of the day, sweating over the little things isnโt worth sacrificing your mental health. After all, itโs the most wine-derful time of year! Wishing you a warm and toast-y holiday season๐ฅ๐
About Bry
Hi there, Iโm Bry Grebe! Wine is one of my greatest passions, and I love learning all I can about it. Join me as I sip through the Central Coast, and expand my winemaking career๐ท
