The holiday traditions that I have established are intimately associated with public radio.
Around the 2002 time frame, I was listening to "The Splendid Table" with Lynn Rosetto Casper and she was interviewing David Rosengarten about cooking turkey. I had watched him on the Food Network at the beginning when I was stationed with the Air Force in Oklahoma.
He suggested cutting the breasts off of the turkey when they reach an internal temperature of 145 degrees Fahrenheit, then putting the rest of the bird back in the oven to get the dark meat up to 165 degrees. He also suggested serving the white meat as a first course with a Poblano Cream Sauce. I pair that with a white wine such as Sancerre.
The second course is traditional Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner with dark meat, dressing, my grandmother's green beans and cranberry-orange compote paired with a big red wine such as Cannubi vineyard Barolo or Napa Cabernet sauvignon.
The third course is a cheese souffle with sharp white cheddar. The fourth course is a chocolate mousse paired with Tequila. You should try this to know that it goes together. I dress up in chef's attire to do all this before I collapse for a nap.
Jack Wright, San Antonio, TX
