Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Get Lucky



The idea of serving a wonderful home cooked, everything-made-from-scratch Thanksgiving dinner has universal appeal. But not all have the time to live the dream and there are those, let’s be honest here, that are just not up to the challenge. Heather Haviland can help. She’s offering a full line-up of sides, sauces, and desserts to go. Many of the dishes feature local produce, including fruit and vegetables that she and her staff put up during the summer. There’s jalapeno scallion spoon bread; green bean casserole with fried shallots; sage scented stuffing; winter squash soup; caramelized sweet potatoes; pumpkin black current brioche bread pudding and apple pie with pecan praline crumb topping. Heather told me that the gravy, made with a demi glace from turkey stock that’s reduced and reduced until it turns into a thick rich concentrate, is so good “you’ll want to bathe in it.”

The full menu is available online. Food MUST be pre-ordered by November 19 and can be picked up on the west side at Lucky’s in Tremont or on the east side Vine and Bean on Larchmere with instructions for re-heating and serving.

Whether you chose to tell your guests where the food came from or opt to let them think you spent days chopping, mixing and baking is a personal decision. But while she’s happy to supply all the “go-withs,” Haviland leaves her customers to their own devices when it comes to the turkey. “You have to roast the bird yourself,” she insists, “to get your house smelling just right.”

No comments: