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Our Unusual Eastern Shore Thanksgiving Day 2012

Friday, November 23rd, 2012

With 5 kids, spouses, “significant others”, 5 grandchildren, a new great-grandchild, 2 huge bronze Newfoundland dogs plus a partridge in a pear tree, Thanksgiving Day at our house here on the scenic Eastern Shore of Virginia is usually a busy, noisy day of cooking, eating, talking. This year was no different except that we didn’t do it on The Day. Instead, we all got together for Thanksgiving Day dinner on Thanksgiving eve. First time ever, but the advantages turned out to be numerous. For those who also wanted to spend some time at the in-laws house, the opportunity was there. And for moi, it enabled us to not only enjoy time with the entire family but also to be able to make reservations to attend the very elegant Thanksgiving buffet at the The Lodge in Williamsburg. Talk about having my cake and eating it too !

In the South, preparations get underway several days before the day itself because special efforts have to be made to round up just the right ingredients. For example, no traditional Thanksgiving dinner in Virginia is ever complete without a big mess of either turnip or collard greens. And not just any old greens, only those tender and fresh- picked need apply. And on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, it is a time-honored tradition to serve a creamy oyster stew, steaming hot, fragrant with plump, briny local oysters, preferably from our Seaside, topped with pungent flakes of chopped fresh parsley. The sweet potatoes should be Haymans, a super-sweet white variety, indigenous to the Shore. Ham can be either country ham or fresh smoked but it must be served sliced very thin and, at our house, ham has to be studded with whole cloves before baking and finished with a crackling sugar glaze at the very end. Corn pudding, a lusciously rich mac and cheese as well as fried apples rendolent with cinnamon and nutmeg are among the compulsory side dishes. If one is serving turkey instead of ham, then a stuffing made with chopped pecans and crumbled sausage must be added to the onion and celery mixture and fluffy mashed potatoes are added to the “must-have” accompaniments. Hot yeasty dinner rolls round out the edges. The fabulous homemade potato dinner rolls from Kate’s Kupboard Bakery in Belle Haven, VA are delightful– if you remember to get on Kate’s order list early. If not, you are just plain out of luck and get ready to start soaking the yeast yourself ! ( Also great from Kate’s is her melt-in-your-mouth coconut pound cake– moist, tender, so delicious. In my book, better than either pecan or pumpkin pie.) So, they came , they ate, they laughed, they talked and everyone departed the evening in a jolly mood.

And so, for the first time since I can remember, early Thanksgiving morning I was not up wrestling stuffing into a 28 pound turkey or getting ready to make my secret mac and cheese recipe. Instead, I was relaxing with Hubby, enjoying several cups of my favorite coffee, feet up, watching the Today show. Wow ! It felt strange but I was really getting into it. Then, about 10:30, Hubby, Eldest Daughter, boyfriend and I piled into the car and set off for Williamsburg, roughly an hour and a half from the Eastern Shore, heading for our noon reservation at the Williamsburg Lodge, an elegant hotel owned by the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation and dedicated to continuing long traditions of Virginia hospitality.

One of the things I like best about the holiday buffets The Lodge offers is not just that they are true foodie delights but also that they make so much effort to insure that everything is beautiful and presented in a really eye- pleasing manner, the colors and textures are real food art. Beautiful ice sculptures abound, some co-ordinated to the holiday and some to the foods being served. I especially loved the sculpture done for the cold steamed jumbo shrimp, which were cleverly arranged on a carved flat block of ice which was backstopped with a huge scallop shell carved from crystal clear ice. Ice carved pumpkins, an ice sculptured cornucopia and watermelons carved into elaborate roses, the list goes on and on.

After ordering a bottle of Virginia Chardonay, we headed for the goodie- laden tables– the Lodge had really outdone itself with this spectacular Thanksgiving buffet. First order of business, check out the Cold Salads and Appetizers table. Then mosey on over to check out the long line of Hot Food Stations where a cute mini-tankard shaped mug of pumpkin bisque called out, “try me first”. Deliciously different, flecked with tiny chunks of scallion and spiced delicately with a bit of nutmeg, it paired beautifully with the white wine. Next up, I grazed among the cold salads and appetizers, highlighted by a mirrored tray of dazzling terrines, a delicious rainbow of eatable colors and textures. Down the line, my husband was drawn in by long, glistening filets of Scottish salmon, both hot smoked and cold smoked, thin sliced, accompanied by a horseradish aioli and a dill cream sauce, presented alongside cold grilled fennel and artichoke hearts. My pumpkin bisque was followed up by a bit of crisp Ceasar salad, few of the perfectly chilled shrimp and some fat stuffed olives, all wheting the appitite for the hot offerings to come. In fact, I ended up circling the Carving Stations and the Hot Foods Stations twice before making up my mind what to try first.

I finally opted for the grilled beef tenderloin, perfection in pink, piping hot, sliced thin and accompanied by a creamy horseradish sauce with pasta in a lush white clam sauce and green beans with crisp bacon as side dishes. Hubby was working on a whole new selection of terrines, pate’ and cheeses from the Appetizer Station alongside his healthy serving of Ceasar salad. Eldest Daughter on the other hand was swooning over the chicken piccata, lightly drizzled in a Madeira sauce and tossed with quartered baby bella mushrooms, with a few dollops of onion-garlic mashed Yukon Gold’s and some of the crunchy green beans on the side. By that time, we were all just trying to save a little room for the indulgent pastries beckoning like the Sirens from the Dessert Station. Delights like demi-tasse cups of baked Pumpkin Creme’ Brulee, open-faced apple cranberry tart, tiny chocolate molds filled with a delicious liqueur laden mousse, tiny scoops of house- made chocolate and strawberry ice cream, best I ever tasted and, of course, pecan, pumpkin and apple pie. And a Cupcake Station where, amazingly, more adults than children were lining up to ice and decorate their cupcakes ! A hot cup of aromatic coffee and a last bite of fruit tart brought this delicious meal to a close. And then, off to the historic restored Colonial area to walk it all off in the warm afternoon sun, another fine holiday coming to a close. (Posted by Marlene Cree, licensed Virginia agent with Blue Heron Realty Co., 7134 Wilsonia Neck Dr., Machipongo, VA)

Tags: Eastern Shore of Virginia, Kate's Kupboard Bakery, life on Virginia's Eastern Shore, Restored area in Williamsburg VA, week-end trips from Eastern Shore Virginia, Williamsburg Virginia
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On The Eastern Shore of Virginia, January 1, 2012 Dawned Auspiciously Bright And Beautiful

Friday, January 6th, 2012

There may have been blizzards raging across other parts of the US but here on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, January 1, 2012 dawned as a bright and beautiful day which, ever the optimist, I took as a sign of good things to come for our area this year ! And it was particularly auspicious for our plans for the day which were to go to Williamsburg for brunch and a walk through the historic area before they take down the Christmas decorations in Colonial Williamsburg’s Restored Area. Clear blue skies, temps forcast for the mid-60’s — who could ask for anything more for a New Year’s Day stroll down cobblestone streets in the historic area, a living museum harkening back to the early 1700’s ?

Setting off about 11 am, we breezed right along. Views from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge were spectacular, water shimmering in the morning sun, seemingly thousands of seabirds out to greet the New Year, soaring gaily above the Bridge, calling to their fellow revelers, diving for a fine fishy feast for the holiday. Out on Rt. 64 west, the roads were nearly traffic free, likely thanks to the ever-popular Rose Bowl parade and we made excellent time, arriving at the luxurious Williamsburg Inn well in advance of our 1 pm brunch reservation so we took a moment to just sit and relax, soaking up some sun outdoors on the Inn’s peaceful back patio overlooking the golf course.

The Regency Room at the Williamsburg Inn is a truly beautiful dining room, filled with soft light streaming in from a full wall of windows running along one entire side, beautifully decorated , lovely and quiet, just a wonderful restaurant to celebrate the arrival of the New Year, a surprise treat from my very thoughtful husband. But they really outdid themselves with a spectacular brunch buffet, a true foodie’s delight. After ordering a bottle of Virginia wine, a Barboursville Chardonay, we set off for the Cold Salads Station where my husband helped himself to some Eastern Shore oysters on the half shell, salty and flavorful, straight from our pristine waters, shucked before his very eyes, while I sampled the marinated shrimp, perfectly chilled, a smige of Ceasar salad and a tiny wedge of Stilton cheese. There were so many delicious hot offerings at the Hot Foods Station I had to circle around twice before I could decide on what to try first whereas hubby loves breakfast and opted right off the bat for a slice of the shrimp, scallop and sausage fritatta, some eggs benedict served with choron sauce and the grilled fingerling potatoes with carmalized onions.

Following the long-time southern tradition of eating black-eyed peas on New Year’s Day for good luck, I started with some black-eyed pea and ham chowder, smoky and delicious, followed by 3 cheese ravioli in a sauce of oyster mushrooms, a slice of breast of duck and a slice of cold prime rib, sliced paper-thin, served with with horseradish cream, all accompanied by a salad of wild greens and spinach dressed with a luscious vinaigrette, everything pairing well with our chardonay. Hubby was back at the Cold Salads Station for another little bit of the Scottish smoked salmon, which he declared “the best I ever ate” and some of the Caesar salad. For my final go-round ( before dessert), I visited the elaborate Carving Station, opting for a thin slice of beef fillet, piping hot, rare and juicy, along with some of the roasted potatoes. Even though we had been taking care to only have very small tastes of everything, we were both getting pretty full. But…… I never miss a wonderful dessert if I can help it so I just had to visit the Crepe Station for one of the little crepes, made while you watch, topped with fresh berries and a drizzle of rich caramel sauce. And I did save room for what I was pretty sure would be the piece’ de resistance, the Bananas Foster. Was I right or was I right ?? Expertly wielding an omelet pan, Chef’s assistant Michael Ellis made the best Bananas Foster that I have ever had, possibly that I may ever have, a supreme combination of banana slices, spices, sugars and rum flaming nearly to the sky and then dying down into a simmering ambrosial concoction, poured over a creamy scoop of rum raisin ice cream, the perfect end to a very special meal.

And then, off for our stroll through the historic area, an absolute necessity after all those Regency Room calories ! For those not familiar with the Colonial Williamsburg historic area, it is the amazing restoration and re-construction of many of the most important buildings that existed in Williamsburg during the Colonial era including the Capitol building, the Governor’s Palace and the Bruton Parish Church. As the capitol of colonial Virginia, Williamsburg was a well-known and very important city, really the center of commerce and government of the colony as well as the location of most respected college of that era, the College of William and Mary, alma mater of George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, among its many famous graduates. In the early 1930’s, John D. Rockefeller and his wife created the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation ( www.history.org ) , whose mission was and is to re-create a Colonial era town and educate visitors about life in that period, to be in effect a living museum for that period of American history. Re-enactors work and dress in contumes of the period and speak to visitors about Colonial customs, all of which is always a lot of fun. Holiday traditions of the era are observed which is how the door and window decorations of Williamsburg have come to be so famous.

Virtually every house in the Restored Area is decorated by a wreath made only of material which would have been available and used by residents of that time. Boxwood, cedar and pine woven into roping, decorated with fruits, seed pods, plant materials, shells, cloth, etc. which are the allowable materials for the beautiful wreathes desplayed each year in the Foundation’s blue ribbon door contest. Numerous books and articles have been written on how to make a Williamsburg style natural wreath, no plastics, no doo-dads, just raw materials straight from Mother Nature, fashioned into a festive, eye pleasing decoration. It’s such an easy drive from the Eastern Shore to Williamsburg and we try to come every year during the holiday season to see the decorations, usually eating in one of the authentic period taverns which serve a menu of 1700’s holiday fare. Sunday happened to be a day when all the horse drawn carriages, elegant reproductions which according to one of the drivers were handmade in Austria ( except for the wheels, which are fashioned by Colonial Williamsburg’s very own wheelwright) and cost in the vacinity of $250,000 apiece. That’s a pretty steep price but they are truly gorgeous and a 15 minute ride for 4 people costs about $15/ person so it doesn’t take too many years to amortize the investment. At any rate, there’s always something new to see in Williamsburg and its a wonderful way to kick off a brand new year .