The Spirit World

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone in the US! 

At some point this weekend, you’ll realize that all there is to eat in the house is leftovers.  Lots of turkey leftovers…. and do I have a great use for that turkey for you!  But as we normally do, let’s start with our cocktail. 

If you do a web search or peruse cocktail books for Cranberry Cooler you’ll come up with several different recipes, including several that are non-alcoholic.  Let’s list one of those first, as it’s always nice to have that option. 

Cranberry Cooler

• Soda Water
• Cranberry juice
• Lime slices or wedges

Fill a tall glass with ice.  Pour in equal parts of soda water and cranberry juice.  Squeeze a little lime juice into the glass and then garnish with a slice. 

And now for a version that includes a little kick. 

Cranberry Cooler

• 1 1/2 oz gin 
• 3 oz Cranberry juice
• 1 1/2 oz lemon juice 
• 1 oz orange juice
• Club Soda

Pour everything but the soda into a tall glass filled with ice.  Stir gently.  Top with club soda. 

Now for your appetizer, I’m going to give you the recipe for a big batch, but you can actually make one sandwich at a time, if that’s all you need.  The recipe calls for a dense raisin bread and I have always made my own because the first year I made these I couldn’t find a commercial bread that I liked.  If you don’t make your own bread these are a snap to make - and even with making the bread they are not that hard.  The recipe is from Ina Garten’s The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook.  The basil adds a really interesting taste - when I serve these at parties people are always trying to figure out where that little savory, spiciness comes from - basil is an unexpected ingredient. 

Turkey Tea Sandwiches

• 3/4 pound cream cheese
• 1/2 cup minced scallions (both white and green parts)
• 1 loaf dense raisin bread, unsliced
• 8 thin slices fresh or smoked turkey breast
• Fresh Basil leaves

Mix the cream cheese and scallions in a mixer fitted with a paddle, just until combined.

If possible, have the store slice the raisin bread in 8 pieces the long way.  You can also do this at home (very carefully) or it won’t hurt to use regular slices of bread. 

Lay out the 8 slices of bread and spread a little of the cream cheese mixture on each slice.  Place a single layer of turkey on half the slices and then cover the turkey with a single layer of basil leaves.

Top with the other 4 slices of bread.  Wrap each sandwich in plastic wrap, place on a baking sheet and put in the fridge until the cream cheese is cold and set. 

Remove the plastic and cut each sandwich into 8 “fingers”.  (Adjust this if you used “regular” slices of bread.) Alternatively, cut the sandwich in half and then cut each half diagonally in each direction to form 4 triangles.