With Thanksgiving really close, we need to start preparing. Every single person that organized a Thanksgiving dinner knows how difficult it is to do all that is needed to make all guests feel comfortable. When referring to the Thanksgiving appetizers, the most common problem is that we tend to completely forget about them. With this in mind, let us think about 2 Thanksgiving appetizers that are really easy to make and that will surely be a hit among guests.
Cashews With Garlic And Crispy Sage
A very interesting Thanksgiving appetizers that is both fancy and tasty.
Ingredients:
- 2 sliced garlic cloves
- 1 tablespoon of chopped sage
- 12 sage leaves
- Olive oil
- 2 cups of raw cashews
How to prepare:
Use a medium sized skillet. Fry the sliced garlic cloves until they have a light golden color in olive oil. Then, add the sage leaves and also the chopped sage. Cook until everything is crisp. Use paper towels to drain the liquid. Add the raw cashews and then continue cooking until everything is golden. Add sage, salt and garlic. Let the cashews cool and serve them.
Pickled Red Onion Chicken Liver Mousse
This is a very light and silky chicken liver mouse Thanksgiving appetizer that includes pickled red onion to offer a different taste than what we are used to.
Ingredients:
- 2 bacon slices – cut in half an inch dices
- 2 unsalted butter tablespoons
- Half an onion – diced
- Salt
- White pepper
- 1 pound of chicken liver
- 1 peeled small apple – finely diced and cored
- A quarter of a cup of brandy
- A quarter of a teaspoon of ground allspice
- 5 egg yolks
- 1 and a half cups of half-and-half
- Pickled red onions and toasted baguette slices – 6
How to prepare:
First, preheat your oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Butter 4 ramekins and melt the butter. In the skillet you used to melt the butter add all the bacon. Cook until your dish is light browned. Use a slotted spoon and put the bacon on a plate. Add chicken liver to the same skillet. Season with the use of white pepper and salt. Use moderate heat to cook and then transfer to your plate.
Add apple, allspice, onions and cook over a low heat setting. Occasionally stir until both the apple and the onion are softened. Take the Calvados and add it. With caution, ignite everything by using a long match. As soon as the flames will subside, scrape the mixture with the use of a blender. Let everything cool down till reaching room temperature.
Add your chicken liver and bacon to the mixture inside the blender. Add egg yolks, salt and half-and-half. Make sure that everything is very smooth by blending as much as necessary. Use a coarse sieve to pass your mixture into a glass measuring cup. The prepared ramekins will welcome the mixture and then you move everything to a roasting pan. Make sure that you add hot water so that half the ramekin’s sides are covered and use foil to cover everything loosely. You now have to bake the mousse for around 90 minutes. Use a thermometer and stop when the temperature recorded is of 155 degrees Fahrenheit. Let the ramekins cool down to room temperature. Cover them and then refrigerate everything, preferably for an entire night. Use Pickled red onions and baguette slices to serve.
Never Forget The Thanksgiving Appetizers!
While you might feel that you do not have enough time to cook Thanksgiving appetizers, this is never actually the case. The chicken liver mousse can be done one day before Thanksgiving and the cashews are really fast. Allow yourself enough time to cook the appetizers that you chose and your guests will definitely love them. These Thanksgiving appetizers basically make the Turkey even tastier.