Budget abundance

Last Thanksgiving I became a believer - convinced nothing beats the flavor of a fresh, organic heritage breed turkey.

I still believe, but my bank account doesn't.

Major economic indicators suggest I'll forgo the $165 Bourbon Red this year and do my best with the free frozen bird I get for spending $300 at my local grocery store. And that should be a cinch, with the Consumer Price Index for home food costs up 7.6 percent from a year ago.

So my goal this Thanksgiving is to serve not the best that money can buy, but the best my budget will allow. I'm shooting for smart spending - not skimping - to create the feeling of elegance without the exorbitant price tag.

I sought advice from local chefs and online experts about how to cut corners without making my guests feel as though they were living through a chapter from The Grapes of Wrath.

Start with an arrangement of seasonal produce to create a beautiful centerpiece - and the appearance of abundance, suggests Kathy S. Gold of In the Kitchen Cooking School in Haddonfield.

Put together a bounty of fruits and vegetables, such as apples, cranberries, pomegranates, Seckel pears, chestnuts, squash, even fresh radishes and parsley or other herbs. Arrange them on their own or decorate your turkey platter. Not only are they gorgeous on your table, you can eat them after company is gone.

The trick is to satisfy the senses without creating waste, says chef Ann-Michelle Albertson, whose cooking school is in Bryn Mawr. So instead of soup and salad courses, let your guests go straight to the main event. At dessert, serve pie but skip the a la mode.

"You can serve an elegant Thanksgiving dinner in just three courses," Albertson says, "And it can still feel abundant."

And don't feel compelled to serve every side dish anyone in the extended family ever ate on a Thanksgiving, just because that's their tradition, says Gold, a onetime investment banker, who trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Ottawa.

For a small group, especially a family of white-meat lovers, Gold suggests a wonderful boneless turkey breast stuffed with cranberry sauce and herbed stuffing. It's also great if you crave that Thanksgiving feeling on New Year's Eve. (See accompanying recipe.)

But for a traditional Thanksgiving, truth be told, it's not the basic side dishes of mashed potatoes and sweet potatoes that add to the cost. It's the turkey that ups the bill.

So make the most of that free frozen supermarket turkey, Gold says, and improve the taste by using a brine or salt rub. (Note, however, that pre-basted turkeys should not be brined.)

Brining, or soaking the turkey in a bath of water, salt, herbs and spices, can be space-consuming, depending on the size of your bird, but our restaurant critic Craig LaBan swears by it. (Read his recipes and instructions for "The Incredible Barbecued Bird" at www.philly.com at the Restaurants & Food link.)

For a salt rub, remove the defrosted turkey from its plastic packaging, set aside the bag of giblets, then rinse the bird in the sink with cool water. Pat dry and rub the outside of the bird with coarse kosher salt, using at least a half cup for a 12-pound turkey.

Cover the bird loosely and put it back in the fridge for 24 hours. Then rinse and dry the turkey again, and let it come to room temperature before seasoning and cooking.

If you are dead-set against frozen turkey, many local supermarkets will offer you a reduction on the price of a fresh or kosher turkey instead of a frozen one, if you qualify.

Here are more tips for saving without skimping.

As any home economist would explain, the least expensive ingredients to use are those that are in season. So, Gold used tangerines as the main ingredient in her mixture to coat and later baste her turkey. (See recipe.)

Make what you can from scratch, without going all Martha Stewart. Cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie fall in this category.

Cranberries are both locally (South Jersey) grown and in season, so Gold advocates using them in your decor, as well as your dishes.

Depending on your tastes, you could save by offering beer instead of Beaujolais, or go nonalcoholic with sparkling cider. Serve pitchers of chilled water with lemon slices instead of buying bottled water.

Clip coupons and take advantage of store sales and promotions. But don't buy an item just because it is on sale or you have a coupon, and don't overbuy just to reach a store's quota for its free turkey.

At instructables.com/id/Thanksgiving-Calculator/ you'll find a shopping calculator to gauge the quantities needed for the particular menu you have planned, even allowing for leftovers.

With all the sound suggestions for saving money that I found, there were just as many losers:

Grow your own vegetables and herbs. (It's a little late.)

Have guests bring their own silverware and place settings, and save on your water bill by having them take them home to wash them.

Make your own no-sew placemats for the table. (I'll use a tablecloth, thank you.)

Go vegan by serving Vegetarian Fakeloaf With Oats instead of turkey.

They're kidding, right? A vegetarian lifestyle is a personal choice, not one to be imposed on guests who come to the table with visions of marshmallow-sweet potato casserole. Besides, I'm sure there are better vegan recipes.

In fact, Gold and her daughter Chloe, 15, are vegans, and satisfy themselves with side dishes at Thanksgiving.

That said, Gold confesses that she has been known to make three different cranberry sauces; two types of sweet potato dishes (Southern with praline topping, and spicy with chipotle and lime), and three different pecan pies, barely leaving room on the sideboard for the pumpkin flan her brother-in-law's mother, Rena Garonzik, always makes, always a most welcome addition to the meal, Gold says.

Which brings us to the sometimes touchy subject of guests' bringing dishes. Of course it helps the budget if everyone contributes to the meal. And every hostess welcomes a favorite pie or casserole. But what about guests who want to bring a dish that, frankly, you'd rather they did not?

"Accept it. People cook from their hearts and it's up to us to accept it and be gracious," Gold says. "Especially at this time of year."

You might be proactive, and if guests ask ahead of time what they should bring, go through only one round of the "Oh, you don't have to bring anything" . . . "Oh, but I want to" routine, and then, instead of leaving the contribution up to them, suggest they bring dessert.

"The more desserts the merrier" is Gold's motto.

Makes 4 to 6 servings

EndTextStartText

11/2-pound boneless turkey

   breast, pounded to 1/2

   inch thick

Salt and freshly cracked

   black pepper to taste

11/2 cups cranberry sauce

11/2 cups bread stuffing,

   prepared according to

   package directions or

   your favorite recipe

Olive oil

6 pieces kitchen string, each

   about 9 inches long

EndTextStartText

1. Preheat oven to 375° F.

2. Cover a cutting board with plastic wrap and place turkey skin side down on the covered board, with the long side in front of you. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon cranberry sauce down the middle of the length of the turkey breast. Top cranberry sauce with the stuffing (resisting the urge to overstuff). Using the plastic wrap to help, fold the turkey breast over the filling until it meets the other side, tucking in short ends. Tie the turkey at even intervals with the string.

3. Heat a large ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Add oil to the pan, and brown turkey breast on all sides, starting seam side down (about 12 minutes total).

4. Place pan in oven and roast for about 30 to 35 minutes, until the meat reaches an internal temperature of 160 degrees. Allow to rest 15 minutes before slicing.

Per serving (based on 6): 297 calories, 26 grams protein, 37 grams carbohydrates, 18 grams sugar, 16 grams fat, 74 milligrams cholesterol, 373 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber.

EndText

Makes 10 to 12 servings

EndTextStartText

One 12-pound turkey, giblets

   removed

1 stick unsalted butter,

   softened

Zest of one lemon

Juice of one lemon

Zest of one tangerine

Juice of one tangerine

1/4 cup minced mixed fresh

   herbs, such as thyme,

   sage and rosemary

Herb bundle (sprigs of dried

   thyme, rosemary and

   sage, tied in a bundle

   with kitchen twine;

   parsley, savory or tarra-         gon may be added;

   cheesecloth may be used

   to contain the bundle)

Salt and pepper to taste

EndTextStartText

1. Heat oven to 400°

2. Make a compound butter by mixing together the butter, the citrus zest, the minced fresh herbs, and one tablespoon each tangerine and lemon juice. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.

3. Carefully slide your hands between the skin and flesh of the turkey, being careful not to tear the skin, and spread butter mixture under the skin on the breast and legs, and then on the outside of the turkey skin. Season turkey cavity with salt and pepper, and place herb bundle inside cavity.

4. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, with wings tucked under. (Legs can be tied together if desired.) Place rack in oven and cook turkey for 20 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 325 and cook until done, about 15 minutes per pound. (If the breast becomes too brown, tent with foil.)

5. During the last 45 minutes of cooking, baste frequently with any juices that have accumulated in roasting pan. Let rest about 30 minutes before carving.

Per serving (based on 12): 506 calories, 72 grams protein, 1 gram carbohydrates, trace sugar, 22 grams fat, 282 milligrams cholesterol, 188 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

EndText

Makes 10 to 12 servings

EndTextStartText

2 to 3 cups turkey or

   chicken broth (low sodium)

1/2 stick butter (1/4 cup)

1/3 cup all-purpose flour

Salt and freshly ground

   black pepper to taste

EndTextStartText

1. Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and place on a platter. Pour collected turkey juices into 4-cup glass measuring cup or separator, and let stand until fat rises (about 3 to 4 minutes). Skim off fat.

2. Set the turkey roasting pan across 2 burners, add 2 cups of the broth, and bring to simmer over moderately high heat, scraping up any browned bits. Carefully add the hot broth to the separated pan juices in the measuring cup, and add enough extra broth as needed to measure 4 cups.

3. In a medium saucepan over low heat, melt butter, then whisk in flour, whisking constantly until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add in broth mixture, whisking all the while. Add any juices that have collected on your turkey platter. Increase the heat, bring the mixture to a boil, and cook until thickened, 7 to 8 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Per serving (based on 12): 50 calories, 1 gram protein, 3 grams carbohydrates, trace sugar, 4 grams fat, 10 milligrams cholesterol, 91 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber.

EndText

Makes 4 to 6 servings

EndTextStartText

1 pound brussels sprouts,

   trimmed and halved,

   leaving small ones whole 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1 cup balsamic vinegar,

   reduced to a syrup (see          note), divided

Sprinkling of sea salt (for          a splurge try Maldon sea       salt)

EndTextStartText

1. Heat oven to 500 degrees.

2. Pat dry brussels sprouts and place in a large bowl. Add oil and half of vinegar and toss to coat. Place sprouts in a single layer on a rimmed sheet pan and roast for 8 minutes. Shake pan and roast 6 to 8 more minutes or until vegetables are tender and caramelized.

3. Remove from oven and toss with remaining balsamic vinegar and sea salt.

Note: Place vinegar in a small saucepan, bring to a boil, and reduce to a syrup consistency.

Per serving (based on 6): 126 calories, 3 grams protein, 12 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams sugar, 10 grams fat, no cholesterol, 19 milligrams sodium, 3 grams dietary fiber.

EndText