Thanksgiving with the Silliman Family

Charge d' Affaires Doug Silliman is preapring the turkey.

The following recipes were demonstrated by Charge d' Affaires Doug Silliman and Catherine Silliman on the Kanal D's news program "Thanksgiving with the Sillimans" on November 21, 2010.

Massachusetts Best Indian Pudding

3 cups milk
3 tablespoons yellow corn meal
1/2 cup dark molasses
1 egg
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F.  Grease a 2-quart heat-proof dish.
• In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to boil.
• Gradually stir in corn meal with a wire whisk.  Cook, stirring constantly until slightly thickened.
• Stir in molasses and remove from heat.
• In a large bowl, beat the egg.  Add sugar, butter, ginger, cinnamon and salt.
• Poor hot mixture into spice mixture, whisking rapidly until well blended.
• Pour mixture into prepared dish.
• Bake 1 hour or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
• Serve immediately.
• Top with whipped cream or ice cream. 

Texas Hot Pepper Corn Bread

1 1/4 cups all purpose wheat flour
3/4 cups corn meal
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1/4 cup melted butter or vegetable oil
1 egg, beaten
1 small hot pepper (or 2 if you like it extra spicy), diced into small pieces.

• Heat oven to 400 degrees F.  Grease 8 inch baking pan.
• Combine all dry ingredients (flour, corn meal, sugar, baking powder and salt).
  Stir in milk, butter or oil, and egg mixing just until dry ingredients are moistened.
• Gently stir in peppers.
• Bake 20 to 25 minutes until a wooden stick stuck in center comes out clean.
• Do not overcook -- this cornbread is better moist than dry.  

Silliman Apricot and Walnut Stuffing

Ingredients:

1 pound unsalted butter
2 cups celery, coarsely chopped
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 pound of bread, cut into 2 cm cubes and dried (I use a mixture of white and whole wheat bread)
1 tablespoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 cup dried apricots, coarsely chopped
1 cup walnuts, shelled and coarsely chopped
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

• Melt 1/2 of the butter in a large pan.  Add celery and onion and saute for 10 minutes or until tender.   Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
• Add the bread cubes, apricots, walnuts, sage, and thyme.  Mix together.
• Melt the remaining butter in a saucepan.  Add the chicken stock.  Pour the mixture over the bread mixture.  Stir well to moisten the stuffing.  Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Bake covered with foil in a greased baking dish at 350 degrees F for 30 minutes or bake inside a turkey, chicken, duck or goose.  If cooked inside foul, make sure that internal temperature of stuffing reaches 160 degrees F.