Family Feast

7 holiday-inspired recipes from a family that knows

Michael Breedlove
October, 2009

It’s hard not to get a little jealous when you talk to the McMillans about their Thanksgiving traditions. Like many families, they gather each year to give thanks over a time-honored meal. “We’ve usually got more than a dozen people at the house,” says Andrew McMillan. “That’s a couple of turkeys at least.”

But unlike most families, the McMillans have two world-class chefs cooking those turkeys. There’s Donald McMillan — otherwise known as Chef Don — who’s been in the cooking business ever since graduating from high school. Then there’s Andrew, his son, who’s soaked up a good bit of culinary knowledge over the years. Not only do they own the popular catering business Simply Elegance, they also run The Stocked Pot & Co. — a famed cooking school that specializes in culinary basics.

This Thanksgiving will be a little different for the family, as they’ve been asked to cater a special event for Maya Angelou. Despite this, Andrew says the family will still make time to meet for their annual feast. “Food has a great way of bringing everyone together in our family,” he says. “I think that’s true for a lot of families at Thanksgiving.”

With the holiday season just around the corner, we asked Andrew and Don to share a few of their favorite recipes with us. While some of these dishes stray from the traditional servings of the season, they’re all easy to make and incredibly tasty. Enjoy!

The Stocked Pot is at 321 Jonestown Rd. For information about catering or cooking courses, call 336-499-5844 or go to thestockedpot.com

TOMATO AND BASIL SOUP
1 medium onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
2 large cans of chopped tomatoes
4 cups chicken broth
6 sprigs fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup heavy cream

Sauté onion in olive oil and cook over medium heat until soft (about 7 minutes). Add tomatoes, chicken broth, basil, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, and reduce. Puree the soup mixture in a food processor, then slowly pour in the cream. Serve with basil garnish.

STUFFED PORK ROAST WITH PRUNES
Whole rack pork loin, remove bone
2 cups pitted prunes
2 tsp. spicy mustard
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1/4 tsp. rosemary
1/4 tsp. sage
1/8 tsp. thyme

Poke a hole in the middle of the pork loin using a steel (knife-sharpening tool). Stuff with prunes. Tie the roast with twine by tying 5-6 knots around the width. Rub pork with mustard, olive oil, herbs, and salt. Roast in a 350-degree oven and baste roast with pan juices until 155 degrees is registered on an instant-read thermometer, about an hour.

BAKED APPLES WITH BRANDY SAUCE
6 to 8 medium apples
1 cup raisins
3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. cardamom
3 Tbsp. butter
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup brandy
1/2 cup apple juice

Core, then peel one narrow strip from around the top edge of each apple. Place apples in a deep baking dish. Fill centers with raisins. In a separate bowl, combine flour, sugar, and cardamom. Cut in butter with a fork. Stir in chopped walnuts. Sprinkle crumb mixture over the apples. Pour brandy and apple juice over apples. Bake, uncovered, in a 350-degree oven for one hour, basting occasionally.

CRAB CAKES
2 lbs. lump crab meat
1/2 cup mayonnaise
2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
2 tsp. Spice Delight All-Purpose Essence
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped
3 eggs yolks
Dash of Worcestershire sauce
2 whole scallions, very finely chopped
4 cups of Panko bread crumbs
Vegetable spray
1 sheet of parchment paper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place first 8 ingredients in a medium-sized bowl and mix well. Make 3- to 4-oz. patties and dust both sides with Panko bread crumbs. Spray patties on both sides with vegetable spray. Place patties on cookie sheet pan with parchment paper. Bake 10-15 minutes. Yields 6 servings.

ARBORIO RICE PUDDING
2 cups water
3 cups whole milk
Pinch salt
1 cup arborio rice
1 Tbsp. butter
4 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon
Whipped cream, for serving

Bring water, milk, and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan, then remove pan from the heat, set aside. In a separate stock pot add the rice and butter and sauté for 3 minutes. Add the hot liquid by the cupful and stir until the liquid is absorbed. Repeat the process until the rice has absorbed all the liquid. Stir in the sugar, vanilla, and a few dashes of cinnamon and cook at a simmer over medium-low heat for an additional 2-3 minutes. Transfer pudding to a large bowl and serve with whipped cream and garnish with cinnamon.

POACHED PEARS
4 ripe pears (preferably Bosc)
6 cups water
Lemon juice
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 (3-inch) piece of vanilla bean
1 (3-inch) piece of cinnamon stick
2 cups red wine

Peel the pears and drop them into acidulated water (water and lemon juice) to prevent them from discoloring. Core the pears from the bottom and cut across the bottom so that they stand straight. Make syrup from the sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and wine. When the sugar has dissolved, add the pears and poach them until they are tender. Try to keep them covered in the poaching liquid or keep turning them as they cook. Let pears cool in the syrup.

BREAD AND BUTTER PUDDING
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 cup sugar
5 slices crust-on white bread
4 Tbsp. butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup raisins
2 cups milk
2 eggs
Whipped heavy cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Add cinnamon to sugar and mix well. Set aside. Generously spread one side of each piece of bread with butter. Slice each piece in half. Arrange slices in pan, slightly overlapping, butter-side up, making a spiral. As you add the bread, sprinkle with sugar/cinnamon mixture and raisins. Pour milk in a small bowl, add eggs, and mix to blend well. Pour milk mixture over bread and raisins in baking pan. Set aside for about 15 minutes so bread can absorb liquid. Then, bake for about 30 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Serve the pudding while still warm with whipped cream over it.