Mary, Oysters, and Early Thanksgiving – Crostini with Fresh Ricotta, Green Fennel Seed, Honey, and Sea Salt

Every year when we host Early Thanksgiving for our friends, Carl carves the turkey. Our old dog Lucy had a love-hate relationship with Carl. When he walked in the door, Lucy would bark incessantly and disruptively; it must have gone on for at least 15 minutes. Lucy didn’t do this to anyone else. It took years for us to figure it out, but we finally realized that Lucy didn’t dislike Carl or smell his own dog or feel threatened, she was just telling Carl to hurry up and start carving. She wanted scraps and drippings and was being impatient. It was many years later that we noticed when Carl started carving, there was someone else lurking, waiting eagerly. It was Mary.

We first met Mary when she became our son Jacob’s child care provider and stole his lunch. She lived on the same property where my wife Marci works, a 100-acre nature preserve and research farm. Mary was raising her own daughters and one of Marci’s colleagues suggested we ask her if she would care for Jacob as we worked. Marci would be in meetings or on calls and would look out the window to see Mary with Charlotte and Jacob taking a daily stroll around the farm. It was easy and Jacob was safe and cheerful; we loved Mary. But we learned we couldn’t trust her.

At mid-day, Mary would make lunch for Charlotte and serve Jacob whatever we sent with him. With toddlers, we knew there would be horse trading; Charlotte would eat whatever Jacob had, and Mary would give him whatever she prepared. Of course we didn’t care. But we never thought it would be Mary who ate his food.

One day when we picked up Jacob, Mary enquired as to what it was that we sent with Jacob for lunch. It was leftover kugel – Jewish noodle pudding – that Marci used to make from time to time, especially around holidays. Soft egg noodles bathed in a creamy cheese sauce, sweet from brown sugar, and heady with cinnamon, just crisped around the edges, Mary couldn’t help it. If there’s anything Mary can’t resist, it’s cheese. When she was serving Jacob his lunch, she must have snuck a bite. We’re not quite sure what happened next, but we gather that Jacob did not have kugel for lunch that day. We know Jacob didn’t go hungry – Mary would never let anyone go hungry – so he must have had whatever Charlotte was eating. But from that day on, whenever Marci made kugel, we always made extra for Mary.

Of course we became fast friends with Mary and her husband Tim, and they, along with their daughters, are fixtures at Early Thanksgiving. Years after our dog Lucy was no longer around to harass Carl, Mary was. She would magically appear in the kitchen just as Carl was finishing carving. Her timing was impeccable. At first, we didn’t notice. Marci and I were running around putting finishing touches on the feast and we assumed every year that Mary had come in to help. She always helps; it’s in her nature. But Mary came into the kitchen with an ulterior motive. She had one express purpose – to get the oysters.

Oysters are tender morsels of boneless dark meat on the underside of poultry near the thighs. Somewhat resembling the shellfish in shape, they are easy to miss. They have been called the “the chef’s reward” because there’s not enough to go around and some recognize them as the tastiest part of a bird that the cook can savor for him or herself, and Mark Bittman formally of the New York Times notes that the French name for this part of a bird’s anatomy translates roughly to “the part that only a fool leaves behind.” Well, Mary is no fool.

Over the years, as our Early Thanksgiving has progressed and matured, we have relied on Carl to carve the turkey and we have learned to never get between Mary and three things: cheese, kugel, and a bird’s oysters.

Here is this years’ Early Thanksgiving menu, and a recipe:

Appetizers:

Onion Jam and Goat Cheese Rugelach

Stromboli with Sauce

Crispy Parmesan Thyme Sweet (and White) Potato Stacks

Garden Vegetables

Chile Crisp-Glazed Bacon Bites

Crostini with Fresh Ricotta, Green Fennel Seed, Honey, and Sea Salt

Pickled Green Beans and Horseradish Cucamelon Pickles

Main Meal:

Roast Turkey

Gravy

Mashed Potatoes

Corn Pudding

Cranberry Chutney

Butter-simmered Carrots

Roasted Brussels Sprouts

Dessert:

Orange Brownie Torte

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Sea-Salt, Caramel Brownies

Thick, Rich, Flourless Chocolate Cake

Crostini with Fresh Ricotta, Green Fennel Seed, Honey, and Sea Salt

Fresh ricotta is a dream. Light and creamy it is a wonderful accompaniment to a steaming bowl of pasta in red sauce and it is magical covering roasted beets. It’s also unbeatable smeared on toasted bread.

Fresh ricotta is different than the packaged stuff you buy in the supermarket. I don’t make my own, although numerous websites describe how easy it is. Rather, I get mine already prepared at a local Italian pork store.

Here I simply mix the ricotta with immature green fennel seeds from the garden, which add little licorice pops in each mouthful. Sometimes I’ll use fennel pollen if the flowers are blooming, for a similar effect. Of course most people don’t have access to immature fennel seeds or fennel pollen, so skip it. The ricotta will be almost as good, smeared on toasty bread, drizzled with honey, with a sprinkling of crunchy sea salt.

10 minutes, serves 5

10 ¼-inch thick slices good Italian bread

1 cup fresh ricotta cheese

1 tablespoon immature fennel seeds (optional)

¼ cup honey

1 tsp. crunchy sea salt, such as Maldon

1. Toast bread until just barely golden.
2. Thoroughly mix fennel seeds (if using) into ricotta.
3. Smear each toast with fresh ricotta. Drizzle with honey and top with a pinch of sea salt.

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