Matt Ingersoll – Page 52

Give thanks and relax

Ideas for getting big Thanksgiving flavors in smaller, easier dishes

If you’re used to cooking a large Thanksgiving dinner with all the fixings, chances are this year may look a bit different — but that doesn’t mean your meal can’t be just as delicious.

“I do think that we have to make it a little more accessible and casual and less grandiose to fit the world we’re living in right now,” said Dawn Hunt, owner of the Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem. “For me, what actually stands out in my memory are the smaller intimate gatherings, and if Covid has taught us anything it’s how important it is to slow down a little bit and reconnect with our families, and maybe just give ourselves a break.”

From smaller entrees and appetizers to soups, salads, sandwiches and light brunch options, local chefs and cooking instructors give some suggestions that will work for a smaller gathering this Thanksgiving while still allowing those familiar holiday flavors to come through.

Tips for your bird

As an alternative to a full-sized turkey, which can often be up to 15 to 20 pounds, bone-in or boneless turkey breasts, or even roast chicken breasts or small Cornish game hens, can all be good options to serve tables of smaller groups.

“A whole turkey is a huge meal if you’re only talking about a small gathering, so you’re not going to go through all of those extremes of deep-frying it or smoking it. You can keep it simple,” said chef and cooking instructor Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

Bone-in turkey breasts, as well as “hotel-style” turkey breasts, which come with the bird’s wings and usually its neck and back, are usually much smaller in size — around 6 to 7 pounds.

After letting the bird stand at room temperature for an hour to an hour and a half, Barbour said, she likes to add a mixture of butter, salt, pepper and chopped parsley and thyme to be placed under its skin. You can do this by carefully separating the skin from the meat over the breast without tearing it. A turkey or chicken’s pan drippings can also make a flavorful base for gravy.

Merrimack chef Oonagh Williams, also a cooking instructor and the owner of Gluten-Free Cooking with Oonagh, said she has prepared turkey thighs in a slow cooker, to be used in smaller items like crepes, curries or soups. She also likes to stuff tenderloins from boneless turkey breasts, with a mixture of herbs, Craisins, bacon, onions and finely chopped apples, served cold with a salad or reheated with gravy the day after you cook them.

Perhaps an even easier option could be to transform your Thanksgiving feast into a grilled cheese. Hunt said a freshly cooked sandwich with sliced turkey, stuffing, bacon, crispy fried onions, baby spinach, Swiss cheese, her rosemary olive oil and a homemade cranberry Dijon sauce offers a delicious balance of flavor. The cranberry Dijon sauce, served on the side, features a simple mixture of Dijon or brown mustard, cranberry sauce, honey and mayonnaise.

Sides, soups and salads

Roasted winter squash with herb yogurt sauce. Courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

Over the last several weeks, through her online recipe blog and virtual classes via Zoom and Facebook Live, Barbour has shared several easy ways you can prepare your favorite Thanksgiving sides. One recipe features smashed fingerling potatoes, simply cooked in the oven for about 25 minutes and plated with garlic, bacon, rosemary and chopped parsley. As a low-carb replacement for potatoes, you can also make mashed cauliflower.

She’s also done a roasted winter squash, cut into small slices or cubes, with a Greek yogurt herb sauce made up of ground coriander and cumin, chopped mint leaves, parsley, lemon juice and honey. Butternut squash works great, or you can use delicata to save time on peeling.

Soups and salads with fall flavors can also be simple options to pivot your Thanksgiving meal this year if you’re serving a smaller group. Michelle Thornton, director of marketing and business development at LaBelle Winery in Amherst, recommends a butternut squash soup with diced apples and ground nutmeg and cinnamon, cooked in either a vegetable or chicken broth and LaBelle’s dry apple wine, and garnished with sour cream and caramelized apple slices.

To go with her grilled cheese and cranberry Dijon sauce, Hunt said she’ll be making a spicy pumpkin chowder using an unsweetened pumpkin puree prepared with bacon, veggies and ground chipotle pepper to give it a kick. She’s also done an autumn salad with apples, candied pecans, greens, radishes, goat cheese and a rosemary maple vinaigrette dressing made from New Hampshire maple syrup.

Easy sweet treats

Beyond baking a full pie, there are all kinds of simple ways to recreate some of your favorite sweets and treats. An apple and Craisin bread pudding, for example, served with a maple bourbon butter sauce, is an option Williams said can be great for a Thanksgiving Day brunch. Naturally sweet apple varieties, like Gala, Fuji or Braeburn, work best when peeled and sliced into very small pieces, like shredded cheese. Plain bagels or a challah bread are best for cooking, as a softer white bread would make it too mushy, she said.

Nicki Leavitt, owner and executive chef of the Purple Finch Cafe in Bedford, said pumpkin puree parfaits are also fun and easy to prepare, as either a snack or a quick breakfast.

“You can use a blend of organic pumpkin puree and some Yoplait yogurt … and then add cinnamon, nutmeg or maybe some fresh fruit at the base,” she said. “We bake our own pumpkin bread in house and dice that up and put it in the glass. … If you have a sweet tooth you can add whipped cream or caramel sauce.”

Hunt said you can easily make your own honey butter from brown sugar, cinnamon and unfiltered honey, which serves as a great complement for several types of fall-inspired baked goods, like pumpkin bread. She’s also baked apple muffins to go with it.

Barbour has baked apple Dutch baby pancakes in a cast iron skillet, featuring apples cooked in brown sugar and butter and a crepe batter poured on top.

“It’s basically like a big pancake you cook in the oven that rises like a souffle,” she said.

Mulled apple wine. Photo courtesy of LaBelle Winery in Amherst.

Decadent drinks

If you need to take the edge off this Thanksgiving from what has been a tough year — let’s face it, most of us do — you can incorporate some fall flavors into your cocktails.

Barbour, for instance, has a whiskey cranberry sour recipe that uses her own “cran-raspberry sauce,” or a homemade sweet sauce made from fresh cranberries or frozen raspberries. The recipe works just as well with regular raspberry sauce or your favorite brand of fruit jam.

LaBelle Winery, according to Thornton, is holding its annual “Cranberry Wine Week” now through Nov. 25, during which its cranberry wine and several other cranberry-flavored items are available for sale. The wine works great in several types of cocktails, including a cranberry cosmopolitan, which features triple sec liqueur, fresh lime juice, sugar and a lime wedge garnish. The mulled apple wine, with the winery’s dry apple wine, brown sugar, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg and an orange garnish, is another seasonal favorite.

Spicy pumpkin chowder
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)
6 slices bacon
2 tablespoons Cucina Aurora Savory Sage olive oil
½ yellow onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, diced
2 large carrots, peeled and sliced into rounds
3 fresh sage leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried sage)
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed
8 ounces frozen corn
4 cups chicken or vegetable broth
2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree, unsweetened
½ teaspoon ground chipotle pepper (or sweet paprika for less heat)
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup half-and-half .

Heat a large soup pot over medium heat. Chop three

slices of bacon into small pieces and cook in the pot until crispy. Add olive oil, onions, celery, carrots and garlic, cooking until onions are tender (about five minutes). Add sage, potatoes, broth and corn. Stir with a wooden spoon to remove any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil. Once boiling, lower the heat to simmer until potatoes have become tender but not mushy (about 30 to 40 minutes). Meanwhile, cook remaining strips of bacon until crispy and set aside. In a small saucepan, mix pumpkin, chipotle pepper, salt and pepper until heated through. Add pumpkin mixture to the soup and heat through for about a minute, stirring while simmering. Add half-and-half and stir until well-incorporated and heated through. Serve immediately, topped with crispy bacon and sour cream if desired.

Smashed potatoes with garlic and bacon
From the kitchen of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis (thecreativefeast.com)
2 pounds fingerling potatoes (or other small potatoes)
4 tablespoons olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon fresh cracked black pepper
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
¼ pound thick-cut bacon, diced (or diced pancetta)
½ cup parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Drizzle a rimmed baking sheet with two tablespoons of olive oil. Place the potatoes onto the baking sheet and shake the pan to coat the potatoes on both sides with oil. Season with the salt and pepper. Place the pan into the oven and cook for 25 minutes or until the potatoes are tender when pierced with a fork.

While the potatoes are cooking, heat a large saute pan over medium heat. Add one tablespoon of olive oil and the bacon. Cook until the bacon begins to brown. Add the sliced garlic and cook for one minute. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside. When the potatoes are fork tender, remove the pan from the oven. Gently press down on each potato to “smash” it and flatten a bit. Be careful not to flatten too much, or else the potatoes will break apart and lose their shape. Warm the bacon and garlic on the stove. Add the potatoes in a single layer. Turn the potatoes over to coat both sides with the garlic and bacon. Place the potatoes onto a warmed platter. Continue with the remaining potatoes and place onto the platter. Drizzle any remaining garlic and bacon onto the potatoes and sprinkle with parsley. Serve hot.

Grateful grilled cheese sandwiches with cranberry Dijon sauce
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)
Sliced turkey (leftover from Thanksgiving or cooked fresh)
1 cup crispy fried onions
6 to 8 strips crisp bacon
6 to 8 slices Swiss cheese
1 to cups stuffing (cooked to package instructions or leftover)
1 cup fresh baby spinach
4 to 6 slices sourdough bread (or gluten-free bread)
2 tablespoons Cucina Aurora rosemary olive oil

For the cranberry Dijon sauce:
2 tablespoons Dijon or brown mustard
2 tablespoons cranberry sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon mayonnaise

Make the cranberry Dijon sauce by placing the Dijon mustard, cranberry sauce, honey and mayonnaise in a small bowl and stirring until combined. Set aside. Warm a

Grateful grilled cheese sandwich. Photo courtesy of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem.

large skillet or griddle pan on medium-heat for about two minutes. Brush four slices of bread with rosemary olive oil on just one side of the slice. Place bread oil side down on the hot pan. On each slice of bread, lay ½ slices of cheese. On two slices of bread, layer bacon, then spinach, then turkey. On the other two slices, layer a bit of the stuffing and the fried onions. When the bread starts to toast and the cheese starts to melt, build the sandwiches by carefully flipping one slice of bread onto the other. Grill on each side of the sandwich until both sides are light brown and the sandwich is warmed through. Repeat with remaining bread and ingredients to make as many sandwiches as desired. Serve warm with cranberry Dijon on the side.

Autumn mini quiche
From the kitchen of Dawn Hunt of Cucina Aurora Kitchen Witchery in Salem (cucinaaurora.com)

8 to 16 slices deli ham
6 to 8 eggs (use 2 less than your muffin tin has cups)
¼ cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 large tart apple, grated

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray muffin tin with cooking spray.

Line each muffin cup with one to two slices of ham. Set aside. In a large bowl, gently beat eggs, milk, salt and pepper. Gently fold in grated apple and cheese. Ladle the egg mixture into muffin cups and fill each only halfway. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the egg has set in the middle and the tops have browned slightly. Serve warm or cold, or freeze in an airtight container for up to two months. To reheat, place on a microwave safe dish and heat for 30 seconds.

Cranberry-orange vienna French toast
From the kitchen of Nicki Leavitt of the Purple Finch Cafe in Bedford (purplefinchcafe.com)

1 loaf cranberry-orange tea bread (available at the Purple Finch Cafe’s takeout area)
2 eggs
⅔ cup milk
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ½ zested orange
Salt to taste

Make a French toast batter by beating together egg, milk,

salt, spices, orange zest and vanilla. Set aside. Cut the cranberry-orange tea bread into 1-inch thick slices, yielding approximately eight slices (10, including bread ends). Collect your favorite ingredients to top your French toast with (suggested toppings include whipped cream, caramel sauce, Craisins and powdered sugar). Heat a lightly oiled griddle or skillet over medium-high heat. Dunk each slice of bread in egg mixture, soaking both sides. Place in the pan and cook on both sides until golden. Add your collected toppings and serve.

Whiskey cranberry sour cocktail
From the kitchen of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis (thecreativefeast.com); recipe makes one 5-ounce cocktail

¾ ounce maple syrup
¾ ounce fresh lime juice
1 ounce leftover “cran-raspberry sauce”
3 ounces whiskey of choice (Jack Daniel’s works well)
2 dashes Angostura bitters (optional)
Ice cubes for mixing and serving
Optional additions:
¼ cup seltzer water
1 egg white

For the “cran-raspberry” sauce (makes about three cups)
1 12-ounce package fresh cranberries
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
1 12-ounce packages frozen raspberries

To make the cran-raspberry sauce, combine water, sugar and cranberries in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off the heat. Cool the cranberries to room temperature. After the cranberries have cooled, gently stir in the raspberries.
In a cocktail shaker filled with five ice cubes, combine together the maple syrup, lemon juice, cran-raspberry sauce, whiskey and bitters (if using). Fill a seven-ounce glass with ice. Cover your shaker and shake your cocktail for 30 seconds. Pour into your glass of ice. Top with the seltzer, if using, and give it a stir. Serve immediately. (If using egg white, put in a shaker with all the ingredients and the ice. Leave the seltzer out).

Featured photo: Smashed potatoes with garlic and bacon. Photo courtesy of Liz Barbour of The Creative Feast in Hollis.

The Weekly Dish 20/11/19

News from the local food scene

• More drive-thru Greek eats: On the heels of the success of a similar event it held last month, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church (111 Island Pond Road, Manchester) will host another drive-thru food fest on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Now through noon on Nov. 20, orders are being accepted for a variety of fresh Greek eats, like meatballs in a tomato sauce with rice and garlic bread, homemade Greek rice pudding sprinkled with cinnamon, spinach or cheese petas layered with phyllo dough, baklava layered with walnuts and honey syrup, and assorted Greek cookies, like finikia (honey walnut cookies) and kourambiedes (Greek butter cookies with powdered sugar). Pre-paying online is required (there will be no walk-ins). To place your order, visit foodfest.assumptionnh.org.

• Grab a pint: The New Hampshire Brewers Association is promoting local breweries with the launch of a new fundraiser called NH Pint Days. From Wednesday, Nov. 25, through Wednesday, Dec. 2, limited-edition collectible 16-ounce pint glasses will be available at more than 40 participating New Hampshire breweries, with $1 from each glass benefitting the Association. Visit nhbrewers.org or find the association on Facebook @nhbrewers to view a list of breweries that will have the pint glasses, which is sorted by region of the state.

• Milford Farmers Market ends: The Milford Farmers Market will hold its final outdoor date of the season on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 300 Elm St. in Milford (across the street from the New Hampshire Antique Co-op). The market was originally scheduled to end Oct. 10, with the indoor market kicking off a few weeks later. Instead, it was extended outdoors and canceled indoors for the winter. According to market manager Adrienne Colsia, the outdoor market will likely return earlier than usual next year, possibly in early May. Visit milfordnhfarmersmarket.com for updates.

• New programs at Anheuser-Busch: Join Anheuser-Busch Brewery Tours (221 Daniel Webster Highway, Merrimack) for the final two dates of its “Day Fresh Drive-Up” and “Growlers to Go” programs, on Thursday, Nov. 19, and Tuesday, Nov. 24, from noon to 8 p.m. Purchases for the “Day Fresh Drive-Up” program can be made online by visiting budweisertours.com to pick a six-pack or growler type and preferred pickup time. The first six-pack you order includes a complementary warm Bavarian pretzel from the Biergarten. Prices start at $15, with each additional six-pack priced at $10. The “Growlers to Go” program lets you customize your own growler type and brew selection (64 to 128 ounces). Visit budweisertours.com.

Wholesome flavors

Specialty dine-in meals this Thanksgiving

Several Granite State restaurants and function halls are taking reservations now for socially distant meals this Thanksgiving. Check out this list of where to go and what to order — unless otherwise specified, all meals are to take place on Thanksgiving Day (Thursday, Nov. 26). Do you know of another restaurant we didn’t list that is open on Turkey Day? Let us know at food@hippopress.com.

• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) is taking reservations now for a Thanksgiving Day dinner, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., featuring options like roast turkey, baked honey-glazed ham, prime rib and cracker crumb stuffed haddock. All entree options include pub cheese and crackers, corn fritters, rolls and butter, garden salad or turkey orzo soup and a dessert.

• Bedford Village Inn (2 Olde Bedford Way, Bedford, 472-2001, bedfordvillageinn.com) will be serving a special four-course prix fixe menu for Thanksgiving, to be served from noon to 7 p.m. The menu includes your choice of an appetizer (hubbard squash bisque, stuffed savoy cabbage, caramelized New Bedford sea scallops, pork and shiitake dumplings, Little Bay oysters, or a Vermont cheese board); a salad (harvest or watercress and baby spinach); one main entree (Misty Knoll Farms free-range turkey, Icelandic cod loin, prosciutto-wrapped pork tenderloin, New England seafood bouillabaisse, grilled filet mignon or kabocha squash risotto); and one dessert (pumpkin cheesecake, chai spiced creme brulee, pear ginger sorbet, apple pecan crisp or a black forest tart). Reservations via phone or online are required.

• Belmont Hall & Restaurant (718 Grove St., Manchester, 625-8540, belmonthall.net) is taking reservations on Thanksgiving Day for all-you-can-eat turkey and ham meals with all the fixings. Restaurant seatings with plated meals are also available, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• The Coach Stop Restaurant & Tavern (176 Mammoth Road, Londonderry, 437-2022, coachstopnh.com) will serve a Thanksgiving dinner with seatings available at 11:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. Featured entrees to choose from are turkey, baked Virginia ham, slow-roasted prime rib, baked stuffed haddock, veal oscar or seafood linguine. All come with turkey soup, apple cider, mashed potatoes, homemade bread stuffing, yams, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, baby pearl onions and green peas, rolls, sweet bread, homemade pie and coffee.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) will serve a three-course prix fixe menu on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 4 to 7 p.m., and on Thursday, Nov. 26, from 8:30 a.m. to noon. Choose your first course (apple cider and fall squash soup with maple cream, oyster and scallop chowder with cornbread croutons, market greens with house vinaigrette, fall greens and grilled pear salad, or sweet potato, roast apple and goat cheese pierogi); your second course (cider-brined turkey, herb-browned pork rib roast, pumpkin, kale and parsnip pot pie, sea salt-crusted salmon, or venison with rosemary-peppercorn reduction; all come with whipped potatoes and roasted garlic, roast sweet potatoes with fall vegetables and wild rice, cranberry and carrot pilaf); and your dessert (apple, pecan or pumpkin pie, brown butter cake with cherries and almonds, chocolate buttercream and a spread of Belgian chocolate, or pumpkin ganache with pear sorbet, pumpkin seed brittle and pomegranates). All meals are also available for takeout.

• The Common Man (25 Water St., Concord, 228-3463; 88 Range Road, Windham, 898-0088; 21 Water St., Claremont, 542-6171; thecman.com) will serve Thanksgiving meals at its Concord, Windham and Claremont locations, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The multi-course meals will include your choice of a starter (onion-apple soup, butternut squash arancini, wild mushroom flatbread, Caesar salad or harvest salad); an entree (turkey with gravy, stuffing, house mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce; glazed ham and house mashed potatoes; maple pumpkin salmon and cranberry wild rice pilaf; slow-roasted sirloin and house mashed potatoes, or butternut squash ravioli bake); and a dessert (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, warm apple tart, or chocolate ganache mini Bundt cake). Reservations are required.

• The Derryfield Restaurant (625 N. Mammoth Road, Manchester, 623-2880, derryfieldrestaurant.com) will serve a family-style turkey dinner on Thanksgiving Day, with seatings at 11 a.m., noon, 1:15 p.m., 2:15 p.m., 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 p.m. The dinner will feature turkey, potatoes, stuffing, gravy, butternut squash, mixed seasonal vegetables, salad and dinner rolls. Reservations are strongly suggested.

• Foster’s Boiler Room (231 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2764, thecman.com) will serve a Thanksgiving Day feast from 10:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., featuring your choice of a starter (corn chowder, stuffed mushrooms or pumpkin flatbread); a salad (harvest or Caesar); an entree (turkey, gravy, stuffing, house mashed potatoes and cranberry sauce, glazed ham and house mashed potatoes, maple pumpkin salmon and cranberry wild rice pilaf, slow-roasted sirloin and house mashed potatoes, or butternut squash ravioli bake); and a dessert (pumpkin pie, white chocolate raspberry brownie, warm apple crisp or chocolate ganache mini Bundt cake). Reservations are required.

• Fratello’s Italian Grille (155 Dow St., Manchester, 641-6776, fratellos.com) will be serving its annual Thanksgiving buffet, by reservation from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. The buffet will be server-attended this year, with service staff at each station wearing masks and gloves. The menu will include a carving station with white turkey breast and sage pan gravy, and slow-roasted prime rib of beef with a rosemary demi-glace, plus sides like garlic mashed potatoes, butternut squash and sauteed string beans and shallots, assorted pies and desserts, and a coffee station.

• The Hilltop Restaurant (Steele Hill Resorts, 516 Steele Hill Road, Sanbornton, 524-0500, steelehillresorts.com/restaurant) will serve its annual Thanksgiving Day dinner, with seatings at noon, 12:45 p.m., 2 p.m., 2:45 p.m., 4 p.m. and 4:45 p.m. Reservations are required, with a $50 deposit that will be used toward your dinner. The menu will include a soup, a salad, turkey and gravy, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots, green beans, cranberry sauce, dinner rolls, and desserts like apple, pumpkin or Boston cream pie, with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

• The Homestead Restaurant (641 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-2022, homesteadnh.com) will serve a special Thanksgiving menu with items such as roast turkey, baked Virginia ham, roast prime rib of beef, baked stuffed haddock, veal Oscar, fresh broiled salmon, seafood fettuccine, and a vegetarian quinoa bowl. All entrees include turkey soup, apple cider, mixed nuts, a fruit basket, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, butternut squash, hot rolls, sweet bread and homemade pies.

• Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Martini Lounge (355 S. Broadway, Salem, 870-0045, jocelynsrestaurant.com) will be open from noon to 4 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, by reservation only, serving its regular menu with specials.

• Lakehouse Tavern (157 Main St., Hopkinton, 746-1800, lakehousetavern.com) will be open from noon to 6 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, serving a traditional holiday meal and other specialty options.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurant.com) is accepting reservations now for its annual Thanksgiving dinners, which include your choice of an entree (herb-crusted roast sirloin, pork schnitzel, pork Normandy, chicken marsala, baked stuffed jumbo shrimp, maple salmon or vegetarian acorn squash); an appetizer (corn chowder, Swedish meatballs, or a fresh fruit plate with sorbet); a Caesar or garden salad; and a dessert (pumpkin pie, pecan pie, sorbet with berries, bread pudding, cheesecake, chocolate ganache cake, lemon mascarpone cake or chocolate mousse cake). Reservations must be made in advance via phone. Due to limited capacity, there is a 90-minute limit on dining times per party.

• Murphy’s Taproom & Carriage House (393 Route 101, Bedford, 488-5975, murphystaproom.com) is taking reservations now for four-course Thanksgiving feasts from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., which include your choice of soup (butternut bisque or clam chowder) and salad (Caesar or a harvest salad with roasted winter vegetables) plus main course options and sides, like herb-roasted turkey, maple fig baked pit ham, candied baby carrots, garlic whipped potatoes, burnt sage turkey gravy, apple sausage cornbread stuffing and chambord mint cranberry sauce; and desserts, like pumpkin pie or caramelized apple crisp with vanilla ice cream. The full regular dinner menu will also be available on Thanksgiving Day, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

• Zachary’s Chop House (4 Cobbetts Pond Road, Windham, 890-5555, zacharyschophouse.com) will be open from 8 to 11 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day for brunch only. Reservations are highly recommended.

This story was possible with the generous financial support of Hippo readers. Hippo is very grateful to have the support of its readers. If you haven’t contributed yet, please consider a small contribution. Your contributions allow Hippo to write more stories and gets you access to additional stories and columns.

Don’t want to Dine In? Check out our Take Out listings!

Thanksgiving to go

Bring home your holiday feast this Turkey Day

From free-range turkeys and fresh sides like bread stuffing and butternut squash to sweet and savory pies in a variety of flavors, local restaurants, bakeries and caterers have you covered this Thanksgiving (Thursday, Nov. 26). Check out this list of where you can order everything you need for your holiday feast.

• A Market Natural Foods (125 Loring St., Manchester, 668-2650, myamarket.com) has a variety of turkeys available to reserve for Thanksgiving, including Mary’s certified organic turkeys, Mary’s natural turkeys and Misty Knoll Vermont-raised natural turkeys. The order deadline for the Misty Knoll turkeys is Nov. 15, and orders for the Mary’s turkeys are available while supplies last. A Market is also taking orders for several flavors of pies and quiches, available through Nov. 19. Pie flavors include pumpkin, granola-topped apple, chocolate cream, harvest berry, chocolate olive oil and cranberry spice. Quiche flavors include garden vegetable, broccoli and cheddar, Greek, Italian, ham and cheddar, and mushroom and cheddar.

• Alan’s of Boscawen (133 N. Main St., Boscawen, 753-6631, alansofboscawen.com) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, including turkey, honey-glazed ham and prime rib, as well as various side dishes available by request. Order by Nov. 21.

• All Real Meal (87 Elm St., Manchester, 782-3014, allrealmeal.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, which include slow-cooked turkey breast with gravy, cranberry apple stuffing, creamy mashed potatoes, brown butter green beans, cranberry sauce, homestyle cornbread and turtle cheesecake (dinners feed about 6 to 7 people). Free contactless deliveries and curbside pickups will be conducted on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Alpine Grove Banquet Facility (19 S. Depot Road, Hollis, 882-9051, alpinegrove.com) is taking orders for several Thanksgiving dinners to go, including a 12-pound turkey dinner (feeds up to 10 people), a 22-pound turkey dinner (feeds up to 16 people) and a Virginia baked ham with rum raisin sauce dinner (feeds up to 16 people). All dinners come with mashed potatoes, carrots, butternut squash, rolls and butter and pumpkin pie. The turkey dinners also come with stuffing and gravy. All items are cooked and cooled, with reheating instructions supplied. You can also add several a la carte items to your order, like shrimp cocktail platters, macaroni and cheese, and quinoa stuffed acorn squash. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Angela’s Pasta & Cheese Shop (815 Chestnut St., Manchester, 625-9544, angelaspastaandcheese.com) is taking orders for a variety of items for Thanksgiving, including sides like turkey gravy, traditional bread stuffing, mashed potatoes, whipped maple sweet potatoes, whipped butternut squash, maple walnut glazed carrots, herb-roasted green beans and sausage and cranberry bread stuffing. Other available items are pork pie, mincemeat, a pumpkin cannoli dip platter, and various types of dinner rolls, like seven-grain, brioche, French plain and cranberry pecan. Order by Nov. 21. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25 (pre-paying is required).

• Applecrest Farm Orchards (133 Exeter Road, Hampton Falls, 758-1686, applecrest.com) is taking orders for Plainville Farms turkeys, available 12 pounds and up, as well as hand-baked pies available in a variety of flavors, like apple, pumpkin, pecan, cherry, strawberry rhubarb, peach raspberry and blueberry.

• Apple Hill Farm (580 Mountain Road, Concord, 224-8862, applehillfarmnh.com) is taking orders now for a variety of flavors of pies, including apple, pumpkin, pecan and more. Order by Nov. 23. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Starting on Thanksgiving Day, the farm stand will be closed for the winter season.

• The Bakeshop on Kelley Street (171 Kelley St., Manchester, 624-3500, thebakeshoponkelleystreet.com) is taking orders for a variety of pies (apple, Dutch apple, banana cream, chocolate cream, strawberry, key lime, pumpkin, coconut cream, apple cranberry and more); as well as holiday cakes, cupcakes, dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, cornbread, pastry trays and other items for Thanksgiving. Order by Nov. 22.

• Bearded Baking Co. (819 Union St., Manchester, 647-7150, beardedbaking.com) is taking orders for multiple flavors of pies (cherry, blueberry, pecan, apple and pumpkin); cakes (vanilla, chocolate and carrot); bars (German chocolate, cheesecake brownie, apple, maple pecan, raspberry linzer and lemon); and cookies (chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and apple crisp). Orders must be picked up by Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Benson’s Bakery & Cafe (203 Central St., Hudson, 718-8683, bensonsbakeryandcafe.com) is taking orders for pies for Thanksgiving, available in a variety of flavors, like pumpkin, apple, chocolate cream, chocolate bourbon pecan, cranberry and wild blueberry. Order by Nov. 21.

• Bite Me Kupcakez (4 Mound Court, Merrimack, 674-4459, bitemekupcakez.com) is taking orders for a variety of sweet treats for Thanksgiving, including chocolate flourless torte, strawberry shortcake, chocolate whipped cream cake, various pies (flavors include apple, apple crumb, blueberry, cherry and pumpkin); dairy-free banana, banana chocolate chip or orange cranberry loaves; dairy-free double-layer cakes (flavors include carrot, vanilla, and chocolate); dairy-free chocolate chip cookies, vegan pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, and brunch platters that include coffee cakes, muffins and doughnuts. Order by Nov. 13.

• The Black Forest Cafe & Bakery (212 Route 101, Amherst, 672-0500, theblackforestcafe.com) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, including pies (apple, Dutch apple, pumpkin, cranberry apple, pecan and chocolate cream); cakes (coconut, carrot, chocolate mousse and drunken pumpkin mousse); and shortbread cookies (shaped like pumpkins, brown sugar pecan acorns dipped in chocolate, colorful fall leaves or maple walnut leaves); as well as sides, like sausage focaccia stuffing, sweet and white smashed potatoes, cranberry orange sauce, cream of curried butternut squash soup, turkey-sage gravy and maple Dijon glazed carrots and parsnips; scratch-made dips and spreads, like spinach chipotle dip, herbed goat cheese spread, and southern pimiento cheese; entrees, like chicken and creamy mushroom thyme sauce, slow-braised beef brisket, Italian sausage lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, butternut squash lasagna, and chicken and sun-dried tomato penne; and party trays, like with assorted cheeses or with garden vegetables and dip. Order by Nov. 21. Pickups will be available through 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Blue Loon Bakery (12 Lovering Lane, New London, 526-2892, blueloonbakery.com) is taking orders for several baked goods and sweets for Thanksgiving, including pies (apple, apple crumble, pumpkin, pecan and lemon meringue, as well as apple cranberry galettes); multiple breads like baguettes, sourdough, multigrain bread and brioche rolls; and other pastries, like sticky buns, pumpkin bread and mini eclairs. Order by Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Brothers Butcher (8 Spit Brook Road, Nashua, 809-4180; 142 Lowell Road, Hudson, 577-1130; brothers-butcher.com) has fresh free-range turkeys available in a variety of sizes, and is also taking orders for items like traditional bread or sausage and herb stuffing, garlic mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, butternut squash, and pies in a variety of flavors (apple, pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream and lemon meringue). Pickups are available on Monday, Nov. 23, Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Buckley’s Bakery & Cafe (436 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 262-5929; 9 Market Place, Hollis, 465-5522; buckleysbakerycafe.com) is taking orders for a variety of baked goods and sweet treats for Thanksgiving, like pies (pecan, apple, pumpkin, chocolate cream and blueberry); cakes (pumpkin, maple cream, apple crisp cheesecake, chocolate mousse cake, and cranberry orange coffee cake); and assorted loaves, rolls, breakfast pastry trays and dessert pastry trays. Order by Nov. 21.

• Cafe El Camino (134 Newton Road, Plaistow, 974-1652, cafeelcamino.com) is taking orders for whole roasted turkeys from 12 to 15 pounds for Thanksgiving, as well as multiple meals to go, available in sizes that feed up to six people or up to 10 people. Meals include whole roasted turkey or turkey breast, rice with gandules, mofongo turkey stuffing, butternut squash, green beans, and corn cake, bread or tembleque (Puerto Rican coconut pudding). Order by Nov. 16 at noon. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 3 to 7:30 p.m.

• The Cake Fairy (114 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett, 518-8733, cakefairynh.com) is taking orders for several types of baked goods and sweet treats for Thanksgiving, including nine-inch pies (apple, pumpkin or chocolate cream); cupcakes (vanilla, chocolate, maple or salted caramel); whoopie pies (pumpkin or chocolate); four-inch cheesecakes (plain, strawberry, pumpkin or cinnamon sugar); and breakfast breads (pumpkin, banana or cranberry orange); as well as apple crisp and cinnamon sugar coffee cakes. Order by Nov. 21 (credit or debit card payments only). Orders are curbside pickup only, on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Caroline’s Fine Food (132 Bedford Center Road, Bedford, 637-1615, carolinesfood.com) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, including herb-roasted sweet potatoes, sausage sage stuffing, roasted butternut squash, roasted Brussels sprouts with Parmesan and thyme, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and more. Order by Nov. 23.

• Charmingfare Farm (774 High St., Candia, 483-5623, visitthefarm.com) is taking orders for pasture-raised turkeys ranging from 15 to 28 pounds. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, from 3 to 5 p.m.

• Cherry Bomb Cookie Co. (Exeter, find them on Facebook @cherrybombcookieco) is taking orders for a variety of specialty sugar cookies, including fall-themed turkey-shaped cookies, or autumn leaf- or pumpkin-shaped cookies, available in several quantities from a half-dozen to a dozen. The shipping deadline for orders is Nov. 19.

• Colby Hill Inn (33 The Oaks, Henniker, 428-3281, colbyhillinn.com) is taking orders for several house items for Thanksgiving, like banana bread, brioche loaves, New England sweet corn and clam chowder, Parmesan herbed biscuits, cider pumpkin soup, assorted cookies, croissants, cinnamon rolls and more. Place your order at least three hours in advance for a Friday, Saturday or Sunday pickup, from 4 to 7 p.m., or by 7 p.m. the day before a Saturday or Sunday pickup, from 8 to 11 a.m.

• The Common Man (25 Water St., Concord, 228-3463; 304 Daniel Webster Hwy., Merrimack, 429-3463; 88 Range Road, Windham, 898-0088; Lakehouse Grille, 281 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-5221; 10 Pollard Road, Lincoln, 745-3463; 21 Water St., Claremont, 542-6171; Foster’s Boiler Room, 231 Main St., Plymouth, 536-2764; 60 Main St., Ashland, 968-7030; Lago, 1 Route 25, Meredith, 279-2253; Italian Farmhouse, 337 Daniel Webster Hwy., 536-4536; Airport Diner, 2280 Brown Ave., Manchester, 623-5040; Tilt’n Diner, 61 Laconia Road, Tilton, 286-2204; 104 Diner, 752 Route 104, New Hampton, 744-0120; thecman.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving meals for four to go, which include oven-roasted turkey breast with house pan gravy, whole-berry cranberry sauce, stuffing, country mashed potatoes, maple-roasted butternut squash, green beans with almonds, dinner rolls and butter, sweet bread and pumpkin pie with cinnamon whipped cream. Other options include glazed ham, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, macaroni and cheese, and house pies available in apple, pecan or pumpkin flavors. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Concord Food Co-op (24 S. Main St., Concord, 225-6840, concordfoodcoop.coop) is taking orders for fresh all-natural and organic turkeys, as well as full meals that include oven-roasted turkey or turkey breast, stuffing, turkey gravy, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, apple roasted green beans and housemade cranberry sauce. Pies are available to order too, featuring flavors like apple, pumpkin, blueberry and bumbleberry. Order by Nov. 20 at noon.

• Copper Kettle To Go (39 Main St., Wilton, copperkettletogo.com) is taking orders for several flavors of pies for Thanksgiving, including pecan, pumpkin, apple, blueberry cream cheese and coconut custard. Orders must be placed and picked up by Wednesday, Nov. 25, at 7 p.m.

• Crémeux French Patisserie (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, cremeuxfrenchpatisserie.com) is taking orders for several types of scratch-made French desserts for Thanksgiving, including fig tarte, maple and walnut tarte and tarte bourdaloue (pear tarte), as well as multiple fresh baked breads and croissants. Order by Nov. 21 at 6 p.m.

• Crosby Bakery (51 E. Pearl St., Nashua, 882-1851, crosbybakerynh.com) is taking orders for a variety of items for Thanksgiving, including eight-inch or 10-inch pies (apple, apple crumb, blueberry, banana cream, cherry, coconut cream, coconut meringue, chocolate cream, lemon meringue, mincemeat, pumpkin, pecan, sugar-free apple or sugar-free blueberry); assorted rolls and breads; savory pies; cakes, cookies, and pastry platters featuring mini eclairs, mini cream puffs, mini whoopie pies, chocolate walnut brownies and mini cupcakes. Order by Nov. 23 at 6 p.m. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• The Crust & Crumb Baking Co. (126 N. Main St., Concord, 219-0763, thecrustandcrumb.com) is taking Thanksgiving orders for a variety of desserts including pies (pumpkin, midnight pumpkin, apple streusel, forest berry crumb, cherry, blueberry, key lime, maple bourbon pecan and ginger chai cheesecake); savory pies and quiches (bacon, leek and Swiss quiche, broccoli and cheddar quiche, and pork pie with apple, rosemary and sweet potato); and other baked goods and treats, like Shaker-style squash rolls, butter rolls, vanilla or chocolate layer cake, flourless chocolate torte, whoopie pies or old-fashioned sour cream coffee cake. Order by Nov. 20 (pre-paying is recommended), with pickups on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Ding Dong Deliver (dingdongdeliver.com) is a ghost kitchen powered by Great New Hampshire Restaurants, which owns T-Bones Great American Eatery, CJ’s Great West Grill and the Copper Door restaurants. Featured items for the week of Thanksgiving include a roast turkey dinner (serves four to six people, with homemade mashed potatoes, butternut squash, homemade turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, bread and butter, and a garden salad with buttermilk ranch dressing) as well as butternut and pumpkin lasagna, shepherd’s pie and more. Order by Nov. 23 at noon. Pickups and deliveries are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Fire and Spice Bistro (70 Route 108, Newfields, 418-7121, fireandspicebistro.com) is taking orders for a variety of items for Thanksgiving, including pies (apple, pecan, pumpkin, chocolate cream and tourtiere) and take-and-bake muffins (apple cinnamon, blueberry, pumpkin, banana nut and coffee cake). Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• The Foundry Restaurant (50 Commercial St., Manchester, 836-1925, foundrynh.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, which include roast turkey, country mashed potatoes, stuffing, herb gravy, cranberry sauce, maple carrots, green bean casserole, spinach salad and bread and butter. You can also order 10-inch pies; available flavors include apple, pumpkin, pecan and pork pie with gravy. Order by Nov. 20. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 4 to 8 p.m.

• Frederick’s Pastries (109 Route 101A, Amherst, 882-7725; 25 S. River Road, Bedford, 647-2253; pastry.net) is offering several new Thanksgiving- and fall-themed treats, like autumn wreath cakes, turkey- or pumpkin-shaped cookies, turkey brownie truffles, apple tarts, caramel apple cheesecake cups and caramel pumpkin spice cheesecake cups.

• Giorgio’s Ristorante & Bar (270 Granite St., Manchester, 232-3323; 707 Milford Road, Merrimack, 883-7333; 524 Nashua St., Milford, 673-3939; giorgios.com) is taking orders for holiday variety boxes for Thanksgiving, which feature oven-roasted turkey, whipped potatoes with sea salt and butter, green beans with shiitake mushrooms, traditional stuffing, cranberry-orange sauce, gravy, rolls and a slice of pumpkin pie. Add-on options to your holiday variety box include butternut squash, smoked bacon macaroni and cheese, pumpkin creme brulee, chocolate cream pie or a bottle of cabernet wine with mulling spices. Order by Nov. 23 at noon. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 2 to 8 p.m.

• Granite State Candy Shoppe (832 Elm St., Manchester, 218-3885; 13 Warren St., Concord, 225-2591; granitestatecandyshoppe.com) has several Thanksgiving- and fall-themed candies, like milk, dark and white chocolate turkey mold pops, one-ounce chocolate turkeys and maple pumpkins and turkeys.

• Grasshoppers Garden Center (728 River Road, New Boston, 497-5788, grasshoppersgardencenter.com) is taking orders for multiple flavors of pies for Thanksgiving, including apple, pumpkin and maple pecan. Order by Nov. 13.

• Gravy (6 Main St., Somersworth, 841-5316, gravynh.com) is taking orders for gravy, cranberry sauce, pickled beets, buttermilk biscuits, and other items for Thanksgiving, including side dishes like maple jalapeno cornbread stuffing, creamy smashed red potatoes, and candied yams with mini marshmallows; and desserts like chocolate and bourbon bread pudding, Canadian maple pudding and spiced pumpkin bread with toffee caramel. Order by Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Greenleaf (54 Nashua St., Milford, 213-5447, greenleafmilford.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, which include turkey breast, stuffing, green bean casserole, cranberry sauce and gravy, plus mixed greens, spiced sunflower seeds and apple cider honey vinaigrette. Other available items to order are assorted wines, bloody mary or mimosa kits, and fresh baked pastries from Greenleaf’s sister restaurant, Culture Bread & Sandwich, like cinnamon rolls, cranberry orange scones, and jumbo pumpkin muffins with maple cream cheese frosting. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25, from noon to 5 p.m.

• Hannah’s Bakery and Cafe (401 Main St., Salem, 898-2233, hannahsbakery.com) is taking orders for several specialty items for Thanksgiving, including pies (available flavors are apple, blueberry, pecan, pumpkin and chocolate cream); cheesecakes (pumpkin, vanilla bean, Oreo and peanut butter cup); and torte cakes (pumpkin cream cheese, caramel apple delight, chocolate or vanilla turkey or harvest cakes with a chocolate buttercream frosting); as well as cupcake platters, cookie trays and breakfast items like quiches and plain or cheddar biscuits. Order by Nov. 21.

• Hanover Street Chophouse (149 Hanover St., Manchester, 644-2467, hanoverstreetchophouse.com) is taking orders from a specialty Thanksgiving-style butcher shop this year. Items include turkey dinners for one, which come with sausage bread stuffing, cranberry conserve, butternut squash puree, green beans, whipped creme fraiche potatoes, saged turkey gravy and Parker House rolls. Other a la carte options are Koch Farms whole turkeys, boneless turkey breast, Australian racks of lamb, lamb shanks, apple or pumpkin pies, and New York-style cheesecakes. Order by Nov. 18. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25, from noon to 5 p.m.

• Hart’s Turkey Farm Restaurant (233 Daniel Webster Hwy., Meredith, 279-6212, hartsturkeyfarm.com) is taking orders for both individual and family-sized turkey dinners this Thanksgiving, which include gravy, stuffing, whipped potatoes and butternut squash. The family-sized meals also come with either apple or pumpkin pie. Curbside pickups will be available on Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

• Harvey’s Bakery and Coffee Shop (376 Central Ave., Dover, 742-6029, harveysbakery.com) is taking orders for several flavors of eight- or 10-inch pies (apple, blueberry, cherry, key lime, pecan, Boston cream, chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut cream, lemon meringue and pumpkin, or savory flavors like pork and chicken); as well as several varieties of dinner and sandwich rolls, available by the dozen. Order by Nov. 21.

• It’s All Good in the Kitchen (184 N. Broadway, Salem, 458-7434, itsallgoodgf.com) is taking orders now for Thanksgiving pies in a variety of flavors, like apple, pumpkin, blueberry, pecan and chocolate bourbon pecan. Order by Nov. 20.

• jajabelles (143 Main St., Nashua, 769-1873, jajabelles.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty baked goods and sweets for Thanksgiving, like pies (five-inch or nine-inch sizes; flavors include apple, pumpkin, bourbon brown butter pecan, pumpkin pecan, chocolate pecan, sweet potato and marshmallow, and chai blackberry); quickbreads (pumpkin, pumpkin chocolate chip, banana, banana chocolate chip and banana walnut); and four-layer vanilla cakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, available in four-inch or six-inch sizes. Other items include pumpkin whoopie pies, or signature fall dessert boxes, which feature flavored bars like pecan bourbon and pumpkin pecan. Order by Nov. 21.

• Jocelyn’s Mediterranean Restaurant & Martini Lounge (355 S. Broadway, Salem, 870-0045, jocelynsrestaurant.com) is taking orders now for individual Thanksgiving meals, which include roasted turkey with gravy, a medley of corn, carrots and peas, homemade mashed potatoes, stuffing, whipped butternut squash, cranberry sauce and pita bread. For dessert, available options are baklava, carrot cake, Snickers pie, peanut butter pie and chocolate cake.

• Joyfull Eats (Deep Meadow Variety, 93 Linden St., Exeter, 778-1526, find them on Facebook @joyfulleatsnh) is taking orders for several specialty items for Thanksgiving, like stuffing with gluten-free oats, cranberry sauce sweetened with dates and maple syrup, gluten-free oat cornbread muffins, roasted Brussels sprouts and green bean and spinach casserole.

• Just Like Mom’s Pastries (353 Riverdale Road, Weare, 529-6667, justlikemomspastries.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty baked goods and sweets for Thanksgiving, like baked pies (flavors include apple, salted caramel apple, pumpkin, pumpkin pecan, butter pecan, chocolate cream and Boston cream); cakes, like pumpkin cheesecake and pumpkin caramel apple upside down cake; dinner rolls (white, wheat or pumpkin); gluten-sensitive pies (apple crumb, blueberry, pumpkin or butter pecan); and breakfast loaves (pumpkin or blueberry). Order by Nov. 21. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Kiss the Cook Macaroni & Cheese (Derry, 781-956-3059, kissthecookllc.com) is taking orders now for traditional, gluten-free and vegan macaroni and cheese, available in one-pound, three-pound, seven-and-a-half-pound and 15-pound containers. Order by Nov. 23.

• LaBelle Winery (345 Route 101, Amherst, 672-9898, labellewineryevents.com/catering) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, like artisan cheese boards, roasted root vegetable salad, spiced cranberry sauce, maple sweet potatoes, traditional ciabatta bread stuffing, herb riesling turkey gravy and more. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

• Love & Joy Vegan Sweets (Raymond, loveandjoyvegansweets.com) is taking orders for a variety of specialty vegan desserts and treats for the holidays, including pumpkin pie, chocolate cream pie, raspberry cream cheese coffee cake, and multiple flavors of holiday-themed macarons, like cranberry, orange cranberry, pumpkin and maple cashew.

• Lull Farm (65 Broad St., Hollis, 465-7079, livefreeandfarm.com) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, including pies (apple, blueberry, pumpkin, strawberry rhubarb, pecan, chocolate cream, banana cream, coconut cream and lemon meringue); and cakes (autumn spice, carrot, chocolate fudge, and plain, strawberry or pumpkin cheesecakes); as well as assorted breads and rolls, and sides, like quiches, pork pies, butternut squash and roasted root vegetables.

• Madear’s Southern Eatery & Bakery (141 Main St., Pembroke, madears603.com) is taking orders for take-home Thanksgiving dinners available in several sizes, most of which come with turkey or ham, three or four sides, either gumbo, etouffee or jambalaya, and your choice of dessert. Madear’s is also offering a selection of fresh baked goods, like pies (apple, blueberry, pecan or sweet potato), cakes (red velvet, chocolate, carrot or sweet potato), cheddar biscuits, croissants and beignets, plus a la carte sides, like charred Brussels sprouts, Southern cornbread dressing, green beans, macaroni and cheese and sweet potatoes; and either Cajun fried or roasted turkey (10 to 14 or 16 to 20 pounds) or bourbon glazed ham (6 to 8 pounds). Order by Nov. 22. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• McNulty & Foley Caterers (124 E. Hollis St., Nashua, 882-1921, mcnultycatering.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving dinners to go, featuring turkey, mashed potatoes, either bread or pork stuffing, whipped butternut squash, gravy and rolls. Other a la carte items available to order are red bliss mashed potatoes, green bean casserole, homemade turkey gravy and apple or pumpkin pies. Order by Nov. 22. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Mile Away Restaurant (52 Federal Hill Road, Milford, 673-3904, mileawayrestaurant.com) is taking pre-orders now for roast turkey dinners this Thanksgiving, which include mashed potatoes, butternut squash, cranberry sauce, a medley of peas and pearl onions, and stuffing.

• Mr. Mac’s Macaroni & Cheese (497 Hooksett Road, Manchester, 606-1760; 2600 Lafayette Road, Portsmouth, 380-7916; 440 Middlesex Road, Tyngsboro, Mass., 978-939-6227; 175 Littleton Road, Westford, Mass., 978-392-9495; mr-macs.com) is taking orders for both hot-and-ready and take-and-bake trays of macaroni and cheese, as well as macaroni salads, assorted green salads, desserts and more. Placing orders at least 24 hours in advance is appreciated.

• New England’s Tap House Grille (1292 Hooksett Road, Hooksett, 782-5137, taphousenh.com) is taking orders for several items for Thanksgiving, including carrot cake, apple crumb cheesecake, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and dinner rolls available by the dozen. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Popovers on the Square (11 Brickyard Square, No. 23, Epping, 734-4724; 8 Congress St., Portsmouth, 431-1119; popoversonthesquare.com) is taking Thanksgiving orders now for its signature pies, which include apple, apple crumb, pumpkin, pecan, chocolate cream, coconut cream, and key lime. Other desserts available to order are pumpkin or fresh fruit cheesecake, carrot cake, turkey-shaped sugar cookies, and eight-inch fruit tarts. Order by Nov. 21 at 8 p.m.

• The Post Restaurant (125 Fisherville Road, Concord, 228-0522; 58 N. Main St., Concord, 227-6686; postrestaurantnh.com) is offering individual ready-to-heat Thanksgiving meals to go, which include carved turkey (choice of white, dark or mixed), gravy, homemade stuffing, herbed mashed potatoes, squash, green beans and either pumpkin pie or pumpkin swirl cake. Order by Nov. 21 at 2 p.m. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, by 2 p.m.

• Presto Craft Kitchen (168 Amory St., Manchester, 606-1252, prestocraftkitchen.com) is taking orders now for various take-and-bake sides for Thanksgiving, including homemade mashed potatoes, country-style stuffing, garden fresh green beans, spiced sweet potato with charred pineapple, autumn-seasoned butternut squash, hand-pressed cranberry sauce, honey-glazed carrots and turkey gravy. Several desserts are also available to order from Presto’s sister company Custom Eats & Sweets, like Oreo cheesecake truffles, Italian cookie platters, homemade apple crisp, and hand-filled cannolis, as well as various flavors of homemade pies, like apple, blueberry, strawberry rhubarb, pumpkin, banana cream, chocolate cream and cannoli cream. You can also order an “all the trimmings” package with mashed potatoes, stuffing, two vegetables, cranberry sauce, turkey gravy, bread, rolls and butter, or turkey available in two-pound or four-pound sizes. Order by Nov. 21.

• Queen City Cupcakes (790 Elm St., Manchester, 624-4999, qccupcakes.com) is taking orders for several seasonally inspired flavors of cupcakes for Thanksgiving, like pumpkin maple, winter berry, apple cider doughnut and gingerbread whoopie pie. Order by Nov. 22 at 3 p.m. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

• The Red Arrow Diner (112 Loudon Road, Concord, 415-0444; 137 Rockingham Road, Londonderry, 552-3091; 61 Lowell St., Manchester, 626-1118; 149 Daniel Webster Hwy., Nashua, 204-5088; redarrowdiner.com) takes orders for its homemade cakes and pies at all of its locations. Flavors include apple, blueberry, pumpkin, chocolate cream, brownie cream and more. Online orders must be placed at least 24 hours in advance of pickups.

• The Red Blazer Restaurant & Pub (72 Manchester St., Concord, 224-4101, theredblazer.com) is taking orders for a variety of take-and-bake items for Thanksgiving, including whole oven-ready turkeys, prime rib roasts, homemade bread stuffing, baked winter squash, baked yams, homemade gravy and macaroni and cheese, as well as dessert specials like pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin whoopie pies and salted caramel apple galettes. Order by Nov. 22. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25.

• Smoke and Cream (44 Market St., Somersworth, 841-5901, smokeandcreamnh.com) is taking orders for a slow-smoked turkey Thanksgiving dinner package, which includes cornbread stuffing, cranberry sauce, gravy, green bean casserole, butternut squash, mashed potatoes, Parker rolls and pumpkin whoopie pies. Order by Nov. 19. Pickups are on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

• Smokeshow Barbeque (89 Fort Eddy Road, Concord, 227-6399, smokeshowbarbeque.com) is taking orders for special Thanksgiving packages, which include smoked turkey breast (about four pounds), three quarts of fresh sides, eight servings of cornbread and one bottle of barbecue sauce. Order by Nov. 22.

• Sweet Hill Farm (82 Newton Road, Plaistow, 974-7279, sweethillfarm.com) is taking orders for several flavors of nine-inch pies, including apple, apple crumb, apple blueberry, blueberry, bumbleberry, pecan, pumpkin, chocolate cream, key lime and peanut butter.

• Trombly Gardens (150 N. River Road, Milford, 673-0647, tromblygardens.net) is taking orders for turkey dinners to go for Thanksgiving, which feature stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey gravy, glazed carrots, green bean casserole, rolls and cranberry sauce. Add-on pies (apple or pumpkin) are also available. Order by Nov. 13.

• Tuscan Market (63 Main St., Salem, 912-5467, tuscanbrands.com) is taking orders for Thanksgiving now, which include whole roasted turkey dinners for six to eight people that include insalata mista with pumpkin seed vinaigrette, maple roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts with smoked pancetta and aged balsamic, mascarpone whipped potatoes, porcini mushroom ciabatta stuffing with Parmigiano Reggiano and toasted pine nuts, heirloom cranberry and marsala wine compote, fresh herb gravy, focaccia and ciabatta bread. Other a la carte offerings include main courses (carved roast turkey, boneless prime rib, herb-roasted leoncini ham, roast beef tenderloin, prosciutto-wrapped pork loin, porchetta roast or roasted salmon); sides (honey-glazed root vegetables, maple roasted sweet potato, Brussels sprouts, balsamic roasted carrots, green beans with almonds, mascarpone whipped potato, cranberry marsala wine compote, turkey pan gravy, acorn squash cups and sage crema, porcini mushroom ciabatta stuffing, cabbage, chestnuts, balsamic, or prosciutto stuffed shells); soups (roasted butternut squash and ginger, sausage and kale, or Italian wedding); and desserts (Cortland apple pie, pumpkin pie, pecan pie, tiramisu square, flourless chocolate torte or pumpkin cheesecake). Order by Nov. 23. Pickups are available on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

• Twelve Pine Restaurant & Gourmet Marketplace (11 School St., Peterborough, 924-6140, twelvepine.com) is taking orders for a variety of items for Thanksgiving, like full dinners to go, which feed about six to eight people and include whole roasted turkey, old-fashioned herb stuffing, mashed potatoes, roasted autumn vegetables, cranberry orange relish, pumpkin soup, turkey gravy, dinner rolls and your choice of two pies (apple, pumpkin, pecan or chocolate cream). There are also a variety of a la carte items available for ordering, like pumpkin bisque, roasted Brussels sprouts, mashed Yukon gold potatoes, and maple and ginger roasted sweet potatoes. The order deadline is Nov. 19 at 2 p.m. for Thanksgiving dinners, and Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. for just desserts. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, through 7 p.m., and on Wednesday, Nov. 25, through 6 p.m.

• Van Otis Chocolates (341 Elm St., Manchester, 627-1611, vanotischocolates.com) has various Thanksgiving-themed chocolates and treats, like Swiss fudge turkeys, hollow chocolate turkeys and chocolate cornucopias filled with mixed nuts.

• The Wine’ing Butcher (16 Sheep Davis Road, Pembroke, 856-8833; 28 Weirs Road, Gilford, 293-4670; 81 Route 23, Meredith, 279-0300; wineingbutcher.com) is taking orders for Plainville Farms all-natural turkeys, bone-in or boneless turkey breasts, as well as multiple homemade sides, like traditional, sausage or apple cranberry stuffing, turkey gravy, whipped potatoes, butternut squash with maple and brown sugar, candied pecan sweet potatoes and roasted harvest vegetables; and pies in a variety of flavors, from apple, pumpkin, blueberry and raspberry, to pecan, strawberry rhubarb and key lime.

• Yankee Farmer’s Market (360 Route 103 E., Warner, 456-2833, yankeefarmersmarket.com) is taking orders for Misty Knoll free-range turkeys this Thanksgiving, ranging from 13 to 24 pounds. Order by Nov. 15. Pickups are on Tuesday, Nov. 24, or Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.

This story was possible with the generous financial support of Hippo readers. Hippo is very grateful to have the support of its readers. If you haven’t contributed yet, please consider a small contribution. Your contributions allow Hippo to write more stories and gets you access to additional stories and columns.

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In the kitchen with Frank Mannino

Francesco “Frank” Mannino of Nashua is the owner of Pizzico Ristorante Italiano & Martini Bar (7 Harold Drive, Nashua, 897-0696; 7 Continental Blvd., Merrimack, 424-1000; pizzicotogo.com), which offers a menu of authentic Italian appetizers, pastas and steak, chicken and seafood entrees, in addition to specialty burgers, sandwiches, pizzas and calzones. The drink menu includes a variety of house martinis and an extensive selection of Italian red and white wines. Pizzico, its name coming from the Italian word meaning “pinch” in terms of cooking, has been open in Nashua since 1996. Originally from Palermo, Italy, Mannino came to the United States as a teenager. He purchased the restaurant from his older brother Vito in 2005, opening the second location in Merrimack about three years later.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

I would say a pan or a knife.

What would you have for your last meal?

I would have our Sicilian stew, which we make in house with steak tips, sausage, carrots and onions cooked in a tomato sauce, and then we toss it in a pasta.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Michael Timothy’s [Local Kitchen & Wine Bar in Nashua]. I’ll usually have a steak dish, cooked medium-rare.

What celebrity would you like to see eating in your restaurant?

Robert De Niro.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

The lasagna, which is one of our most popular items. The meat lasagna has ground beef and pork Bolognese, and then we do a vegetarian lasagna with layers of eggplant.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Definitely gluten-free [options]. We do both gluten-free pastas and pizzas.

What is your favorite thing to cook at home?

Nothing too crazy, just a simple pasta with tomato sauce … or a cheese pizza.

Spaghetti Aglio & Olio
From the kitchen of Francesco “Frank” Mannino of Pizzico Ristorante Italiano & Martini Bar in Nashua and Merrimack (served with a pasta of your choice)

2 ounces chopped garlic
1 ounce extra virgin olive oil
Pinch of red pepper flakes
Pinch of salt and pepper
Pinch of chopped parsley

In a saute pan, add oil and garlic. While it’s cooking, add the red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Once garlic is a gold color, shut the stove off and add a little bit of hot water to prevent it from burning and the pasta from sticking to the pan. Toss the pasta in. Serve and top with freshly chopped parsley and Parmesan (optional).

Featured Photo: Frank Mannino

New American-Italian option

Mikey’s Roast Beef & Pizza opens in Hooksett

Nashua High School North and Southern New Hampshire University graduate Mikhail “Mikey” Bashagurov got his start in the restaurant industry at Giovanni’s at the age of 18, working many different roles over the course of several years. Nearly a decade later, after additional stints at Sal’s Pizza and the Tilted Kilt Pub & Eatery, Bashagurov now has his own restaurant, offering fresh pizzas, calzones, subs, pastas and other items in a casual environment.
Mikey’s Roast Beef & Pizza, which opened on Nov. 6 in Hooksett, is in the former space of ABC Pizza on Londonderry Turnpike. Bashagurov found the vacant storefront earlier this summer with the help of Giovanni’s owner Jeannette Alexandrou, and has worked ever since toward reopening the eatery under his own name and brand. The menu is based on those of other similar casual Italian-American restaurants he’s worked in.
“A lot of the items are very similar, but they are my recipes, so they kind of have my own twists on them,” he said. “I will say that people would be familiar with the menu while still getting something different and new.”
Appetizers include french fries, onion rings, chicken fingers and wings, all available in multiple portion sizes, plus mozzarella sticks, garlic bread, meatballs, steak tips and grilled chicken tenders. There are also several salads, like garden, Greek, Caesar and antipasto with Italian meats, all with the additional option to add tuna, steak or chicken.
The roast beef sandwiches, which Bashagurov said feature meat sliced fresh every day, come in five different sizes ranging from three to six ounces. Other subs and sandwiches, divided on the menu between hot and cold, include BLTs and turkey clubs, chicken or meatball Parmesan subs, steak bombs — either as shaved steak or steak tips — and grilled chicken bombs with mushrooms, peppers, onions and cheese, smash burgers and fried chicken sandwiches.
Pizzas and calzones come in small or large sizes, with the option to choose a specialty topping (like the Mikey’s Special, with mushrooms, peppers, onions, pepperoni and sausage), or to create your own using around two dozen ingredient add-ons. A small selection of pastas using ziti and either garlic butter, alfredo or marinara sauce is also available, in addition to dinner plates with steak, chicken or roast beef and salads, fries or onion rings as sides.
Bashagurov’s wife Tiffani makes homemade chocolate chip cookies as a dessert option, which are thick and crunchy on the outside and feature a soft cake-like texture on the inside, he said.
The restaurant has a small dine-in space of about eight seats, but Bashagurov said that like its predecessor, Mikey’s will be largely focused on takeout, with delivery services also available within a five-mile radius.

Mikey’s Roast Beef & Pizza
Where: 21 Londonderry Turnpike, Hooksett
Hours: Sunday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m.
More info: Visit mikeysroastbeefandpizza.com, find them on Facebook and Instagram @mikeysroastbeefandpizza or call 623-0005

Featured photo: A table of booze from a past Distillers Showcase. Courtesy photo.

Virtual wines and spirits

Liquor Commission presents 90 Days Around the World tasting series

In lieu of its annual Wine Week and Distiller’s Week, both of which bring hundreds of the world’s esteemed winemakers and spirit purveyors to the Granite State for several nights of tastings and seminars, the New Hampshire Liquor Commission is now bringing them to you from the comfort of your own home. The inaugural 90 Days Around the World program, which began on Nov. 2 and will continue through Jan. 30, features a three-month series of free virtual tastings, Q&A sessions and other interactive events with winemakers and distillers near and far.

“We knew it would be impossible to host the same events that we have in the past … but we still wanted to support that engagement with our customers, who continue to want to learn about our product offerings,” said Lorrie Piper, director of sales, marketing, merchandising and distribution for the New Hampshire Liquor Commission.

Each day during the program, participants can visit 90daysaroundtheworld.com and click on the “events” tab, where they’ll find a link to a virtual tasting or Q&A session that will be livestreamed on the Commission’s Facebook page and via Zoom. Most of them also include information about the purveyor and which wines and spirits will be discussed and tasted.

Those tuning in live can engage in the conversation by posting comments or questions to the video, but even if you miss one you wanted to watch, Piper said, all of the videos are archived.

“We’ll be monitoring the videos after they get posted, so we encourage people to still reach out, ask questions and make comments,” she said.

Several industry professionals who have travelled to New Hampshire for Distiller’s Week or Wine Week in the past have returned for this new virtual series. Among them is Jane Bowie, director of innovation at Maker’s Mark Distillery in Loretto, Kentucky, who was a featured panelist at the Women of Whiskey & Spirits seminar during last year’s Distiller’s Week.

On Nov. 5, Bowie, along with Maker’s Mark master distiller Denny Potter, led an interactive virtual discussion and tasting of four of the company’s spirits.

“It’s not as personal, but you do get to talk to and reach a lot more people in this format,” Bowie said in a phone interview. “I almost think you can get more engagement in this scenario, because people are tasting from their homes. They’re in their natural environment and may not be as nervous about asking questions as they might be from a more orchestrated tasting.”

Some tastings planned for later on in the series will also feature live cooking demonstrations, meant to showcase food pairing suggestions with wines and spirits. In mid-January, winemaker Lisa Evich of Simi Winery in Sonoma County, California, will host a joint virtual cooking demonstration and tasting with executive chef Kolin Vazzoler.

Evich is a two-time past attendee of the Winter Wine Spectacular and has also participated in several dinners at local restaurants that have featured Simi’s products during Wine Week.

“Sonoma County is just such an incredibly diverse region to grow grapes in with nice lush flavors,” Evich said in a phone interview. “Kolin does an outstanding job of creating dishes that really complement and showcase what our wines are all about.”

Throughout the 90-day series, participants have the opportunity to earn points that would accumulate toward their chance to win multiple prizes and giveaways. You can start earning points by downloading the free Scavify app, which Piper said acts as a virtual “passport” for each event you tune into. Once you create an account through the app, you’ll earn points by getting a “stamp” in your passport.

Points can be accumulated by attending as many events as possible or by completing tasks, such as posting pictures of your favorite spirits or wines or correctly answering trivia questions. Some of the larger prizes, Piper said, include a $2,500 New Hampshire Liquor & Wine Outlet gift card and a guide to build your own home bar, including tools and accessories.

90 Days Around the World virtual tasting series
When: Various dates and times, now through Jan. 30 (series began Nov. 2 and all tastings can be viewed on Facebook @nhliquorandwine)|
How to participate: Visit 90daysaroundtheworld.com or download the Scavify app to start accumulating points

Featured photo: A table of booze from a past Distillers Showcase. Courtesy photo.

The Weekly Dish 20/11/12

News from the local food scene

• Italian feast: Make your reservations now for a family-style Italian feast at The Hills Restaurant at Hampshire Hills Athletic Club (50 Emerson Road, Milford)on Wednesday, Nov. 25, from 4 to 8 p.m. The dinner will feature Italian options like chicken Parmesan, meatballs and Italian sausage, cavatappi pasta and cheese tortellini, as well as mixed greens, cheesy garlic bread and garlic Parmesan broccoli, and desserts like tiramisu, cannolis and fresh baked cookies. The cost is $22 for adults, $15 for teens ages 13 to 17, $12 for children ages 5 to 12 and free for children under 5. Visit hampshirehills.com or call 673-7123 to make a reservation.

• Sleigh-ing the competition: Pastry chef Jon Buatti of the Bearded Baking Co. in Manchester recently appeared as a contestant on the season premiere of Food Network’s Holiday Baking Championship cooking competition series, according to a press release. The two-hour episode, which aired on Nov. 2, featured Buatti competing against several other bakers from across the country to create the best holiday-themed desserts for judges Nancy Fuller, Duff Goldman and Carla Hall. He and the other bakers made wreaths out of quick breads during the first challenge and later decorated cakes in the shape of Christmas hats. Shooting for the episode took place in Los Angeles over the summer. “I had never been on national TV before, so I was definitely nervous,” said Buatti, who was one of 12 bakers selected from a pool of thousands of candidates to appear on the show. “The competition was super stiff, and that’s definitely in your mind when you’re out there.” The season will continue every Monday night until one of the 12 contestants wins a grand prize of $25,000 during the finale, which will air on Food Networkon Dec. 21.

• Day of the Dead opens in Litchfield: A new eatery offering authentic Mexican options recently opened in Litchfield. Day of the Dead Mexican Taqueria, named after the multi-day Mexican holiday “Día de los Muertos,” or “Day of the Dead,” opened last month in the former space of Applewood BBQ & Pizza, near Mel’s Funway Park. Menu items are prepared fresh daily, including tacos with several filling options, like carnitas, grilled chicken, steak, adobada (diced pork), lengua (beef tongue), and chorizo (pork sausage), as well as quesadillas, burritos, chimichangas and flautas, or deep-fried tortillas with either shredded chicken or shredded beef, and sides of guacamole, rice and beans. A small dessert menu includes items like churros and chocolate flan. Find the eatery on Facebook @dayofthedeadtaqueria or call 377-7664 to place a takeout order.

In the kitchen with Alex Waddell

Alex Waddell of Hopkinton is the owner and pastry chef of Crémeux French Patisserie (707 Milford Road, Merrimack, cremeuxfrenchpatisserie.com), which opened in Pennichuck Square over the summer. Crémeux’s concept is modeled after that of a Parisian pastry shop, with a menu of macarons, eclairs, croissants, lemon honey tarts and other classic French pastries, in addition to freshly baked artisan breads, gourmet teas and coffee, and Belgian chocolates shipped from overseas. Originally from Florida, Waddell got his start working at The Grazing Room at the Colby Hill Inn in Henniker as a teenager. He went on to attend an intensive professional program in French pastry at Ferrandi, an internationally recognized culinary arts school in Paris, before later returning to New Hampshire to open Crémeux with the help of his family.

What is your must-have kitchen item?

A bowl scraper, because it has so many uses in the kitchen. Honestly, it’s something that I can’t ever see myself not having.

What would you have for your last meal?

It would probably have to be my grandmother’s orange duck. She really influenced me as a kid with her French cooking, and I remember her orange duck was so killer. It was definitely one of my favorite things to eat.

What is your favorite local restaurant?

Mint Bistro in Manchester. I love to go there for the sushi, but they do a lot of other dishes really well. It’s a really good restaurant to go out to on a Saturday night.

What celebrity would you like to see trying something in your shop?

I would say Gordon Ramsay. I’m confident enough that he would like my pastries.

What is your favorite thing on your menu?

We do a version of a croissant that I love that’s called Kouign-amann [pronounced “queen-a-mahn”]. … It’s made with croissant dough that’s caramelized on the outside … and has a gooey, buttery center. It’s a traditional pastry from the Brittany region of France.

What is the biggest food trend in New Hampshire right now?

Farm-to-table cuisine is big right now. People are trying to go more local with food, and there are definitely a lot more farm-to-table places popping up.

What is your favorite thing to cook or bake at home?

During the Christmas season, there’s one dish that I absolutely love making, called porchetta. It’s basically a big slab of pork belly with a bunch of aromatic herbs put in.

Dark chocolate crémeux
Courtesy of Alex Waddell of Crémeux French Patisserie in Merrimack

500 grams (about 2 cups) heavy cream
500 grams (about 2 cups) milk
120 grams (about ½ cup) sugar
360 grams egg yolks (18 egg yolks)
400 grams (about 2 cups) 64-percent dark chocolate

If using an electronic scale, weigh the chocolate, then chop into small chunks. Add the chocolate to a medium-sized mixing bowl and set aside. Weigh milk and heavy cream together in a small saucepan and set aside.
Separate your eggs and add into a medium mixing bowl. Once the yolks have been separated, measure the sugar directly on top of the yolks and whisk quickly until homogenous. Place the milk and cream mixture on a burner set to medium-high heat. Using a rubber spatula, stir occasionally to prevent scorching the milk and cream. Remove from the heat once a very weak simmer has developed. Pour half of the heated milk and cream mixture over the yolk and sugar mixture, being sure to whisk quickly.
Once half of the milk and cream mixture has been poured out over the eggs, return all ingredients to the saucepan. Setting the heat to low, use the rubber spatula to stir in a figure eight motion, constantly scraping the bottom of the saucepan. Slowly bring the mixture up to exactly 82 degrees Celsius (or 180 degrees Fahrenheit). Once temperature has been reached, pour the mixture over the chopped chocolate.
Let it sit for two minutes before mixing with an emulsion blender until smooth. Place plastic wrap over the top (be sure it’s touching the mixture with zero air pockets) and set overnight in the refrigerator to set.

Featured Photo: Alex Waddell

Restaurants take on winter

How local eateries are handling the change in season

Even as the 1750 Taphouse in Bedford broke ground on a new outdoor patio in May, managing partner Charlie Waitt knew there needed to be a solution for the colder months ahead.

“We knew this wasn’t going away anytime soon,” he said. “As we were coming out of summer, we would say the old Game of Thrones phrase ‘Winter is coming.’ We’ve got to do something.”

Waitt had heard of a few New England businesses with heated dome-shaped “igloos” during the winter, including The Envoy Hotel in Boston’s Seaport District, which has them on its rooftop. On Oct. 8, the 1750 Taphouse posted photos on its Facebook page of four heated igloos the restaurant purchased from the Florida-based company Gardenigloo USA, announcing that reservations for each would be available the following day. The post garnered more than 100,000 views overnight. Nearly a month later, Waitt’s staff is still fielding dozens of calls per week from customers wanting to make reservations inside the igloos. Others are contacting him from as far away as New York and Ohio — restaurateurs with questions of their own about how the igloos work and where they can get them for their establishments.

“I didn’t expect it to take off like it did,” Waitt said. “Weekends are jam packed, and we’re seeing weekdays being booked up too. That’s business we never would have had.”

Outdoor dining has been a saving grace for thousands of restaurants in New Hampshire during the pandemic in what has already been a tough year for the industry. Add the elements of a New England winter and many restaurateurs are now having to pivot operations even more.

“I think everyone is trying to extend dining outdoors as long as they possibly can, but once snow starts to fly and we start to get into those bitterly cold winds in December and January, I’m just not sure how much that’s going to buy you, frankly,” said Mike Somers, president and CEO of the New Hampshire Lodging & Restaurant Association.

On Sept. 24, Gov. Chris Sununu announced the release of updated guidance for the state’s restaurant industry, which included easing the six-foot rule between tables as long as dividing barriers are in place, effective Oct. 1. Solo performing artists are also allowed back inside restaurants and function centers as long as they maintain an eight-foot distance from any table.

“The approved barriers are going to be a huge game-changer for a lot of businesses and, I think, will allow for greater occupancy for some,” Somers said.

On Oct. 29, Sununu announced that, starting Oct. 31, restaurants would be required to keep a temporary database of their customers to assist the state’s contact tracing team. Basic information from dine-in patrons such as their name, phone number and day and time of arrival are to be collected from one person per party and kept for a period of 21 days. The announcement comes less than a week after potential community exposure notices issued by the state Department of Health & Human Services at restaurants in several cities and towns, including Concord, Portsmouth, Atkinson, Lincoln and Peterborough.

As the winter season approaches, local restaurateurs discuss the steps they’re taking to prepare for it, and what more they say needs to be done to help keep their businesses afloat.

Constantly adapting

Each of the 1750 Taphouse’s four igloos is set up on the patio. To keep track of the high volume of reservation requests, Waitt said, three designated times per igloo are available each evening — 4:30, 6:30 and 8:30 p.m. — for maximum parties of six. Since the eatery is open for lunch on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, there are additional reservation opportunities at 12:30 and 2:30 p.m. Parties are given approximately one hour and 45 minutes, while the remaining 15 minutes between reservations is spent thoroughly sanitizing and disinfecting the inside of the igloo. Zippered flaps are open on both sides of the igloo for cross-ventilation.

“We’re taking reservations six weeks in advance right now,” Waitt said. “We take a $50 deposit over the phone that goes on a gift card. We hold that gift card until the night of your reservation, give it to you as you walk in, and then you use that gift card toward your bill that night.”

The igloos are close to seven feet tall and about 11 feet in diameter and are made of a vinyl plastic material that feels like a thick shower curtain. Four hundred pounds of sandbags are around the outside of each dome to keep it in place.

Inside, the igloos have a remote control with adjustable LED lights in a variety of colors and patterns, as well as a space heater for you to adjust the warmth to your liking. Two of the igloos also have low-top tables and cushioned patio furniture.

“People are having a lot of fun in them,” Waitt said. “It’s a more intimate setting. … They feel like they’re hanging out in their own living room, eating dinner and just relaxing.”

A few weeks after the igloos went up, the 1750 Taphouse also added vinyl plastic dividers between several of the tables inside, and clear dividers between every few seats at the bar.

In Londonderry, 603 Brewery is also expected to have heated igloos on its patio from the same Florida company, likely starting on Nov. 13, according to marketing and events manager Morgan Kyle. Four of them were introduced last winter, just before the start of the pandemic. This year, there will be eight that will all operate on a reservation system, for maximum parties of six. Professional cleaning crews have been hired to sanitize them after every reservation.

“They’re all going to be spaced out. There will be four closer to the building, and then four more that are a little farther away in a zig-zag pattern,” Kyle said. “We’re going to have people reserve them online through the website on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.”

Other local eateries have taken unique steps to prepare for the colder weather from inside. Grill 603 in Milford, in addition to putting up plexiglass dividers between each of its booths, has installed UVC light sterilization filters into its HVAC system, designed to kill and genetically alter bacteria and viruses. Air purifiers have also been installed with UVC lights in them.

Surfaces are regularly treated with a quaternary ammonium sanitizer, which owner Eric Griffin said is a more effective and less toxic alternative to bleach.

“It was something that I had known about from a previous career,” Griffin said of the UVC filter installations. “When I used to run big yachts in Washington, D.C., where we had a touring party company, and we had put UVC light filters on our water system there.”

Although most of his patrons were understanding of the new contact tracing measures by the state, Griffin said Grill 603 experienced about a 40 percent drop in sales over the weekend following the announcement.

Tom Boucher, CEO of the Bedford-based Great New Hampshire Restaurants, which includes each T-Bones, Cactus Jack’s and Copper Door location in the Granite State, said air purifying systems to eliminate nearly 100 percent of all viruses on surfaces have been purchased. Between two and three have been installed at each restaurant, depending on its size, with one purifier covering approximately 2,000 square feet in the restaurant’s bar or dining area.

Each location is also currently in the process of building a “Santa’s Workshop” shed that will be placed outside near the entrances. Those are expected to be ready in the coming weeks.

“They’ll be heated, they’ll be lit, and we’ll have an employee in there selling gift cards during the holiday season,” Boucher said. “This way, if customers that perhaps aren’t comfortable inside to purchase a gift card, they can do it outside, and we’ll have dedicated parking spaces real close. … We just thought that it would be a nice, fun thing for people to help keep them in the spirit.”

Even before Sununu’s Oct. 29 announcement on gathering information from restaurant patrons to assist in contact tracing, Boucher said tablets have been purchased for each T-Bones, Cactus Jack’s and Copper Door location. They’re being used to record the first name, last initial and phone number of one person per party and each bar customer. The following Monday after the announcement, Boucher reported that virtually every guest over the weekend was understanding of the new measure — many had seen it on the news and were not too surprised, he said, although a few across the board were bothered by it.

“If [the Department of Health & Human Services] has a situation in some of these restaurants, they don’t have to necessarily do a broadcast release, because they’ve got the names and numbers of people that visited on whatever days they might be concerned about,” Boucher said.

Booth dividers at The Post Downtown. Courtesy photo.

Vikki Johnson, who owns The Post Downtown on Main Street in Concord and The Newell Post Restaurant on Fisherville Road, said booth dividers have been installed at both locations with the help of a carpenter. Each one is made with a wood frame that was stained to match or complement those of the existing booths, with plexiglass inserts.

Dividers have been implemented at all four Red Arrow Diner locations, according to chief operating officer Amanda Wihby, including three in Manchester, 11 in Concord, eight in Londonderry and 14 at its largest restaurant in Nashua. The outdoor tables have been removed at all of the locations except in Manchester — those have been kept for people utilizing takeout.

“The Manchester location usually seats 36 people,” Wihby said in an email. “Without the dividers, we were at 11 seats, [but] with the dividers, it added an additional eight seats.”

Some restaurants are putting the focus back on takeout rather than full indoor dining, once it becomes too cold to eat outside. During the early months of the pandemic, Revival Kitchen & Bar in Concord became a popular spot for its takeout specials, like burger and beer combos, cocktail mixes and hand-cut steak and wine pairings. Owner and chef Corey Fletcher said he plans to start increasing the social media interaction for those types of specials once again, while keeping the indoor dining capacity at around 60 to 75 percent and encouraging reservations.

Stalk, a farm-to-table bistro in Dover, recently announced it would cease all dine-in operations starting Nov. 14, and will tentatively switch to takeout only around Dec. 3. A section of the eatery’s website will also be available for people to find food-related gifts for the holidays, from marinades and spice blends to barbecue sauces, vinaigrettes, jams and more.

A “better than expected” summer

Thanks in part to a mainly dry summer and additional outdoor seating, some New Hampshire restaurants were able to rebound in sales, especially those with large patios or parking lots.

“It’s no doubt still been a challenging year all around, but I think for some folks that had limited to significant outdoor dining, the summer was much better than expected,” Somers said.

At its peak, Grill 603 had about 70 outdoor patio seats, according to Griffin, including two tables that were added this season.

“We were right about where we were last summer,” he said. “I never would have guessed that, if you had told me in May that we were going to pull out of it and have a pretty solid summer like that. It was pretty surprising.”

He said he plans to keep the patio seats open as long as he possibly can until enough significant snowfall forces its shutdown, but he’s also not ruling out reopening them if it warms back up.

“We had a run of 70-degree days in February one year, and I put patio furniture out and people were flocking to it,” he said. “So it just depends on what Mother Nature throws at us.”

Boucher said Great New Hampshire Restaurants, collectively as a company, also experienced a much better summer season from the sales of each restaurant than he was expecting. The newest T-Bones restaurant in Concord, the company’s sixth overall, opened the week after Labor Day and is now generating the greatest revenue.

“We ended our third quarter, at the end of September, down only about 10 percent year-over-year, which I was very, very pleased with,” Boucher said. “That being said, about 20 percent of our revenue is takeout … and then roughly another 20 to 30 percent, depending on the location, was outdoor dining.”

In May, each T-Bones, Cactus Jack’s and Copper Door restaurant set up rented tents in the parking lot, which added dozens more seats in addition to the existing patios. The tents came down last weekend, following a recent drop in turnout due to cold nights, but Boucher said traditional outdoor dining on patios and terraces will continue for as long as possible.

Waitt said the 1750 Taphouse has broken its own sales records multiple times in the last several weeks, and that’s not just due to all the attention it has received from the igloos.

“For us, if there’s been any silver lining from this, it was that it accelerated a lot of the plans we had and put them in motion a lot faster,” Waitt said. “We built the patio, we revamped our menu and our service model, and we brought in a lot of great new people who are just as passionate about making the restaurant successful as we are.”

At Georgia’s Northside in Concord, a takeout-only Southern kitchen and craft beer market, owner and chef Alan Natkiel has enjoyed a massive increase in food sales compared to last year.

He initially closed for nearly three weeks before reopening in April with a retooled business model, implementing an online-only ordering system through the restaurant’s website and installing a pickup counter out in front of the door.

For Natkiel, being transparent with his customers is absolutely essential in the throes of a pandemic — that’s why every several weeks he’ll put out a post on Facebook updating them with his service protocols. He and each one of his four other staff members also take turns getting coronavirus tests every two to three weeks on a rotating basis.

Downtown dining

Expanded outdoor dining on public sidewalks and parking spaces downtown became a major lifeline this summer for many city restaurants in New Hampshire. Most of these regulations are set to end this month, but despite the onset of the winter season, a few municipalities have voted on or are considering extending it even further for interested businesses.

In downtown Manchester, the jersey barriers that accommodated outdoor seating space for restaurants and other businesses along Elm Street were scheduled to be picked up this week.

But according to Lauren Smith, chief of staff for Mayor Joyce Craig, the Board of Mayor and Aldermen voted late last week in favor of extending them for those that want them. Most have elected to keep the barriers, she said, with the exception of Boards & Brews and The Shaskeen Irish Pub & Restaurant. Each business that is keeping the barriers will be responsible for removing snow from inside the enclosed space from the street, but the city’s Highway Department will still plow snow from the sidewalks.

Nashua’s parking restrictions to accommodate outdoor dining on Main Street are currently set to expire on Nov. 15, but according to city economic development director Tim Cummings, there have been talks to possibly get them extended.

Concord’s outdoor dining permits are also valid through Nov. 15. While city health and licensing officer Gwen Williams said no extensions have been discussed, the city council has been working with the Greater Concord Chamber of Commerce to award grants of up to $1,500 to restaurants to help offset any expenses related to increasing capacity indoors, such as dividers.

Chamber president Tim Sink said the grants come from money that was going to be used for the city’s Fourth of July fireworks display, which was canceled.

“The council recognized that the end of outdoor dining in Concord put restaurants in a tough position,” Sink said. “[The fireworks cancellation] created a small pot of money for something like this, and so they contacted the Chamber to see if if they’d like us to manage the grants.”

Within the first couple of days, Sink said he already received multiple inquiries from Concord restaurants. Grant applications through the Chamber’s website are available through Nov. 20.

More aid needed

Although Boucher did acquire Paycheck Protection Program [PPP] funds back in April, Great New Hampshire Restaurants did not qualify for either of the state’s Main Street Relief Funds, even as it approaches half a million dollars in extra expenses since the start of the pandemic.

“It’s not just masks and sanitizer,” he said. “It’s the tents that we’ve rented, the tables and chairs, the propane heaters, the dividers, the amount of signage we’ve had to print, the amount of times we’ve had to change our menu and our website, and the labor that’s gone into all of that. … These are all expenses that never existed before.”

Boucher said he and members of two other local restaurant groups — The Common Man and the 110 Grill — are working with state officials to propose a new fund, which would target businesses that did not get any relief from the first two rounds, and that have accrued Covid-19-related expenses in excess of $100,000.

“This winter, I’ll be grateful if we’re down 20 to 25 percent, but we won’t make money doing that,” he said. “We’ll probably barely break even, and some stores will lose money.”

According to a nationwide survey conducted by the National Restaurant Association in September, 40 percent of restaurant operators think it is unlikely their establishment will still be in business in six months if there are no additional relief packages from the federal government.

“I think New Hampshire has fared a little better than some other states that are still under lockdown,” Somers said, “but without that federal assistance, whether it’s another round of PPP or another program, some of these businesses are not going to make it to the spring.”

On Oct. 1, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the $2.2 trillion Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act 2.0, which includes a $120 billion grant program to support restaurants with fewer than 20 locations by helping to cover cost of rent, utilities and employee salaries. According to Jenni Muns, a spokeswoman for Rep. Annie Kuster, who is one of more than 200 co-sponsors of the bill, the grants would total the difference between a restaurant group’s 2019 revenues and expected 2020 revenues. The bill remains part of ongoing negotiations with the Senate.

Featured photo: The 1750 Taphouse in Bedford recently installed four heated dome-like “igloos” on its patio for you to enjoy its food outside all winter, like the tater kegs with house beer cheese, crispy bacon, Parmesan and scallions. Photo by Matt Ingersoll.

Author: Matt Ingersoll