Autumn Entertaining on Daniel Island

With the holidays rapidly approaching, we reached out to a few island businesses and entertaining “gurus” for their suggestions on creating the perfect Lowcountry holiday get-together.

Holiday Decor

Owner Lisa Passarini and her staff at A Floral Affair in downtown Daniel Island were kind enough to give us a few pointers on creating the perfect Thanksgiving table decor. Whether you prefer a traditional or more contemporary look, A Floral Affair can help you achieve your desired fall style.

• Fall colors are one of the most essential elements to your arrangement – golden yellow, orange and red hues will capture the essence of fall outside your window and carry it into your home.
• For a more contemporary arrangement, use traditional fall colors accented with a burst of vibrant color, like a bright purple or deep pink.
• Use natural elements that you can find ourdoors. Gourds, pine cones, sticks, leaves or sweetgrass will give your arrangement a wonderful woodsy feeling.
• Make sure your arrangement is an appropriate height. No matter how beautiful it may be, your guests still want  to see each others faces!
• Add flowers and blossoms to all aspects of your table decor. Wrap votive candle holders with raffia and then pin a flower blossom to it. Go a step further and have A Floral Affair create napkin rings with flowers to match your table decor. (Running out of time? Napkin rings can be purchased for $12-$15)

Wine & Beer

The folks at Laura Albert’s Tasteful Options gave us a glimpse of their top picks for those who enjoy a good seasonal beer or tasty glass of wine with their meal. Owner Karen Elsey browsed the Daniel Island shop with us.

For white wines, Karen recommends thinking outside of the box and going with Zolo Torrontes, which was The New York Times’ featured white wine for Thanksgiving. This Argentinian wine is crisp, delicate and affordable. Another great white option is a Reisling. The sweetness of this variety will compliment the rich flavors of Thanksgiving perfectly.

A Pinot Noir is the perfect pairing for those who prefer the deep, rich flavors of red wine. And there are Pinots at a variety of prices, so everyone can find one that suits them. Karen recommends the Shea Wine Cellars Pinot Noir from Oregon. For those having a number of guests and needing a lower-priced wine, she recommends the Heron Pinot Noir, which has well-balanced, neat flavor for an affordable price.

Laura Alberts’ “beertender,” James Wager, stocks the shop’s ever-expanding craft beer section. With so many breweries and varieties of beer to choose from these days, it was difficult for James to recommend just one! Keeping with the Thanksgiving theme, we started with the pumpkin-flavored beers.  Ichabod Brewery actually has its own pumpkin patch for the pumpkin juice used in the beer. Other pumpkin brews include The Hoppin’ Frog Double Pumpkin, the Pumking and the Weyerbacker Imperial Pumpkin Ale — all of which have received an “A” rating from Beer Advocate.

If you’re not in the mood for a flavored beer, Stone Levitation Ale, Bells Amber, Oberon Ale and Geary’s Autumn Maple are good choices. And for a good turkey pairing, try a Belgian Ale like Ommegang Hennepin or Saison Dupont.

Food

Last, but certainly not least, Chef Tyler Dudley at the Daniel Island Club generously sent us a few of his favorite holiday recipes. Whether you are cooking Thanksgiving for the entire family or having friends over for dinner to celebrate the season, Chef Tyler’s grilled turkey with apple sage glaze or roasted pork tenderloin is sure to be a hit. (See below for the full recipes)

‘Tis the season to be merry – it’s time to start celebrating!

Recipes

Grilled Turkey with apple sage glaze and slow roasted apples

1 tablespoon canola oil (plus more for brushing on the turkey)
1 small red onion, coarsely chopped
3 cups apple cider vinegar
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
plus 2 peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/2-inch thick slices
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1 whole (20 pound) turkey

Preheat the grill to medium-high. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan on the grates of the grill or on a burner. Add the onion and cook until soft, about 3 minutes. Then add the vinegar and sugar and cook until the sugar has melted. Next, stir in the chopped apples and cook until the apples are soft and the mixture is slightly thickened, about 10 minutes. Remove apple mixture from the heat and let cool slightly. Place the apple mixture in a food processor and add the sage. Pulse until smooth. Then season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Let cool to room temperature.

Place a large drip pan filled with a little water positioned under where the turkey will be placed on the grill. Brush the entire turkey with oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill the turkey on all sides until golden brown. Reduce the heat of the grill to medium to maintain a constant temperature of 350 degrees F. Cook the turkey until a thermometer inserted into the thigh registers 170 to 175 degrees F. Begin brushing the entire turkey with the apple glaze during the last 15 minutes of cooking. Remove the turkey from the grill and brush with more of the glaze. Let rest for 15 minutes before slicing. Lastly, grill the sliced apples for 2-3 minutes on each side and serve with the turkey.

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Sun-Dried Cranberry Stuffing and Roasted Root Vegetables

Cranberry Stuffing & Tenderloin Preparation:
Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the cranberries then remove from the heat and let rest 1 hour. Drain the cranberries, reserving the soaking liquid and place in the bowl of a food processor. Add the pine nuts, cinnamon, cloves, brown sugar, cascabel powder and a few tablespoons of the soaking liquid. Pulse mixture with the food processor until ingredients are coarsely chopped then remove to a bowl.

Place the butter-flied tenderloin on a work surface and season with salt and pepper to taste. Spread a thin layer of the stuffing down the center the fold each side over the filling and tie with butcher’s twine. Next, dredge tenderloin lightly in the flour. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in an ovenproof sauté pan until smoking. Next, sauté the tenderloin on all sides until it is golden brown. Place the tenderloin in the preheated oven and roast until it’s almost cooked through – about 10 minutes. Remove and let rest 10 minutes. Slice into 1-inch pieces.

Roasted Root Vegetables Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place the vegetables and garlic in a large baking dish then add the oil and toss to coat. Add the thyme and season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover the dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes, remove foil and continue baking for 20 minutes or until just cooked through, stirring the vegetables occasionally. Remove from the oven and fold in the parsley.