Detail by Detail this entire Recipe saved our family dinner. Awesome Recipe.

SB

HOLA, JOE.

A Thank you from EUROPA,because of patience and kindes now I can be part of Rouxbe school program.

the step by step thanksgiving dinner,vidio is excelent.
I am so happy that I'M learing so much.
Rouxbe Team.
thanks.

Could you please explain the purpose of the vinegar in the egg yolk mixture?

Sorry Faye, I am not sure what exactly you are referring to as there are 9 different steps/recipes in this one. Cheers!

I am sorry for the incomplete question. I was referring to the pumpkin pie crust in Pumpkin Pie with Maple Whipped Cream recipe. It is in Step 1 and the vinegar is part of the egg binding mixture.

Sorry for the non-sciency response, but a little acid in dough helps keep it tender and flaky.

Here is a bit more info on this Faye. Vinegar (or other acids, such as lemon juice, buttermilk, or sour cream) is often added to pie dough as it weakens the protein molecules in the flour and keeps the gluten strands from getting too long (see the wheat and gluten lesson for more on "gluten strands"), which will result in a more tender crust. Cheers!

I use Vodka in my crust, as the alcohol inhibits the gluten development. Can't claim the recipe as my own, Cooks Illustrated came up with this one! It works beautifully and the crusts are very tender every time.
Enjoy

Thank you All very much for a complete answer.

Getting back to the style of my initial question. I will be honest with you I felt slightly embarrassed the way I formed my question. I was thinking about it and then realized why I just asked the question without mentioning related subject. Here is the explanation. As any good student would I was focusing on the instructional video. I was so engaged into the whole process that I completely forgot that the voice (oh that voice of yours, Dawn), the close-up instructions were virtual not real. But for a moment the virtual became real for me as if I had a teacher next to me in my own kitchen. Without realizing it I just asked (typed) the teacher directly. And that is the power of Rouxbe school. There is only one great cooking school. The name is Rouxbe.
I wish everyone at Rouxbe great Thanksgiving, although I think Canada celebrates Thanksgiving in October. I wish you all the best.

That is a great compliment Faye. Thank you and Happy Thanksgiving to you as well. We are here if you need anything. Cheers!

Was anyone able to knock all this out in the 3 hour active time window? My wife did the pumpkin pie for me, and I started at 8pm, working nonstop, and here it is 1am and I just now finished the rest. We did have a few minor setbacks, but I was just curious if I was just too perfectionistic in my work, or if it really was such a big job! FYI, it also took me 2 1/2 hours of active time on the 2-3 days ahead (Pumpkin cheesecake & cranberry sauce). Did anyone else struggle with this?

We try to estimate a time for the average user. Some people will be much faster and some will be slower. Don't be hard on yourself if these tasks took you longer - especially if this was your first time making these recipes.

Your mise en place is the most important thing when it comes to preparing huge dinners such as Thanksgiving. A big part of it too is that we don't factor in the clean up time along the way. And like anything, even though practice and repetition are what build speed - it's not about speed. It's about focusing on the techniques and proper steps for creating something delicious. Cheers!

After having watched the brine video and following the Thanksgiving videos last year, I am back to create that perfect turkey. I have a question about the salt for the brine, it is a 20lb turkey...according to the brine video that is 40 tablespoons about 2.5 cups of salt...I just don't feel I used that much salt last year, and almost all brine recipes call for a cup of salt totally but they are for about 14-16 lb turkey, If i'm going to brine overnight, just how much salt should I use?

We tested the brine recipe for the turkey with over 20 turkeys so I would say stick with amount stated in the recipe. This means, depending on the type of salt, about 1 1/2 cups of kosher salt (if using table salt then it will be about 3/4 cup). That is about 1/2 cup of kosher salt per 5 lbs of turkey, so if you are roasting a turkey that is 5 lbs heavier, simply increase the salt by another 1/2 cup (again, if using kosher). Hope this helps. Cheers!

Dawn, how do you feel about sharing brand names. I wonder if you would mind telling me the brand of pumpkin puree you like - I assume you are getting it in Vancouver.

I am pretty sure it was an organic one that I found had the best taste over all. You may find this Drill-down called "Pumpkin Puree" helpful, it was the lighter colored of the two purees that I used. If memory serves me correctly, I believe it was a brand called "Farmer's Market". But I did not use the one that says Pumpkin Pie Mix, as I like to add my own spices: therefore, I just buy straight pumpkin puree. Hope that helps. Cheers!