Thank You, India(n Americans)

Sometimes Thanksgiving is a disaster. People don't get along, the TV does little to take the edge off of the social awkwardness, and the food is obligatorily stodgy and heavy, quickly reaching room temperature and drying out faster than you can say "factory farmed."

This was not one of those Thanksgivings.

The old standards were there, of course, but they were given an appropriately Bay Area foodie twist.

The turkey was a heritage breed (ordered from D'Artagnan). Obscenely pricey, but hey, I don't eat meat that often any more, and also the dark meat was LIKE BUTTAH. The white meat tasted like Really Good Pork. It was prepared simply - a rub the day before with salt, pepper and thyme, then roasted to an internal temperature of 160 degrees Fahrenheit. Andy and I greedily ate the oysters at the counter. They were gamey, dense, fine-grained and moist - as though made into pate.

Mashed potato stuffing, a cunning portmanteau of a dish, accompanied the turkey. Cheese, mashed potato, breadcrumbs, stock, thyme and butter.

The gravy was given substance by thinly sliced king trumpet and shiitake mushrooms, and thickened with corn starch rather than wheat flour (because one of the guests was off gluten. I know, I know. Don't go there.)

Squash soup was tweaked with some garlic, parsley, thyme and bay (this doesn't sound like much tweaking, but the original had only squash, leeks and ginger - a bit too sweet for some palates). It was finished with creme fraiche, natch.

Green beans got parboiled then sauteed with olive oil, chopped shallots and thinly sliced Buddha's hand. Meyer lemon juice finished off the quick pan glaze.

We started with a salad, which was actually pretty standard - lettuce, walnuts, blue and goats cheese, avocado and a delightful vinaigrette a la minute by Andy. I got some flak for not tearing up the lettuce leaves into smaller pieces.

Poached pears took a turn for the adult, as Ron upped the amount of wine in the recipe, and put in fresh ground cloves.

Ursula's apple galette was perfectly cooked, and yes, the crust was flaky AND tender.