"roasting" news and stories

• Portland's got a strong coffee culture and a DIY aesthetic, which may be why so many coffee lovers here roast their own beans.
• This city's also got plenty of vegetarians, making Thanksgiving heavy on the side dishes. Bring on the vegetarian main courses.
• That said, carnivores are people, too. Roast beast, anyone?
• And everyone's ready for holiday chocolate desserts.

• Simple tips for a hassle-free Thanksgiving.
• Compound butters pack an amazing punch.
• A pre-roasting milk bath is a good alternative to salt-brining your holiday bird.
• But don't forget the gravy.
• Here's an American culinary tradition you've probably never heard of: tomato pudding.
• Cranberries are good for the adult kind of "sauce" too.
• Should you have a catastrophe on the big day, try one of these turkey hotlines.
• Add a Thai twist to turkey leftovers.

Removing sticky residue from your roasting pans is a cinch with this housekeeping secret.

At first glance you might wonder if this is some sort of science project. But what it lacks in immediate familiarity, it makes up for in taste -- especially when you consider it's a simple combination of three of any cook's most important ingredients: garlic, olive oil and coarse salt.

For this head of perfectly roasted garlic, blogger The Brown Eyed Baker simply cut off enough of the bulb to expose the cloves, drizzled them with a tablespoon of olive oil and added a generous sprinkling of salt before covering it with aluminum foil and roasting the entire thing for 40 minutes at 375 degrees F.

Great for use in pasta and pizzas and slathered on bread, those who truly love garlic may have a hard time not eating this straight out of the oven. But whatever you do with those golden-brown cloves, don't forget to save the skins for broth!

Become a member of the Slashfood Flickr pool to get a shot at having your photos featured in Feast Your Eyes.

Though Thanksgiving is yet over a month away, eager foodies have already started plotting the year's most indulgent feast. And for such mouthwatering inspiration, we thank our friends at norecipes.com for this Cinnamon Harissa Turkey recipe. Omitting gravy, Marc brined the turkey in water, brown sugar, cloves, salt and pepper before applying a rub with cinnamon, sumac, cumin, coriander and harissa to create a gloriously golden, moist and spicy-sweet bird.

Marc created an entire West Asian Thanksgiving meal last year, accompanying the heritage turkey with a Fiery Cinnamon Cranberry Sauce, Tahini Mashed Potatoes, Brussel Sprouts Caramelized with Pomegranate Molasses and more. And though we were wowed by his creativity, we wonder how far we'd be willing to stray from old family recipes.

Would you be open to shirking tradition and creating an exotic Thanksgiving meal this year? Tell us how much you're willing to deviate in the comments!

[Via norecipes.com]