SAVORY CITRUS

Thanksgiving Recipe Tips With A Florida Twist

Written by: Brenda Eubanks Burnette

Covid has put a definite hole in family reunions and holiday gatherings around tables loaded with Thanksgiving meals made from recipes handed down over the years.

But I still pull out my recipes. And due to a stint as the consumer spokesperson for the Florida Department of Citrus, I have many that include citrus as some component of the meal.

Traveling on the road doing food demonstrations on live TV had its share of moments, I can tell you, especially the time I was making grapefruit ham flambé and forgot the lighter— hard to flambé when there’s no flame!

In my defense, I’m pretty sure that was the time I met Bruce Springsteen in the hotel lobby while waiting for the rain to stop so I could go to the store to get the groceries.

WHAT’S NOT TO LOVE?

Regardless, those experiences led me to be somewhat creative with using citrus in my recipes. What’s not to love about the natural purity and goodness of Florida’s number one agricultural industry? Both for decorative purposes and in recipes, citrus has been used in a variety of ways that have been shown in artwork throughout the ages and in every Sunday brunch you’ve ever attended. Think decorated tables that always included family heirloom tableware and centerpieces of scented candles, pine boughs, oranges and cloves. Since ancient times, oranges have been symbols of prosperity and happiness, so what better time to use them than at Thanksgiving?

At past Thanksgiving dinners, for example, I might offer orange-glazed carrots and muffins; stuffing with celery, orange bits, sausage and onions for a sweet-savory taste; the now infamous grapefruit ham flambé; mom’s secret turkey and gravy recipe, and of course the numerous desserts, especially one of my favorites, Martha Roe Burke’s grapefruit chiffon pie!

Salad Daze

Salads would run the gamut from spring mix with oranges, strawberries, grapes, candied walnuts and goat cheese, to a unique stacked orange, tomato and onion caprese that a friend in Sarasota introduced to me. Normally that’s one I would do in the summer. But it seems our Novembers are just as hot as June anymore, so this one has crept into my repertoire late in the season, if the weather is still warm. I like it because it’s unique and has a sweet-sour taste that seems to get your taste buds ready for the savory main dishes to come.

Whether it’s turkey, ham or steak—yes, I’m one of those that would prefer a good steak over turkey at Thanksgiving—this salad plates up beautifully or looks good chopped, if you have a big crowd.

Thanksgiving always meant the excitement of seeing friends and family back in town to visit relatives and a chance to

ORANGE YOU AMAZING!

Orange, Tomato and Onion Caprese (revised by Brenda Eubanks Burnette)

Ingredients

BALSAMIC DRESSING:

- Extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar— 2 to 1 balance, with just a bit more on balsamic vinegar (start with 1/4-1/2 cup for 2-4 people; extra should keep in refrigerator for a week)

- Salt and pepper to taste

- 1 small clove garlic, peeled and minced

- Teaspoon of honey or to taste

- (Sometimes I add in Dijon mustard, too)

CAPRESE:

- Greens for garnish, more if you’re making it chopped. Can use romaine or baby greens.

- 10-12 whole basil leaves for stacking; 4-6 leaves to cut in strips as garnish

- Mozzarella: if using pre-sliced, make sure the tomatoes and oranges are of similar size. Otherwise, I recommend using the large ball of mozzarella and cutting it to match the various sizes.

- Tomatoes: depending on time of year, beefsteak or heirloom tomatoes

- Small red onion, peeled, sliced finely, and more diced finely for garnish or in the chopped salad

- Balsamic dressing (recipe above)

- Balsamic glaze, white or regular

- Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

SALAD DRESSING PREP: Combine ingredients, whisk till well blended, set aside. Extra dressing can be saved for two weeks.

SALAD PREP: catch up on loved ones’ lives, a chance to pause and reflect on what’s really important—each other and how we fared through the past year, especially this one. And to give thanks for getting through the tough times and for all the blessings in our lives.

Slice tomatoes, oranges, onions, and mozzarella in equal amounts for stacking. (Not too thick!) Dice some for garnish, unless doing chopped salad, then chop all of them.

Alternate sliced tomatoes, basil, onions, cheese and oranges on a flat dish. Drizzle lightly with balsamic glaze and sprinkle with sea salt and pepper.

Garnish with greens. Sprinkle diced onions, diced tomatoes and chopped basil. Drizzle with vinaigrette. If making the chopped salad, toss well with dressing and add the glaze last with a few orange slices and tomatoes as garnish.

Can make in advance and keep refrigerated. But do not put dressing or glaze on until right before serving.

So, as we reflect on the past year and move into another citrus season, try to think outside the box, eat well, stay healthy and show an attitude of gratitude to bring more blessings your way!

Do you have any photos, memorabilia or stories you’d like to share or donate to the Florida Citrus Hall of Fame Citrus Archives? Please send them to Brenda@BurnetteAndAssociates. com or visit floridacitrushalloffame.com to see file photos, postcards, citrus labels and videos. FCM

FLORIDA'S ONLY 'GILDED AGE' HOME, HATS OFF TO JOHN B.'S

WRITTEN BY: DAVE KELLY

Florida Country Magazine stories are known for many things— wide open spaces, horses, big trucks, faith and family.

But Florida is known for more than just the items on this list—let’s not forget Stetson cowboy hats.

If you are old enough to remember when a man's wardrobe included at least one fine dress hat, or you ever admired the array of cowboy hats worn in popular westerns by big movie stars such as John Wayne or Tom Mix, you will recognize the Stetson name.

In fact, his Stetson Company, at the time the world’s largest manufacturer of all kinds of dress hats, was the Nike of its day in the 19th and 20th centuries.

Today, Canadian Mounties, Australian soldiers, New York City sheriffs, country and western singers, and even professional athletes and presidents wear some version of

DREAM

the original cowboy hat that Stetson made famous. If you look hard at these folks, you just might see them all stand a little taller and have a little more pride with their Stetsons on too.

The Stetson cowboy hat is one of America’s most iconic symbols, known the world over. The Stetson Company is considered a legacy brand, admired because of the company’s core business values of innovation, quality workmanship, hard work, above-market employee compensation, free health care, fairness and family.

John Stetson started at the bottom, worked his way up and never let go of those core concerns when he started his haberdashery company in 1865.

When we heard that John B. Stetson’s original mansion still existed in Deland, Florida, we headed there to do a little more research. Born in 1830 in Orange, New Jersey, Stetson moved west at an early age, where he was impressed with the “10-galon” sombreros worn by the local Mexican vaqueros, or cowboys. Legend has it that these hats were called “10 gallon” because a cowboy could put 10 gallons of water in its crown and water his horse with it. Others believe that the term “galons” refers to an old Spanish word for the bands or ribbons tied just above the brim.

Stetson leaned on his family’s experience in the hatter’s trade to create a design that he called The Boss of the Plains, the iconic American cowboy hat with a bow on its sweatband that soon came to be known worldwide. He then returned east to Philadelphia to build his hat factory, eventually moving to Persimmon Hollow (now Deland) part time to spend his next 20 winters in the booming Florida town, prompting current mansion owner Michael Solari to call them “Florida’s first snowbirds.”

How did a Florida university come to be named after the man whose major manufacturing plant and family home were in Philadelphia? Why did someone born in New Jersey with a hat factory and main residence in Philadelphia ever leave for half a year, putting his stamp on Florida history?

Stetson Mansion History

As it turns out, the Stetson Mansion was designed by Philadelphia architect George T. Pearson in 1886. Stetson moved there on the advice of longtime friend Henry A. Deland, who had founded Deland Academy, Florida’s first private school for higher education, and in 1889 named it after its largest private benefactor, Stetson. Pearson also designed several buildings on the Stetson University campus as well as the Stetson factory buildings in Philadelphia. The first academic building at the DeLand campus, DeLand Hall, is considered the oldest building in Florida in continuous use for higher education.

The Stetson Mansion originally sat on 300 acres of citrus groves and pineapple fields and was the largest, grandest and most opulent home Florida had seen before 1900, complete with electric lights, steam heat, running hot water to three floors, and even an electric call-bell system. Top that off with two ponds surrounded by beautiful gardens and fences—yes, fences. One pond was for fish, but the other, known as the Gator Pit, was home to a huge alligator named Beauregard and other alligators.

Thomas Edison was a close friend of Stetson, evidenced by the fact that Deland was the first city in Florida to have electric streetlights. Since it was one of the first homes in the world designed and built for electricity, it attracted such famous families as the Astors, the Carnegies and the Vanderbilts to its lavish parties.

In fact, the town became so important that railroad magnate Henry Flagler built a railroad spur to it from the East Coast. It was the only “Gilded Age” home ever built in Florida, with a high style Victorian design of Gothic, Tudor and Moorish elements.

NO TAX SUBSIDIES, GRANTS, OR VOLUNTEERS

Stetson died in the mansion in 1906, and the Stetson family sold everything off in 1920, leaving nothing behind but the grand home itself, which included a Polynesian-styled schoolhouse out back on the property which had been built to educate Stetson’s and his employee’s children.

In 1978, the property was added to the U.S. National Register of Historic Places.

When the mansion’s current owners John Thompson and Michael Solari—“two crazy guys with a big dream”— discovered it in 2005, it was in sad shape and needed millions of dollars to restore.

With extremely limited options available for government grants or tax discounts for this type of restoration and preservation, they decided to take a different approach to preserving this historic treasure by investing private funds and doing a full restoration and update.

They preserved its 10,000 panes of antique window glass and intricate wood carvings, as well as its 16 stunning original wood mosaic parquet floor patterns. All of this was done with no tax subsidies, grants, or volunteers. It is still a private residence, but it offers guided historic tours, proliferating the Stetson legacy.

Thompson and Solari say they follow Stetson’s work guidelines in their efforts to run the estate and share it with the public. “A high-quality product is our number one priority,” says Solari. “Our ‘product’ is our guided and self-guided tours and your overall experience when you visit.”

They are already putting in 12 to 16 hours a day to get ready for their 10th annual “Christmas Spectacular!”

“Christmas Spectacular!” Holiday Home Tour

November 1-January 22

What better way to experience the Christmas holiday season than in a 19th century Victorian mansion? From November 1 through January 22, 10 rooms are adorned for Christmas with elegant, revenant and elaborate designer decorations, including 24 nativities from around the world. Each scene has multiple layers and is almost impossible to take it all in.

These rooms are decorated differently each year and celebrate the spirit of the season with focus on spirituality, not Santa. This is an adult-oriented affair rather than a children’s Christmas event. The holiday experience has twice been named by USA Today 10BEST as the top Christmas tour in Florida.

Self-guided tours will be offered this year in place of guided tours in consideration of the current climate. Descriptions of each room are pre-emailed to each person. The Holiday Home Tours operate six times a day. Reservations are required. Tickets can be secured at stetsonmansion.com FCM

The Stetson Mansion is a private residence that is transformed each year for the "Christmas Spectacular!" Holiday Home Tour runs November 1 through January 22. The rooms are decorated differently each year and celebrate the spirit of the season with focus on spirituality, not Santa.