Thanksgiving Elves

Bucks County offers an array of choices for tasty holiday eats.See Related Story

By: Amy Brummer

TIMEOFF/AMY BRUMMER

Holiday desserts are plentiful at Just Loaf’n at the Newtown Farmers Market.

   In the wake of an aggressive and divisive election, it is time for Americans to come together and give thanks. For many, the Thanksgiving table can be as much a reflection of our personal opinions, traditions and culture as our political choices are, but it usually boils down to a few black-and-white issues like: Fresh cranberry sauce or canned? Am I putting my family at risk by cooking turkey with the stuffing inside? Should there be a constitutional amendment against cooking sweet potatoes with marshmallow?
   There will be diehard adherents on either side of these debates. Most people will agree that at the end of the meal they would rather have a little sliver of the apple, pumpkin and pecan pies than a whole piece of each, and whomever hosted the meal deserves a huge round of applause.
   It isn’t easy putting together a Thanksgiving feast, and while some home cooks can pull off a three-pie finale in their own kitchen, others depend on contributions from their guests or the expertise of their favorite bakery. But these days, the outsourcing doesn’t have to end there.
   At Juliana Rose Gourmet to Take (35 S. Main St., Yardley, Pa., 215-493-6599; www.julianarose.com) a whole Thanksgiving meal including gravy, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberry relish, sautéed corn and a choice of string beans or Brussels Sprouts can alleviate all culinary responsibility while maintaining home-style flavor. The meal comes with a choice of rolls or biscuits and includes either an apple or pumpkin pie. The pies, as well as a pumpkin cheesecake or mince meat pie made exclusively for Juliana Rose by MJR Delights of Newtown, Pa., can also be ordered individually as well.
   Homemade pies can also be ordered from the neighboring Angelo Italian Specialties (25 S. Main St., Yardley, 215-321-5731) up to a day in advance. From the extensive stuffed-pasta selection, pumpkin ravioli make a perfect accompaniment to the Thanksgiving meal, and in addition to the shop’s extensive selection of cheeses, antipasti and sauces, they make baccala in-house, with a selection of sauces, especially for the holidays.
   The farmer’s market in Newtown (2150 S. Eagle Road) also has its share of goodies to augment a holiday meal — corn salsa from Georgines, or eggplant salad from Felafel King, and shoppers can order all natural turkeys, capons, ducks or geese from Zook’s BBQ Barn and pick up stuffing there as well.
   Just Loaf’n (215-504-5623) is taking orders for dinner rolls in a variety of flavors that include black onion, fennel raisin, pumpkin seed sourdough and olive. Jane Rice, the owner of Just Loaf’n, says that she has a particular fondness for the black-onion bread because last Thanksgiving, she used it for sandwiches with the leftovers and it made a perfect sweet/savory pairing.
   Ms. Rice will also be taking orders for her delicately beautiful cranberry walnut, pecan, mince meat and sugar-free apple pies, as well as for pumpkin, apple, three-berry, cherry and coconut custard pies that she orders from Baker’s Treat in Flemington and Rillings Bakery in Warminster, Pa.
   Cheesecakes, pies, cookies and sweet breads in a variety of seasonal flavors also are available from Colonial Farms (1108 Taylorsville Road, Washington Crossing, Pa., 215-321-7744; www.colonialfarms.com) In addition to fully prepared turkeys, Cornish game hens and spiral-cut hams, the shop is offering a sweet- potato soufflé, glazed sweet potatoes with walnuts, wild-rice pilaf, fruit-and-nut stuffing as well as homemade gravy and cranberry sauce.