Photo: Sang An
In my family everyone has their annual Thanksgiving cooking assignments. My father-in-law roasts the turkey, my mother-in-law mixes up the cocktails, and my job is to make the gravy. With holiday must-haves like cranberry sauce, stuffing, mashed potatoes, turkey, green beans, sweet potatoes, gravy, and dinner rolls, there is no shortage of things to prepare.
What dish do you cook for Thanksgiving?
Thanksgiving is days away. Do you have your pumpkin-perfect pie or cake planned, prepped, or already-baked? For those of you just starting to handle Turkey Day dessert, don’t worry, I am right there with you. This year, time is not on my side, so I am going to combine two Thanksgiving classics into one seriously sweet dessert: Pecan Pumpkin Pie.
But my family requires more than one variety of pie on our Thanksgiving table, and since I already have pumpkin and pecan flavors covered, I need a recipe with flexibility and innovation, which is why Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake Pie is going to be a delicious addition. The gingersnap crust is flavorful and fresh, while swirled pumpkin and cheesecake filling adds eye-catching, post-modern flair.
After the feast, any leftover pumpkin will be put to good use in a Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake, and extra pecans will star in a killer Bourbon Pumpkin Cheesecake.
What is your favorite recipe for pumpkin cake or pie?
Just because Thanksgiving is still five days away, doesn’t mean we can’t start preparing for one of my personal favorite parts of the year’s biggest feast: the leftovers. Find inspiration for adding creative twists to what’s left from the big bird, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and more with 10 of our top recipes starring Thanksgiving leftovers.
Photo: Sang An
Don’t let all the turkey talk fool you, Thanksgiving is all about the side dishes. And we all know the star of the side show is the stuffing. This bready dish is a must have at any Thanksgiving table. One of the best things about this savory side is that there are so many different ways to prepare it.
What’s your favorite kind of stuffing?
Thanksgiving is approaching and people are talking, texting, and tweeting turkey! But what about dessert? While pumpkin pie is a notable and traditional choice, have you ever thought about serving carrot cake? Adeline and Lumiere have a recipe for Carrot Cake with White Chocolate Ganache that you just might prefer to pie. Traditional carrot cakes are made with a smooth and tangy cream cheese frosting. Adeline and Lumiere’s version dares to be different. They frost their cake with a beautiful white chocolate ganache.
It may come as no surprise that Thanksgiving is one of our favorite days of the year at Gourmet Live. Turkey, trimmings, and no shame in second helpings of it all? What’s not to love? This year, I’m even more excited to pile my plate high thanks to seven brand-new recipes from our Thanksgiving for 2 or 20 menu.
Recipe developer Gina Maria Miraglia Eriquez and Gourmet Live senior editor and recipe cross-tester Kemp Minifie wowed us with their culinary prowess, producing not one, but two can’t-miss takes on turkey. For larger crowds, opt for our Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey with Gravy, or skip the big bird and apply the same flavor profile to a hearty turkey breast.
The Thanksgiving table wouldn’t be complete without my favorite part of the meal: the side dishes. We’re serving up Roasted Butternut Squash Ribbons Salad; Mashed Potato and Cauliflower Gratin; Cabernet-Cranberry Sauce with Figs; Challah, Sausage, and Dried Cherry Stuffing; and the ultimate sweet finale in the form of an Apple Crostata with Spiced Caramel Sauce.
Have we tempted your taste buds yet? Check out our full Thanksgiving for 2 or 20 menu and weigh in below with your favorite dish from the year’s biggest feast.
Thanksgiving can be a lot to handle, but let’s do it right this year. From breakfast parfaits to tasty turkeys, we’ve wrangled the best in Thanksgiving recipes from across the Web.
Before Dinner
Prepare for guests who may arrive hungry. You don’t want to overstuff them, so we suggest that you leave out some light snacks and nibbles, such as Baked Sweet Potato Chips from the Minimalist Baker. Chips often call for dip, so whip up a batch of Butternut Hummus from The Little Things. Family Style Food also has a yummy recipe for Ricotta Flatbread with Pomegranate Salsa. This dish is flavorful, yet light so guests can munch safely, feeling satisfied and never uncomfortably full.
Dinner
Begin the meal with soup. You can even make the soups the day before and properly cool and reheat them for Thanksgiving consumption. Cauliflower-Kale Soup with Dill and Roasted Chestnuts from So Hungry I Could Blog is a light and aromatic soup thanks to the fresh dill and drizzled olive oil. Chopped and roasted chestnuts additionally garnish the soup and provide a buttery crunch. Pumpkin Cauldron Soup from Warm and Snug and Fat (pictured above) looks gorgeous in its toasted pumpkin shell. To make the soup, reserved pumpkin flesh is sauteed with spices including sage and nutmeg. The dish is then layered with cream and stock in a baked pumpkin cauldron. Continue reading
Photo: Sang An
Get a load of this startling statistic: Seventy-four percent of Americans buy cranberry sauce for Thanksgiving as opposed to making it, according to the folks at Ocean Spray. What? So only 26 percent of us are turning those bags of berries piled high at the supermarket into homemade sauce?
Come on, people! Of all the iconic elements of Thanksgiving, cranberry sauce is the easiest and fastest to make. There’s the back-of-the-bag raw version in which you grind the cranberries in the food processor with sugar and a chopped-up orange, and the cooked version, which requires nothing more than dumping a bag of berries into a pot, adding sugar and water, and cooking it until the berries pop, a mere 10 to 15 minutes.
Despite the ease of making sauce from scratch, I think I know the allure of the jellied canned stuff. When I was a kid, my mother bought it until she discovered what a cinch the homemade sauce is. My brothers and I loved to open the can at both ends, push the cylinder of jelly onto a plate, then gleefully watch it slip, slide, and jiggle as we carried it out to the table. Continue reading
We’re counting our blessings and celebrating with friends, family, and brand-new recipes for a flexible feast serving 2 or 20. Plus: Holiday cocktails, easy Thanksgiving appetizers, turkey roasting tips, and 5 favorite sides 5 ways.
Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this month’s issue in full, including:
Cover Photo: Romulo A. Yanes
When I get really excited about something, I can’t stop talking about it. Just ask my family. That’s been the case with Gourmet Holiday, the latest Special Edition of Gourmet, now on newsstands around the country. During the past three months of work on it, I‘ve been raving to my husband and daughters about all the great recipes, entertaining ideas, cooking tips, and strategies our team managed to cram into 128 luscious pages.
Now I’m free to redirect my enthusiasm for the book towards you. (It’s none too soon for my husband and daughters.) Let’s just say you can count on Gourmet Holiday to have your back this season. And just in time.
New ways to cook the turkey? Check! Forgive me for boasting, but I’m jazzed about an approach I devised that brings out the best in the breast meat, thighs, and drumsticks. Separately. And don’t pass up the bonus recipe that turns turkey skin into cracklings that give bacon a run for its money. Prefer to stick to tradition with your big bird? Check! We’ve got a southern belle that will charm you.
Plenty of side dishes to absorb the gravy, you ask? Check! And what about vegetarian options for the meatless among us? Got that, too. Our Mushroom Farro Pie is worth eating all year long. Continue reading
Photo: Romulo Yanes
This weekend we’re turning to creative riffs on our Thanksgiving leftovers and gearing up for a season full of rich and hearty gratins. Layers of veggies, cheeses, and meats make for warming and filling additions to any meal. Covered in breadcrumbs and eggs or cheese, almost anything can go in this casserole dish.
For a quick-fix option, layer zuccihini and Parmesann in our Zucchini Rice Gratin, or kick up the richness factor with Butternut Squash and Creamed-Spinach Gratin. Or if you’re looking for a sweet finale that takes 15 minutes or less, opt for individual ramekins of our Dulce De Leche Fruit Gratin.
What flavors are you baking up in your go-to gratin recipe?
Photo: CN Digital
Photo: Gourmet
Thanksgiving dinner is one of the most iconic and delicious meals of the year. Featuring family favorites like stuffing, mashed potatoes, candied yams, cranberry sauce, turkey, and pumpkin pie, it’s no wonder everyone looks forward to the big feast.
What are you most looking forward to eating this Thanksgiving?
Gen Y Foodie keeps it simple with fall’s star produce by tossing creamy delicata squash with olive oil, salt, and pepper then roasting the slices until tender in her recipe for Delicata Squash Rings. Top off the seasonal side dish with chopped fresh parsley for a quick and easy addition to your Thanksgiving spread.
Photo: Romulo Yanes
It’s the ultimate challenge on Thanksgiving Day, one that almost seems cruel: “Save room for dessert!” And yet a Thanksgiving meal without pumpkin pie seems horribly incomplete. So when did the indulgent holiday come to be associated with the sweet treat?
Pumpkins were long a staple of North and South American peoples. Scientists have even dated pumpkin-related seeds back to 7000 BC in Mexico. Early settlers of the Plymouth Plantation noticed how readily available pumpkins were, and copied Native Americas in roasting and boiling the squash to stay fed. Pumpkin was definitely a big part of the first Thanksgiving.
Later, in an attempt to make pumpkin more appetizing, settlers began cutting open the top, scooping out the seeds, and pouring milk, honey, and other spices—when available—into the pumpkin prior to cooking it, inadvertently creating the first pumpkin pie prototype. Continue reading
Courtesy: Gourmet
I first discovered mulled wine while living in London. The chalkboards outside nearly every tavern promised that if we came in, we’d be offered a warm glass of grog and a respite from the cold. Or, at least we’d have an excuse to drink in the afternoon. That year abroad, at our ex-pat Thanksgiving, while friends contributed their grandfather’s corn pudding recipe and their mother’s mashed potatoes, I served mulled wine. Partially, because I’m not the greatest chef – I was tasked with bringing crudités this year – but mostly, because this hot and spicy medley instantly sets the convivial mood, and it’s a cinch to prepare.
Mulled wine originated in the Medieval era at a time when the drinking water was a bit unsavory. The alcohol was believed to keep people healthy. It was also popular in Victorian England, which I reminded myself each time I stopped in a pub to order it, as I imagine the Pilgrims’ ancestors did. Continue reading
This week we’re sharing a bounty of recipes and Turkey Day tales in our special Thanksgiving Double Issue. Download the free Gourmet Live app for access to all of the issues and recipes, and visit Gourmet.com to read this week’s issue in full, including:
