An Elegant French-Inspired Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving may be an all-American holiday, but its traditional dishes lend themselves beautifully to French influences. With simple but elegant twists on the classic menu, a holiday meal becomes a transporting experience. With a centerpiece of savory, rich turkey leg confit, sides like oniony pissaladières, cheesy gougères, roasted radishes with sea salt, and herbed haricots vert are right at home. Crack open a few bottles of Champagne and toast to good friends and good fortune.

The Menu

More About This Menu

Mini pissaladières are a great twist on the classic French onion-and-anchovy tart. Together with light, savory cheese gougères, they make a perfect pre-dinner finger food spread.
For a guide on what to toast with this holiday, see our guide to the Six Main Styles of Champagne.
This recipe for turkey confit serves 4-6 people, but can be easily doubled if you're planning to host a larger crowd. (It's also at its best when made ahead of time and reheated — a wonderful time-saver!)
Cranberries with Port is one of the simplest recipes for cranberry sauce we've found — and one of the loveliest. The longer it rests the better it tastes, so make it a few days ahead and keep refrigerated until it's time to serve.
Guy Savoy's French-style pumpkin pie tastes best when made the day of serving, but you can use store-bought pastry to save on prep time.