We couldn’t resist creating a menu of our staff’s favorite Thanksgiving recipes—from Louisiana-style spinach madeleine and cheddar cheese biscuits to family heirloom recipes such as apple, sausage, and sage stuffing and Van Valkenburg hot slaw—updated with new classics including an autumn panzanella, sage-brined turkey, and brown butter walnut pie with sour whipped cream. This crowd-pleasing spread definitely has something for everyone. Get the full menu »
Cedar-Smoked Salmon
UNITED STATES You don’t need a smoker to lend a slightly spicy, faintly sweetish hint of the outdoors to fresh salmon. On board a friend’s boat in Alaskan waters, we improvised this method with strips from cedar logs. Back home, we substituted shakes of untreated aromatic cedar (sold by the bundle at lumberyards and hardware stores).
Bananas Foster Milkshake
Caramel and rum are perfect partners for bananas in this thick and creamy milk shake, a riff on a classic New Orleans dessert; we got the idea for the shake from our friend Drew Curren, chef of 24 Diner in Austin, Texas. You can substitute a porter beer for the rum, if you like.
Real Neapolitan Pizza
Tony Gemignani, Tony’s Pizza Napoletana, San Francisco “What separates real Neapolitan pizza from other styles? If you ask me, everything.” Read the complete SAVEUR 100 story »
Tequila Sunrise
The recipe for this classic, layered cocktail originally appeared in Bottoms Up! Y Como!, a brochure published in 1934 by the Agua Caliente resort in Tijuana, Mexico. See the recipe for Tequila Sunrise »
Filet a Salmon
It’s easy, and worthwhile, to filet your own salmon: not only is doing so far more economical than buying presliced filets, but the practice gives you access to all the tasty, overlooked parts of the fish, such as the belly, head, and collars. See How to Filet a Salmon »
Cobb Salad
Los Angeles’s Brown Derby closed its doors long ago, but this classic salad, invented in 1937 by the restaurant’s owner, Robert H. Cobb, lives on.
French Apple Tart
By carefully layering the apples you can create a beautiful rose pattern in this elegant fruit tart.
Henry C. Ramos’s Gin Fizz
A mix of orange flower water and gin gives this venerable New Orleans cocktail a floral character with hints of juniper, while an egg white and heavy cream give it frothy body. The longer you shake the cocktail, the frothier it gets. See the recipe for Henry C. Ramos’s Gin Fizz »
Horchata with Chocolate and Pumpkin Seeds
Horchata, a cool, creamy drink popular across Latin America, is frequently made from ground almonds and rice. This decadent adaptation, spiked with cinnamon and dark chocolate, tastes rich and nutty and makes a delightful liquid dessert.
Book Club Sangria
This sweet-tart wine punch was invented by members of the Junior League of Houston book club in the 1970s.
Chico
This drink takes its ruby color from blackberry liqueur.
Andreas Xerakia, a Greek-born resident of New York City, slow-roasts a whole lamb every year for his family’s celebratory Easter dinner. Our editorial assistant, Maria Xerakia (daughter of Andreas), writes: “My relatives here are crowding around the lamb, enjoying their handpicked petsa (skin) and psaxno (meat).” See the Recipe Anna Stockwell
The Blue Margarita at Club No Minors in Houston gets its dazzling color from blue curaçao liqueur.
The prickly pear cactus thrives in the deserts of the American Southwest; its bulbous red fruit is prized for many Mexican and Tex-Mex preparations. This legendary margarita, which takes its distinctive flavor from the fruit, comes from bartender Ruben Bernal at Las Canarias restaurant in San Antonio, Texas.
Though toddies can be prepared with practically any alcohol, David Wondrich (an expert on the history of the American cocktail) makes a case that pot-stilled spirits, such as cognac, single-malt scotch, and some dark rums, ryes, and bourbons (like Woodford Reserve), produce the best results. See the recipe for Hot Toddy »
Tex-Mex Michelada
Lime juice, Worcestershire, and hot sauce add kick to this spicy lager refresher.
Matt’s El Rancho in Austin combines two festive drinks in its sangria margarita.
Watermelon gives the Silver Coin Margarita, from Austin’s Fonda San Miguel, its refreshing kick. We recommend using Herradura Silver Tequila.
Glogg
This traditional Swedish Christmas punch–spiked with red wine, port, and vodka–is not for the faint of heart. Our version, from noted chef Marcus Samuelsson, was inspired by his memories of the glogg his grandmother made in her kitchen in Goteberg, Sweden. See the recipe for Glogg »
The mixologist at Bar Americain who gave us this recipe had one thing in mind when creating this cocktail: to come up with something tropical, refreshing, and—most importantly—loaded with tequila.
Banana Daiquiri
The daiquiri is said to have been invented in Cuba in 1898. The banana daiquiri, however, was apparently first concocted some 50 years ago at St. Thomas’ Mountaintop bar in the U.S. Virgin Islands. See the recipe for Banana Daiquiri »
Classic Mint Julep According to cocktail historian David Wondrich, mint juleps were originally made with cognac. Bourbon was probably adopted as a substitute by Southerners after the Civil War. See the recipe for the Mint Julep » Back to Juleps for the Kentucky Derby » Andr¿ Baranowski
This drink is a French favorite, pairing sweet seasonal strawberries with fruity red wine. We suggest using a young pinot noir or beaujolais.
Caipirinha
Some Brazilians substitute vodka for the fiery cachaça–sugarcane brandy–in this classic drink and call the result a caipiroska.
