All along the grey and November-cold East Coast, Thanksgiving is the meal we most look forward to setting the family table for each year. A perfectly roasted turkey surrounded by a bevy of simple and comforting American sides is a matter of tradition: the kids will warm up with steaming mugs of hot cider while the grown-ups enjoy bourbon cocktails with a fire crackling in the background. Gather ’round the bountiful table with all you love, and be thankful for that second slice of pumpkin pie.
Chef Tom Colicchio’s fluffy, buttery dinner rolls may be the best we’ve ever eaten. The secret? Barley malt syrup, a molasses-thick liquid sweetener that adds a hint of malty flavor. Get the recipe for Colicchio & Sons’ Parker House Rolls »
Thirty cloves of garlic go into this creamy side dish, adapted from Julia Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking: Volume 1 (Alfred A. Knopf, 1961). The cloves are first blanched whole, which enhances their sweetness, then used to make a rich béchamel sauce that’s stirred into mashed potatoes with cream and parsley. Get the recipe for Julia Child’s Garlic Mashed Potatoes »
Traditionally used for stuffing fatty birds like goose because of their high starch content, we like using chestnuts in stuffings for leaner birds like turkey as well, for the sweet nutty flavor they impart. Get the recipe for Chestnut Stuffing »
Make this gravy using the drippings that remain in the pan after you’ve cooked the roast turkey. For additional flavor, add to the finished pan gravy any juices that accumulate on the platter as the turkey rests. Get the recipe for Turkey Pan Gravy »
Simple and delicious, this recipe brings out the sweet flavor of the apples. Three days before the feast, start prepping by making the pie dough for both pies, the cranberry sauce, and the mashed potatoes. Bring your bird home at least two days before Thanksgiving so you have ample time to presalt, a simple step that keeps the turkey juicy and intensifies its natural flavors.
Get the recipe for Classic Apple Pie »
The toffee-like interior and beautiful bronze top layer of halved pecans won Rubyane Surritte first place in the pie contest at Oklahoma’s Drummond Ranch. Get the recipe for Blue Ribbon Pecan Pie »
