14 of Our Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes (2024)

Ingredients:

Roast Turkey
1 whole turkey, innards removed
1 cup duck fat or butter
1 teaspoon sage
1/4 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
6 Bosc pears, cut in half
1 sweet onion, diced
4 cups turkey or chicken broth

Pear Glaze
3/4 cup white wine
3/4 cup honey
3/4 cup turkey or chicken broth
1/2 cup duck fat or butter
1 very ripe Bosc pear, peeled, cored, and finely chopped

Pear & Sage Stuffing
(1) 10 oz package herbed dried stuffing cubes
1 yellow onion, diced
1 Bosc pear, peeled, cored, and coarsely chopped
1 egg, whisked
2 and 1/2 cups milk
1/4 cup duck fat or butter
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon dried sage
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

Pan Dripping Gravy
3 cups pan drippings
2-4 tablespoons corn starch
2-4 tablespoons flour

Directions:
If you want to brine the turkey—I recommend it!—place it in a brining or turkey-sized oven bag or large stockpot and fill the bag or pot with a brining solution that contains 1 cup of salt and 1 tablespoon of dried sage for every gallon of water. Make sure the bird is completely submerged in the brining solution and place it in the refrigerator to soak overnight. I recommend placing the bag in a pan to make it easier to get it in and out of the refrigerator.

The next morning, make the glaze by bringing all the ingredients to a boil in a medium-sized pot over medium-high heat. Bring the heat down to medium low and continue to boil for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool a bit, and then puree in a blender or food processor until completely smooth. Set aside.

Next, make the stuffing. Pour the milk over the dried stuffing cubes in a large bowl and allow them to soak, stirring a couple times to help evenly soak the cubes. Meanwhile, saute the onions in the duck fat or butter over medium-high heat until translucent, about 10 minutes, stirring every couple minutes. Remove the onions from the heat and scrape the onions and duck fat or butter into the bowl with the stuffing. Add the egg, pear, seasonings, and 2 tablespoons of the pear glaze and toss until the ingredients are evenly distributed. Set aside.

Now you can begin preparing the turkey. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Remove the turkey from the brine and pat it dry. Mix together the duck fat or butter with the sage, thyme, salt, and pepper until it is fairly soft and spreadable. Rub the mixture all over the outside of the bird, the inside of the bird, and underneath the skin on the entire front (breast) of the bird. I was able to peel the skin up slightly and then push my way under the entire breast skin with my hands, rubbing the fat and spice mixture everywhere.

Evenly distribute the chopped onion on the bottom of the roasting pan. Once the bird is coated inside and out with the fat mixture, set it in the roasting pan, breast facing up. Stuff the bird until full and set aside whatever stuffing you have left in a separate oven-safe pan. Tie together the turkey's legs with cooking twine. Whisk together the 4 cups of broth with 1/2 cup of the pear glaze, then pour the mixture into the roasting pan, pouring around, not over, the turkey. Arrange the 6 halved pears around the bird.

Place the roasting pan in the oven and cook for 30 minutes, then lower the heat to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and continue cooking for 15-20 minutes per pound of turkey. Baste the bird every 20 minutes with the pan drippings, but every third basting (i.e. once per hour) baste the bird with the pear glaze. Rotate the roasting pan once per hour to help the bird cook evenly (since you will be opening the oven every 20 minutes to baste the bird, the side facing the oven will always loose a bit of heat).

If the bird is browning too quickly, tent tin foil over the roasting pan (do not allow the turkey skin to touch the tin foil otherwise it will cook onto it and the skin will get pulled off when you take off the tin foil, which would make your turkey look sad).

When it starts to look done, take the temperature of the turkey and once it reaches 165 degrees in the breast, stuffing cavity, and thigh, it is safe to eat. Allow the bird to rest for 30 minutes before carving. While the bird is resting, make the gravy. Heat 3 cups of the liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan in a small pot over low heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of corn starch and 2 tablespoons of flour until smooth. If you want your gravy to be thicker, continue adding tablespoons of flour and/or corn starch until your desired consistency is reached. Remove from heat and set aside.

Carve the turkey and serve with the gravy and the remaining pear glaze on the side for optional drizzling.

"Thanksgiving Day is the perfect day to impress friends and family with culinary creativity. Side dishes are a great opportunity to be a little more adventurous—dinner guests will be excited to enjoy refined versions of beloved Thanksgiving sides. This luxurious gratin of Swiss chard with Gruyère and Parmesan can take the place of creamed spinach or green bean casserole."
-Daniel Boulud

Swiss Chard Gratin

Serves 6

Ingredients:
6 lbs. Swiss chard, washed, leaves and stems separated
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
¼ teaspoon nutmeg
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup shredded Gruyère cheese
1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350˚F. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and place a bowl of ice water on the side. Boil the chard leaves until tender, remove and chill in the ice water. Strain well; chop roughly. Cut the stems into thin slices. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, add one tablespoon of butter, garlic, and stems, cooking until tender; remove and set aside. Add the flour and the remaining butter to the pan and reduce heat to low. Cook, stirring for three minutes, being careful not to brown the butter. Using a whisk, gradually stir in the milk and nutmeg. Cook, whisking, for three minutes. With a wooden spoon, add the chopped leaves, reserved garlic, and stems; season to taste. Transfer to a small casserole dish (or individual casseroles if you have them). Sprinkle evenly with the cheeses and bake six to eight minutes, or until golden brown.

"With such a grand and rich feast of Thanksgiving, I think it is so fitting to have a smooth rich refreshing, seasonal puree soup."-Zac Posen

Recipe serves four people

Ingredients:
1 large sweet onion
1 clove of garlic
Curry powder
Chopped turnips
Parsnips
White peeled and chopped potato
Sea salt and pepper
Fresh chopped watercress
Fresh thyme
Vegetable or chicken stock

Cook all of this together and puree, once the vegetables are soft, with a dash of double cream. I like to finish it with finely chopped chives, and purple flowers! You can also drizzle the top with some carrot oil. Enjoy!

"We have a small apple orchard at Templeton, but I pick different fruits at other orchards. 
I always take home a gallon of fresh pressed apple cider to make this recipe. Nothing makes the house smell better than mulled cider simmering away on the stove. Sometimes I'll take a thermos of it with me when I go for a walk. Keeps me warm."-Cornelia Guest

Ingredients:
1 gallon apple cider
3/4 cup dry white wine, such as Chardonnay
¼ cup honey
2 quince, peeled, cored and finely chopped
1 (4-inch) spring rosemary
2 (3 to 4 inch long) sticks cinnamon, broken
4 cloves
1 star anise pod
½ teaspoon grated lemon peel

Directions:
Combine the cider, wine, honey, quince, rosemary, cinnamon, cloves, star anise, and lemon peel in a large saucepan, and simmer over low heat for 45 minutes.

Strain the mulled cider and discard the solids.


Serve the mulled cider warm.

For Dressing:
1 cup couturier goat cheese
½ cup sour cream
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Zest from 1 lemon
Juice from ½ lemon
2 teaspoons kosher salt
½ cup whole milk

Blend all ingredients together in a food processor.

For Salad:
2 heads lacinato or Tuscan kale, washed, trimmed and cut into ½ inch ribbons
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
½ cup chopped crispy bacon
¼ cup pomegranate seeds
1 tbsp olive oil
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 tsp kosher salt
½ tsp fresh ground black pepper

In a sauté pan, heat olive oil, add thyme sprigs and pumpkin seeds and toast until slightly browned. Remove from the pan and drain the oil on a paper towel.

Toss kale with enough dressing to coat fairly heavily. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with bacon, pumpkin seeds and pomegranate seeds. Serve with a spoon.

Orange Sauce
6 oranges
½ cup sugar
Water
6 tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
4 cups strained orange juice
6 tablespoons Grand Marnier
1 tablespoon (plus 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
4 cups unsalted chicken (or other poultry) stock

Turkey
12- to 15-pound fresh turkey, patted dry
Peanut oil or 1 ounce (¼ stick) unsalted butter, melted
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 tablespoon fresh peeled minced ginger root
Salt to taste
Tabasco to taste

Directions:
For the orange sauce, remove the orange part of the peel, without the bitter white pit, using a vegetable peeler. Chop coarsely. Blanch the peel in a small pot of simmering water for 3 minutes; drain. (This can be prepared ahead, wrapped in plastic, and set aside at room temperature.)

Place the sugar in a heavy large saucepan. Cover with water. Cook over low heat until the sugar dissolves, swirling the pan occasionally. Increase the heat and boil until the sugar caramelizes and turns a deep mahogany, watching carefully so the mixture doesn't burn. Stand back and pour in the vinegar, off the heat, avoiding splatter. Add the orange juice, Grand Marnier and blanched peel. Return to the heat and simmer until reduced to 3 cups.

Place the flour in a small bowl. Whisk in several tablespoons of the stock or enough to form a smooth paste. Whisk in the remaining stock. Add the stock to the saucepan and simmer until thickened and reduced to 3 cups or to a saucelike consistency, for about 30 minutes. (This can be prepared ahead, cooled, covered and set aside at cool room temperature for several hours or refrigerated.)

For the turkey, preheat the oven to 325°F. Rub the turkey with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and place on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Roast, basting with pan juices every 30 minutes. If the turkey becomes too brown, tent with aluminum foil. If the turkey is not coloring evenly, turn halfway through. Roast until the thermometer registers 155°F to 160°F when inserted into the thickest part of the breast, about 2½ to 2¾ hours for a 12-pound turkey. Let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving.

Add the ginger, salt and Tabasco to the sauce. Stir over medium-high heat to rewarm. Serve the sauce separately in a sauceboat. Garnish the turkey platter with oranges, apples, grapes and seasonal fruits.

"Growing up in the South, we never had pumpkin anything. It wasn't until I spent my first Thanksgiving in New York, and then in Los Angeles, that I had pumpkin in the fall with any regularity. Here's a recipe I devised several Thanksgivings ago to punch up the flavor of regulation canned pumpkin with the warmth of my favorite nut, the pecan, and the tang of delectably indescribable French Roquefort."-Alex Hitz

Yield: 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients:
1 (15-ounce) can pure pumpkin
3 large eggs
2 egg yolks
½ cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sugar
½ cup crumbled Roquefort
(or other blue cheese)
¼ cup roasted pecans
2 tablespoons chopped chives, for garnish
Crème fraîche or sour cream, for garnish

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter an 8-cup soufflé dish or two 4-cup soufflé dishes. Combine the pumpkin, eggs, yolks, heavy cream, ginger, salt, black pepper, and sugar in a food processor fitted with a metal blade and process until smooth. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dishes and assemble a bain-marie (see note below). Top the pumpkin mixture evenly with the crumbled Roquefort and then the roasted pecans.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until barely still trembling; bake for 5 to 10 minutes, less time if you will reheat the next day.

Serve warm, garnished with the chives and crème fraîche.

Assembling a bain-marie:
This sounds fancy, but it's very easy, and makes such a difference in cooking perfect custards that you owe it to yourself to learn how. Place a soufflé dish into a deep roasting pan, and pour boiling water into the sides of the pan, so the water comes about a quarter of the way up the sides of the soufflé dish. Be very careful when you put the bain-marie in the oven so you don't burn yourself!

"I love the heirloom squash called kuri for its vivid color and dense texture. Other heirlooms—like Cinderella (rouge vif d'Etampes), kabocha, and cheese pumpkin—have distinctive names and distinctive flavors, too. Each makes a wonderful soup."-Michael Anthony

Ingredients:
1 bay leaf
1 sprig thyme
2 cloves
1 teaspoon coriander seeds
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium leeks (white parts), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
5 shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
6 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed red kuri squash, plus 1⁄2 cup finely diced
2 medium carrots, sliced
Salt and pepper
½ cup orange juice
6 cups vegetable broth or water
1⁄8 teaspoon ground allspice
1⁄8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3 ½ tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon honey
Fresh lemon juice
Large leaves from 6 Brussels sprouts
½ cup peeled, cored, and finely diced sweet firm apple, such as honeycrisp, tossed with a little
Lemon juice

Directions:
Tie up the bay leaf, thyme, cloves, and coriander in a piece of cheesecloth to make a sachet.

In a large pot, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, shallots, and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the cubed squash and carrots, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes.

Increase the heat to high, add the orange juice, and simmer until reduced by half. Add the broth, allspice, cinnamon, and sachet, bring to a simmer, and cook until the squash and carrots are very tender, about 35 minutes. Remove from the heat.

In a small saucepan, cook 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat until it melts and the milk solids turn golden brown, about 2 minutes. Stir the browned butter into the soup, along with the honey.

Discard the sachet and set aside 1½ cups of the soup broth. Process the remaining soup in batches in a blender until very smooth and creamy, then pass through a fine-mesh strainer back into the pot. Thin the soup as needed with the reserved liquid; I prefer a thin consistency. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice, cover, and keep hot.

In a very small saucepan, cover the finely diced squash with an inch of water, bring to a simmer, and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the squash, toss with the remaining ½ tablespoon butter, and season with salt.

Meanwhile, in a small skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high heat, then add the Brussels sprout leaves and toss for a minute. Add a splash of water and continue to cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and season with salt.

Ladle the soup into bowls, then top with the diced squash, apples, and Brussels sprout leaves.

Reprinted from THE GRAMERCY TAVERN COOKBOOK. Copyright © 2013 by Gramercy Tavern Corp. Photographs © 2013 by Maura McEvoy. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, a division of Random House, Inc.

Serves 8-10

Ingredients:
1 whole wheat sourdough loaf (slightly stale), large diced
6 honeycrisp apple, peeled and diced
2 large shallot, diced
¼ cup roasted garlic
1 cup celery, diced
½ cup celery root, diced
1 cup Comte cheese, grated
1 small Burgundy truffle
½ cup bacon lardon
2 cup turkey stock
2 whole eggs
2 tablespoons fresh sage, chiffonade
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chiffonade
Salt and black pepper

Directions:
In large pan render the bacon until almost crisp. Add shallot, celery, and celery root and sweat until cooked through but no color. Incorporate the diced apples and diced bread. Begin to add the turkey stock a little at a time until the bread is completely moist but not falling apart. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

Next add the eggs, sage, parsley and roasted garlic. Check seasoning.

Finally add the grated comte cheese and shaved burgundy truffle (as much as you feel comfortable with).

Press into a buttered baking dish and remoisten with a little more turkey stock so the stuffing does not dry out during baking. Bake at 350 uncovered until golden brown on top. If it begins to get too dark, cover with foil.

"Kind of perfect for Thanksgiving! A little bit of comfort by way of roasted potatoes, with all kinds of gorgeous color and seasonal produce. People love this."-Kimberley Hasselbrink of The Year in Food

Yield: 4-6 servings

Ingredients:
1½ pounds small to medium potatoes (the recipe calls for fingerlings, but the ones in the picture are from a farm we visited)
1/3 cup plus 3 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium delicata squash
2 tablespoons minced shallots
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon honey
10 packed cups baby arugula (about 8 ounces)
seeds from one pomegranate (about 1 cup)
1 cup crumbled Feta
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Slice potatoes lengthwise in halves or quarters depending on size. Arrange on a rimmed baking sheet, and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1/4 teaspoon of salt over the potatoes. Toss to coat. Roast until tender and browned, about 20-25 minutes, turning once.

While the potatoes roast, prepare the squash. Slice in half lengthwise, and remove seeds and membrane. Slice into thin half moons, 1/8-1/4 inch thick. Arrange on another rimmed baking sheet (you may need two baking sheets for the squash), drizzle with one tablespoon olive oil and another 1/4 teaspoon salt and toss to coat.

Remove potatoes from the oven and add the squash. Roast until tender and just beginning to brown, about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Next, prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, vinegar, mustard, honey and 1/8 teaspoon salt with the shallots. Drizzle in the remaining 1/3 cup olive oil and whisk until emulsified.

In a large salad bowl, combine the squash and the potatoes. Drizzle with about half the vinaigrette. Toss to combine.

Add the arugula, half the pomegranate seeds and half of the cheese. Gently toss. Add more vinaigrette if needed. (I did not use all of it.)

Top with the remaining cheese and pomegranate seeds. Serve.

Serves 8

"This recipe is our favorite at Thanksgiving, for stuffing the bird and as a side. This is one meal when more is more, so I try to pack this stuffing with flavors."

-Peter Pennoyer

Ingredients:
1 Pkg. (14 oz.) Pepperidge Farm herb heasoned stuffing
2 1/2 cups organic chicken broth (or homemade)
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 shallots, minced
3 tablespoons fresh tarragon, minced
3 tablespoons fresh flat leaf parsley, minced
3 tablespoons fresh dill, minced.
2 teaspoon white truffle oil
¼ cup Sancerre
4 tablespoons sweet butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground pepper

Directions:
In a heavy pan, saute celery and shallots in the butter for just 3 minutes over medium high heat. Do not let shallots brown. In a separate pot bring the stock and wine to a boil, then remove from heat. Add the butter, shallot, and celery mix to the stock. Off heat, add the dry stuffing, dill, parsley, and tarragon, toss gently.

Salt and pepper to taste.
Stuff the bird and reserve the remaining stuffing. Heat the remaining stuffing just before serving at 350°F on convection bake for 10 minutes.

Julienned Brussel Sprouts by Madeline Stuart.

Ingredients:
Brussel Sprouts
Shallots
Olive Oil
Salt Pepper

Directions:
Estimate at least 6 Brussels sprouts per person--more if they're really small (and the small ones are the most tender).
Wash thoroughly and remove any damaged outer leaves.
Starting from the top of the sprout, cut the sprout into very thin slices almost all the way to the end. Toss away the end.
Mince 1-2 shallots, depending on number of servings.
Saute shallots in a large saute pan using extra virgin olive oil. Cook until soft.
Over medium high heat, add julienned Brussels sprouts. Shake pan or use tongs to toss the Brussels sprouts until they begin to brown. (You want most of the leaves to get brown and crispy.) It shouldn't take more than 6-8 minutes for the vegetables to cook through and become nice and browned.
Add freshly ground salt and pepper to taste (don't be miserly in this regard—this vegetable really comes to life with a good dose of s&p.)
If you want to add a decadent touch, saute the shallots and sprouts in a bit of duck or pork fat added to the olive oil.

Ingredients:

The cake dough
12 oz. butter
1½ cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons corn meal
½ cup almond paste
1½ cup sugar

For the cranberry bottom
12 oz. butter
5 cups fresh cranberries
1 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon cinnamon
½ tsp almond extract
1 cup whole milk
6 eggs separated
4 tablespoons sugar

Directions:
Progression for the cake dough
Mix all the dry ingredients in a large bowl. Start to mix the butter and the almond paste gradually, add the sugar and beat until creamy. Slowly add the yolks and extract. Take the 4 tablespoons of sugar and egg white, whip to soft texture, and add it to the batter.

Progression for the cranberry bottom
Melt the butter, add cranberries, cook for 3 minutes, add maple and cinnamon and cook for another 5 minutes until the cranberries are glazed. Cool down.

On individual cupcakes mold or a large pie mold, place the cranberries on the bottom and then spread the dough consistently. Baked at 325°F for about 15 to 20 minutes. Cool down, then flip it over to the desired dish, finish with a quenelle of crème fraiche and fresh mint.