10 Days of Thanksgiving: Stuffings & Dressings

Cornbread, Sausage and Pecan Stuffing
Photo: BonAppetit

I've got a confession to make. On Thanksgiving, I'm not a fan of turkey. To me, it's a necessary evil; a vehicle best used for making rich, moist, carb-o-liscious stuffing. For over twenty years, my mom has been stuffing our turkey with the simplest of stuffing mixes: Original Stove Top Stuffing. It's not gourmet, it's not complicated and, let's be honest, isn't hugely appealing straight out of the box.

That said, something magical happens when you bake said Stove Top inside a turkey cavity. It becomes moist, fluffy and heavenly; which is exactly why I've asked my mom to make it and bring it to the first Thanksgiving Bryan and I are hosting at our home. But new hosts mean new traditions and I'm going gourmet with "my" stuffing. It might be sourdough and sweet Italian sausage, cornbread with roasted fall vegetables or an oldie but a goodie recipe from Gourmet circa 1975. Whatever we choose, we'll certainly give thanks for recipes old and the new.

1. CORNBREAD, SAUSAGE AND PECAN STUFFING
Use store-bought or homemade cornbread; Bon Appetit recommends Jiffy mix (you'll need two boxes).

2. CORNBREAD DRESSING WITH ROASTED FALL VEGETABLES
Roasted carrots, parsnips, and rutabagas add great depth of flavor.

3. SOURDOUGH, WILD MUSHROOM AND BACON DRESSING
Toasty sourdough, earthy wild mushrooms and bacon. Can it get any better? Actually yes; add some bacon drippings for extra moisture and flavor.

Lemony Mushroom and Pine Nut
Stuffing Muffins
Photo: FoodandWine

4. LEMONY MUSHROOM-AND-PINE NUT STUFFING MUFFINS

A mix of sautéed wild mushrooms adds lots of texture to this stuffing; lemon juice and zest make it tangy (pictured, left). The mushroom stuffing can be made vegetarian-friendly simply by replacing the chicken stock with vegetable stock.

5. SAGE STUFFING FROM GOURMET MAGAZINE, 1975
A mixture of white bread and cornbread crumbs soak up butter, cream and a variety of herbs. Add in chicken livers and this is the closest to "mom's" original stuffing recipe you'll ever find. 

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Relishes & Chutneys

Cherry-Pear Mostarda
Photo: LA Times

Fresh or canned? When it comes to cranberry sauce, I've never heard of a more polarizing Thanksgiving issue. Just the mere presence of the "wrong" type of sauce can send people into a tailspin. My family has always opted for the canned stuff while Bryan's family asks that he be in charge of making fresh cranberry sauce. I like both kinds while Bryan likes neither. Isn't it time we stopped the madness?

From chutney to relish to mostarda, there are so many ways to dress up classic cranberry sauce and keep the peace. I've collected five fabulous versions -- think cranberry ginger chutney and cherry-pear mostarda -- from Bon Appetit, Martha Stewart and Hatfield's restaurant in L.A. Make any one of these and the only debate at your table will be who gets the last serving.

1. CRANBERRY-GINGER CHUTNEY
This chutney has added piquancy from fresh ginger and a pinch of crushed red pepper, plus more versatility than the average cranberry sauce: It dazzles on turkey sandwiches and alongside roast duck.

Sweet-and-Spicy Cranberry Sauce
Photo: 

2. PINEAPPLE CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH CHILI AND CILANTRO
The pineapple may be unexpected, but it brings the cranberry, chili and cilantro flavors together and makes them shine.

3. CHERRY-PEAR MOSTARDA
Recipe (pictured above, right) adapted from Chefs Quinn and Karen Hatfield, co-owners of their eponymous restaurant. Dried pears can be found in most well-stocked and gourmet markets, as well as online. Pickled mustard seeds are available at select gourmet markets and online.

4. SWEET-AND-SPICY CRANBERRY SAUCE
Guests will bite into this unassuming cranberry sauce only to encounter a "whang!" from lime zest and cayenne pepper.

5. CRANBERRY SAUCE WITH DRIED FIGS
This cranberry sauce with dried Calimyrna figs has a chutney like texture. A little red wine makes the sauce rich in flavor and ruby red in color.

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Grateful for Gratins

Broccoli and Cauliflower Gratin
Photo: Southern Living

Mention the word "gratin" and the first response is often, "What exactly IS a gratin anyway?" According to Wikipedia, a gratin is "a widespread culinary technique in food preparation in which an ingredient is topped with a browned crust, often using breadcrumbs, grated cheese, egg and/or butter." Sounds good to me!

Think of a gratin like a fancy casserole. The best part about a gratin is the fillings are nearly endless. You can go the decadent route with ingredients like mushrooms and goat cheese or Brussels Sprouts, Beemster cheese and bacon. Or, take the healthy road and opt for swiss chard and leeks, or broccoli and cauliflower. Whatever direction you decide, here are five recipes to get you started.

1. POTATO AND MUSHROOM GOAT CHEESE GRATIN EN CROUTE
The handmade pastry in this decadent gratin takes some time but the result is well worth the effort.

2. SWISS CHARD AND LEEK GRATIN
This gratin combines blanched chard and sautéed leeks, cooked until just tender in a creamy two-cheese sauce made with both Gruyère and Parmigiano-Reggiano.

3. CREAMY LIMA BEAN GRATIN
Not your mother's lima beans. This deliciously rich gratin balances lima beans with leeks, Cremini mushrooms and a grated Parmesan and bread crumb topping.

Swiss Chard and Leek Gratin
Photo: FoodandWine

4. BROCCOLI AND CAULIFLOWER GRATIN
A quick and creamy Dijon-mustard sauce, laced with Parmesan and Cheddar cheese, turns a simple dish of broccoli and cauliflower into company fare.

5. BRUSSELS, BEEMSTER AND BACON GRATIN
Beemster is a Gouda-style cheese similar to butterscotchy aged goudas with little bits of crunch from crystallization that occurs during the cheese-making process. The savory flavor profile is a terrific match for brussels sprouts and Canadian bacon in this creamy gratin. Serve it with pierogies and a salad dressed in a tart vinaigrette to cut through the richness.

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Green Beans

Green Beans with Crispy Onions

Ahhh, the good ole' green bean casserole. A dish whose original Campbell's soup recipe has spanned generations and Thanksgiving tables the country over. It's very simple: Combine Campbell's condensed cream of mushroom soup with French-cut green beans, milk, soy sauce, salt and pepper. Bake and top with French's French fried onions. Couldn't be simpler, right?

Modern spins on the 50's classic might be a smidge more involved but arguably result in a more flavorful and health-conscious dish. That's the route we're taking this Thanksgiving, looking at dishes like green beans and walnuts with lemon vinaigrette, green beans with Cremini mushroom sauce, and Haricot Verts (fancy green beans) with roasted fennel and shallots. Want to modernize your green bean casserole? Check out five recipe ideas below to help get you started.

1. GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE WITH HOMEMADE MUSHROOM SAUCE 

Martha Stewart has made the quintessential Thanksgiving casserole better than ever by combining fresh green beans, homemade mushroom sauce, and savory fried shallots.

2. GREEN BEANS AND WALNUTS WITH LEMON VINAIGRETTE
This Thanksgiving side is as simple as it is delicious.

Balsamic-Glazed Green Beans and Pearl Onions
Photo: MyRecipes.com

3. HARICOT VERTS, ROASTED FENNEL AND SHALLOTS


4. GREEN BEANS WITH CREMINI MUSHROOM SAUCE


5. BALSAMIC-GLAZED GREENS BEANS AND PEARL ONIONS 

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Eat Dessert First!

Puff Pastry Pear Tartlets
Photo: Food and Wine

A few days ago I wrote that pumpkin, apple and pecan pies are the most popular Thanksgiving pie flavors. They're popular but they're also predictable so I'd like to share two twists on Thanksgiving dessert: 1) Creative alternatives to the typical fanfare, and; 2) A list of the BEST traditional recipes one can find. No matter which route you go, your guests will find room for dessert!

1. Puff Pastry Pear Tartlets
“I had the honor of cooking for Julia Child’s 80th birthday party at the home of a former F&W editor in chief,” says Grace Parisi. “At the end of the evening, Child graciously asked, ‘Who made that looovely dessert?’ I managed to croak out, ‘I did.’ These tartlets are a variation on that recipe.” - Grace Parisi of Food and Wine

2. Banana-Chocolate Chip with Peanut Butter Frosting
This cake is perfect for beginners—it's moist, forgiving, and easy. Jif creamy peanut butter is our favorite for the decadent frosting. - BonAppetit

3. Texas State Fair Pecan Pie 

This extraordinarily rich and sweet pecan pie was the winner at the 1996 State Fair of Texas State pie competition, which Dean Fearing helped judge. "Out of 140 pies, this one was it," he says. "Her name was Bobby Lee; she never told me her last name." - Food and Wine

Banana-Chocolate Chip with Peanut Butter Frosting
Photo: Bon Appetit

4. Pumpkin Banana Mousse Tart

This tart was inspired by a pumpkin mousse with mashed banana and orange zest that Ina's mother made for years for Thanksgiving. It's lighter and much more flavorful than that cloying old pumpkin pie, and people really do go nuts for it. - Oprah

5. Pumpkin Pie

A tried-and-true pumpkin pie recipe from the 'Butter Queen', Paula Deen herself.

6. Old-Fashioned Apple Pie

"Apple pie" conjures warmth, aroma, taste, and togetherness. This one is filled with Granny Smith apples and is tucked into a buttery crust. - Martha Stewart

10 Days of Thanksgiving: Breads + Rolls

Buttermilk Ham + Cheese Biscuits
Photo: FoodandWine.com

Between the mashed potatoes, stuffings, rich gratins, gravy and desserts, breads can easily go forgotten as a Thanksgiving side dish. But there's something wonderful about a warm, steaming crescent roll, a flaky biscuit topped with melting butter, or a slice of slightly sweet zucchini bread studded with walnuts.

Make no mistake, bread is a means to an end on Thanksgiving. It's a vehicle to sop up gravy, cranberry sauce and, perhaps most importantly, serve as the bookends for an incredible next-day leftover sandwich (arguably the best part about Thanksgiving). Personally, I'm making the Buttermilk Ham + Cheese Biscuits (recipe below), filled with tiny bits of diced ham and nutty Gruyere cheese. If the photo to the right is any evidence, the day-after obligatory sandwich will be just as good as the day-of fixin's.

1. Cornbread with Bacon Crust
Crumbled bacon makes an irresistible top crust on this slightly sweet cornbread.

2. Buttermilk Ham + Cheese Biscuits
Food and Wine recipe writer Lee Hefter gets so caught up in cooking Thanksgiving dinner that he hardly has time to eat it. He has a turkey-and-stuffing sandwich on these biscuits while he's cleaning up.

3. Spiced Zucchini + Walnut Bread
Sabrina Henderson of Gardena, California, writes: "After 17 years of making dinner for my family, I don't cook as much as I used to. These days what I really enjoy doing is baking. Not only is it more leisurely, but people enjoy the results so much. About twice a month my husband takes some of my homemade cookies to his colleagues who always ask when I'm going to send something their way. The staff in the doctor's office where I work will often ask me the same thing. My zucchini bread is a special favorite. I joke with people and tell them I'll bring it in, but only if they behave."- Bon Appetit

Raised Pumpkin Bread with
 Pumpkin-Pecan-Cranberry Swirl
Photo: FoodandWine.com

4. Mom's Crescent Rolls
These rolls have been a staple at blogger Tasty Kitchen's family Thanksgiving table for years. They're promised to be light and delicious.

5. Raised Pumpkin Bread with a Pumpkin-Pecan-Cranberry Swirl
The festive twist on cinnamon-swirl bread makes this loaf special enough for a holiday brunch, but don't limit yourself. A toasted, buttered slice can warm up any chilly morning.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING + Leftover Recipes!

The 10 days of Thanksgiving recipes might be over but there are two things left to say:

1. HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

2. Check back tomorrow for my five best Thanksgiving leftover recipes. Because there's nothing better than having Thanksgiving dinner all over again... just shoved between two pieces of bread.