Combining the best fall flavours in new ways, these recipes will have everyone around your table salivating to start some new traditions.
Appetizer
Squash and duck pizza
I love Thanksgiving for two reasons: My whole extended family makes an effort to get together, no matter how busy we are, and we have a huge feast. We take turns hosting a holiday dinner consisting of turkey, stuffing and everything else you could want.
Unfortunately, I won't make it home this year, so a family FaceTime will have to suffice. For those of you lucky enough to be with your family, this squash and duck pizza is a great appetizer to get everyone salivating before the main event.
It's fall finger food at its finest, incorporating classic ingredients like squash and kale that are at the peak of their ripeness and flavour. If you have a favourite premade dough, feel free to use that, or find a simple dough or flatbread recipe online. Sean MacDonald
Salad
Roasted beets, shredded chard and brassica salad
While I roast a turkey every Thanksgiving, and include a thin slice or two on my plate the night of, I'm really looking forward to the turkey sandwiches to come the following week. For the feast, I give side dishes most of my appetite, as my family is not above having two types of stuffing (my mother's potato one and my bread version), bourbon cider gravy, another potato dish, roasted squash of some sort, plus root vegetables, and something green.
The list goes on, and can vary, like the year my grandmother requested Ina Garten's creamed spinach gratin. But, besides the two stuffings, the other constant is a generous salad. Against all the long-cooked, caramelized, creamy dishes, I look for a fresh counterpoint. Here, it's warm beets nudged up beside a decisively vinegared tangle of brassicas and chard. Twangy and sharp, the greens have gratifying chew, especially when topped with fried shallots like a green bean casserole.
This salad is enjoyable throughout the autumn, not only on Thanksgiving. It can be bulked up with crumbled feta or shaved Pecorino, or the shallots replaced (or combined with) toasted hazelnuts. For the beets, I lean towards ones about the size of a pool ball. The Brussels sprouts can be shredded with the slicing blade of a food processor or by hand. Tara O'Brady
Stuffing
Brown butter brioche stuffing with chestnuts, leeks and chanterelles
My mom's stuffing is the best. I know you are going to try to tell me otherwise and I'm not trying to start a fight, but seriously, her's is hands down the winner. I pine for its comforting, sagey goodness, but as is my usual expat conundrum, it is once again not very likely I'll be able to make it home for Thanksgiving to enjoy it.
Having now spent three years living overseas, my tastebuds long for what a Skype viewing of the turkey coming out of the oven can simply not provide. So here is my Frenchified version, one that includes some of mom's approach and seasoning but also features some of the best of what fall brings into season in France: wild mushrooms, chestnuts and browned butter.
Oh, and for the sake of it, let's use brioche instead of plain old sandwich bread because, well, France! Lina Caschetto
Dessert
Baked sweet potato with Italian meringue, candied pecans, dark chocolate and maple syrup
Let's be honest, nothing is ever going to beat a good pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving dinner. But if you are looking to do something different, this is a good option.
Somewhere between a pumpkin pie and mashed sweet potatoes, it's elegant, a little quirky, and comes together extremely quickly if you are organized and address some elements a day or two before. The candied pecans, for instance, can be made up to a week in advance, the sweet potato two or three days in advance and the meringue up to 48 hours in advance. Haan Palcu-Chang
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