Tradition seems to govern the Thanksgiving dinner celebration, with family members looking forward to their familiar favorites each year. Home cooks enjoy serving the well-received holiday dishes, but if you’re the Thanksgiving chef, we’ll bet you’d love to inject some of your creativity into the menu. Perhaps a different approach for roasting the turkey. Or maybe a new side dish or dessert that might join the list of annual favorites. How about a festive cocktail with the pre-feast appetizers?
Famous chefs have their own Thanksgiving traditions, and we’ve gathered a few for you to consider serving this year.
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Roast Turkey by Thomas Keller
Famous for his award-winning Napa Valley, California restaurant, The French Laundry, chef and cookbook author Thomas Keller is known for his artistry and creativity. When it comes to his Thanksgiving turkey, however, his method is fairly straightforward. After an overnight brine in a mixture that includes salt, lemon, honey, garlic, and herbs, he roasts the turkey at high heat and bastes with clarified butter.
A key step before putting the bird into the oven is the 24-hour air-drying in the refrigerator that guarantees crisp, golden skin.
Celebrated chef José Andrés, most recently spotted cooking over 2 million meals for the hungry residents of Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria, enthusiastically and memorably shared his recipe for stuffing a turkey at the 2011 Food & Wine Classic in Aspen. “We don’t put bread, we don’t put bread, people,” he repeated as he recommended sausage, dried apricots, dried prunes, almonds, and walnuts sautéed in brandy as the stuffing that will make your turkey proud.
He also shared with Food & Wine his favorite mashed potato recipe, made with Manchego cheese and extra virgin olive oil from his native Spain.
World-renowned chef and author Jacques Pépin has earned a place in the James Beard Foundation’s Cookbook Hall of Fame. He has been a charming presence on cooking shows, along with his wife Gloria and daughter Claudine. His recipe for Thanksgiving is the traditional bread and herb stuffing with the addition of almonds and mushrooms.
Everyone looks forward to the stuffing—or dressing, depending on what part of the country you’re in. This one is sure to become a Thanksgiving favorite.
From Gjelina by Travis Lett, photographs by Michael Graydon and Nikole Herriott (Chronicle Books, 2015)
Charred Brussels Sprouts by Travis Lett
Travis Lett, chef at Venice, California’s Gjelina, a line-out-the-door restaurant with barely any signage visible from its location on busy, hip Abbot Kinney Boulevard, values fresh, seasonal ingredients. His Blackened Brussels Sprouts recipe, featured in his 2015 cookbook, makes a perfect Thanksgiving side dish, especially now that the once reviled vegetable has gained fame and admirers whenever it appears on restaurant menus.
The sweet dates and salty bacon create the perfect backdrop for the charred sprouts, with a bit of vinegar for tang and balance.
Known for popularizing artisan breads through her LaBrea Bakery, Nancy Silverton, chef, baker, and author, won the James Beard Foundation’s Outstanding Chef Award in 2014. Now featured in the Netflix “Chef’s Table” series, she operates three Los Angeles restaurants, Chi Spacca, Osteria Mozza, and Pizzeria Mozza.
Lighter than the traditional pumpkin pie of Thanksgiving desserts, this tart is hard to resist, especially topped with a dollop of whipped cream.
Lidia Bastianich, chef, restaurateur, author, and Emmy award winning television host, loves to gather her family together for Thanksgiving dinner at home. Part of the team that opened Eataly in New York, Chicago, Brazil, and Los Angeles, she has written both cookbooks and children’s books. “The special moments in life are those shared with family and friends around a table, celebrating with food and love,” she wrote in her latest cookbook.
Her Cranberry-Apple Sundae uses fruits of the season in an easy, refreshing, and colorful dessert.
Marcus Samuelsson combines his experience of growing up in Sweden with his Ethiopian roots, creating food that reflects his heritage. At his Harlem, New York restaurant, Red Rooster, he also builds on Harlem’s culinary culture, resulting in dishes like Curt’s Block Party Ribs and Blackened Catfish.
Thanksgiving is special to Samuelsson and his wife, when they entertain friends at their home. This seasonal cocktail is one of his favorites.
