This isn’t a cocktail party; this is probably the most massive meal you’ll serve in your home all year. Let the meal be the main event, and keep the surrounding snacks and sips low key. Appetizers should be light: just enough to keep stragglers happy and out of your way as you wrap things up in the kitchen. I like to set out a few cheeses, nuts and crackers alongside fresh persimmons and roasted grapes. Drinks should be unfussy and, ideally, ones guests can pour themselves – think wine, beer or batch cocktails – because no one needs to be mixing drinks and chopping garlic at the same time. If you want to serve mixed drinks, designate a guest as the bartender ahead of time to handle requests. Desserts should be as easy as, well, you know what. pies simply are Thanksgiving; they’re the perfect end to a harvest meal and can be made the day before when you aren’t pressed for time (or oven space). Save the show for another special occasion. Turn to p. 83 for five creative and gorgeous takes on the classic pumpkin pie.
STory and recIpeS By Shannon WeBer
| phoTography By JennIFer SIlverBerg
am a culinary adventure-seeker; exploring new ingredients and preparations is something I’m prone to doing on a regular basis. My family is mostly amenable to this, even during holidays, with one major exception: Thanksgiving dinner. Because – as they would say – you simply don’t mess with the classics.
proudly alongside green beans, returned from a decades-long exile. I fill in with bits and bites – roasted grapes and cheeses to snack on here, a wintery salad or festive cocktail there – as grace notes to a meal that needs no improvement but often benefits from a little excitement around the edges.
I don’t argue with them. I wouldn’t dare, lest Thanksgiving be yanked out from under me and placed in more trustworthy hands, but that’s not really why. Thanksgiving is hallowed – the most important food holiday of the year – steeped in so much tradition and nostalgia that I wouldn’t even think about replacing anything from our canon of recipes. There have been small adjustments over the years, yes: Mashed potatoes have given way to crispy roasted ones, and Brussels sprouts now sit
This year, the Thanksgiving meal adorning our dining room table will be the same meal that has adorned countless tables in my family before it, a meal that has traveled great distances to different states and through generations. For the first time, however, I have the pleasure of sharing some of these recipes right here, with you. Whether you’re beginning your own traditions or just looking to make small adjustments to your menu, you can’t miss with these timeless dishes.
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