It may or may not be a three-ring circus, but the Thanksgiving feast is a major production that needs to be choreographed. Don’t panic, though. Unlike routine family dinners, this is the central event of Turkey Day. No one expects the chef, you, to cook and serve at a breakneck pace. (For that matter, no one should expect you to do the food preparation unaided.) Also, the sheer volume of food makes it unlikely the participants will try to gobble and go. So your primary goal, along with making the food taste special, can be to keep the meal running at a properly measured pace.
Consider the following to help keep your head clear and your pulse rate moderate:
– Plan a menu that includes as many prepared-ahead items as possible without sacrificing quality. If relatives or friends are bringing items, insist they do the same and leave the flaming cheese recipe or mousse with three sauces at home.
– Appetizers and nibbles should be light and easy: raw vegetables with low-fat dips, cheese straws or crackers and other items that can be arranged in advance. If there is a first course, make it a presliced and plated pate or salad, or a soup that requires only reheating and perhaps a single garnish.
– In planning the main course, allocate your heat sources. The turkey gets the oven (though there will be about 30 minutes available to heat bread or rolls while the bird rests before carving). There’s going to be gravy to warm on one burner and mashed potatoes on another. There will be other vegetables as well and there may be extra dressing to cook.
– There always will be a crunch at the end. Therefore, I use as many root vegetables as possible because they can be cooked ahead and merely rewarmed on top of the stove or in the oven or microwave.
– Everyone is willing to take a break before dessert, but stick to premade pies or cakes and limit last-minute preparation to whipping cream or scooping ice cream. Don’t forget to start the coffee before dealing with dessert.
– Delegate. Appoint a child or adult to perform appetizer refills and an adult to tend to beverages (and remind both to work away from the cooking area). Someone else can be delegated to take charge of serving and clearing. You should decide whether to cook or carve, but don’t try to do both. Then you or your designated cook can finish the gravy and mashed potatoes while the turkey is being carved.
– Make sure space is available when you need it at the two most valuable and vulnerable resources in your kitchen, the stove and the sink/dishwasher. Lacking a full-time helper, this may mean selecting an out-of-the-way space for used plates, glasses and silverware.
– Enjoy yourself.
