There are many reasons to love Thanksgiving: It’s a holiday that includes everyone, the food is great, there are no presents to buy. And there’s one reason not to love Thanksgiving: It’s on a Thursday.
Take Sunday. Sunday would have been nice. That would have given hosts a whole extra weekend day to make all this food. Instead, the preparations get crammed in after work and on Thanksgiving Day. But Thursday it is. Here are some ideas for breaking down the chores into manageable parts, so that everyone can be thankful for the day after all. With it, the Good Eating staff has provided recipes from their own holiday meals in the hope that your own families might enjoy them.
Get set:
“Write down the menu, make a shopping list from the recipes, then shop as far ahead of time as you can,” advises Sam Gugino, author of “Cooking to Beat the Clock: Delicious, Inspired Meals in 15 Minutes” (Chronicle, $16.95) His Web site, www.samcooks.com, also has more tips. “Take into account what dishes you’ll need for serving and eating, including glassware.”
Use the weekend before to iron the tablecloth, count out napkins, silverware and wash the good plates. Figure out what will be used for a centerpiece and if candles are needed. Set the table Wednesday night.
Choose the turkey:
It wouldn’t be Thanksgiving without one. (Hey, even vegetarians are known to mold a turkey out of tofu.) Meat-eaters should get on the ball now. Order a fresh turkey from your favorite market, or make sure a frozen turkey is picked up soon or on order; if you wait until next week, things are going to get ugly.
When ordering, the rule of thumb is 1 pound of turkey per person. That won’t include leftovers, though, so it’s more realistic to count on, say, a 10-pound turkey for six people who want lunch the next day.
Do you have a meat thermometer or an instant-read thermometer? You’ll need one to make sure the meal has been cooked to the safe temperature. They’re sold at most supermarkets, so just add it to your shopping list.
For directions on preparing and roasting a turkey, look for the holiday issue of Good Eating that will appear Sunday, Nov. 19.
Gravy:
This is last-minute work because it requires the nicely browned bits from the bottom of the roasting pan. You can cut the preparation involved by using canned broth, though homemade is still the best. Here we provide a luxurious gravy with cream and Cognac, but traditionalists will find a standard version in Sunday’s Good Eating section.
Side-dish savvy:
“I am a big fan of doing everything ahead of time whenever possible,” says Carolynn Friedman, owner of the Prairie Kitchens cooking school in Morton Grove. “I do salad dressing three days in advance, cranberry sauce three days in advance. I like to utilize my microwave for warming things up.”
Stuffing vs. dressing:
Should all that yummy bread mixture get steamed and juicy inside the bird (stuffing), or baked, for a beautifully crisp top, in a pan (dressing)? If timing is the major concern, note that food safety guidelines discourage cooks from stuffing until right before the turkey goes into the oven. The benefit of our Roanoke pecan dressing is that it can be prepared ahead of time and baked later. The corn bread base can be made several days in advance and kept, tightly covered, until ready to use. (Commercial corn bread mixes may be used, but they are sweeter and cakier than homemade. If the corn bread is especially moist, cut it into pieces and lightly toast them to help the texture.)
The recipe also calls for homemade turkey broth for best flavor, although canned chicken broth is fine. If using homemade, you’ll want to make the broth in advance instead of waiting for the giblet bag and turkey neck from the Thanksgiving turkey. Ask the butcher if you can purchase giblets and turkey necks separately. Use the spare parts of the Thanksgiving turkey for the gravy recipe.
Potatoes:
Mashed potatoes are essential, but they can seem like the biggest chore. There you are, pulling a half dozen things together in the last hour before serving, and the potatoes need to be peeled, boiled and mashed. The problem is, pre-mashed potatoes just don’t reheat well. Either give this job to a willing family member or guest, or see today’s Test Kitchen Connection for a way to keep potatoes warm.
Sweet potato casseroles, a tradition in many homes, are fine if you have room in the oven with that big turkey. Evaluate the space ahead of time by placing the roasting pan and casserole dish in a cold oven to see if everything fits. Then try our recipe for spiced sweet potatoes, part of which can be prepared ahead.
Waldorf salad:
Give your guests something to crunch on with this cool salad, which can be made ahead. If you toss the salad the day before, don’t add the cranberries until just before serving. Their color can bleed into other ingredients.
Other vegetables: Brussels sprouts, creamed onions, buttered green peas; whatever the extra vegetable of choice, try to cook on the stovetop. There is no more room in the oven. But don’t go overboard trying to serve a dozen offerings. Or ask guests to bring something, Friedman says.
At last, dessert:
Pie is the perfect ending, whether it’s pumpkin, pecan, apple–or all three. Keep pie on the menu, but for an alternative this year, we offer a tart cranberry cake with creamy brown sugar sauce. The sauce can be made several days in advance and kept tightly sealed in the refrigerator. The cake goes into the oven after the turkey comes out.
If providing dessert seems like too much, “Don’t be ashamed to buy a few prepared items,” Gugino says. “Just because you’re having guests doesn’t mean you have to cook every dish.”
Now that’s sensible advice we’re really grateful for.
Menu
Roast turkey
Turkey day gravy/sauce
Cranberry sauce
Roanoke pecan dressing
Mashed potatoes
Spiced sweet potatoes
Rolls
New Waldorf salad with dried cranberries
Pumpkin pie
Cranberry cake with brown sugar sauce
THE PLAN, DAY BY DAY
Here’s a timetable to getting the recipes on this page onto your holiday table.
SATURDAY
Make grocery list; shop for Ingredients
SUNDAY
Make broth for dressing; make sauce for cranberry cake
MONDAY
Make corn bread for dressing
TUESDAY
Begin defrosting frozen turkey or pick up fresh turkey; make Waldorf dressing; boil sweet potatoes
WEDNESDAY
Make Waldorf salad; assemble and bake spiced sweet potatoes; bake dressing; set the table
THURSDAY
Roast turkey, make gravy; heat sweet potatoes; heat dressing; make cranberry cake
ROANOKE PECAN DRESSING
Preparation time: 40 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour, 35 minutes
Yield: 12 servings, or enough for a 18-pound bird.
Assistant food editor Andy Badeker’s mother, Gaye F. Badeker of Alma, Kan., says she believes she acquired this recipe 40 years ago in Virginia, probably from a local newspaper, which would explain the name: Pecans were an important crop in the area.
2 sticks (1 cup) butter
4 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 large onion, chopped
1/2 cup finely chopped parsley
1 1/2 teaspoons each, dried: sage, thyme
1 cup long-grain rice
3 cups homemade turkey broth, see note, or canned low-sodium chicken broth
4 cups cubed corn bread, home-made preferred
2 cups each: small whole-wheat bread pieces, chopped pecans
2 cans (4 ounces each) mushroom stems and pieces, undrained
1/2 teaspoon each: salt, freshly ground pepper
1. Melt 1/2 cup of the butter in large skillet over low heat; stir in celery and onion. Cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, until celery and onions are softened, about 8 minutes. Stir in parsley, sage and thyme; cook 1 minute. Place mixture in large bowl; set aside.
2. Melt remaining 1/2 cup butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add rice; cook, stirring, until lightly browned. Add broth; simmer 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Pour rice-broth mixture into celery-onion mixture. Add corn bread, whole-wheat bread, pecans, mushrooms with liquid, salt and pepper; toss lightly to mix.
3. Stuff turkey lightly with dressing; roast until center of dressing reaches 165 degrees on an instant-read thermometer. Or place dressing in greased 13-by-9-inch baking pan; cover with foil. Bake in 350-degree oven 30 minutes. Remove foil; bake until lightly browned, about 30 minutes.
Test kitchen note: For turkey broth, put neck and giblets from the giblet bag in 4 cups water in saucepan. Add 2 ribs chopped celery, 1 chopped carrot and 1 quartered onion. Simmer 1 hour. Strain broth; season with salt and pepper. Save neck and gizzard for giblet gravy, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 415 Fat …………. 31 g Saturated fat .. 12 g
% calories from fat .. 66 Cholesterol …. 55 mg Sodium ……. 440 mg
Carbohydrates …… 31 g Protein ………. 6 g Fiber ……… 3.6 g
TURKEY DAY GRAVY/SAUCE
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 1 hour
Yield: About 2 1/2 cups, 10 servings
Here’s an easy, rich, luscious preparation that falls somewhere between cooking (gravy) and cuisine (sauce). Food and wine columnist William Rice made it first in Paris as part of a celebratory meal intended to transport a group of Americans part-way home on Thanksgiving with a French-accented feast.
Neck, giblets from 1 turkey
1/2 onion, halved
1 teaspoon chopped fresh herb, such as thyme, sage or rosemary
1/2 cup dry white wine, optional
1 1/2 cups low-sodium chicken broth or water
2 tablespoons each: butter, flour
Salt, freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup whipping cream
1 tablespoon Cognac or Bourbon, optional
1. Place neck, heart, liver, gizzards, onion and herb in small saucepan. Add wine and broth. Heat to boil; lower heat. Simmer, partly covered, 20 minutes. Remove heart and liver; reserve. Simmer until gizzard is tender, 30 minutes. Remove gizzard; reserve. Strain broth into measuring cup. Add water if needed to make 2 cups; set aside. Mince gizzard, liver and heart. Cover; refrigerate until needed. (Recipe may be done ahead to this point.)
2. Skim fat from turkey roasting pan. Pour 1 cup of the reserved broth into roasting pan. Heat to boil over medium-high heat, scraping up browned bits on bottom. Pour liquid through strainer back into measuring cup.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon of the butter in small saucepan. Add flour; cook, whisking, over medium heat until flour turns light brown, about 2 minutes. Whisk in broth mixture; heat to boil, whisking constantly, until smooth sauce forms. Strain out any remaining lumps. Season with salt and pepper. Stir in cream, Cognac and minced giblets. Keep warm until needed. For serving, skim surface of sauce and adjust seasoning to taste. Remove from heat; whisk in remaining 1 tablespoon of the butter.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …………. 60 Fat …………. 5 g Saturated fat .. 3 g
% calories from fat .. 73 Cholesterol … 15 mg Sodium …… 180 mg
Carbohydrates ….. 2.3 g Protein ……. 1.8 g Fiber …….. 0.2 g
SPICED SWEET POTATOES
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 55 minutes
Yield: 10 servings
Raeanne Sarazen, test kitchen director, shares her mother’s “candied” sweet potato casserole made with lots of brown sugar and holiday spices. She changed it a bit–leaving out the marshmallows that all her siblings enjoyed. It can be made a day ahead and reheated before serving.
6 sweet potatoes, peeled
2 tablespoons cold water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 cup light brown sugar
6 tablespoons butter
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon each, ground: nutmeg, cinnamon, cardamom
3/4 cup chopped, toasted walnuts, see note
1. Place sweet potatoes in large saucepan; add water to cover. Heat to boil. Reduce heat to medium; cook until potatoes are just tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; cool. Slice 1/2-inch thick. Place in greased 13-by-9-inch baking dish; set aside. (Can be done 3 hours ahead and left at room temperature.)
2. Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix water and cornstarch in small bowl until smooth; set aside. Heat sugar and butter over low heat in small saucepan until sugar is dissolved. Stir in lemon zest, salt, nutmeg, cinnamon and cardamom. Stir in cornstarch mixture. Pour syrup over potatoes; toss to coat well. Sprinkle with walnuts.
3. Cover with foil; bake 20 minutes. Remove foil; stir potatoes gently. Bake until liquid bubbles and potatoes are glazed, about 10 minutes more.
Test kitchen note: To toast walnuts, place them on baking sheet; toast in 350-degree oven until light brown and fragrant, about 15 minutes.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 275 Fat ………… 12 g Saturated fat .. 4.7 g
% calories from fat .. 39 Cholesterol … 20 mg Sodium …….. 260 mg
Carbohydrates …… 40 g Protein …… 3.6 g Fiber ……….. 2.8 g
NEW WALDORF SALAD WITH DRIED CRANBERRIES
Preparation time: 30 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Food editor Carol Mighton Haddix remembers her mother’s annual Waldorf salad, the classic combination of apples and nuts, which always appeared on the Mighton Thanksgiving table in Michigan. But the dressing was always made with Miracle Whip. It wasn’t until moving away to college that she discovered the joys of real mayonnaise in the salad. Through the years, other additions made their way to the salad, including yogurt in the dressing and the unusual addition of curry powder.
1/2 cup each: mayonnaise, plain yogurt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder, optional
1/4 teaspoon each: sugar, salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 each, cored, diced: Granny Smith apples, Jonathan apples
2 cups chopped pecans
3 ribs celery, thinly sliced
1 cup dried cranberries or sour cherries
1. Mix mayonnaise, yogurt, curry powder, sugar, salt and pepper to taste in small bowl. Cover; refrigerate up to 2 days ahead.
2. Combine apples, pecans, celery and cranberries in large bowl. Pour dressing over apple mixture. Toss. Refrigerate until serving time, up to 1 day ahead.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ………… 405 Fat ……….. 31 g Saturated fat .. 3.3 g
% calories from fat .. 66 Cholesterol .. 18 mg Sodium …….. 175 mg
Carbohydrates …… 33 g Protein …… 3.7 g Fiber ………… 6 g
CRANBERRY CAKE WITH BROWN SUGAR SAUCE
Preparation time: 25 minutes
Cooking time: 35 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
As the wife of an Episcopal minister in upstate New York, food writer Kristin Eddy’s grandmother was often found baking for church and community events as well as her family. Her recipe here continues to be enjoyed at the holidays two generations later. The cake, reminiscent of a coffeecake, is less sweet than many holiday desserts.
Cake:
1 cup flour
1/2 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
11/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1 cup whole fresh cranberries
Sauce:
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, butter, baking powder and salt in large mixing bowl. Stir in milk until blended. Stir in cranberries.
2. Pour batter into buttered 8-inch round cake pan. Bake until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove to wire rack.
3. Heat sugar and water over medium heat in heavy-bottomed saucepan, swirling occasionally, until sugar is dissolved. Heat to boil, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Stir in butter until melted. Mix in cream and vanilla. (Sauce can be made up to 4 days ahead. Cover; refrigerate. Reheat gently just before serving.) Pour warm sauce over each piece of cake.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …………. 60 Fat ……….. 10 g Saturated fat .. 6 g
% calories from fat .. 36 Cholesterol .. 30 mg Sodium …… 280 mg
Carbohydrates …… 40 g Protein …….. 2.3 g Fiber …… 0.9 g
