Thanksgiving Food and Festivities

Published in Gourmet Live 11.16.11
We’re sharing a bounty of recipes and Turkey Day tales


Sure, Thanksgiving can be a bit stressful—every cook seems to have at least one horror story—but it still tops the list of favorite food holidays for most food lovers. That’s the case for all of us here at Gourmet Live, and for New Yorker staff writer Adam Gopnik, who shares with us his memories of Thanksgiving in Paris.

From the challenges of turning out a traditional turkey dinner in France we turn to the challenges of making room for seconds, thirds, and fourths on the big day: Gourmet Live’s Kelly Senyei has advice on putting the “gorge” in “gourmet” from Badlands Booker, a competitive eater ranked 15th in the world on the Major League Eating circuit.

You might want to hone your own overeating skills before you dig into the showstopping recipes we developed especially for this issue, including Chorizo Corn Bread Stuffing and Kemp Minifie’s revolutionary take on turkey. The feasting continues with historic holiday recipes from the 1887 White House Cook Book, including cranberry sauce, parsnip fritters, and pumpkin pie. As you plan your dessert, be sure to consult this issue’s primer on making perfect pies, straight from the experts at the Institute of Culinary Education.

Of course, you don’t have to cook like a pro to eat well on Thanksgiving, and we have the proof: recommendations for the best restaurants hosting Thanksgiving dinner in 10 U.S. cities. For that, we’re thankful for our partners at BlogHer.

And do save room for a serving of style: Alexandra Lange’s salute to midcentury cookware—the kind that’s perfect for making your Grandma’s potato gratin for the feast.

Up top, we’re rerunning a video from our very own first Thanksgiving, a year ago. It’s a keeper, so come on into our test kitchen and photo studio for this taste of hospitality, Gourmet Live-style. If you own an iPad or iPhone, we encourage you to download Gourmet Live’s free app. There you’ll have access to even more Thanksgiving recipes created in our kitchens.

What are your must-have Thanksgiving dishes? Tell us via Twitter or Facebook, email us, or stop by and post a comment on our blog. And be sure to bookmark our online hub at Gourmet.com.

Thanks for joining us at our table,
The Editors of Gourmet Live

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