You'll Give Thanks for This Feast of an Issue

Published in Gourmet Live 11.07.12
It's been a year of droughts and storms, a battered economy, and a hard-fought presidential election, yet there is so much to be thankful for. Join us in celebrating with our new Thanksgiving recipes for Citrus-Sage Turkey, easy appetizers, five side dishes five ways, and hilarious holiday cocktail recipes
You'll Give Thanks for This Feast of an Issue

Our new holiday menu, Thanksgiving for 2 or 20, is a flexible feast that can be scaled up or down to suit your celebration. Read on for the recipes for all six dishes.

This, Gourmet Live's first monthly issue, is filled with gratitude—and turkey. It seems 2012 will go down as a stormy one, with Sandy bringing hell and high water to the East Coast, two men barnstorming for the land's highest office, and an economic storm that seems to finally be abating, hinting at sunnier days.

It is the perfect moment to gather friends and family and be thankful. To make your time together more delicious, we've pulled together a blockbuster issue loaded with recipes and practical pointers for a feast you'll enjoy as much as your guests will.

We realize that each Thanksgiving is different: Sometimes it's just you and your best buddy dining à deux, while other years it's you and everyone you've ever known squeezing into your house—so we decided to provide solutions for both instances. In Thanksgiving for 2 or 20, our brand-new holiday menu, we've cooked up creative ways to scale up or down in six new exclusive recipes: Citrus-Sage Roast Turkey with Gravy, or the same preparation for a turkey breast; Cabernet-Cranberry Sauce with Figs; Challah, Sausage, and Dried Cherry Stuffing; Mashed Potato and Cauliflower Gratin; Roasted Butternut Squash Ribbons with Arugula, Pancetta, and Hazelnut Salad; and Apple Crostata with Spiced Caramel Sauce.

If you are one of the millions who break out into a sweat whenever you have a crowd coming for the big bird, senior editor Kemp Minifie—formerly the head of Gourmet magazine's test kitchens—has you covered. Her Truth About Turkey Roasting contains nine crucial rules (and a few surprises) that will ensure a delicious turkey every time. And if you're nervous about the gravy, potatoes, or pie, we've got fixes for those sticky problems, too, in Thanksgiving Troubleshooting. If it's inspiration that's in short supply, 5 Side Dishes, 5 Ways delivers a multitude of options to enliven your usual offerings so that the sides can shine.

Going to a Thanksgiving feast and need to bring something to snack on before the meal? Our Easy Thanksgiving Appetizers are quick, creative bites made out of things you probably already have on hand. These 10 tasty ideas will no doubt prove invaluable not only now but anytime you need a tray of hors d'oeuvres fast.

Of course, many can't get through this holiday time without a spirit or two—or seven. Especially if your niece walks in and declares she is getting married to someone she met two weeks ago, or Grandma starts revealing tidbits about her sex life. What do you do then? Renowned mixologists from Dale DeGroff to David Wondrich share their prescriptions for holiday family dramas—some outlandish and others all too common—in the hilarious A Drink for Every Dysfunction.

Ultimately, Thanksgiving is about taking a moment to treasure the important things in life, as we're reminded in a moving profile of Michael F. Curtin, the CEO of D.C. Central Kitchen in Washington, D.C. Curtin and his organization feed upward of 10,000 kids and adults each day and have a tremendous track record with job training and placement in the food service industry. As you'll see, Curtin's passion and commitment to helping those less fortunate is deeply inspiring.

Do you have a favorite turkey recipe? Are you a briner? Have you ever deep-fried a turkey? Got cooking questions? Let us know via Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr; drop us a line; or post a comment on our blog. For more tasty bites, sign up for our weekly newsletter to get convenient access to our most-read blog posts, editors' favorite recipes, and exclusive reader offers.

Gobble, gobble!

The editors of Gourmet Live

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