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foie gras toasts, and goat cheese marbles

Foie Gras Toasts with Sauternes Gelée, and Pecan and Goat Cheese Marbles

These little stacks of toasted and buttered bread, foie gras terrine, and Sauternes gelée—crisp, creamy, cool—will make you swoon and sigh. They provide such a rich reward for so simple an assembly: The only thing you make from scratch is the gelée.

Two holiday traditions—the nut bowl and the cheese plate—unite in these refined cheese balls. Lily-pad-like parsley leaves add a herbaceous note echoed in the surprising (and surprisingly good) combination of rosemary and coriander in the center of the cheese.

Smoked-Sable Tartare with Beets and Watercress

Smoked sable is as moist as smoked salmon, but with a voluptuous silkiness all its own. To balance its sea-saltiness, top it with earthy roasted beets and fresh watercress. This festive salad makes a wonderfully light start to a lavish Thanksgiving feast.

Roast Turkey with Black-Truffle Butter and White-Wine Gravy

When food editor Shelley Wiseman was asked to develop a recipe for an over-the-top turkey, she began by rubbing truffle butter under its skin. “It’s a cheap shot,” she admitted, “but it’s damn delicious.” We all agreed—it’s the best turkey most of us have ever tasted. The butter, an excellent carrier of that unmistakable truffle flavor, moistens the turkey’s meat and crisps its skin during a high-heat roast. For this splendid centerpiece, a nuanced French shallot-wine sauce is just the thing.

Chestnut, Leek, and Apple Stuffing

Anyone who swears by wet stuffing is likely to sidle over to the dry camp after a taste of this Thanksgiving classic. Beneath a crunchy crust is an amalgam of yielding bread, meaty chestnuts, and softened celery, apple, and leeks.

Cranberry, Quince, and Pearl Onion Compote

In this chutney-like compote, quince lends a ripe-pear creaminess, and pearl onions a lush sweetness, to tart cranberries.

Parsnip Purée with Sautéed Brussels Sprouts Leaves

Your guests will wonder what makes this purée so silky. You can either look away demurely, hoarding your secret, or confess that it’s parsnips. Here, the floral subtlety of these ivory tubers is bolstered by the bite of whole Brussels sprouts leaves.

Roasted Sweet-Potato Rounds with Garlic Oil and Fried Sage

Food editor Shelley Wiseman thinks sweet potatoes are naturally sweet enough when caramelized in the oven, so she eschewed brown sugar and “savorized” them instead with garlic oil. Sage leaves—too potent and fuzzy to eat fresh but mellow when fried—serve as a lovely garnish for this autumnal side dish.

Wild-Mushroom Bundles

Sturdy forest-green collards provide the wrapping for buttery, juicy mushrooms. Elegance comes easily when it comes to these bundles, since they can be assembled a day ahead.

Celery Apple Granita

Before the storm of desserts comes the palate-cleansing calm. This playful, snowy mound of savory celery with hints of green apple and tarragon refreshes after the preceding spread. Counterintuitive as it may seem, taking a break before dessert—to eat a pre-dessert—will help you enjoy the sweet abundance that awaits.

Seckel Pear Tart with Poire William Cream

Adorable Seckel pears are on display in this showpiece, but the essence of pear permeates the entire tart. Honeyed Bartletts are juiced into white wine, creating a poaching liquid for the Seckels. Doubly infused with pear, that syrup becomes the base for the poire William–spiked pastry cream and glaze.

Spiced-Pumpkin Souffles with Bourbon Molasses Sauce

Spiced-Pumpkin Soufflés with Bourbon Molasses Sauce

Though these delicately spiced soufflés reach toward the skies, they capture the fragrant earthiness of pumpkin. Best of all, this airy alternative to pumpkin pie leaves you satisfied, not stuffed.

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