Seven Thanksgiving classics prepared five ways

Nov. 8, 2017 9:45 AM PT

Thanksgiving can leave little leeway when it comes to tradition and the dinner table. Although the feast may vary slightly by region, family dynamics and personal history, most menus aren’t complete without requisite dishes. Cranberries, stuffing, vegetables, gravy and potatoes are bookended with turkey and pumpkin pie. They can be as mandatory at the table as politically neutral conversation and a well-thought-out seating chart.

Still, there are ways for a cook to be creative and have fun. Here are seven of our favorite Thanksgiving classics, each fixed five different ways. For full recipes, visit our California Cookbook online.

Potatoes

Creamy mashed potatoes: Boil Yukon gold or russet potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain and return to the pot, then mash with butter, milk and cream.
Olive oil mash: Boil potatoes in salted water until tender. Simmer milk, garlic, rosemary and thyme. Strain infused milk, and reheat with olive oil. Drain and mash potatoes, stirring in the olive oil-milk mixture. Add some olive oil and black pepper.
Brown butter mashed potatoes with fried sage: Boil potatoes until tender. Fry sage leaves in butter, then cook the butter until browned. Mash potatoes, stirring in hot milk, yogurt, seasoning and browned butter. Add the sage leaves.
Roasted garlic smashed potatoes: Cook whole red boiling potatoes in salted water until tender. Coarsely mash with roasted garlic cloves, heavy cream, sour cream and seasoning.
Mashed potatoes with root vegetables: Boil parsnips, celery root, turnips and baking potatoes with garlic until tender. Drain, mash and add butter, nutmeg, warmed milk and seasoning.

Stuffing

Crispy mushroom dressing with apple and sage: Cook mushrooms with apples, celery, shallot and garlic, then add chicken broth and gravy. Combine with homemade croutons, chicken fat and butter. Bake and top with fried sage.
Texas corn bread dressing: Cook celery, green onions, onion, parsley and garlic in butter. Combine with corn bread, thyme, sage and rosemary. Add stock, seasoning and eggs, then bake.
Avis Hatheway's wild rice dressing: Combine wild rice with onion and celery, mushrooms, sage, garlic and cream of mushroom soup, then bake.
Pumpkin seed stuffing with chorizo: Toss corn bread cubes with pumpkin seeds, roasted chiles, Spanish chorizo, garlic, seasoning, butter and chicken broth, then bake.
Basic bread stuffing: Combine bread cubes with onion and celery, seasoning, herbs and turkey stock, then bake.

Sweet potatoes

Sweet potato-Gruyère gratin: Bake whole sweet potatoes, then peel, slice and arrange in a baking dish. Season, add whipping cream, crème fraîche, Gruyère and butter, then bake.
Roasted sweet potato wedges: Toss wedges of sweet potatoes with oil and seasoning, then bake.
Thelma Moore's sweet potato soufflé: Blend mashed sweet potatoes, sugar, eggs, cinnamon, nutmeg, milk and butter. Bake, then top with corn flakes, pecans, brown sugar and butter, and continue baking.
Thomas Jefferson’s sweet potato biscuits: Stir together flour, brown sugar, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, ginger and allspice. Add shortening and cooked mashed sweet potatoes, then cream and pecans. Cut out the biscuits and bake.
Sweet potato puree with hazelnut souffle top: Puree baked sweet potato with egg yolks, brown sugar, orange zest, butter and salt, then put into ramekins. Beat the egg whites to stiff peaks, and fold in chopped hazelnuts. Mound the egg whites over the sweet potatoes in the ramekins and bake.

Brussels sprouts

Brussels sprouts with bacon and chestnuts: Steam the sprouts and render the bacon with shallots. Add chestnuts and chicken broth, then the vinegar and sprouts.
Brussels sprout salad with mustard vinaigrette: Separate sprouts into leaves and blanch. Combine the leaves with dried cranberries, blueberries, almonds, mustard vinaigrette and Manchego cheese.
Cleo's Brussels sprouts: Separate sprouts into leaves and deep-fry. Toss with vinaigrette, chile flakes, capers, almonds and parsley.
Wilted Brussels sprouts with walnuts: Slice sprouts and sauté in olive oil, then toss with vinaigrette and walnuts.
Creamed Brussels sprouts with hazelnut crumbs: Sauté shallots with milk, chicken broth and flour, then stir in steamed sprouts. Top with bread crumbs, hazelnuts and thyme and bake.

Cranberries

Mom Parsons' cranberries: Boil sugar, water, cloves, allspice and cinnamon sticks, then add cranberries and cook. Add grated orange zest, cool and refrigerate 1 to 3 days (remove spices).
Cranberry, orange and pecan relish: Pulse cranberries, an orange, pecans and honey in a food processor, then chill and serve.
Quick pickled cranberries: Boil cider vinegar, water and maple syrup. Add cinnamon, cloves, star anise, orange zest and ginger. Weight cranberries in liquid, refrigerate and serve.
Ruby Port cranberry sauce: Reduce Port, sugar, cinnamon, allspice, peppercorns and orange peel, then add cranberries. Cool, remove spices and orange peel, cover and refrigerate.
Jellied cranberry sauce: Cook cranberries with cranberry juice and water. Puree, stir in pectin and boil then add sugar. Refrigerate until set.

Gravy

Turkey gravy with giblets: Brown the turkey neck, giblets, onion, celery and carrot. Add wine and stock and reduce. Discard the neck and giblets, and puree the stock with the vegetables, thickening with cornstarch.
Basic deglazing sauce: Sweat shallots and thyme in a turkey roasting pan, then reduce with red wine. Add stock, reduce further, mount with butter and strain. , then gently whisk in butter. Strain into a sauceboat.
Cognac sauce: Sweat shallots in a turkey roasting pan, then add Cognac or brandy and demi-glace and reduce, strain and mount with butter.
Giblet gravy: Simmer onions, carrots, celery and giblets in water with bay leaf, parsley and thyme. Strain, dice the gizzard and heart and set aside. Place stock in a turkey roasting pan, scraping any flavoring from the bottom. Remove the liquid from the pan and separate out the fat. In a saucepan, cook a little fat with flour, then slowly whisk in stock. Before serving, stir in chopped giblets.
Turkey gravy: Boil the giblets with water, onion, carrot, celery and peppercorns. Cover and simmer, then strain. Discard the neck and chop up the giblets. When the turkey is done, add 1 cup broth to drippings, heat and scrape flavorings from the bottom of the pan. Skim and save the fat. Heat a little fat and stir in flour. Stir in the stock-drippings mixture and cook until the gravy boils and thickens. Add cream and stir in giblets before serving.

Pumpkin pie

Pumpkin pie: In a par-baked shell, combine spiced pumpkin filling with maple syrup and bake. Cool before slicing.
Pumpkin bars: Spread shortbread dough on the bottom and sides of a baking pan and bake. Pour over pumpkin filling and bake. Cool and cut into bars.
Bruléed pumpkin pie: Bake pumpkin pie and cool completely. Before serving, line the crust edges with foil and sprinkle sugar over the cooked filling. Brulée until the sugar caramelizes.
Pumpkin pie with bacon and bourbon crust: Bake pumpkin pie in a shell flavored with bacon fat and bourbon.
Mini pumpkin chiffon pies: Bake miniature pie shells using pie dough formed in muffin tins. Cook pumpkin custard until set, then beat egg whites with cream of tartar and sugar, and combine that meringue with pumpkin custard. Pipe the filling into shells, then top with whipped cream and nutmeg.