Blog Posts by Food52

What makes a perfect pecan pie -- one worthy of the Thanksgiving table? We say: everything about this one.

>>RELATED: See our favorite pumpkin pie recipe, Meta Given's Pumpkin Pie.

Why? Because this recipe from Melissa Clark's wonderful cookbook Cook This Now is the essence of fall: all of the spiced, toasted, dark, and sweet notes of it. It calls for wholesome maple syrup (instead of the more traditional corn syrup), which you reduce until thick and infuse with a generous amount of spice. A splash of dark rum adds a little punch to the subtly smoky filling, and the crust is a sheer joy: tender and flaky, it's also supremely easy to handle.

It will definitely be on our Thanksgiving tables this year.

>>RELATED: Make perfect pie every time with our Pastry 101.

Melissa Clark's Spiced Pecan Pie with Star Anise

FOR THE PIE CRUST

1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 tablespoons unsalted butter, chilled and cut into ½-inch pieces

When cooking a meal like Thanksgiving, you've got to have your lay-ups: those dishes you know you can count on, the ones to get into mouths quickly and off of your head. Enter: the stress-free hors d'oeuvre. Here are 7 dishes to keep your guests happy while you make your final touches -- 7 pre-Thanksgiving snacks to, well, keep your guests from hurting each other.

• Check out our Pastry 101 to get ready for Thanksgiving pies and tarts.
• Got vegetarians coming for dinner? Check out our 10 Turkey Alternatives to make everybody happy.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Get answers to your burning Thanksgiving questions on the go with our free FOOD52 Hotline iPhone app.

Thoughts are turned toward every devoted home cook's favorite holiday: Thanksgiving. Fluffy pillows of mashed potatoes (or will they be roasted this year?), creamed vegetables, and a butter-basted bird (or deep fried?) -- so much to decide, so much to plot, test, and plan.

As the first pangs of hunger for that glorious feast begin to settle in, so too does a longing for some preemptive super-healthy meals. Sonali's umami-filled Miso and Agave Glazed Salmon and thirschfeld's brilliant Red Cooked Squash together make a perfect pre-holiday meal, the kind you'll want to eat every night until the big day to fortify yourself for the inevitable onslaught of cream and butter that await.

As always, this meal comes together quickly and without fuss -- perfect for a weeknight, but dressy enough for company.

The Menu

Miso and Agave Glazed Salmon by Sonali aka the Foodie Physician

This recipe serves 4

1/2 cup light (shiro) miso
5 tablespoons sake
5

The best part of all of this? Vegetarians like pumpkin pie. And pecan. And apple. Just please, whatever you do, hold the Tofurkey.

•Take the stress out of hosting Thanksgiving with these five tips.
•Serve a delicious vegan pumpkin pie that will please everyone at your table.
•Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Get answers to your burning Thanksgiving questions on the go with our free FOOD52 Hotline iPhone app.

The chilly weather is more than ideal for spicing up your life, especially with this fall and winter favorite: ginger. These six recipes for gingery goodies will without a doubt add a warmth and a zing to your holiday season.

• See more recipes for holiday breakfast on Food52.

• Browse bread, rolls, and muffin recipes from the Food52 community.

• Got a question in the kitchen? The FOOD52 Hotline is here to help!

We're officially heading in a winterly direction and that means it's time to crank up the oven and get roasting. The days are shorter, sunlight (what there is of it) is long and stretched thin, and those long, cold nights call for cozy, earthy food to warm you and yours from the inside out. A shockingly simple braise-roasted chicken -- just season, brown, and roast -- is classic and hearty. Melissav's brilliant Caramelized Squash Wedges get gussied up with a positively inspired ricotta, hazelnut, and sage pesto. Light a fire, open a favorite bottle, and feast.

The Menu

Spatchcocked and Braise-Roasted Chicken by amanda

This recipe serves 4

One 4 to 4 1/2 pound chicken
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
2 large shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, lightly smashed (skins left on)
2 rosemary sprigs
8 sage leaves
1/2 cup fino sherry or dry white wine
About 1 cup chicken broth
1

Thanksgiving might be the tastiest holiday of the year, but it can also be the most stressful. Between entertaining guests, rolling out your pie dough, and ensuring your bird doesn't burn, there can be little room to relax. This year, we've got ten Thanksgiving recipes that you can make now and freeze until the big day. A little work now will save you a lot of last-minute stress. Simply defrost, reheat if necessary, and serve with a smile.

• Start freezing your way to more home-cooked meals.
• Browse Thanksgiving recipes with five ingredients or fewer.
• Got a question in the kitchen? The Food52 Hotline is here to help!

Sunshine for dinner, courtesy of everyone's favorite: Mexican food! Well, Tex-Mex, really. Either way, delicious stuff. A luxurious, simple guacamole to serve (in big generous heaps) alongside lastnightsdinner's perfect mess of migas.

If you wanted to go all the way and mix up a pitcher of these, we would think you were a weeknight superstar and we'd like to know when you'd like us to come over.

The Menu

Not Exactly Grandma's Migas by lastnightsdinner

This recipe serves 6

1 tablespoon rendered pork fat, bacon grease, canola or vegetable oil
1 cup diced onion
kosher or sea salt
1 teaspoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican
6-8 corn tortillas, cut into pieces, about 2 cups total
1 clove garlic, peeled and chopped
1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes with juice
1 canned (or homemade) whole pickled green chile, stem removed
6 extra-large eggs
To serve: shredded Monterey Jack or Cheddar cheese and your favorite salsa

1. Heat the fat or oil in