An Easy Thanksgiving Menu for Beginners

Epicurious.com

Hosting your first holiday feast? It can be daunting: A menu of familiar dishes for which everyone will have expectations, plus the pressure of executing a complicated meal in a timely manner, can make even the most experienced cook wish someone else would take over.

But there's really no need for this trepidation. Armed with good planning and some delicious, dependable recipes, you can calmly serve a wonderful holiday meal to friends and family. I've put together this menu of solid classics, plus I've shared tips drawn from my years of cooking, teaching, and writing about Thanksgiving. Finally, I've added a shopping list and a timeline to help you pull everything off with ease. Who knows-even seasoned cooks might pick up a few pointers here.

EASY THANKSGIVING MENU FOR EIGHT

Tips for a Smooth Thanksgiving:

Build Your Skills Gradually

How do you think Grandma got so good at cooking Thanksgiving? Practice! If you're just starting out, there's absolutely no reason that every item on your menu has to be made by you, from scratch. Your first year, focus on just the turkey, stuffing, and gravy-have guests bring the other dishes (be sure to coordinate what everyone's bringing so you end up with enough of everything). Once you feel that you've mastered these three essentials, the next year branch out to some other dishes. Before you know it, you'll have experience with the entire menu.

Supplement From the Store

In addition to having guests bring some dishes, don't be afraid to purchase things to round out the meal. The key to make it/buy it success is getting top-quality items: Ask your cheesemonger to recommend an assortment of interesting cheeses for a simple, delicious hors d'oeuvre. Find a good local bakery to supply crusty rolls for the main course and a fresh pumpkin pie to accompany the simple homemade apple cake. You may spend a bit more, but you'll save your sanity and, if you find good sources, the bought items can be as good as homemade. Eventually, as you build your skills, you'll be able to branch out to making pies and breads from scratch.

Rein In an Unruly Menu

In my humble opinion, there is just too much food on the typical Thanksgiving table. If I have spent hours in the kitchen, I want my guests to be able to savor the fare, not groan at the sight of food heaped on their plates. With both stuffing and sweet potatoes on the table, I see no need to serve mashed potatoes as well. But if you can't bear to give them up, feel free to add your favorite recipe to this menu. Another tip to bear in mind: Be careful not to have too many casseroles and other baked dishes that need last-minute time in the oven. A sautéed green vegetable, such as the green beans in this menu, can be cooked entirely on the stovetop, and will be a welcome contrast to all the baked carbs.

Rely on Lists, Not Your Memory

There's no such thing as too many lists when it comes to a holiday meal. For this menu, I've put together a grocery list and a timetable, but you'll also want to decide which beverages to serve (wine writer Linda Murphy has provided suggestions in the menu) and add them to the list, along with any sundries (candles, guest towels, camera batteries or film, etc.). If you can, buy all nonperishables in the weeks before the holiday to avoid a last-minute dash. Other organizational tricks that will make things easier: Label serving dishes with the items they'll hold, and tape up a complete menu in the kitchen so you don't forget to serve something. (I'm famous for forgetting the cranberry sauce in the refrigerator!)

Exercise Crowd Control

Thanksgiving is about hospitality, and sometimes the guest list can get pretty big. But this doesn't need to cause panic. Just be sure that you have enough plates and utensils, and if you don't have room for a seated meal, do the menu as a buffet. I've offered recipes for eight servings, but, with the exception of the cake, everything on the menu can easily be scaled up simply by multiplying the ingredients and using larger serving dishes. For more than 12 guests, make a second cake, or add another dessert.

Tighten Up Your Bar Selection

It takes time to make individual cocktails, and time is not something you'll have a lot of if you're hosting Thanksgiving. Consider serving a single "house" cocktail. Murphy's suggestion, a Neo-Politan, uses an infused syrup that can be made well ahead of time and is easy to mix up. For nondrinkers, replace the vodka with seltzer. Or simplify things by just combining vodka (or seltzer) with cranberry juice. With the meal, the wines recommended for each course will keep things interesting, but you could also serve the same wine throughout the entire meal-a full-bodied Pinot Noir or Chardonnay would pair perfectly well with everything on the menu.

TIMELINE

Cooking a holiday meal is labor-intensive, but with this timeline, you can spread it out over a month so it's completely doable. One important tip: Since turkey roasting times can vary considerably, keep things running smoothly on Thanksgiving Day by allowing an extra hour over the time listed in the recipe. This will give it a half hour to rest, and an extra half hour in case it takes longer to cook. If the bird comes out ahead of time, it will easily stay warm on top of the oven until you're ready to serve it.

Up to 1 month ahead: Make turkey stock; freeze.

Up to 2 weeks ahead: Make cranberry sauce; refrigerate.

Up to 3 days ahead: Make apple cake; store at room temperature.

Up to 2 days ahead: Make mushroom soup; cool, cover, refrigerate.

Up to 1 day ahead: Make thyme cream; refrigerate. Blanch green beans; refrigerate wrapped in paper towels. Chop ginger and cashews for green beans; refrigerate with beans for easy locating. Make streusel; refrigerate. Roast sweet potatoes and mash with butter and brown sugar; spread in baking dish and refrigerate. Cook vegetables for stuffing; refrigerate.

Thanksgiving Day:

about 5 1/2 hours before serving turkey:Reheat 9 1/4 cups stock. Preheat oven to 325°F and make stuffing.Stuff turkey (transfer remaining stuffing to baking dish, cover, and refrigerate).Roast turkey, adjusting oven temperature and basting as directed in recipe.

when guests arrive: Remove thyme cream and cranberry sauce from refrigerator. Serve hors d'oeuvres and beverages.

when turkey is done (about 45 minutes before serving turkey): Remove turkey from oven; increase oven temperature to 350°F. Pour turkey drippings into gravy separator; let stand until ready to make gravy. Reheat soup. Heat rolls in oven. Bake remaining stuffing. Bake sweet potatoes. Make gravy; keep warm. Make green beans; keep warm.

before carving turkey : Transfer soup to tureen; serve with thyme cream.

dinnertime :Carve turkey and serve with side dishes.

after dinner: Make coffee and tea. Serve desserts.

Click here for Rick Rodgers' Thanksgiving shopping list


Text and recipes by Rick Rodgers; drink pairings chosen by Linda Murphy

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