The best Thanksgiving recipe is a well planned out meal that you and your entire family can enjoy. To start off your feast recipe you should have either a hot soup or an appetizer. This way your guests can have something to snack on while waiting for the main course. Excellent Thanksgiving soup and stew options include: pumpkin soup, winter squash soup with sage, artichoke bisque and parsley-lemon gremolata, sherried wild rice soup, creamy pear and parsnip soup and and jalapeno-ginger butternut squash soup. Good appetizer options you can try are: spicy pecans, northwest smoked salmon crepes, sweet potato-cotija triangles with red chile jelly and baked dates in cheddar-rosemary pastry.
Next in your perfect Thanksgiving feast recipe is the main course, turkey. Consider the following seven excellent ways to make a turkey for Thanksgiving:
- Dry-Cured Rosemary Turkey which is a nice option for those who want a truly juicy Thanksgiving turkey.
- Turkey with Chili-Sage Glaze has hot red pepper and orange marmalade jelly to give you turkey both a sweet and spicy kick.
- Ojai Roast Turkey with Rosemary, Lemon and Garlic. This will give you turkey an excellent smell in addition to taste for your guests.
- Guajillo-Tamarind Turkey gives you meal a Southwestern tang with the help of guajillo chiles and a Tamarind pulp.
- Classic Roast Turkey this is the standard recipe that is delicious with butter or olive oil to cook the turkey.
- Spice-rubbed Roast Turkey. You can purchase five different spice rubs for this turkey including Chinese Five-Spice, Jamaican Jerk, Provencal, Red Curry and Southwest Chili. These are an excellent option for those who are short on time when cooking their Thanksgiving meal.
- Barbecued Turkey. This is an excellent option for those who prefer to cook their turkey outdoors and want an excellent smoked flavor to the turkey.
Next you want to consider an excellent side dish to your turkey. Consider some of the following ideas when selecting your perfect side dish.
- Cauliflower Gratin with Queso Cotija. This dish uses Cotija which is a cheese that is salty and crumbly. It can also be made using jack cheese and feta in case you can’t find Cotija.
- Oven-Roasted Roots. This recipe uses root vegetables such as potatoes, carrots and onions but you can include any root vegetables that you prefer.
- For those that want a cream and cheese rich side dish then you should consider Potato, Leek and Mushroom Gratin.
- A light and fresh side dish can be Trio of Peas with Pearl Onions which is tossed in a little melted butter and rosemary.
Assuming after eating such a large meal you still have room for dessert you should consider some of the follow Thanksgiving desserts for the perfect ending to your Thanksgiving recipe. Apple-Cranberry-Currant Pie, Cranberry-Pear Crisp, Roasted-Sweet Potato Cheesecake with Maple Cream, Bread Pudding with Caramel Sauce, Soymilk Pumpkin Pie, Pumpkin Chai Pots de Crème, Caramel-Cloaked Chocolate-Hazelnut Torte, Praline Pumpkin Torte and Pumpkin-Orange Mascarpone Pie.
