As much as we all adore the classic, Norman Rockwell–esque Thanksgiving dinner, serving up the same old turkey and trimmings year after year can get seriously tedious—especially for the cook.
So if you feel ready to veer from the well-trodden path of holidays past, we've put together a Thanksgiving menu like none you've ever seen before. Our centerpiece isroasted turkey marinated in a complex Mexican mole sauceand richly stuffed with masa harina, similar to what's pressed inside the corn husk wrapper of a tamale.
A sprinkling of Native American ingredients make apropos appearances as well. Sweet jícama adds crunch to a sprightlywatercress and orange salad. Pine nuts get sautéed with elegantly slim haricots verts. Cranberries and zucchini are baked intotender mini-muffins. And chiles grace the table in the mole, stuffing, gravy, and a juicypineapple and poblano salsa(standing in for cranberry sauce).
We've also borrowed appealing ingredients from across the globe, such asSpanish smoked paprikato enlivendeep-fried chickpeas(for an addictive starter served alongside olives, radishes, and spiced nuts), and Scottish whisky to spike honey-gilded sweet potatoes.
For the lily-gilding, belt-loosening finale, we've completely eschewed the ubiquitous pecan-apple-pumpkin pie triumvirate in favor of acreamy flan paired with spiced poached quince, and a luscious chocolate cashew pie sweetened with maple syrup.
And to help you get everything done smoothly, we've included a timeline that breaks down this complex meal into doable steps, spread out over a month.
Try this menu once, and you might find yourself hooked on some unexpected but eminently lovable new holiday traditions.
- 1 month ahead:Order turkey (estimate 1 to 1 1/2 pounds per person). Look over recipes; make ingredient and equipment lists. Purchase or borrow any necessary equipment. Mail-order hard-to-find ingredients such as chiles, Mexican chocolate, or masa harina. Purchase other nonperishables now or as far ahead as possible.
- Up to 1 week ahead:Clean refrigerator to create space for turkey and other ingredients. Purchase perishables for muffins, pie dough, and shallot confit. Bake muffins; freeze. Make pie dough; roll out, transfer to pie pan, wrap well, and freeze. Make shallot confit; refrigerate.
- Up to 3 days ahead:Purchase turkey and other perishables. Make spiced nuts; cool and store in airtight container. Make turkey stock; refrigerate. Make mole sauce; refrigerate. Make quince compote; refrigerate.
- Up to 2 days ahead:Defrost pie dough in pie pan in refrigerator.
- Up to 1 day ahead:Make pie; store at room temperature. Make salsa; refrigerate. Prepare mashed potatoes; refrigerate. Prep vegetables: Blanch haricots verts; clean and chop salad and stuffing ingredients. Before going to bed, rub turkey with marinade and refrigerate.
- Thanksgiving Day, about 5 hours before dinner:Preheat oven to 450°F; prepare stuffing. Stuff turkey (transfer remaining stuffing to baking dish, cover, and refrigerate) about 4 hours before dinner time. Roast turkey. Defrost muffins. Chill white wine and beer. If desired, assemble ingredients for cocktails.
- About 2 hours before dinner:Bake extra stuffing alongside turkey; keep warm, covered. Peel and cut sweet potatoes; refrigerate. Simmer honey-whiskey mixture for sweet potatoes; set aside. Fry chickpeas; assemble spiced nuts, olives, and radishes.
- When guests arrive (about 1 1/2 hours before dinner):If necessary, rewarm chickpeas; serve with spiced nuts, etc., and beer, wine, or cocktails.
- When turkey is done (about 1 hour before dinner:Remove turkey from oven; reduce oven temperature to 375°F. If necessary, remove stuffing from turkey and microwave; cover and keep warm. Bake sweet potatoes; keep warm. Make gravy; keep warm. Sauté haricots verts; keep warm. Reheat mashed potatoes and shallot confit in microwave; keep warm. If desired, briefly reheat muffins.
- Dinnertime:Assemble and dress salad; serve. Carve turkey and serve with side dishes. Remove flan and quince compote from refrigerator to come to room temperature during dinner.
- After dinner:Make coffee and tea. Whip crème fraîche for pie. Serve desserts, coffee, and after-dinner drinks.
