Best traditional Thanksgiving dishes

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. You can elevate green bean casserole.

I love making the NYT plum torte (most requested recipe in the history of the NYT, and super easy to boot) with cranberries instead of plums.

Interesting idea about the torte! I may use this one.

[Anonymous]

Corn pudding!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Corn pudding!

Yes! And I will admit to loving the recipe with Jiffy cornbread mix, canned golden and creamed corn, sour cream, and a whole stick of butter.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We have a fairly small group, so we pick our favorite instead of having a bunch of different options (e.g. only one cooked green vegetable instead of green beans AND brussel sprouts). For sides we always include:
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Stuffing
Green beans steamed with butter and salt & pepper
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Some kind of fresh, crisp salad - either a green salad, or a cabbage slaw with apple slices and cider vinegar dressing, or endives and citrus.
Pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie for dessert

That's about the bare minimum as far as my family is concerned. We usually skip rolls because nobody cares that much about them, but some would consider them essential too.

Thanksgiving without rolls? That's almost as controversial as Thanksgiving dinner without a turkey

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. You can elevate green bean casserole.

I love making the NYT plum torte (most requested recipe in the history of the NYT, and super easy to boot) with cranberries instead of plums.

Can anyone post the plum torte recipe?

Here ya go. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte?unlocked_article_code=1.uU8.CXZQ.diwdbfCpOtnK&smid=share-url

I'm the PP who suggested doing it with cranberries. You can do it with pretty much any fruit, and I've made it with many. It's quite rustic looking, so for holiday presentation I do suggest a sprinkle of powdered sugar after it cools. It's pretty much the most delicious and easiest dessert you can make.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We have a fairly small group, so we pick our favorite instead of having a bunch of different options (e.g. only one cooked green vegetable instead of green beans AND brussel sprouts). For sides we always include:
Mashed potatoes
Sweet potatoes
Stuffing
Green beans steamed with butter and salt & pepper
Gravy
Cranberry sauce
Some kind of fresh, crisp salad - either a green salad, or a cabbage slaw with apple slices and cider vinegar dressing, or endives and citrus.
Pumpkin, apple, and pecan pie for dessert

That's about the bare minimum as far as my family is concerned. We usually skip rolls because nobody cares that much about them, but some would consider them essential too.

Thanksgiving without rolls? That's almost as controversial as Thanksgiving dinner without a turkey

Nope.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. You can elevate green bean casserole.

I love making the NYT plum torte (most requested recipe in the history of the NYT, and super easy to boot) with cranberries instead of plums.

Can anyone post the plum torte recipe?

Here ya go. https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/3783-original-plum-torte?unlocked_article_code=1.uU8.CXZQ.diwdbfCpOtnK&smid=share-url

I'm the PP who suggested doing it with cranberries. You can do it with pretty much any fruit, and I've made it with many. It's quite rustic looking, so for holiday presentation I do suggest a sprinkle of powdered sugar after it cools. It's pretty much the most delicious and easiest dessert you can make.

PP here. I'll add that cranberries are pretty tart, so you can toss them in sugar before topping the torte with them if you want. If you like the tart taste, then don't. You could also pair them with a sweeter fruit -- for example some diced apple or pear.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Mashed potatoes. Cranberry sauce. You can elevate green bean casserole.

I love making the NYT plum torte (most requested recipe in the history of the NYT, and super easy to boot) with cranberries instead of plums.

How much sugar do you put in when making it with cranberries?

[Anonymous]

I think for a foreign guest, the key culinary culture experience would have to include:

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed potato
Stuffing
Cranberries.

This is the classic quintet of Thanksgiving dishes and flavors that I think you would find at 90% of homes.

After that, add in any family favorites (Brussels, green bean casserole, rolls).

Personally to me Thanksgiving is not complete without pumpkin pie so I would include that, but I know it is controversial. It is so closely tied to Thanksgiving though that I think it would have to be included for completeness.

[Anonymous]

We use Jiffy corn muffins instead of dressing. I crumble mine and put gravy on top; DH eats his with butter like a civilized person.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We use Jiffy corn muffins instead of dressing. I crumble mine and put gravy on top; DH eats his with butter like a civilized person.

But if you are trying to show a foreign guest what classic American Thanksgiving is, I think you really need the traditional stuffing seasonings combo (sage, onions, salt, pepper) and the bread-pudding type texture.

[Anonymous]

For a foreign guest you should do sweet potatoes - they are much more of a novelty as a new world food.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You can't not have regular mashed potatoes and gravy.

We don't and we do not miss them. We have two kinds of stuffing instead. There is gravy for the turkey but it is not widely used (unless the turkey ends up dry)

[Anonymous]

Baked mac and cheese is probably the most popular item on our table, with apple pie with caramel ice cream close behind.