7 Recipes That Will Add a New Twist to Your Thanksgiving Dinner

Everyone has their favorites at the Thanksgiving table, and heaven help the cook who takes one of them away. A colleague summed it up perfectly: “You can always add, but you can never subtract.” That creates a conundrum for ambitious cooks tired of making the same things over and over—and over again.
In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium low heat and sauté the onion, garlic, and fennel until soft, about 10 minutes. Transfer to the mixing bowl. Toss in the thyme, broth, 3/4 cup of half-and-half, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow the mixture to sit for a minute to absorb the liquids. If it feels too dry, add a little more half-and-half. It shouldn’t be too soggy. Toss in the chestnuts, if using.
Spoon the stuffing mixture into each muffin cup, packing it down and filling it slightly above the top. Bake until the edges are nicely browned, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove from the oven and let sit for a minute before serving.
In a medium saucepan, combine the cream, broth, thyme, garlic, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and bring to a boil over medium heat. Remove from heat and let the mixture steep, stirring occasionally, until ready to use. It should steep at least 15 minutes.
Heat 2 tablespoons butter in a 12-inch skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook until just beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add sugar and cook, stirring frequently, until onions are browned, about 8 to 10 minutes. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping up any browned bits on the bottom of the skillet, until liquid has evaporated and onions are deeply browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer caramelized onions to a medium bowl.
Layer half of potatoes on the bottom of the prepared baking dish; sprinkle with half of the black pepper. Spread caramelized onions over potatoes and top with remaining potatoes and remaining pepper. Slowly pour cream/broth mixture over potatoes.
Place baking dish on a large, rimmed baking sheet and bake until bubbling around edges, about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a food processor, combine the bread cubes and Gruyère cheese. Pulse 4 or 5 times, until the mixture is coarsely chopped, about the size of peas. Transfer to a medium bowl and mix together with Parmesan and melted butter.
Top potatoes with Gruyère bread mixture and bake until the topping is golden brown and a knife inserted into the center meets little resistance, an additional 30 to 40 minutes. Loosely tent with foil if browning too quickly. Let cool 15 minutes. Serve.
In a medium skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat until melted. Continue cooking, swirling pan constantly until butter is dark golden brown and has nutty aroma, 1 to 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Reserve 2 tablespoons of the browned butter and set aside until ready to serve. Keep the remaining brown butter in the skillet and return to the stove over medium heat. Add the whole sage leaves and cook for 20 to 30 seconds until they’re stiff, but not browned. Remove and transfer to a paper towel. Add the chopped sage to the butter and cook for 30 seconds. Immediately pour the butter mixture into the pot with the sweet potatoes. Add the brown sugar and salt and stir to combine. Taste and season with more salt, if necessary. Place back over medium heat and cook, stirring, for 2 to 3 minutes, or until hot.
What’s old is new again in fashion and, apparently, in the kitchen. Recipes for molded salads are making the rounds, but with some important updates. This recipe doesn’t require gelatin (or Jell-O); when the cranberries are cooked right, they can hold their own in a mold. Speaking of molds, don’t worry if you didn’t hang onto yours. A loaf pan or cake pan will do (we used a Swedish almond cake pan) or hop on the nostalgia bandwagon and use an empty (and clean) soup or vegetable can to get those ridges you know you want. This recipe must be prepared in advance. Adapted from a recipe by Alton Brown for the Food Network.
Combine the orange juice, cranberry juice, honey, cinnamon sticks, and ginger pieces in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the cranberries and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens. Do not cook any longer as the pectin will start to break down and the sauce will not set as well. Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 5 minutes, removing cinnamon sticks and ginger pieces.
Spray a 3-cup mold with unflavored cooking spray. Carefully spoon the cranberry sauce into the mold. Place in the refrigerator for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
Add cheese and diced apple and mix all the ingredients together with your hands so everything is combined. Add the buttermilk and fold in with a wooden spoon, making sure not to overmix. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rest for 30 minutes at room temperature.
Pumpkin spice latte has become a ubiquitous fall treat, but most of those super-sweetened coffees topped with a dash of cinnamon don’t do justice to the concept of spice, nor to the earthy flavor of pumpkin. We sought to marry espresso, warming spices and pumpkin purée for a spin on the classic pumpkin pie (adapted from Bon Appétit). The autumnal pie spices tended to drown out the coffee flavor when we added brewed coffee or espresso powder to the filling, but for those who prefer their holiday extra caffeinated, feel free to add more. Instead, we got our espresso hit from a layer of coffee ganache lining the inside of a buttery crust, and a pile of coffee meringue (both ideas from Erin Jeanne McDowell’s “The Book on Pie”) that added a sweet, creamy toastiness akin to the foam on a latte. Note: We used a frozen crust from Vikings & Goddesses bakery ($5) in St. Paul, and for espresso powder, we like the Medaglia d’Oro brand, available at most supermarkets.
To prepare the ganache: Place white chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl. In a small bowl, mix espresso powder into heavy cream until dissolved, then add the coffee-infused cream to the chocolate. Set the bowl over a small saucepan of barely simmering water and heat, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate is fully melted and the mixture is thick and smooth. When the parbaked pie crust is completely cool, pour the ganache into the bottom of the crust and spread into an even layer. Chill until ready to add the filling.
To prepare the filling: Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, cinnamon, salt, ginger, cloves, and nutmeg until no clumps remain. In a small bowl, mix espresso powder into heavy cream until dissolved. To the sugar mixture, add eggs, pumpkin, condensed milk, coffee-infused cream, maple syrup, and vanilla and whisk until smooth. Pour into the chilled crust. Bake pie until edges are set and slightly puffed but center is recessed and wobbles like Jell-O, 60 to 75 minutes (it will continue to set after baking). Transfer to a wire rack and let cool at least 3 hours.
To prepare the meringue: Bring a medium pot filled with about 2 inches of water to a simmer over medium-low heat. Set a medium bowl over the pot, add the egg whites, cream of tartar, sugar, salt, and vanilla. Whisk to combine. Then heat, whisking constantly or beating with a hand mixer, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F on a thermometer. Remove the bowl from the heat and add espresso powder to the mixture. Continue to whisk or transfer the heated mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment. Whip the mixture on medium-high speed until it reaches medium peaks, 2 to 3 minutes.
To serve: Pile the coffee meringue on top of the cooled pie, keeping it mounded a bit higher in the middle. If desired, toast the meringue with a kitchen torch. Garnish with a sprinkling of cinnamon.
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