Thanksgiving Recipes: All-Star Edition

Thanksgiving is all about being grateful and all about the FOOD! We've rounded up the best traditional and innovative dishes for you to try at this year's Thanksgiving dinner from our All-Star Chefs!

Potato Gratin by Chef Ludo Lefebvre

​Mashed potatoes are great, but this creamy, cheesey Potato Gratin is the perfect dish to bring to dinner!

Ingredients

• 5 Garlic Cloves, Divided
• 1T Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature
• 2 Medium Shallots, Quartered Through Root Ends
• 2.5 Cups Heavy Cream
• 1T Kosher Salt
• 1 Tsp Black Pepper, Freshly Ground
• 1T Fresh Thyme Leaves, Plus More For Garnish
• 4lbs Russet Potatoes, Peeled And Thinly Sliced On A Mandolin
• 3oz Gruyere Cheese, Finely Grated
• 1oz Parmesan Cheese, Finely Grated​​

Method

1. Preheat oven to 325° Fahrenheit.  Slice 1 garlic clove in half and rub the inside of a shallow baking dish with the cut sides.  Spread the unsalted butter completely over the inside of dish.
2. In a small saucepan, bring the quartered shallots, cream, salt, pepper, 1 tablespoon of thyme, and the remaining 4 garlic cloves to a simmer in a small saucepan over low heat.  Cook until the shallots and garlic are very soft, about 15–20 minutes.  Let cool slightly. Transfer to a blender; blend until smooth.
3. Layer the potato slices in a prepared dish.  Pour cream mixture over potatoes and cover dish tightly with foil.  Bake potatoes until tender and creamy, about 60 minutes.  Let cool.
4. Place rack in highest position; heat broiler.  Remove foil and top the potatoes with Gruyère and Parmesan.  Broil until cheese is bubbling and top of gratin is golden brown, 5–10 minutes.  Serve topped with more thyme leaves.

Crispy Squash Blossoms by Chef Seamus Mullen

It's time to embrace Squash Season! If you've never had fried squash blossoms - this dish is a MUST!

Ingredients

• 1 Cup Farmers Cheese
• 1 Clove Grated Garlic
• Heavy Drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• Pinch of Sea Salt
• 2 Cups Olive Oil for Frying (Save and Reuse)
• 1 Cup Cassava Flour
• Enough Beer Or Soda Water to Make a Thin Batter
• Sprinkle of Paprika
• Cilantro to Garnish

Method

1. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, combine Farmer’s Cheese with EVOO, grated garlic and sea salt and fold together, then spoon into a ziplock back and cut a tiny hole in the corner edge to pipe the cheese into the blossoms.
2. Working one by one, carefully squeeze the blossoms full of the cheese mixture, then seal the petals together to close.
3. Pre-heat the oil for frying in a deep pot over medium heat until just below smoking, about 350 F on a candy thermometer.
4. In a large bowl, combine the cassava flour with the beer or soda water and a pinch of salt and whisk until smooth.
5. Working one at a time, lightly batter the blossoms, coating evenly, then slip them into the oil. Try not to crowd the oil, depending on the size of the pot you may need to fry them one at a time.
6. Remove to a plate lined with a paper towel, then plate in a shallow bowl with a sprinkle of paprika and a few leaves of cilantro.

​Chorizo and Cornbread Stuffing by Chef Aarón Sánchez

​What’s Thanksgiving without stuffing? This stuffing is loaded with Aarón’s chorizo and will definitely kick your dinner up a notch!

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh Aarón’s Chorizo (View recipe)
• 1 medium white onion, finely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
• 1 celery stalk, finely chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 cups coarsely crumbled cornbread
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for garnish (optional)
• ½ cup chicken stock (low-sodium store-bought is fine)
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• Grated cotija cheese, for garnish (optional)

Method

1. ​Preheat the oven to 350° F.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium heat and cook the chorizo, breaking it up with a spoon and stirring occasionally as it cooks, until it begins to brown, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the onion, carrot, celery and garlic to the chorizo and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have browned, about 10 minutes.
4. Add the crumbled cornbread and cilantro. Gradually stir in enough of the stock so the stuffing is not too dry but at the same time not too wet. Stir gently and well.
5. Butter a small casserole dish. Spread the stuffing in an even layer. Bake until it's heated through and lightly browned on top, about 20 minutes. Serve right away, garnished with the cilantro and cotija, if desired.

Pot Roast by Chef Suzanne Tracht

​Maybe you’re tired of turkey and want to switch things up this year. Try out this pot roast recipe for a change!

Ingredients

• 1 boned out denuded short ribs, 3-5 pounds
• 4 carrots, peeled
• 2 large onions
• 1 bunch celery
• 1/2 bulb garlic (does not need to be peeled)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup sherry
• 3 quarts chicken stock
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• Salt & Pepper
• extra onion to caramelize and carrot to roast to garnish

Method

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
   
2. In large pan heat oil just to the smoking point.
   
3. Season meat liberally with S & P, then sear both sides in the pan to dark crisp. Remove meat and set aside. Pour oil from the pan into heatproof container to cool, then discard.
   
4. Using the same pan, add sherry and reduce by half.
   
5. Peel and rough chop carrot, onion, celery. Place in large braising pan with bay leaf and garlic. Place pot roast on top of vegetable mixture, pour reduced sherry on top of the roast.
   
6. Add enough chicken stock to cover 3/4 of the meat. Cover with foil.
   
7. Cook 3 hours.
   
8. Garnish: After the pot roast has cooled strain the jus from the vegetables and mix it with caramelized onions and roasted carrots. Place this on top of your roast.

Apple Pie by Chef Duff Goldman

​We believe that there’s no greater dessert to have on Thanksgiving, than pie!

For the Filling

• 6 cups diced apples (use whatever apples you want. I like Fujis. They taste like they have honey in them. Experiment with different apples and find a flavor and a texture that you like)
• 1 T lemon juice
• 1 stick butter
• 1/4 c granulated sugar
• 2 T brown sugar
• 3 1/3 c apple juice
• 1/2 c cornstarch
• 2 t cinnamon
• 1 t salt
• 1 t nutmeg
• 1 t cloves
• 1 t cardamom​

For the Streusel

• 1 c sugar
• 1 c flour
• 1 stick butter
• Vanilla
• Pinch of salt
• Pinch of cinnamon

For the Pie Dough

• 2¼ cups all-purpose flour
• Pinch of kosher salt
• Big pinch of sugar
• 1 to 1½ sticks (½ to ¾ cup) cold butter, cubed (1 stick will make prettier pie crust, 1½ will make butterier, more delicious pies)
• 5 to 6 tablespoons ice water
• 1 tablespoon vinegar (nothing distinct like balsamic, but rice wine or distilled white are totally cool) or lemon juice

Method
Pie Dough Directions

1. Whisk together salt, sugar and flour.
2. With your fingers, tear off pieces of the butter and toss them in the flour. Massage the butter into the flour until you have nice big chunks of buttery flour in what looks like sand.
3. Add half the water, stir in with a wooden spoon. Gently! Add the rest of the ice water and the vinegar and fold with a wooden spoon until the dough forms.
4. Wrap in plastic wrap and rest in the fridge. Overnight if you can!

Streusel Directions

1. With the paddle attachment on a stand mixer or with an electric egg beater, cream together butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, cinnamon.
2. Add the flour and mix until the streusel looks like chunky wet sand (kinda). If the streusel becomes a dough, add flour until it becomes wet sand.
3. Store in the fridge, wrapped, for like a week tops or in the freezer indefinitely.

Apple Directions

1. Peel the apples. Do not put them in water for crying out loud! Cut the apples into slices. Not too thin. Like one centimeter on the obtuse end.
2. Toss the slices in the sugar and the cinnamon. Melt the butter on the stove in a large sauté pan. If you don't have a big sauté pan, do the apples in batches.
3. Fry the apples in the butter nice and hot and get some color on them. Set the apples aside in to cool at room temp.

Goo Directions

1. In a deep saucepot, bring the cider or apple juice to a fast simmer. Reserve 1/2 cup of cider.
2. In a bowl, whisk together the cornstarch, sugar, salt, cardamom, nutmeg, cloves, and cinnamon.
3. Whisk the reserved cider into the dry ingredients and create a thin paste. If the paste is too thick, add water a few drops at a time until it loosens up. Slowly drizzle the the paste into the simmering cider while whisking the cider with a firm hand. When the goo thickens and becomes translucent again, turn off the heat and add 1/2 stick of butter to it, set aside to cool.

To Bake the Pie

1. Line the pie pan with dough and decorate as you see fit. Do your best! You're putting a lot of effort into this pie. Make it beautiful, too.
2. Toss the apples and the goo together in whatever ratio you want. You don't have to use all the goo. It's delicious on ice cream. Fill the pie about 4/5 full.
3. Fill the rest of the pie with streusel. Use a lot of streusel. It's delicious, too.
4. Bake at 375 in the middle rack until the top gets light golden brown. 20-30 minutes. Then place an empty sheet tray on the top rack and bake for 15 more minutes. If the top starts getting too brown, pull it out and wrap the top in aluminum foil.
5. This pie will be good for a day or two but don't be silly: this pie should be consumed before it has a chance to cool.

We hope you have a lovely, delicious and safe Thanksgiving with your loved ones this season!