Thanksgiving is right around the corner, and the key to a spectacular dinner is being as organized as possible. This is one of the biggest holidays of the year that often comes along with the most preparation and plenty of guests. But with a little forethought and planning, both you and your guests will enjoy a fabulous feast.

Start getting ready a week in advance. Think about the colors and flowers you’d like to use to decorate the table. Take the extra time to pick up anything special you may need to create an unforgettable ambience. On Monday, call your guests to confirm the time.

When it comes to setting the table, you don’t want to be running around at the last minute. A couple of days before the holiday, make sure your table linens are nicely ironed, the silver is polished, and the place cards are made. Also set out your china, crystal, serving pieces, and utensils. To help you keep track, use Post-It stickies to mark what each platter will be used for so there’s no scrambling when the dishes are ready to come out of the oven. (Also compare your serving pieces to your menu so there are no surprises the day of.) And have your table set the night before so all you have to worry about on Thanksgiving is the food!

It’s easy to get overwhelmed when serving so many dishes, but the beauty of this menu is you can start the cooking early. Our delicious butternut squash with apple and bacon soup can be made a day or two before. All you have to do on Thanksgiving is let it simmer on the stove and fill your home with its enticing, succulent aroma. Serve this with warm cheddar and chive biscuits topped with clotted cream for a decadent beginning to your Thanksgiving feast.

For the next course, try my holiday salad. The beautiful blend of arugula, toasted walnuts, goat cheese, crispy bacon, and dried cranberries looks gorgeous on the table, and tastes wonderful as well. This can also be prepared the night before. Store the bowl in the refrigerator so all you have to do is dress the salad come dinnertime.

Of course the main attraction of any Thanksgiving is the turkey, and I like to accent mine with an unexpected apricot pancetta stuffing and a dressing of Italian bread and sausage. The secret to a magnificently moist bird is covering it with cheesecloth before putting it in the oven and basting every 20 minutes. (You’ll remove the cheesecloth for the last half hour so the turkey gets a beautiful, golden brown.) You can save yourself some time the day of Thanksgiving by slicing and dicing the ingredients beforehand, but never, ever, stuff the bird until the day of.

No Thanksgiving is complete without tasty side dishes—which can also be started ahead of time. Haricots verts with toasted almonds are always a favorite, and they can be made the day before and heated up before it’s time to serve. Crispy roasted potatoes with garlic balance the menu nicely. While I suggest preparing this dish the day of Thanksgiving, you can peel the potatoes and slice the garlic and shallots earlier to cut down the prep time. And whether you consider cranberry relish a condiment or serious side dish, add another delicious dimension of flavor with orange zest. (This can be made up to three days before—just don’t finish it before Thanksgiving!)

Be sure your guests leave room for dessert, because the pumpkin fritters with vanilla ice cream and baked apples with honey, almonds, and ginger cannot be missed. For ease and simplicity, the fritters can be made in advance, and you can even pre-scoop the ice cream to make serving a cinch. Just pop the fritters in the warming drawer when you sit down for your main course so they are nice and toasty in time for dessert. Since the baked apples need about an hour and twenty minutes, put them in the oven between the soup and salad.

What’s Thanksgiving without divine libations? This holiday is perfect for warm spiced cider to get guests in the mood. It can also be served chilled in a martini glass, garnished with a cinnamon stick, and spiked with rum or brandy for the grown-ups! This is more preparation you can take care of beforehand since it can be stored in the fridge for up to three days.

And no dinner is complete without wonderful wines. Pairing a special selection with each course can be as easy as bringing your menu to your local liquor store. For the soup, we chose a light Selbach-Oster Zeltinger Sonnenhur Riesling Kabinett. As a nod to my native South Africa, I decided to accompany the salad with a crisp Crossroads Sauvignon Blanc. To compliment the turkey, we selected Salvalai Amarone della Valpolicella, a bold Italian red. And last, but not least, dessert was served with Gilberts Tawny "G" Port.

Menu

Cheddar and Chive Biscuits
Holiday Salad in Trifle Bowl
Colin Cowie's Turkey
Italian Bread & Sausage Dressing
Haricots Verts Salad with Toasted Almonds
Cranberry Orange Relish
Crispy Roasted Potatoes with Garlic
Baked Apples with Honey, Walnuts and Ginger
Pumpkin Fritters with Vanilla Ice Cream
Warm Spiced Cider

Tips

Serving Ice Cream Without the Melt
Spotlight on Port

Video

A Fabulous (Easy) Thanksgiving

Share



↑ Grab this Headline Animator