Set the table early, and other tips for Thanksgiving hosting
Hosting Thanksgiving isn’t for the faint of heart. There are more dishes than you might usually serve. More timing concerns because of that. More pots and plates to wash. And perhaps more family dynamics, buried deep below the surface for the other 364 days a year, that threaten to bubble up through the gravy.
Well, I can’t do anything about your family dynamics (if I could I would start closer to home). But I can share tips and tricks I’ve picked up over the years, along with advice from some other Thanksgiving Dinner pros.
TURKEY ROASTING
As Scott and Becker note, “A turkey is actually two roasts in one. The breast is thick, lean and will begin to overcook the minute it exceeds 165 degrees Fahrenheit. The leg quarters, on the other hand, are bonier, fattier and practically impossible to overcook. In fact, we find that they have the best texture when cooked to 175 degrees or above.”
They recommend separating the legs from the breast toward the end of cooking to get both dark and white meat perfect.
“When the breast reaches an internal temperature of 155-160 degrees Fahrenheit, remove the turkey, and carefully (using a dish towel and a sharp knife) cut off the whole legs,’’ they say. ‘‘Return the leg quarters to the pan and cook them until they register an internal temp of 175 degrees. Meanwhile, tent the breast loosely while the legs finish cooking.”
If you want to warm up the breasts before cutting and serving, they suggest adding them to the back of the pan at the end. True, you don’t end up with a whole turkey dramatically presented and carved at the table, but Scott and Becker are right that “your guests will appreciate a properly cooked turkey more than a turkey as centerpiece.”
STUFFING
Sure, you can use a mix, but Daniel Leader, cookbook author and bread baker in New York’s Hudson Valley, suggests making your own. You might be surprised by the bread he recommends, and an intriguing secret ingredient: “I love to use slightly dark, gnarly sourdough bread with its nooks and crannies for stuffing. I cut up a little over a pound of bread into 1-inch cubes and mix with a generous 1/3 cup of local bourbon from Tutthilltown Distillery nearby in Gardiner, New York. I saute a mix of onions, celery, carrots, local honey crisp apples, garlic, fresh thyme, rosemary, combine it all, and add chicken stock as needed.”
Leader stuffs his bird with the mixture, but you can also bake it separately.
VEGAN FRIENDLY
Isa Chandra Moskowitz, a vegan chef and author, suggests using olive or coconut oil instead of butter to help turn vegetarian dishes vegan. This works for stuffing if the bread and vegetable broth are also vegan, for candied yams, and for any vegetable you need to saute or roast. She also suggests making smaller, vegan versions of dairy-rich dishes. For mashed potatoes, for example, “set aside a few potatoes for your vegan guests and mash with olive oil, salt and pepper for yummy smashed potatoes.”
While you can find vegan roasts to stand in for the turkey, Moskowitz likes lentils as a protein.
“A shepherd’s pie with mashed lentils, stuffed squash with lentils, or a mushroom lentil stew would both be delicious accessible mains for everyone at the table, in addition to whatever else you are serving,’’ she says.
HOUSEKEEPING
Set the table the night before, or earlier. All of it — glasses, centerpieces, pitchers for drinks, etc. Take out every serving platter, bowl and utensil you will need, and create a little label saying what will go into each dish.
Get thee a cooler: Fridge space is a hot commodity on Thanksgiving, so buy yourself some extra real estate with a big cooler or two filled with ice. Use these for drinks, whipping cream, salad dressing, anything that doesn’t need to be sitting on a flat surface in the fridge.