Thanksgiving Menu

I think every feast should begin with an appetizer/hors d'Oeuvre/canapé. Tapenade is generally made with olives, but I'm especially fond of this version made with artichokes. Use the best olive oil you can get then simply spread it on a slice of toasted country bread, enjoy it with a glass of dry Vermouth with an ice cube, and provide plenty of napkins. Make the tapenade up to a week in advance.

A pair of pan-roasted duck breasts are a richly-flavored alternative for two to turkey on Thanksgiving. Going with breasts eliminates (or at least minimizes) leftovers. In a nod to tradition, I want to include cranberries, so I'm going to make a sweet/tart cranberry coulis as a sauce for the hen rather than gravy. Although you'll want to cook the breasts on Thanksgiving Day, they don't take long and the coulis can be made a few days in advance. (Note: a typical duck breast is 12 ounces, so three breasts, sliced, will feed four people if you're having company.)

Although some claim it does, in my opinion Pureed Cauliflower tastes nothing like mashed potatoes. And although it sounds a bit like a Gerber food product for toothless infants - it's not, by any stretch. Cauliflower is one of the world's most misunderstood vegetables. An afterthought in raw vegetable platters or steamed and drenched in butter, too often the vegetable's essential flavor is ignored. This recipe begins by steaming the cauliflower, but then reduces it to a thick pudding and adds cream and butter, but the tangy goat cheese really kicks it over the top. Make this the day before and reheat it in the microwave.

Skip the flavorless green beans in canned cream of bland soup, these beans feature garlic, pancetta and (don't flinch) anchovies. But the anchovies are very much in the background. Steam the beans in advance and shock them in cold water to stop the cooking and set the color, then they'll only take five minutes or so to sauté just before serving them.

I developed this recipe for Rice Pilaf with Mushrooms & Sausage as a stuffing for roast Cornish hens - and it does indeed make a great stuffing. But it's equally as good as a side dish with chicken, lamb, or fish. In the recipe I call for Italian sausage because most folks have access to that, but almost any raw sausage will work depending on what you’re serving the pilaf with. This dish is best if made just before serving, but the prep can be done in advance.

Sweet Potato Pie is an old Southern favorite. It looks like and is usually flavored like pumpkin pie and I've had it many times in my life - well, several times anyway. But I'd never made it until I was sent a copy of the Lee Bros. Southern Cookbook to review. Their recipe intrigued me because it included buttermilk, so I made it. It's seriously good.