Ruth Cousineau
Ruth Cousineau was the Test Kitchen director for Gourmet from 2006 until the magazine shut its doors in 2009. Formerly a corporate chef, then a pastry chef, Cousineau ran a restaurant in Vermont before joining the team at that venerable publication. She also developed and tested recipes for Woman’s Day, Redbook, and Family Circle. Her book, The Tomato Imperative, was a James Beard Award nominee. She resides in Vermont, where she works as a freelance chef and food consultant.
Extra-Moist Turkey with Pan Gravy
The secret to this succulent bird is an inexpensive metal pan. We used the kind of old-fashioned oval roaster found in most supermarkets, not fancy cookware stores. These lightweight enameled pans with lids simultaneously roast and braise the turkey, so it stays moist even as it cooks quickly. Simply uncover it at the end to crisp the skin. Ample pan juices add a fragrant richness to our easy gravy.
Quick and Rich Turkey Stock
No matter how fast you prepare Thanksgiving dinner, you must have gravy, and you must have stuffing. And both need homemade turkey stock. This one is fast, even with the time it takes to brown the giblets, neck, and wing tips. You can mostly ignore it while it simmers, but you wont be able to deny its enriching, ennobling presence in your finished gravy and stuffing.
Sage Stuffing
You cant go wrong with a traditional bread stuffing, especially when its enlivened with fresh sage and celery leaves. Broad chunks of baguette, golden and crisp on top, soak up turkey stock and buttery juices from the sautéed onions and celery.
Cider-Poached Apples with Candied Walnuts, Rum Cream, and Cider Syrup
We had to forgo apple pie for this quick menu, but this deconstructed take is just as satisfying and very sophisticated.
Cranberry Tangerine Conserve
Throw everything in the pan, and voilà! Cranberry sauce. Its just five ingredients simmering on the stove, but it tastes beguilingly complex. Tangerine juice and zest, fresh ginger, and plump golden raisins add a citrusy, spicy sweetness to tart, bursting cranberries.
Roasted Potatoes and Shallots
Yukon Golds go creamy and crusty at the same time when roasted with caramelized shallots. Although salt and pepper are all this dish needs, a spoonful of gravy on top is certainly welcome.
Carrot Fennel Soup
What a soup. Carrots and fennel caramelize when roasted at high heat, then release their sweet essence when blended. A drizzle of fennel-seed oil echoes and intensifies the fennel flavor.
Smoked-Turkey, Plum, and Fennel Salad
You might expect to find smoked duck breast in a sultry, sensual main-course salad like this one, but here we use smoked turkey, which makes it a lot more affordable and a little bit more robust. Both good things.
Fresh Strawberry Pie with Whipped Cream
There is nothing like this pie. It was created by test kitchen director Ruth Cousineau, and if there were ever a laurel to rest on, this would be it. The berries are key, so look for local ones (those that travel least taste the best) that are plump, fragrant, and fully ripe, with no white shoulders. One of the miracles here is that the gelatin will be set just enough so that you can easily cut a slice, but it's not bouncy.
Jerusalem Artichoke Pickles
The small, knobby tubers called Jerusalem artichokes grow wild all along the Eastern Seaboard, and southerners have long prized their sweet, nutty crispness in turmeric-spiked relishes and pickles. Countless cooks south of the Mason-Dixon Line have inherited a yellow-stained index card that reads something like this.
Coleslaw
This finely chopped slaw has just the right balance of sweet and tart. It goes on top of the pulled pork, not alongside it.
North Carolina Pulled-Pork Barbecue
This classic pulled pork is the ultimate holiday weekend grilling project.
Watermelonade
You would be hard-pressed to find something more refreshing than watermelon. This cooler is easy to make, beautiful to behold, and not too sweet. You'll want a pitcher of it in the refrigerator all summer.
