Do you make the same Thanksgiving menu every year? Well, stop that. Even this holiday meal, so rooted in ritual, deserves the occasional refresh. You can’t develop new traditions if you never incorporate anything new. Here’s a curated selection of recipes from the Planet Cheese archives, all of them tested and retested over years of enjoyment.
Zingerman’s Pimento Cheese
My sisters and I still debate whether Aunt Dorothy made the pimento cheese or bought it (I say bought), but either way it didn’t hold a candle to Zingerman’s, a cult classic from the famous Ann Arbor, Michigan, shop. I spoon it into celery ribs, but you could use radishes for dippers or spread it on rye toast. Get the recipe.
Focaccia Bread Pudding with Mushrooms and Goat Cheese
To my frustration, my cornbread dressing never measures up to the memory of my grandma’s, so I’m back-benching it this year in favor of focaccia bread pudding. It’s a proven winner, with many accolades from Planet Cheese readers. Wild mushrooms are a nice touch, if budget allows. Here’s the recipe.
Roasted Butternut Squash with Feta, Pomegranates and Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
Any vegetarians and weight-watching guests will appreciate this side dish. It’s colorful, crunchy, creamy and a healthy alternative to the mashed potatoes. Given the riot of flavors on most Thanksgiving tables, you might omit the yogurt. Get the recipe.
Little Gems Salad with Radicchio, Persimmons, Candied Walnuts and Blue Cheese
Blue cheese adds the umami to this eye-catching autumn salad, a welcome contrast to all the brown food on the table. Of course you’ll use an American blue cheese and you have no shortage of excellent options, from Point Reyes Farmstead’s tangy Original Blue to the new cider-infused Withersbrook Blue from Vermont. Get the recipe.
Deeply Pumpkiny Pumpkin Cheesecake
I haven’t made pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving since I sampled Cenk Sönmezsoy’s silky pumpkin cheesecake, a showstopping make-ahead dessert. I’m glad to have one less thing to do on Thanksgiving, and this luscious cheesecake keeps well for days. Here’s the recipe.