Make three lists
I’d like to start by thanking my gracious wife, without whom none of this would be possible, especially this week when she traded seats with me on our flight home from a friend’s wedding so that I could write in what passes for relative comfort at 32,000 feet.
I’d also like to thank everyone who picked up a bit of kitchen kit using last week’s recommended gear list. Just by purchasing a Victorinox chef’s knife (the number one purchased item) or a pair of tongs (numero dos), we’ve raised nearly $150 for Feeding America. And my employer will match my donation, bringing our grand total raised so far to just over $1,100 and more than halfway to the $2,000 goal. That’s amazing, thank you so much!
We return once again to commerce, this week focusing on gathering your ingredients. As the big day approaches, those grocery store runs get increasingly stressful, so I want to provide a strategy to help manage it. This requires a bit of forethought but hopefully will save you from any fights over the last bag of cranberries on Thanksgiving morning (lol as if there could ever be a last bag of cranberries, I feel like that nation’s strategic cranberry reserve accounts for one 12oz bag for every American man, woman, and child). But first, let’s do the roundup.
Things you must do this week
- Get the menu mostly fixed. You’ve likely got a good idea of who’s coming, any dietary considerations, the kind of dinner you want to make, and any co-conspirators. Hopefully, this will make the task of writing out the menu relatively straightforward so go ahead and add the menu to your living document. I don’t get too fussy with categorization — starters, salad and/or soup, turkey (and other mains), sides, sauces, desserts, drinks/wine. Make sure to note any special features of a dish — whether it’s gluten-free pecan pie or vegan mashed potatoes.
- Count the plates and silverware. It’s time to take the rough estimates you made earlier and do some real accounting. Will everyone have a fork? Will you need to clean dishes before dessert to make sure there are enough forks for pie? Thanksgiving is absolutely a time to haul out the good silver and china, so this is an opportune week to do just that, as you’ll want to clean the plates, polish the silver, make sure there are enough cloth (yes, cloth) napkins.
- Count the servingware. I’m often so focused on the food I forget about the eventual presentation and am finally trying to get better at that, but I’ll admit it’s still kind of an afterthought. You’ve already inventoried the kitchen, start to assign trays and bowls to specific dishes, and don’t forget to account for the appropriate serving spoons, forks, and tongs. If you’ve got them, use the fancy serving utensils — they might even match the silver! — instead of the more utilitarian versions you use in the kitchen.
Things you should do this week
- Finalize the seating plan. Take your seating sketch from Week 1 and start to assign seats. You’re not organizing a state dinner here (apologies to headchef@whitehouse.gov) so this is mostly an exercise in accounting for everyone. For big crowds, this will likely mean at least a few different tables scattered around the host’s home, so the first order of business is to make sure there’s a seat for every butt. The kids table is a rite of passage for a reason, but maybe check with parents for kids that are right on the cusp, either too young to avoid making a scene or old enough to warrant an upgrade. If your party is small enough to fit around a single table — a fantastic arrangement for your typical friendsgiving — make sure the table is actually big enough and you’ve got enough chairs.
- Design the table. If you are the type who is capable of handling both the food and figuring out a proper centerpiece, know I am intensely jealous. As I’ve mentioned, I’m blessed with a life partner who excels at table design, so you might also ask for help with this part. I like proper candles at Thanksgiving and to keep any decorations (gourds or otherwise) to a tasteful minimal. If the plan is to have plates of food at the table served family style, you will also want to account for either removing most or all of the decorations so as not to overcrowd the table. And don’t skimp on the kids’ table — a proper tablecloth and cloth (cloth!) napkins will elevate the collapsible card table, though you might want to add some stain remover to the shopping list.
- Figure out wine pairings and other alcohol. I’m far from an oenophile myself, though a few rules I tend to stick to when it comes to wine pairing are: don’t overthink it and drink what you like. When it comes to Thanksgiving, consider pairing with the sides as much as the bird, since there’s really no such thing as a “turkey” wine. This is also a great opportunity to hand off a task to an eager friend who’s less inclined towards cooking. Here are a few to consider:
- Sparkling — Thanksgiving is a celebration, so don’t hesitate to break out the bubbly as the guests arrive.
- Cocktails — Liquor at Thanksgiving can be tricky, especially if you go too strong too soon. As in all things, know your crowd. Rather than putting out bottles for an open bar, I like mixing a batch or two of a seasonal cocktail, and as I get a little older and maybe wiser, I opt for a lower alcohol, session cocktail. Rye, bourbon, apple jack, and rum are solid starting points; a spiced punch or mulled cider is nice, especially if it’s going to be a chilly night.
- Reds — My favorite American wine region is probably Oregon’s Willamette Valley, mostly for reasons having nothing to do with the wine, I just like an underdog. I always try to have a Willamette Pinot Noir on hand; Chilean Pinots are also excellent if you want to cast a bit further out. I also love a Zinfandel or Syrah from California’s Russian River Valley. You will no doubt see shelves stocked with this year’s Beaujolais Nouveau, as it goes on sale to much fanfare exactly one week before Thanksgiving. I used to grab a few bottles but the truth is I just don’t love the stuff, though no one is stopping you!
- Whites — On the spectrum of white wines, my preference is definitely toward the drier, crisper, more acidic end, with a bit of citrus and some tart fruit flavors. A few years ago, my wife discovered the Spanish Albariño and we tend to keep a bottle chilled, it’s an excellent pairing with the flavors of Thanksgiving. Pinot Grigio is another excellent choice, and a dry (absolutely not sweet) Riesling would work as well. Some of my all-time favorite whites are Sauvignon Blancs from Sancerre and it pairs beautifully with everything on a Thanksgiving plate.
- Beer — As the craft beer scene in the U.S. has exploded over the past few decades, the idea of pairing beer with dinner has gone from merely acceptable to positively desirable. Watch for strong flavors, though, like extreme hops or overly spiced. Look for a Marzen, anything labeled Oktoberfest, amber ales, or really anything on the maltier side. With dinner, I don’t want anything that’s excessively dark or chocolatey, though those would make an excellent dessert pairing.
- After dinner — I tend to want one of two things to drink with my three slices of pie: a cup of decaf coffee with a bit of cream, or a glass of aged port, preferably tawny. An amaro is also a nice closer and, allegedly, aids in digestion. The typical amaros you may have encountered — cynar, fernet, or campari — are all fine though maybe lacking in subtlety; look for any of the smaller, craft amaros that are popping up, especially regional variations. It’s also worth tracking down a Spanish vermouth or two.
Things you might consider doing this week
- Account for extracurriculars. If it were up to me, Thanksgiving would be our most sacrosanct holiday, forsaking all other activities. Alas, the world will not abide such lazy foolishness so the long weekend comes loaded with busyness. There are turkey trots to run, football games to cheer on between parades, not to mention grandma’s boyfriend insisting on being the first in line at the annual doorbuster sales. I’m just one man with a newsletter against trillions of dollars of holiday marketing budgets, so let this serve as an early reminder that those of us who carry the torch of Thanksgiving have the rest of the world to contend with.
- Pick out some clothing, schedule a haircut. I know we all have memories of itchy sweaters and having to wear our church shoes to grandma’s on a Thursday, but I think it’s nice to dress it up just a little. Make sure you’ve got a clean shirt, take anything that needs it to the dry cleaners, and get a haircut on the calendar — there are going to be pictures, after all.
A question I sometimes get this time of year is where should one shop for Thanksgiving. I love this question because it implies the existence of some magical, harvest-season marketplace overflowing with pumpkins, cranberries, and persimmons. Of course, this is likely an apt description for your local grocery store as they are swapping out any remaining Halloween decorations for the full autumnal assault. So, the easy answer is also the best: shop where you normally shop, it’s what you’re used to, and they’re likely to have everything you need. You may need to add a few specialty stores — the wine and/or liquor shop if you’re serving alcohol, the butcher to pick up the turkey — but don’t complicate matters by insisting on driving way out to some place you’ve never been to just because you heard they have a special kind of butter.
I would advise you to resist the siren song of too much pre-prepared food — anything that’s overtly pumpkin spiced or explicitly cran. Trader Joe’s — a place I adore and an excellent source for herbs, vegetables, cheese, and nuts — seems to invent new ways to pumpkin spice things every year, and most of them are mediocre at best. Allow yourself one package of Pumpkin Spiced Oatmilk Latte Joe Joe Cookies and that’s it.
Lacking a Thanksgiving-R-Us, the next best thing you can do is to organize your shopping ahead of time. I suggest you start with three lists: one for non-perishables, one for fresh ingredients, and one for the last minute items. Here are some samples:
Non-perishables
You can shop for these now, either with a dedicated trip or as part of your usual grocery run.
- Flours
- All-purpose
- Pastry (blend 50% pastry, 50% AP flours for more tender pie crusts and biscuits)
- Gluten free blend (if making GF)
- White sugar
- Light brown sugar
- Dark brown sugar
- Caro syrup (for pecan pie)
- Kosher salt
- Spices
- Ginger
- Cinnamon, sticks and ground
- Cloves
- Nutmeg
- Libby’s canned pumpkin (yes, it should be LIbby's brand, no you shouldn’t get pumpkin pie mix just canned pumpkin)
- Evaporated milk (for pumpkin pie)
- Pecans
- Hazelnuts
- Walnuts
- Wine
- Spirits
- Soda water (no need to go flavored)
- Ginger ale
- Coffee (pick up some decaf as well)
- Corn meal
- Foil
- Plastic wrap
- Paper towels
- Candles
- Take-home containers (to send guests home with leftovers, provided they’ve behaved)
Produce
Most produce will be fine for a week to ten days, so you can knock out this list starting the week before Thanksgiving.
- Dairy
- Heavy cream
- Milk
- Buttermilk
- Full-fat European style butter (Plugra and TK Irish are brands to look for)
- Cheddar or gruyere cheese (for biscuits)
- Herbs
- Sage
- Thyme
- Rosemary
- Parsley
- Eggs
- Hearty white bread (for dressing)
- Cranberries
- Apples
- Pears
- Oranges
- Mushrooms
- Arugula
- Chicories
- Butternut Squash
- Potatoes
- Sweet potatoes
- Brussels sprouts
- Onions
- Green beans
- Mushrooms
- Flowers (for decorations)
Last minute
With nearly all of the big ticket items out of the way, you’ll hopefully be able to avoid the crowds the week of Thanksgiving, though there are likely a few unavoidable trips. If you pre-ordered a fresh turkey, for instance, you’ll need to pick that up, probably Sunday or Monday.
- Turkey
- Ice (also a great last minute item to assign to overeager guests with nothing else to do)
- More butter (probably)
This is the last time I'll darken your inbox with talk of stuff to buy, now we get to work. Until next time.