From appetizers to dessert and everything in between, there are a lot of moving parts that go into a Thanksgiving feast. We’ve collected some of the most relevant new cookbook releases to help you nail them all. Bon appetit!
Pecans: Recipes & History of an American Nut (Rizzoli) by Barbara Bryant & Betsy Fentress; Recipes by Rebecca Lang
Pecans are all about Fall, and this cookbook provides a cornucopia of ideas on how to incorporate this delicious nut into your Thanksgiving meal. Of course, there is a great recipe for “Classic Pecan Pie,” but consider the role pecans can play in unique side dishes (“Baked Acorn Squash Stuffed with Rainbow Chard, Pecans, and Herbed Barley” or “Pancetta Brussels Sprouts with Pecan Dusting,” to name a few). Or how about “Sweet Potato Pecan Hummus” for a fun appetizer variation or three-ingredient “Funsten Holiday Pecans,” perfect for your holiday party or as a great hostess gift? Accompanying the 65 recipes are insightful essays about the history of the pecan, perfect for sparking some table talk around this Thanksgiving staple.
The Side Dish Bible: 1001 Perfect Recipes for Every Vegetable, Rice, Grain, and Bean Dish You Will Ever Need (America’s Test Kitchen)
Looking for a side dish that’s a little less … nutty? You will find over a thousand in the latest installment to the America’s Test Kitchen book series. From “potatoes every way,” to veggies, grains, salads and even bread, this cookbook has something for everyone’s taste (and skill level). There are even chapters specifically for “holiday classics” and “dinner party winners.” But Thanksgiving-worthy ideas abound throughout this volume. And, of course, every recipe has been tested by the ATK team.
Beautiful Boards: 50 Amazing Snack Boards for Any Occasion (Rock Point) by Maegan Brown
Not everything you make for T-Day has to be complicated. The simplest of ingredients can wow a crowd through the art of presentation. Snack boards are a welcome addition for the grazers in your family — particularly those glued to the football game in the living room. Brown (a.k.a. The BakerMama) presents some wonderful inspiration for entertaining and holiday boards — classic “cheese and charcuterie” and beyond — that are veritable feasts for the eyes. But this gorgeous book will take you through the rest of the year, too, with great board ideas for breakfast and brunch, “assemble it yourself” meals, desserts, everyday snacks and special occasions like birthdays.
Harvest Homestyle Meals (Gooseberry Patch)
I have a friend who collects (and swears by) the type of homespun cookbooks compiled by church ladies, women’s auxiliary organizations, school PTAs and the like. These are treasure troves of blue-ribbon state-fair winners and secret family recipes, complete with quirky annotations and sometimes puzzling cooking directions. Publisher Gooseberry Patch has made a small cottage industry of collecting such recipes from its many friends, fans and followers. The results are “best of” roundups from around the country interspersed with line art, craft ideas and thematic anecdotes. The recently published Harvest Homestyle Meals is Gooseberry Patch’s latest fall-themed cookbook. Contenders for this year’s spread include “Delicious Scalloped Potatoes,” “Aunt Maxine’s Cheese Log,” and “Mom’s Pumpkin Pie.”
The Joy of Cooking (19th Edition) (Scribner) by Irma S. Rombauer, Marion Rombauer Becker, Ethen Becker, John Becker and Megan Scott
The classic culinary bible has been newly updated and revised for today’s kitchen and tastes — just in time for Thanksgiving! As Kathy Doyle Thomas, chief strategy officer of Half Price Books, explains in a recent interview, the book remains true to its roots as the first major cookbook that actually taught people the core skills of cooking, as opposed to simply cataloging recipes with vague cooking directions like “a pinch” of this, “a dash” of that and “put in a hot oven until done.” All of which remains good news for those of us who are not quite “turkey experts.” With a recipe for any food you can think of and lots of information and advice, The Joy of Cooking is the perfect kitchen partner for preparing a Thanksgiving meal.
Honorable Mentions
For those of us who are clinging desperately to the edge of our diets as “feast season” descends upon us, there are two new cookbooks with recipes that might (just might) sneak under the radar as holiday fare. For Keto devotees, there’s the independently published Keto Thanksgiving & Christmas Cookbook: Delicious Low Carb Holiday Recipes Including Mains, Side Dishes, Desserts, Drinks and More for the Festive Season by Ketoveo. For those of us who want to reboot our eating habits before the new year, The Whole30 Friends & Family: 150 Recipes for Every Social Occasion (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt) by Melissa Hartwig Urban has the potential to turn one of the world’s most anti-social diets into a Friendsgiving opportunity.
