There are people who’ve planned out their Thanksgiving meal a month in advance, who’ve pre-ordered their bird before the first of the month and have the table set. Then there are those of us who wait until the very last minute to make sure the meal comes together. That’s okay, too, because guess what? With a little bit of advanced planning and diligence, you can have a Thanksgiving meal go from fridge to table in five hours. Here’s what to do.
A few notes on the menu below: Before you start, have all the ingredients for the recipes checked off your grocery list, as well as frozen pie dough that’s been defrosting in the fridge. (If you don’t have time to make your own, in a pinch, a high-quality store-bought crust will work.) You don’t have to spatchcock your turkey in advance, but it will save you a bit of time if you do. If you find extra downtime as you prep, use it to clean up as you go. And it goes without saying that you should make sure you’ve read all six recipes completely through before rolling up your sleeves and getting to work!
- Hour 0/T-minus 5 hours: Roll out pie dough and parbake piecrust. Start on the turkey stuffing.
- Hour 1/T-minus 4 hours: Finish making the turkey stuffing; pipe the stuffing into the turkey.
- Hour 2/T-minus 3 hours: Put the bird in the oven. Blanch the green beans and make the vinaigrette.
- Hour 3/T-minus 2 hours: Make the cranberry sauce and the pumpkin pie filling. Take the bird out and tent it.
- Hour 4/T-minus 1 hour: Fill and bake the pumpkin pie. Make the gravy. At the very last minute, toss the green beans and and wrap the breadsticks.
- Hour 5/Showtime! Pop open that bubbly and give yourself a pat on the back.
Start with an appetizer that’s so easy, you didn’t even have to think about it: breadsticks wrapped with prosciutto. It’s not so heavy that it’ll stuff your guests, but it’s a salty bite that will pair well with any cocktail or glass of wine. Save this task for last: Any guests that arrive early can help you assemble it, and—worst case scenario—you can serve the breadsticks and prosciutto separately and guests can assemble it themselves.
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Chef Tyler Florence’s recipe for turkey and stuffing takes only 3 hours and 15 minutes from start to finish. For maximum cooking efficiency, he pipes the stuffing between the skin and the breast. He also spatchcocks his turkey, or removes the backbone, which increases the bird’s surface area and allows the turkey to cook much faster. To save time, ask your butcher to spatchcock your turkey.
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Gravy is a snap to prepare with our turkey gravy base—just add milk, then simmer and serve. It’s a real time saver (and stress saver) when you’re trying to get all the other dishes to come together at the last minute.
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Ginger-Citrus Cranberry Compote
Fresh ginger and orange enliven cranberry sauce in this 15-minute recipe from Haven’s Kitchen in New York City.
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Green Beans with Toasted Hazelnuts and Lemon Zest
Skip the creamy, heavy green bean casserole in favor of a light presentation with lemon zest and toasted nuts that requires nothing more than a quick blanch-and-toss with an easy vinaigrette.
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If you make the pastry dough in advance, this easy pumpkin pie takes an hour or less.
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See more of our Thanksgiving menus here.
1 comment
Quite interesting article and awesome thanksgiving menu. Keep sharing.