Thanksgiving

For all those who can't wait to nibble at the skin when the turkey comes out of the oven, these cracklings are for you. You won't believe how insanely delicious they are as the star of this salad. Don't be surprised if you start buying turkey thighs on a regular basis, just to make cracklings.

A cobbler is the easiest way to get to something similar to a pie—meltingly tender and juicy fruit with a crusty topping—without having to make, roll out, and crimp pie dough. Biscuit dough, in general, is easy and fast to assemble, but the cream dough below is a real cinch because you don't even have to blend butter into the flour mixture; you just pour in heavy cream and stir, then pat it out with your hands. A round cutter is your default shape but feel free to rummage through your cookie cutter collection for something fun, such as a leaf or diamond.

The miniature scale of Brussels sprouts makes them the perfect choice for a finely shredded lemony slaw to top the sliders . The freshness of the sprouts along with the little hit of acid in the dressing helps balance the rich flavor of the barbecue turkey.

Agave nectar, a product of the agave plant better known as the source of tequila, blends beautifully with Old World Spanish sherry for a gentle sweet-and-sour glaze and luscious gravy. Because agave nectar has a low glycemic index, it's the new darling of the health-conscious crowd who are trying to lower their sugar intake. Although making the brown turkey stock for the gravy is an extra step, it can be done weeks ahead and frozen, and it's the secret behind a truly memorable gravy.

When stripped of their skin and bones, turkey thighs can look a bit, well, naked. But once they're slathered with a spice paste pungent with garlic, chili powder, and cumin, and then grilled, you'll think you're eating the most tender turkey steak ever, cooked well done, of course. And that, right there, is the beauty of turkey thighs: They can handle the heat, and even if the thermometer goes beyond the ideal of 170°F, the thigh meat will still be juicy and delicious.

This corn bread stuffing is a stroke of genius. It's so easy, you'll be making it far more often than once a year for Thanksgiving! Shelley Wiseman, author of Just Tacos, knows a thing or two about corn—and not just in tortillas—and she decided to skip the process of drying the cubes of corn bread in the oven. That alone is a huge time-saver. To enliven the corn bread, she balances the flavor punch of chorizo with the sweetness of onions and corn kernels. When it comes time to bake it in a dish (not inside the turkey), she forgoes the old process of covering the stuffing—which allows steam to soften the dried bread—because the bread isn't dry. She simply bakes it uncovered, so that the top gets golden with crispy brown edges, while the interior stays moist.

When you've got a native berry that's the foundation for a must-have sauce on every Thanksgiving dinner table across the country, you can count on lots of variations. Just check the Internet. This cranberry chutney is essentially a classic sauce, jazzed up with the more vibrant flavors of pineapple juice, pepper flakes, and clove. The good news is that while it's supermarket-friendly—not hard to find ingredients—it tastes remarkably more complex and nuanced than the short ingredient list would lead you to believe. Aim to make it several days ahead so that the flavors have time to mingle and mellow.

The Thanksgiving table would not be complete without potatoes to absorb all that delicious gravy. Mashed potatoes are the most common, but sometimes you yearn for something with a bit more texture. That's where the Swiss rösti potato cake is ideal. Although you'll see some recipes for rösti that start with raw potatoes, it's more commonly done with whole cooked boiling potatoes that have been chilled at least eight hours, if not a day ahead. Once they are peeled and coarsely grated, you pack the shreds into a skillet and brown the cake on top of the stove. Instead of going through the angst of attempting to flip the cake over to brown the other side, just turn on the broiler and it browns easily in a fraction of the time.

Pumpkin and pumpkin seeds are high in fiber, which helps keep your insulin levels low and in turn may shrink fat cells. Good gourd.

NUT-FREE Thanksgiving dinner without pumpkin pie is almost unimaginable to most people, no matter what their dietary bent. To that end, I present two versions of this iconic dessert. Still, though it’s hard for us pumpkin pie fans to imagine, there are plenty of people who don’t care for it. (“Je n’aime pas le citrouille,” said the Parisian mother of my niece-by-marriage at a recent Thanksgiving gathering. My brother-in-law concurred, “I’m not a big pumpkin pie fan.”) Since I have two pumpkin pie naysayers in my family, I’m sure there are others out there. For them, I’ve provided a trio of additional desserts to choose from. This is just as good made with butternut squash as it is with sugar pumpkin. Once the pumpkin or squash is baked, which you can (and should) do ahead of time, the pie comes together quickly. It goes down very easily, which is why I recommend making two pies for practically the same effort as one.

Upgrade the old-school party staple with this colorful 2011 mix. It can be made up to 1 week ahead.

Slice it and serve with our soft dinner rolls so guests can make mini sandwiches, then use the bone to make soup. Ask your butcher for a whole cured, smoked bone-in ham from the back leg of a pig, or order one from dartagnan.com (ask for the applewood-smoked bone-in whole ham). You can also buy a half ham and cut the recipe in half. Flavor the meat with Riesling from the same bottle you use to make the gelée for the chicken liver mousse .

This rich, soufflé-like dressing derives its texture from stone-ground grits.

This delicate cheesecake is cooked in a water bath and steamed for a supremely light texture. To make sure the homemade-gingersnap-cookie crust stays crisp, wrap the cake pan inside and out with heavy-duty, 18"-wide aluminum foil.

Fresh compote replaces cream-and-egg-laden pie filling.

Use butternut squash or a small, firm cooking pumpkin such as a sugar pumpkin for the best results.

Use any combination of red or black grapes to achieve a deep purple color.