Thanksgiving Party Plan

As voted by the Kelly Confidential Community
  • Colin Cowie

    Colin Cowie - Lifestyle Expert

    Respected around the world as an arbiter of fun, Colin Cowie is widely known for designing and producing the most spectacular celebrations across the globe. He is also the author of eight best-selling books on weddings and living with style.

    Setting: Cozy Harvest

    Thanksgiving is a celebration of the harvest, so make your table rich and inviting. The colors of fall – dark browns, okras, and ambers – are a great inspiration. Why not set the table with alternating styles of place settings if you don't have enough glasses and dishes to serve all your guests? You can also borrow from friends.

    A few clusters of amber votive candles lend a gorgeous glow, and groupings of different sized pumpkins impart a wonderful fall feel. Branches and leaves from the garden mixed with fruits and vegetables from the grocery store can also be scattered on the table or in decorative bowls.

    Place all your serving platters on the table first, and build your centerpiece around it, so when it's time to put the food on the table, there's no last-minute scrambling to make room. Write your guests' names on green or red apples or pears.
  • Tim Love

    Tim Love - Pioneer of Urban Western Cuisine

    Most well-known for his flagship restaurant in Ft. Worth, Texas - The Lonesome Dove Western Bistro - Tim Love has earned critical acclaim since his Bistro's opening in 2000. Love's newest restaurant is called The Love Shack, a classic burger joint with a casual outdoor atmosphere. In all of his restaurants, the self-taught chef replaces his toque with a cowboy hat and like a true Texan, the foundation of Love's cuisine is wild game, huge cuts of Texas steer, antelope, buffalo and wild bore.

    Appetizers: Beef Skirt Steak Skewers

    • 16 ounces beef outside skirt steak cut to 1 inch cubes
    • 1 serrano chili
    • 1 poblano chili
    • 1 red onion medium
    • ¼ canola oil
    • 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
    • 2 cloves garlic minced
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • Wooden skewers soaked in lemon juice
    1. Make sure the skewers soak for at least 1 hour
    2. Julienne the chilies and onion
    3. In a bowl, mix the chili, onion, garlic, rosemary, and oil
    4. Add meat and massage for a minute (use gloves or mix with tongs)
    5. Leave at room temperature for 30 minutes
    6. Skewer meat and refrigerate until ready to grill
    7. Heat grill on high
    8. Season skewers with salt and pepper
    9. Place skewers on grill for 3 minutes per side and serve
  • Hosea Rosenberg

    Hosea Rosenberg - Winner of Bravo’s Top Chef

    Most well-known as one of Bravo’s Top Chef winners (Season 5), Hosea Rosenberg has also won numerous awards and accolades during his tenure at Jax Fish House in Boulder, CO. Having graduated with a BS in Engineering Physics, he later found his true love in the kitchen and has since won Best Chef of the Denver International Wine Festival two consecutive years and is the seven-time undefeated winner of the Flatiron Chef Competition.

    The Turkey: Whiskey, Maple & Thyme Roasted Turkey

    • 15 pound turkey, giblets and neck reserved
    • 1 lemon, cut in half
    • 1 large onion, cut in half
    • 10 garlic cloves
    • 1 small bunch fresh parsley
    • 1 small bunch fresh thyme
    • Bay leaves
    • 2 tablespoon Kosher Salt
    • 1 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
    • 1 cup whiskey
    • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
    • 1 teaspoon lemon zest
    • 1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme leaves
    • ½ cup maple syrup
    • ½ cup water
    • 4 cups turkey stock
    • ¼ cup butter
    • ¼ cup flour
    • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped thyme
    • 1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley
    • Salt and pepper
    1. Rinse and pat dry turkey. Season all sides, including cavity, with salt and pepper.
    2. Stuff with lemon, herbs, onion and garlic. Combine whiskey, lemon juice and zest, thyme, maple and water in bowl. Set aside.
    3. Place turkey in roasting pan and roast at 350 until thigh meat reaches 165. During final 20 minutes of roasting, brush liberally with whiskey mixture and baste with drippings.
    4. Remove from pan and let rest for at least 30 minutes. To make gravy, bring stock to boil in roasting pan with drippings. Skim off fat.
    5. Melt butter in skillet and wisk in flour. Whisk into stock and simmer, stirring often, for about 15 minutes. Add herbs and season with salt and pepper.
  • Lourdes Castro

    Lourdes Castro - Culinary Expert

    As a culinary teacher, writer and consultant, Castro created the first-ever, on-premise cooking school at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Florida and is a part-time instructor at New York University's Food Studies department, where she teaches food science. With her expertise in effectively explaining culinary concepts and techniques, Lourdes has channeled her ability into writing two books: a Mexican cookbook and a Spanish-English dictionary of culinary terms.

    Vegetables: Fallen Corn Soufflé

    • 5 cups fresh corn kernels (about 8 ears fresh corn)  or 5 cups frozen corn kernels, defrosted
    • 2 tablespoons milk
    • 4 large eggs, separated
    • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
    • 1 ½ teaspoons salt
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    1. Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch square or round baking dish with butter. Set aside.
    2. Combine the corn and the milk in a food processor and puree until the corn is well blended. The result will be a mixture with a rough consistency.
    3. Put the egg yolks in a large mixing bowl and, using a rubber spatula, mix until well blended. Add the pureed corn mixture, melted butter, cornstarch, and salt. Mix well.
    4. Put the egg whites in a bowl. Using an electric hand-mixer, beat until stiff peaks form. Using the same rubber spatula, stir one-quarter of the beaten egg whites and the baking powder into the corn mixture. Carefully fold in the remaining egg whites.
    5. Pour the corn mixture into the prepared baking dish and bake for 1 hour. The tart is ready when a skewer inserted in its center comes out clean and the top is golden brown.

  • Alex Guarnaschelli

    Alex Guarnaschelli - Executive Chef, Butter

    Guarnaschelli is executive chef at New York City's Butter restaurant, an instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education, and a television food personality. A graduate of Barnard College, she has worked at a number of restaurants, including Larry Forgione's An American Place and Guy Savoy's La Butte Chaillot, as well as Daniel Bouloud's eponymous restaurant and Joachim Splichal's Patina before becoming the chef at Butter.

    Starchy Sides: Mashed Potatoes Chantilly

    • 3 pounds Idaho potatoes, washed
    • 2¼ cups heavy cream
    • 1½ - 2 cups parmesan cheese, grated
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    1. Preheat oven to 450° F.
    2. Arrange potatoes on a baking sheet and place the tray in the center of the oven.
    3. When the potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven. Lower the oven temperature to 375° F.
    4. Split potatoes in half scoop out the flesh in the center. Transfer to a bowl. Discard the skins.
    5. Whisk in ¼ cup of the heavy cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.
    6. Whip the remaining cream until it is fairly stiff. Slowly whisk in the whipped cream into the potatoes. Fold in all but ½ cup of the parmesan cheese.
    7. Transfer the potato mixture to a baking dish and top with the remaining cheese.
    8. Bake in the oven 20-25 minutes or until golden brown on top.
  • Floyd Cardoz

    Floyd Cardoz - Executive Chef/Partner Tabla

    As a pioneer of New Indiane cusine, Floyd is the executive chef and partner of Tabla in New York City, where he channels the sensual flavors and spices of his native land, India. Floyd also cooks home-style Indian fare in the restaurant's street level Bread Bar. Prior to opening Tabla and Bread Bar, Floyd was raised in Bombay and Goa and attended culinary school in Bombay where he apprenticed in the ktichen of the Taj Mahal Intercontinental Hotel.

    Cranberries: Cranberry & Dried-Fruit Chutney

    • ½ stick cinnamon
    • 3 star anise
    • 2 whole cloves
    • 2 cups orange juice
    • 2 cups apple cider
    • 2 cups sliced dates
    • Zest from 2 oranges
    • ¼ cup julienned peeled fresh ginger
    • 2 cups quartered dried apricots
    • 3 cups fresh cranberries
    • ½ tablespoons ground black pepper
    • 1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
    • ¼ cup cider vinegar
    1. Place a 6 quart heavy bottomed pot over moderate heat and combine the cinnamon, star anise, cloves the orange juice and cider.
    2. Bring the mixture to a boil and add the dates, zest, ginger, apricots, cranberries, black pepper, yellow mustard seeds, and vinegar.
    3. Vigorously simmer the mixture until the liquid is reduced and the fruits are softened and tender, about 1 ½ hours.
    4. Serve either cold or warm