Much as we love it, Thanksgiving may be the most labor-intensive day in the kitchen all year. And with the flavors varying so much from dish to dish (not to mention from table to table), we know how difficult it can be to pick wines that stand up to and complement everything there is to eat. So, to help you make your Thanksgiving all the more delightful, we present a menu designed by chef Patrick O'Connell of the Inn at Little Washington, while some of Wine Spectator's senior editors tell you what wines they've chosen for their Turkey Day tables.
I've tried wines from all over the world with Thanksgiving dinner, and I've concluded that nothing is perfect, and nothing is terrible. The menu is so diverse that any wine can find at least one good match; the guests, too, are diverse, so offering a range of wine styles makes good sense.
This year, the centerpiece will be a heritage turkey, which has a denser texture and slightly gamier flavor than conventional birds. I put it somewhere between quail and squab on the poultry flavor scale. I find that both red and white Burgundies match well with the meat, so that's what we'll be drinking. We'll open a number of bottles, so we'll probably range from straight Chablis to premier cru-level reds. In order to protect the wines, though, we'll probably avoid the sweet potato and marshmallow casserole.
I'll be drinking Rhône wines for Thanksgiving. Syrah works well with our menu of turkey with chorizo/cornbread stuffing; brussel sprouts sauteed with pancetta; pearl onions in cream sauce and black truffle mashed potatoes—followed by a cheese course, of course.
I'll serve some '85s and '95s, since we're 20 and 10 years after. The 1985 Dervieux-Thieze Côte-Rotie Côte Brune and 1995 R. Rostaing Côte-Rotie La Viaillere are first up. After that, I start pulling bottles based on where my mood takes me.
I always serve Champagne before dinner. Usually
, because it's a fabulous wine and adds a festive touch to an occasion celebrating family and friends. But I also like
I like the versatility of turkey. You can match both reds and whites, although reds tend to go better with the dark meat. Where you run into problems is with the side dishes, so I like to keep it simple—roasted root vegetables, baked sweet potato, sautéed mushrooms.
I like to start any gathering with Champagne. In this case either a non-vintage or vintage blanc de blancs serves as an ideal aperitif. The whites will range from Riesling spätlese from Germany, preferably with some age, to Alsace Riesling, Austrian Grüner Veltliner (great with herbs and earthy, root vegetables) and Chablis (not too much oak). For reds, I prefer Burgundy with some age. There's an appealing earthiness to mature Burgundy, along with sweet fruit. A friend once said, "Volnay is the perfect turkey wine." Though I wouldn't say "no" to a Volnay with my Thanksgiving bird, I wouldn't necessarily limit it to that, either.
I'll be venturing with my wife to San Francisco to have dinner with my parents. In the past, I was lucky enough to tap an assortment of French Bordeaux and California Cabernet in their basement from days of yore. I was always able to dip into it for holiday meals, but that cache was exhausted last year, so I will have to go onto the open market.
As a native Californian, that means I'll be going for the traditional match for turkey: Zinfandel. I love many of the Rosenblum selections. But I'd also like to hunt down a bottle of Ridge Lytton Springs as well, or perhaps I'll go with a Seghesio. I also want to track down a Mount Eden Chardonnay, since my mother prefers whites to reds. For a starter salad, I'll try to get a Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio or rich Campania white.
We usually spend Thanksgiving with some friends we have known for 30 years. Our children grew up together, he's a teaching chef, she's a former food writer, and they love to roast the turkey and lay on the big spread. Rather than choose one wine, I go for an eclectic assortment, because everyone enjoys trying something different with the next glass. So two of the wines I have lined up for this year are the
, because Syrah has the density and the bright fruit to stand up to the range of flavors on the Thanksgiving table and is delicious to drink by itself. Coccinelle was the least aggressive and jazziest of fruit character among Christophe Baron's 2000s, and it's had a couple of years to develop some velvety maturity. The other is the Chehalem Riesling Willamette Valley Dry Reserve 2004 for the appetizers. The classic Riesling flavor profile gets the mouth watering and works perfectly as a starter.
A Thanksgiving Menu
Recipes adapted from Refined American Cuisine, by Patrick O'Connell
Shavings of Country Ham With Parmesan, Apples and Pine Nuts
- 1/2 pound block of best-quality Parmesan cheese
- 12 very thin slices of country ham (preferably Virginia) cut into wide ribbons
- 1 ripe apple, halved and cored (unpeeled)
- 1 bunch baby arugula, washed and stemmed
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- Cracked black pepper to taste
Using a vegetable peeler or cheese slicer, shave the Parmesan into "ribbons." Intertwine a few ribbons of cheese and ham on each of six plates to form a small, fluffy mound. Using a mandolin or sharp knife, slice the apple as thinly as possible. Add a few apple slices to each mound of cheese and ham. Over each plate, toss a few leaves of baby arugula, sprinkle pine nuts and drizzle extra-virgin olive oil. Garnish with cracked black pepper. Serves 6.
Sesame-Dusted Maine Diver's Scallop on Cauliflower Puree
Cauliflower Puree
- 1 small Idaho potato, peeled and roughly chopped
- 2 cups cauliflower florets
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon butter
- Salt and freshly ground white pepper to taste
- Pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
Place the potato in a pot of cold, salted water. Bring to a boil, add the cauliflower and cook until the vegetables are very soft, about 7 to 10 minutes. Drain well. Using a food processor, puree the potato and cauliflower, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the cream, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg and process. Serves 6.
Scallops
- 6 large, fresh sea scallops
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup whole black sesame seeds or minced black truffle
- 2 tablespoons clarified butter
Soak the scallops in ice water for 3 minutes. Dry the scallops on paper towels, season with salt and pepper, and roll the scallops in the sesame seeds or truffle to coat on all sides.
In a nonstick pan, heat the clarified butter over medium-high heat. Carefully add the coated scallops to the hot pan and cook until they are golden brown on both sides, about 2 minutes per side. Do not overcook.
Red Wine Butter Sauce
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 1/8 cups red wine
- 1 shallot, peeled and sliced in half
- 1/4 cup cold, unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- 1/2 cup cold, lightly salted butter, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
- Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
In a medium-size heavy-bottomed saucepan, combine the vinegar, wine and shallot over medium heat and reduce to a syrupy consistency.
Reduce the heat to low and, piece by piece, stir in the unsalted and salted butter with a wooden spoon, incorporating one piece of butter before adding the next. When all of the butter is incorporated, remove the shallot pieces and discard.
Add the salt and pepper. Keep the sauce warm (not hot) until ready to serve. Makes 1/4 cup.
To serve: Spoon a few tablespoons of cauliflower puree onto the center of each of six plates. Place a seared scallop on top of the puree. Slice each scallop in half, exposing the pearly white center. Drizzle the red wine butter sauce around the puree.
Spruced-Up Turkey Brine
- 1 1/4 cups kosher salt
- 3 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 cups honey
- 6 sprigs each of parsley, thyme, tarragon and sage
- 2 sprigs rosemary
- 1 cup pickling spice
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 1 tablespoon juniper berries
- 2 lemons, halved
- 5 star anise
- 8 sprigs spruce branch (or one 2-foot-long branch, cut into small pieces)
- 2 gallons boiling water
Note: You'll have to identify and cut your own spruce branches.
Combine all ingredients except the boiling water in a 5-gallon, heat-proof container that is large enough to hold the turkey. Pour the boiling water over the brine ingredients and let the mixture cool to room temperature. Submerge the turkey in the brine, cover and refrigerate overnight.
Turkey
- 1 fresh turkey, about 18 to 20 pounds
- 1 2-by-2-foot square of cheesecloth
- 2 pounds (8 sticks) butter, melted and warm
- Spruce branches (for garnish)
Preheat the oven to 325° F. Remove the turkey from the brine and rinse it off under cold water. Place the turkey in a roasting pan. Carefully dip the cheesecloth into the melted butter and then lay it on top of the turkey. Place the turkey in the oven and roast for 3 to 4 hours, basting the cheesecloth with melted butter about every 30 minutes. The turkey is done when a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh registers 160° F. Remove the turkey from the oven and allow it to rest for 30 minutes. Carefully remove the cheesecloth and place the turkey on a serving platter. Surround the turkey with spruce branches. Serves 12 to 14.
Cabbage Braised in Champagne
- 3 thick slices bacon, sliced crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces
- 2 cups thinly sliced onion
- 4 cups thinly sliced cabbage
- 1/2 cup Champagne or sparkling wine or white wine
- 3/4 cup chicken stock
- 1/4 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 cup heavy cream
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
In a large sauté pan, cook the bacon over medium heat until it is almost crisp. Add the onions and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 5 minutes, until the onions are translucent.
Add the cabbage and cook until it is wilted. Add the Champagne, chicken stock, thyme and cream, and reduce until the liquid thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 6.
Panna Cotta Parfaits with Cranberry Jelly
Note: You will need 8 tall parfait glasses or Champagne flutes.
Cranberry Jelly
- 6 cups fresh cranberries, washed and sorted
- 3 whole star anise
- 1 strip orange zest
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup cold water
- 1 3/4 cup cranberry juice
- 2 1/2 teaspoons powdered gelatin
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
In the top of a double boiler or in a large stainless-steel bowl, combine the cranberries, star anise, orange zest, sugar and water and cover tightly with plastic wrap. Set the mixture over a pot of simmering water and cook for about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, place the cranberry juice in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. When the gelatin has softened, place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
Stir the dissolved gelatin into the warm cranberry mixture. Strain through a fine mesh sieve and add the lemon juice. You should have 2 1/2 cups of strained juice. If you have less, add more cranberry juice until you have 2 1/2 cups of liquid. Allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
Panna Cotta
- 3 cups heavy cream
- 1 cup milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
- 1/2 teaspoon powdered gelatin
In a 4-quart saucepan, combine the cream, 1/2 cup of the milk, the sugar and vanilla bean. Bring to a boil and remove from heat.
Place the remaining 1/2 cup of milk in a small bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over it. When the gelatin has softened, place the bowl over a small pot of simmering water until the gelatin has completely dissolved.
Stir the dissolved gelatin into the hot cream mixture, cool to room temperature and remove the vanilla bean.
To assemble the parfaits: Carefully fill each of 8 parfait glasses one-quarter full with the liquid panna cotta mixture and refrigerate until set. Pour an equal layer of the cooled fruit liquid on top of the panna cotta mixture and refrigerate until set. Pour another layer of the panna cotta mixture into each glass and refrigerate. Finally, fill each glass with a final layer of the fruit liquid and refrigerate until ready to serve. Serves 8.
