Thanksgiving is right around the corner and those of us in the United States (or homesick expats) who are planning our holiday dinners might want to re-think some of the classics. I'm not saying you should skip on the turkey (that would be insane), but there are some Thanksgiving standards that I think deserve to be seen with fresh eyes. Traditions ought to be perpetuated because they're good or necessary, not just because that's the way people have always done things. If we applied the same logic to cars as we do to Thanksgiving, we wouldn't have standard seatbelts or air conditioning in modern models. I have a wishbone to pick with a few side dishes on the Thanksgiving table and some suggestions for how they can be coaxed into a more pleasing complement to the meal.
First, let's talk Cranberry Sauce. I don't doubt that one out of every thousand or so cooks can make an agreeable fruit relish to join the Thanksgiving feast, but what's the point? Cranberry sauce, even when it's good, is a distraction in both texture and flavor. It doesn't really go on anything like gravy and if it stands alone it usually takes the shape of an unpleasant jelly. Why not skip the sauce entirely and let the noble cranberry take a more respectable form? I suggest two versions of a simple cranberry cocktail. For folks who want to start their meal with a kick, mix up a simple Vodka and Cranberry Juice Cocktail using whatever proportions suit your tastes. It's important to use unsweetened, pure cranberry juice as most store-bought brands are really just mixes with apple or other kinds of juice. Of course, for the non-drinkers at the meal, a simple cranberry juice mix with lemon-lime soda should do the trick as well.
The next target on the list is the arch nemesis of many a Thanksgiving guest: Stuffing. Any cook with his or her salt won't even dare making that objectionable bread stuffing that has plagued the meal for generations, opting instead for a lively apple stuffing or an herb concoction. I'm all in favor of this, though I do think that bread deserves a place at the table. Why not toss out those boring dinner rolls and replace them with a loaf of Homemade Wheat Bread with Whipped Maple Butter? It's simple, unpretentious and it keeps the meal nice and hearty.
The last item I think needs to be re-worked for Thanksgiving is Corn. Anyone who serves corn on the cob at a large, well-attended meal is obviously inconsiderate of guests. Corn on the cob, while delicious, is messy and generally inconvenient. It leaves a big, unsightly cob after the fact that simply can't be pushed aside gracefully. Still, no meal celebrating the American harvest would be complete without America's native cereal. That's why every table ought to have plenty of Savory Corn Pudding. The dish brings out all that's good about corn without any of the drawbacks and it's easy to share with a lot of guests. Make sure not to mix up your recipe with the sweet variety of corn pudding, as that lends itself better to barbecue meals than autumnal feasts like Thanksgiving.
For what is the most iconic meal in American culture, it's important not to fix what isn't broken. That doesn't mean the Thanksgiving our grandparents ate was the perfect version. There's a lot to love at our harvest holiday and there's no such thing as a dish that can't be adjusted to perfection.