WOW! I can’t believe it’s already been a year since my last Thanksgiving dinner. I love doing this so much for my friends, and I knew that it had to be done again.
I decided to do it a week early so that I could get these recipes out to you so that you can make them for your Thanksgiving. I’ll be linking all the recipes here and detailing my entire prep schedule from start to finish.
I truly, truly hope this helps you make your own magic this year and take the leap to start hosting! So, without further ado:
CLICK THE NAMES TO SEE THE RECIPE
My menu:
Appetizer:
Caramelized Onion & Gouda Tart
Mains:
Sides:
Delica Squash w/ Whipped Maple Ricotta
Brown Butter & Maple Dinner Rolls
Desserts:
Snickerdoodle Ice Cream Sandwiches
My prep schedule followed 4 days so that it doesn’t get overwhelming! I try to only do 3-4 hours a day, but you could even break it into 2-hour blocks a day and do it over a longer period of time. Most of these things are easily freezable.
Day 1:
Do a first round of grocery shopping for the things I am going to make first and freeze.
Make my stock & freeze
Make my tart dough, roll & freeze
Make my brown butter in bulk & freeze (I made about 1kg of brown butter for all the different things)
Day 2:
Make cranberry sauce and refrigerate
Make milk bread rolls, shape and freeze (I recommend freezing them on a baking sheet, and then once frozen, you can stack and layer them to save space. Stacking while soft can affect the shape and rise)
Make my maple sugar
Make snickerdoodle cookies and freeze
Make my ice cream base and freeze
Make the gravy and freeze
Day 3:
Have larger grocery shop for perishables
Churn ice cream and assemble ice cream sandwiches- freeze
Make caramelized onion & gouda mix for tart- refrigerate
Make mushroom duxelles for beef wellington- refrigerate
Make butternut squash puree- refrigerate
Grate all cheese for mac & cheese- refrigerate
Infuse milk with garlic & herbs for mac and cheese
Infuse milk & cream with garlic & herbs for mashed potatoes
Cut the bread and let it dry out overnight
Make whipped maple ricotta for squash
Make brine for turkey
Make glaze for turkey
Make glaze for dinner rolls
Make carrot glaze
Sauté aromatics for stuffing with brown butter- refrigerate
Day 4:
Pick up turkey and beef
Brine the turkey and refrigerate it uncovered
Sear beef and wrap in prosciutto and duxelle, wrap and chill overnight
Make pecan pie, bake, let cool, and wrap- store on the counter overnight
Pan-fry squash, let cool, and refrigerate
Make mac & cheese sauce, combine with par-boiled pasta, and refrigerate
Mix stuffing mix into bread and refrigerate
Day 5- GAME DAY
Take rolls out to thaw, let them rise, and then bake and glaze
Label platters with dishes
Peel potatoes, boil, and make mashed potatoes with infused milk. Cover and set to the side
Peel carrots and par-roast them
Bake covered stuffing for an hour
Bake the squash until tender
Make mac & cheese crumb topping
Set up the living room and tables
Assemble and bake the onion tart
Wrap beef wellington in pastry and let it chill in the fridge
Take the turkey out to come to room temperature
Get ready
Put turkey in oven (calculate time needed based on size of turkey + resting time)
Put beef wellington in the oven (calculate time based on the size of the meat + resting time)
Serve tart + charcuterie boards when people first arrive
Once one oven is free (beef wellington probably), put your mac and cheese and stuffing in to get hot and browned.
Once the turkey is out and resting, finish roasting your carrots, get your squash hot again, and warm your bread rolls in the oven.
Have your gravy heating up in a pot.
Have your mashed potatoes heating slowly on low heat with some extra milk and cream.
Put your cranberry sauce in a bowl
Carve turkey once rested and keep covered. Plate the rest of your sides.
Have your friends start putting things on the table and slice up your beef wellington.
Enjoy the fruits of your labor!!