The Think Global, Eat Local Thanksgiving Menu

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“I always have Thanksgiving with my friends and everybody brings a dish. Fortunately, my friends are good cooks.”
—Alice Waters, Chez Panisse

Time to give thanks ... and to celebrate with the delicious harvest of the local farmers and food artisans who bring to market the freshest produce, the most sustainably and compassionately-raised livestock, gorgeous hand-made breads and those delicious artisanal cheeses, preserves, and more.

When you shop locally for your Thanksgiving feast, you're celebrating the glory of real foods — organic and heirloom vegetables, whole grains, fresh seafood — most of which are raised without many hormones and pesticides. And because these foods are local, you reduce the number of miles between your plate and the farm, which is important to those of us concerned about the overuse of fossil fuels.

To get you started deliciously, we've assembled fabulous recipes from top chefs, a compendium of the prettiest local pumpkins for your pies, tips for finding heritage turkeys, and more. Use as many local ingredients as you can find, buy organics for the rest ... relax ... and enjoy!

Appetizer

Chef Waldy Malouf's Roasted Oysters with Shallots and Herbs

Roasting oysters on the half shell is a little different than cooking other things at high heat. The purpose isn’t so much to char and brown them as it is to heat them through, just enough for them to release all their flavorful juices and firm up slightly. These oysters are topped with little spoonfuls of a shallot-white wine-butter sauce, which mixes with the oyster juices and reduces in the oven, while the shallots get crisp. Six oysters make an impressive appetizer, or you can pass the oysters still in their baking dish (wear oven mitts) as an hors d’oeuvre....

Soup

Chef Waldy Malouf's Roasted Butternut Squash with Pear Soup

Squash is an abundant, diverse and delicious vegetable available throughout the fall and winter months. Many varieties of pear keep well in storage, and can be enjoyed months after harvests. This soup combines the two seasonal flavors in a wonderful complement.

Bread

King Arthur Flour Buttery Sage Rolls

Save time by preparing these flavorful rolls a day ahead of time, but just try to keep your hands off them before the Thanksgiving feast!

Salad

Chef John Sundstrom's Roasted Cinderella Pumpkin with Blue Cheese Crostata and Bitter Greens

The ideal holiday salad, this dish offers the best of harvest flavors — green apples, heirloom pumpkin and tangy yet smooth blue cheese.

Main Course

Chef Michel Nischan's Baked Fresh Ham with Roasted Apple and Almond Salad
The Daily Green's Maple-Glazed Turkey with Sage-Infused Butter

Sides

Chef Laura Pensiero's:

Mixed Grain Risotto with Radicchio and Mushrooms
Celery Root Salad
Smoky Root Vegetable Gratin
Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Baby Carrots and Pearl Onions
Garlicky Spinach with Red Peppers and Golden Raisins

Dessert

Alisa Smith's 100-Mile Diet No Spice Maple Pumpkin Pie
Chef Heather Carlucci-Rodriquez's Citron Butter Cookies with Mascarpone Mousse

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