Ina Garten's Thanksgiving Recipes from Google

From Barefoot Contessa Parties!

Remember how your mother used to get up at 4 a.m. on Thanksgiving so she could put the turkey in the oven to roast for ten hours? Then she had to baste it all day to keep it from drying out, which, of course, it did anyway? Forget it. A 12- to 15-pound turkey cooks in 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and you let it rest for at least 20 minutes before you carve it. Everyone will say, “This is the best turkey I ever ate.” I use an organic turkey whenever I can.

• 1 fresh turkey (12-15 pounds)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons butter (1/2 stick), melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Take the giblets out of the turkey and wash the turkey inside and out. Remove any excess fat and leftover pinfeathers and pat the outside dry. Place the turkey in a large roasting pan. Liberally salt and pepper the inside of the turkey cavity. Stuff the cavity loosely with the Herb & Apple Stuffing (recipe follows). Brush the outside of the turkey with the butter and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Tie the legs together with string and tuck the wing tips under the body of the turkey.

Roast the turkey for 2 1/2 to 3 hours, until the juices run clear when you cut between the leg and the thigh. Remove the turkey to a cutting board and cover with aluminum foil; let rest for 20 minutes.

Slice the turkey and serve with the stuffing.

Serves 8.

Herb & Apple Stuffing

For one large turkey

• 16 cups (1-inch diced) bread cubes (2 baguettes)
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
• 2 cups medium-diced yellow onion (2 large onions)
• 2 cups medium-diced celery (3 large stalks)
• 2 Granny Smith apples, unpeeled, cored, and large-diced
• 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
• 1 1/2 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 cup chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 1/2 cup sliced blanched almonds, toasted (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.

Put the bread cubes on a half sheet tray and bake them in the oven for 7 to 10 minutes, until toasted.

Meanwhile, in a large sauté pan, heat the butter, and add the onions, celery, apples, parsley, rosemary, salt, and pepper and saute for 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.

In a large bowl, combine the toasted bread cubes and cooked vegetables and add the chicken stock and almonds, if desired. Taste for seasoning. Place the stuffing loosely in the cavity of the turkey. Any extra stuffing, place in a baking dish and bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees, or along with the turkey for the last half hour of roasting.

Be sure not to stuff the turkey in advance—stuff it and place it in the oven soon afterwards.

From Barefoot Contessa Parties!

There are three secrets to great popovers: Make sure the pan is hot before you pour in the batter, fill each section not more than half full, and no peeking while they’re in the oven. They’re much easier than you expect, and they make any meal feel festive.

• 1 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, plus softened butter for greasing pans
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, sifted
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 3 extra-large eggs at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups whole milk at room temperature

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Generously grease aluminum popover pans or custard cups with softened butter. You’ll need enough pans to make 12 popovers. Place the pans in the oven for 2 minutes to preheat. Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, salt, eggs, milk, and melted butter until smooth. The batter will be thin. Fill the popover pans less than half full and bake for exactly 30 minutes. Do not peek.

Serve hot.

Makes 12.

From Barefoot Contessa Parties!

I substitute caramelized apples for the traditional marshmallows on top of this sweet potato puree. It's delicious and adds a wonderful natural sweetness. Of course, you can always make this with marshmallows for the children!

• 4 pounds sweet potatoes* (about 6 large)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/2 cup heavy cream
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick), melted
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

For the topping:

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 McIntosh or Macoun apples, peeled, cored, and cut into eighths
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Scrub the potatoes, prick them several times with a knife or fork, and bake them for 1 hour, or until very soft when pierced with a knife. Remove from the oven and scoop out the insides as soon as they are cool enough to handle. Place the sweet potato meat into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment and add the orange juice, cream, butter, brown sugar, nutmeg, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Mix together until combined but not smooth, and pour into a baking dish.

For the topping, melt the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the apple wedges and brown sugar and cook for about 5 to 10 minutes, until lightly browned on both sides. Place on top of the sweet potatoes.

Bake the potatoes and apples for 20 to 30 minutes, until heated through.

* It may be called a yam in the grocery, but chances are it’s a sweet potato, which comes in many colors from pale yellow to dark orange.

From The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook

All of us remember those boiled, mushy Brussels sprouts that are served at Thanksgiving but everyone is surprised how delicious this vegetable can be when it's tossed with olive oil and roasted with lots of salt. And it's so easy!

• 1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts
• 3 tablespoons good olive oil
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

Cut off the ends of the Brussels sprouts and pull off any yellow outer leaves. Mix them in a bowl with the olive oil, salt, and pepper. Turn them out on a baking sheet and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until crisp outside and tender inside. Shake the pan from time to time, to brown the Brussels sprouts evenly. Sprinkle with more kosher salt (I like these salty like french fries) and serve.

Serves 6.

From Barefoot Contessa Parties!

This is a variation of my favorite holiday recipe from The New York Times Cookbook. I've been making it since I was married in 1968. I often make it with and without nuts—it's delicious with the turkey and then it's great in sandwiches with the leftovers!

• 1 12-ounce bag of fresh cranberries, cleaned
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
• Grated zest and juice of 1 orange
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
• 3/4 cup raisins
• 3/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

Cook the cranberries, sugar, and 1 cup of water in a saucepan over low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the skins pop open. Add the apple, zests, and juices and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove from the heat and add the raisins and nuts. Let cool, and serve chilled.

Makes 4 cups.

From Barefoot Contessa Family Style

I wrote this recipe for my entertaining series for O, Oprah’s magazine. It was inspired by a pumpkin mousse that my mother had made for years for Thanksgiving. It’s lighter and much more flavorful than that cloying old pumpkin pie. People really do go nuts for it.

For the crust:

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs (14 crackers)
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 pound (1 stick) unsalted butter, melted

For the filling:

• 1/2 cup half-and-half
• 1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree
• 1 cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
• 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 3 extra-large egg yolks
• 1 package (2 teaspoons) unflavored gelatin
• 1 ripe banana, finely mashed
• 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
• 1/2 cup cold heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons sugar

For the decoration:

• 1 cup (1/2 pint) cold heavy cream
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• Orange zest (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar, cinnamon, and melted butter in a bowl and mix well. Pour into an 11-inch tart pan with a removable bottom and press evenly into the sides and then the bottom. Bake for 10 minutes and then cool to room temperature.

For the filling, heat the half-and-half, pumpkin, brown sugar, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan of simmering water until hot, about 5 minutes. Whisk the egg yolks in another bowl, stir some of the hot pumpkin into the egg yolks to heat them, then pour the egg-pumpkin mixture back into the double boiler and stir well. Heat the mixture over the simmering water for another 4 to 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken, stirring constantly. You don’t want the eggs to scramble. Remove from the heat.

Dissolve the gelatin in 1/4 cup cold water. Add the dissolved gelatin, banana, and orange zest to the pumpkin mixture and mix well. Set aside to cool.

Whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Carefully fold the whipped cream into the pumpkin mixture and pour it into the cooled tart shell. Chill for 2 hours or overnight.

For the decoration, whip the heavy cream in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until soft peaks form. Add the sugar and vanilla and continue to whisk until you have firm peaks. Pipe or spoon the whipped cream decoratively on the tart and sprinkle, if desired, with orange zest. Serve chilled.

Serves 10.