If the variety of food on the Thanksgiving tables of Team Salt & Wind is any indicator there is no one Thanksgiving menu anymore. In fact, we believe Thanksgiving should reflect the traditions, flavors, and foods of your family even if that means making mole instead of gravy!
Since we're all about California, Hawaii, France, Italy, and Mexico, it's probably no surprise that are Thanskgiving recipes reflect those very places. We figured it high time we give you a look so here they are -- the recipes we pull out for all our autumn entertaining from harvest dinner parties to Thanksgiving!
Come fall we cannot get enough of the pears from our favorite fruit farm in Northern California. To us, pears do not get nearly enough love during harvest time but this cocktail makes up for it. By reducing pear cider to a syrup over a few hours time you end up with a cocktail with the most deliciously intense pear flavor.
Inspired by all the wild sage in our home state of California, this simple twist on the classic Bee's Knees Cocktail is our choice if you have just a few guests and can make drinks to order. FYI you cannot use the wild sage in this cocktail as it's not edible so it's merely inspiration!
A cocktail so simple you can have your guests make their own, this twist on the classic cocktail with spices and smashed persimmons is as cozy and comfy as a real deal drink like an Old Fashioned gets.
A little sweet, a bit earthy, and loaded with herbs this oh-so healthy dip is a light but flavorful way to start off the holiday meal. Oh, and did we mention that it's vegan, gluten, nut and dairy free?
Another squash appetizer that's always a winner? This squash "danish" made with thyme-scented caramelized onions. The best part is that you can bake these a day ahead and then just warm them up in a low oven before serving.
We'd like to enter this as an applicant for the simplest but most delicious appetizer of all time. With just a few ingredients and everything but the assembly can be done ahead and flavorful but not too heavy, it's the Goldilocks of appetizers!
Say hello to the curve ball of apps. This looks like a standard hummus but the addition of the harissa and honey gives it a spicy kick that we find addictive!
We say "caviar" and you're probably all, "huh?" becasue there aren't any actual caviar in this recipe. Instead the name hails from the fact that roasted beets get pureed so they're slightly textured.
Bring your appetizer "A game" with these blue cheese and pear bites! Inspired by the flavor of one of our all-time favorite Italian risottos -- pear, gorgonzola, and walnut! -- these appetizes are tiny but packed with flavor!
Tbh, this is an appetizer we serve more at December cocktail parties than any other time but lately it's been creeping into our other fall holiday celebrations. The classic combo of cranberries and brie get paired with pears and a spiced honey for an appetizer that's a perfect pairing with bubbly wine!
If you have a bunch of dietary restrictions to deal with, this is the recipe for you. As is, this salad is dairy free, gluten free, and vegetarian -- and just take out the almonds to make it nut free!
The classic beet and citrus salad gets a definitely Mexican treatment thanks to the addition of deeply toasted walnuts and seasame seeds as well as a cinnamon-laced achiote dressing.
Inspired by the open air markets in Bologna, Italy, this fresh, crunchy, simple salad of celery, walnuts, and Parmigiano-Reggiano is a favorite around here! It's a classic Italian salad made during the colder months and the zingy vinegar flavor is a perfect balance to all the heavier Thanskgiving flavors.
If there's ever a time to pull out the mandolin, this shaved root vegetable salad is it. The veggies are sliced paper thin then tossed with goat cheese, hazelnuts, and, of course, avocado because we Californians basically can't eat a meal without it!
It's easy to go overboard during the holidays. To make too much food, with too many flavors, and then it all gets to be just too much. That's why we always try to work in a side dish that's just so simple and straightforward it can mix and match with pretty much anything like these roasted beets.
Have you picked up on the trend? That around here we tend to do Thanksgiving a little lighter and fresher? It's our California roots if you ask us! And that's why we make our brussels sprouts more like a slaw and add in some crunchy pepitas and sweet dates for a CalMed take on brussels!
How to do Thanksgiving when you're fewer? A turkey breast! We add a definitively California twist -- read: lots of herbs and citrus -- to make this dish anything but boring!
Mashed potatoes may be an American Thanksgiving essential but our favorite spuds of all time are the classic French way with lots of butter. The secret? Well, lots of butter, but also the potatoes are passed through a food mill to make them extra smooth and airy!
Our founder, Aida, spends each Thanksgiving in Hawaii and this recipe is a direct inspiration from her time there! Like the chorizo of Hawaii, Portuguese sausage is a fresh or smoked sweet-spicy sausage that's used in breakfast dishes, plate lunches, and at many tailgates. This recipe combines Portuguese sausage with other local flavors -- sweet onion and sweet bread - for a Hawaiian slant on classic Thanksgiving stuffing.
If a Mexican salsa met cranberry sauce, we think the result would be something akin to this relish made with simmered wine, spices, orange juice, red onion, and jalapenos!
Using ricotta in desserts is classically Italian. Adding it to Pumpkin Spice Cheesecake Bars most definitely is not. But the result is a light, airy, tangy twist on classic Pumpkin Pie
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