Thanksgiving

This dish has an exceptionally delicious sauce and makes fine party fare.

Good home-cured hams could be found in every colony, but those of Smithfield, Virginia, were considered among the finest, and their reputation remains stellar today. According to a 1926 law, genuine Smithfield hams must be cured, smoked and aged for a year within the Smithfield city limits. Madeira was a popular Colonial beverage — George Washington's favorite — although for a time it was boycotted because of British taxation.

Canned yams make this side dish a snap.

Here's a tangy condiment that's great with roast turkey, beef or leg of lamb.

This simple but sophisticated preparation is the star of the Thanksgiving table. Watch how to prepare and carve your bird with our streaming video demonstration.

A favorite trick is to stuff the body cavity of the bird with bread stuffing and the neck cavity with the following very highly seasoned sausage meat stuffing.

A dollop of softly whipped fresh cream alongside a piece of pie is one of life's perfect things. If you want the cream to hold up for hours, the optional Cobasan will make it possible, with no compromise of flavor or texture. If you prefer an unsweetened counterpoint to a sweeter pastry, leave out the sugar.

Because they were so abundant, oysters were used as a filler and for flavor in a variety of Colonial New England dishes. They are still the star of traditional stuffings in the region.

This recipe originally accompanied White Chocolate Rice Pudding with Dried Cranberry Compote .

What northerners call stuffing, southerners call dressing. Oysters and eggplant are a classic Louisiana combination, and the bite of cayenne adds to the authenticity. Active time: 1 hr Start to finish: 2 1/2 hr

Lane Crowther, a contributing editor at Bon Appétit, says, "Every year, I try to get my tradition-bound family to eat something new at Thanksgiving. This year, I'm hoping everyone will accept this dish in place of yams with marshmallows. It will take a lot of convincing, but I think they'll be pleasantly surprised. The orange juice gives the acorn squash a nice sweetness. Besides, Asian ingredients have become such an important part of American cooking lately that I thought it would be nice to fuse Pacific Rim flavors with a classic of the American table in autumn."

In the following recipe, scalloped potatoes, often soaked with cream and cheese, are combined with parsnips and cooked with broth and low-fat milk instead. Though lighter, they are still delicious.