Simmer

Pasta at Thanksgiving? Even the most epic of meals in Italy will never skip the crucial primo course, and Italians in America make no exception. Though a bit of prosciutto underlines the savoriness of the tomato sauce, the dish is still light enough to take the edge off that holiday hunger without filling everyone up.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program. There are two types of persimmons widely available during the Thanksgiving holiday—fuyu and hachiya. Chef Des Jardins prefers the fuyu in savory preparations because its texture is much firmer and the flavor less sweet. When picking fuyu persimmons, look for firm, brightly colored fruit. Start making relish at least 24 hours and up to 3 days in advance to allow the flavors to fully develop.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

This recipe was created by chef Traci Des Jardins of San Francisco's Jardinière. It's part of a special menu she created for Epicurious's Wine.Dine.Donate program.

Slow-cooked, jammy shallots are an elegant and unexpected addition to these buttery mashed potatoes. Making the shallots several days ahead will allow the flavors to deepen and save you time on Thanksgiving Day.

This vibrant condiment takes its inspiration from the popular Cosmopolitan drink. The alcohol heightens the sauce's flavor, but for kids and nondrinkers, the recipe can easily be made nonalcoholic by substituting orange juice for the water and deleting the vodka and liqueur.

Although this soup is full of earthy flavor, it's also relatively light, which makes it a perfect first course for the big holiday meal. As a bonus, it can be prepared several days ahead and quickly reheated at the last minute.

Make the custard, toast the nuts, then let the ice cream machine do the rest.

An immersion blender makes the prep time even shorter.

If you've never cooked with quince before, here's a great intro. It tastes like a cross between an apple and a pear.

Kumquats, small, oval citrus fruit with an edible peel, start turning up in markets this month. They're candied here for a gorgeous cheesecake topping.

Chestnuts play deliciously against roasted grapes. Roasted chestnuts in jars can be found at some supermarkets, at specialty foods stores, and online at markys.com or mastercaviar.com.

Boiling down the cider gives great apple flavor; parsley adds color and freshness.

Dried and fresh cranberries are simmered in Port for a not-too-sweet, grown-up take on the classic.

All of the gravy recipes here call for this enhanced stock. What makes it so special? Instead of water, canned chicken broth gets the recipe off to a flavorful start. Simmered with vegetables and the turkey neck, heart, and gizzard, this stock is the key to great gravy.

This excellent, all-purpose broth can be made three days ahead; keep it covered and chilled.

Cumin, coriander, and cinnamon give this dish its exotic flavor.