The Morning: New Thanksgiving classics

A selection of recipes for this week's feast.

View in browser|nytimes.com November 24, 2024 Good morning. Today, we've got a selection of recipes for your Thanksgiving table. We're also covering Trump's appointments, the floods in Spain and the box office. Linda Xiao for The New York Times The new classics By Emily Weinstein I'm the editor in chief of New York Times Cooking and Food. The menus are being planned, grocery lists made, details finalized — it's nearly go time for Thanksgiving, a time for epic feasting and the one day of the year on which even the most reluctant home cooks wander into the kitchen. Are you ready? I'm here to help. We have Thanksgiving recipes for just about every dish you could think of, but today I'm sharing recipes that have become the new classics of the genre: holiday dishes from Cooking that are simple but imbued with intelligence and spark, recipes that are beloved by our readers and indisputably delicious. The menu Romulo Yanes for The New York Times Buttermilk-Brined Roast Turkey Samin Nosrat's roast turkey is among the most popular and best we've ever published, a supersize riff on her justly famous buttermilk-brined roast chicken recipe. Her method calls for three ingredients and produces a turkey with golden brown skin and juicy meat. She did a version for turkey breast, too. Christopher Testani for The New York Times Cheesy Hasselback Potato Gratin This dish is a Thanksgiving powerhouse with a key innovation: Kenji López-Alt, who wrote the recipe, stands the potato slices up vertically, rather than laying them flat, for a singular presentation that also gives you crisp potato edges in every bite. Christopher Testani for The New York Times Vegetarian Mushroom Wellington A project to be sure, but this dish is a stunner and one of the finest meatless centerpieces you could possibly make for the holiday. David Malosh for The New York Times Green Beans With Ginger and Garlic There are a few dishes you need on the table to cut through the tan symphony that is the traditional Thanksgiving meal. Cranberry sauce, yes, but a fresh vegetable, too — something green that offers a satisfying crunch or snap to contrast with all those soft, sweet or creamy dishes. Evan Sung for The New York Times Cranberry Curd Tart Jewel-toned and chic, this is a statement dessert — something eye-catching and not too sweet for the end of the meal. (Another one of my favorites in this bright realm: our mango pie.) And new classics in the making The recipes above are longstanding treasures of the Cooking catalog, but there are up-and-comers to consider when you're drawing up your menu: Eric Kim's new dry-brined roast turkey with chiles, which zings with flavor; saag paneer lasagna (a.k.a. "lasaagna"), the classic but with a saag paneer-inspired filling; creamy double-garlic mashed potatoes, for a supremely garlicky side; caramelized onion, cranberry and rosemary tahchin, which infuses the Persian rice dish with Thanksgiving flavors; and for dessert, a coconut caramel tart and cranberry lemon bars. THE LATEST NEWS Politics Donald Trump is keeping secret the names of the donors who are funding his transition effort, a break from tradition. He has picked most of the people he wants to work with him. See what his choices reveal about the next administration. Trump's picks to oversee public health have all criticized Covid policies or supported ideas that are outside the medical mainstream. Immigrants to the U.S. are seeking legal advice in response to Trump's promise of mass deportations. Is the Democratic Party still for Black people? In "The Run Up," Black voters discuss the election. International In eastern Spain. Emilio Morenatti/Associated Press A woman too frail to flee floods in Spain died in the arms of her childhood sweetheart as water filled their room. Read more about the floods. An Israeli rabbi who disappeared in Dubai was found dead. Israeli officials said they had information indicating it was an act of terrorism. After antisemitic attacks in Amsterdam, people are debating when it is accurate to use the word "pogrom." In the West Bank, Palestinians say Israeli forces are pressing them to undertake dangerous tasks, like scouting spaces underground, for soldiers. A wave of bribery prosecutions that started in Brazil once promised to root out corruption across Latin America. Now it's coming undone. When tragedies happen in Papua New Guinea, accusations of sorcery often follow — bringing violence in their wake. Other Big Stories Members of the Lady Jaguars in 2012. Ruth Fremson/The New York Times More than a decade ago, The Times reported on a girls' basketball team in a forgotten part of West Tennessee. See how the players are doing now. Max Verstappen won his fourth Formula 1 world championship in Las Vegas. THE SUNDAY DEBATE Does the U.S. need a Department of Government Efficiency? Yes. The federal government's spending has likely put it on an unsustainable path. "There are more than 180,000 pages of federal regulations. Surely it's worth taking a close look at them and retiring many," The Washington Post's Fareed Zakaria writes. No. Cutting funding in the name of efficiency isn't going to translate into a government that works. "The way to make the government more effective is no mystery — just fund it adequately so it can effectively do its job," Bloomberg's Kathryn Anne Edwards writes. FROM OPINION World leaders are flattering Trump. No one can quite tell what they are really thinking, Katherine Miller argues. Controlled burns are the simplest way to prevent wildfires, M.R. O'Connor writes. Here's a column by Ross Douthat on the Trump cabinet. The Thanksgiving Sale. Subscribe to Cooking now, offer won't last. Less mess, less stress. Cooking provides easy recipes plus videos, community tips and more. Save on your first year of Cooking. MORNING READS Kristen Booth Photography Vows: A "Star Wars" actress found the cool nerd she sought. Their wedding was inspired by "Bridgerton." Most clicked feature: How healthy are sweet potatoes? One of The Morning's most popular stories this week looks at the science. Tradition: How Thanksgiving lasagna, which first appeared in the late 1800s, became an American staple. Long dinners and luxury shopping: How a pop pianist spends her Sundays. Lives Lived: Fred Harris was a maverick Democratic senator from Oklahoma who ran for president from the left. He died at 94. BOOK OF THE WEEK By Elisabeth Egan "James," by Percival Everett: The winner of this year's National Book Award for fiction is "James" by Percival Everett, whose 2001 novel "Erasure" landed on the big screen as "American Fiction" last year. In his latest book, he reimagines "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" through the eyes of Jim, the enslaved runaway who accompanies Huck on his escapades but remains slightly out of the spotlight in Twain's tale. Here, James not only has a formal name, he has depth, gumption and — perhaps the ultimate key to freedom — an education. It's the rare author who can breathe new life into a classic, but Everett pulls off the feat, earning "James" a spot in the modern literary canon and elevating his protagonist from trusty sidekick to star. More on books End-of-year lists are coming soon. In the meantime, let us help you find your next great read. In her new memoir, Glory Edim, founder of the Well-Read Black Girl community, opens up about the books that saved her. For more about her reading habits — likes, dislikes, ideal literary dinner party — start here. THE INTERVIEW Philip Montgomery for The New York Times By Lulu Garcia-Navarro This week's subject for The Interview is the K-pop star and Blackpink member Rosé, who is releasing her first full-length solo album in December. We spoke about her four years training to be a K-pop idol, about the genre's intense fans and about her album, which was made away from the system that turned her into a global phenomenon. One of the things that is unique about K-pop is that the fan culture is so specific and so enormous. Can you tell me a little bit about that relationship? How authentic did you feel you could be? How authentic did you want to be? We were trained to always present ourselves in the most perfect, perfect way. And so even when we were interacting with fans online, it was when I was ready to give perfect answers and give them what they wanted — and making sure that I'm a perfect girl for everyone. That was the culture. And that's why leading into this album, it was more of a personal want and need to be able to write an album like an album that I grew up with, music that I could relate to. In order for that, I'm sure artists had to be vulnerable, but we hadn't trained to talk about our emotions and feelings and experiences. When you had to sit down with yourself and write this album, what was that like to have to dig deep? To be honest, that was like breathing. All the stories in there are stories that anyone around me has heard more than 20 times. It was about time I wrote it in a song. I had moments where I was like, Wait, can we say this? Wait, maybe we shouldn't put that word in there. Maybe this is too much. Should we not? The themes are heartache, lost love, anger sometimes — the range of human emotions. Yeah, romance. But even that — it's scary for me. I could see the faces of the producers and songwriters, they were like, So interesting, Rosie! Why are you so nervous about this? And I'm like, You guys, you don't know." Read more of the interview here. THE NEW YORK TIMES MAGAZINE Philip Montgomery for The New York Times. Click the cover image above to read this week's magazine. THE MORNING RECOMMENDS … "Wicked," left, and "Gladiator II," right.  Giles Keyte/Universal Pictures; Aidan Monaghan, via Paramount Pictures Watch "Wicked" or "Gladiator II," the movies that are helping reverse a box office slump. Test your mobility. Wear a more comfortable bra. NOW TIME TO PLAY Here is today's Spelling Bee. Yesterday's pangram was unquoted. Can you put eight historical events — including the Salem witch trials, the domestication of corn, and the debut of ABBA's "Dancing Queen" — in chronological order? Take this week's Flashback quiz. And here are today's Mini Crossword, Wordle, Sudoku, Connections and Strands. Thanks for spending part of your weekend with The Times. Sign up here to get this newsletter in your inbox. Reach our team at themorning@nytimes.com. Editor: David Leonhardt Deputy Editor: Adam B. Kushner News Editor: Tom Wright-Piersanti Associate Editor: Lauren Jackson News Staff: Desiree Ibekwe, Sean Kawasaki-Culligan, Brent Lewis, German Lopez, Ian Prasad Philbrick, Ashley Wu News Assistant: Lyna Bentahar Saturday Writer: Melissa Kirsch Need help? Review our newsletter help page or contact us for assistance. You received this email because you signed up for the Morning newsletter from The New York Times, or as part of your New York Times account. To stop receiving The Morning, unsubscribe. To opt out of other promotional emails from The Times, including those regarding The Athletic, manage your email settings. To opt out of updates and offers sent from The Athletic, submit a request. Subscribe to The TimesGet The New York Times app Connect with us on: Change Your EmailPrivacy PolicyContact UsCalifornia Notices The New York Times Company. 620 Eighth Avenue New York, NY 10018