Historical Thanksgiving Recipes to Try This Year

Thanksgiving is right around the corner! It’s the biggest food day of the year. Thanksgiving is the time to gather around the table with your family and loved ones and enjoy a fabulous home-cooked meal of all your favorite holiday staples. At M.S. Rau, we have a multitude of antique services perfect for dishing your chosen courses and refreshments. Read on to discover our favorite recipes and how to elevate your Thanksgiving feast with gorgeous antique serve-ware.

Sides

Personally, my favorite part of a Thanksgiving feast is the variety of sides or appetizer portion dishes. Sweet potato, mashed potato, stuffing, green bean casserole... the list goes on and on. I asked my colleagues around the gallery what their favorite side dish was on Thanksgiving, and here are the top contenders:

Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes

Four pounds of Yukon Gold Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 1/2 cup whole milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
Four cloves of minced garlic
Three sprigs of rosemary
1 cup (two sticks) unsalted butter, room temp and cubed
Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste

Place the potatoes in a large pot and pour in cold water to cover about 1inch. Add a large handful of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer until potatoes are fork tender. Remove potatoes to drain.

Warm milk, cream, garlic, and rosemary in a saucepan over medium until fragrant, about 5 minutes.

Mash potatoes in a large bowl with fork, ricer or food mill. Add butter and salt until butter is completely melted. Gradually add milk mixture, about 1/2 cup at a time, until liquid is fully incorporated and the mixture is smooth.

Serve with a few grinds of black pepper.

Green Bean Casserole

1 pound of green beans, trimmed
6 tbsp. of butter, cubed
1 thinly sliced onion
8 oz. mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
2 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350° and blanche green beans.

In a large skillet over medium heat, melt about 2 tablespoons of butter. Add sliced onions and cook until tender. Add mushrooms and salt to sweat them. Cook until mushrooms are golden. Add garlic and more butter, cook until fragrant. Add cream and season with more salt and pepper. Cook until thick.

Add green beans to skillet and toss until evenly coated. Place in over and cook until warmed through and bubbling, about 30 minutes.

Top with fried onions and bake for 5 minutes more. Serve.

Flora Danica Game Series Covered Vegetable Dish

What better way to serve these crowd favorites than in an exceptionally rare Flora Danica Game Series dish by the renowned Royal Copenhagen. Recognized around the globe, Flora Danica pieces are known for their intricately executed illustrations of the native flowers of Denmark. This piece, however, was part of an incredibly unique series of Flora Danica featuring woodland animals such as the hare depicted on the lid. This sensational vegetable dish is sure to awe your guests at the dining room table.

Mains

There is nothing quite like a turkey for Thanksgiving dinner. It should be the centerpiece of your meal! The recipe below will ensure a super juicy, perfectly cooked bird to accompany any and all delicious sides you choose to serve it with.

1 12-20 pound turkey
1 onion, quartered
1 lemon, quartered
Herbs of your choice (rosemary, sage, thyme)
1 cup unsalted butter
6-8 garlic cloves
Salt and freshly ground pepper

Pre-heat your over to 325° and remove neck and giblets from inside the cavity of the bird. You may reserve these for gravy or throw them away. Pat the turkey dry with paper towels and let it come to room temperature.

Make the herb butter by combining softened butter, minced garlic, salt, pepper, and your herbs.

Season the cavity with salt and pepper and stuff with lemon, onion, and leftover herbs. Baste the entire bird with pre-made herb butter. Use your fingers to loosen and lift the breast skin and spread some herb butter underneath here as well.

Place turkey in the center of the over and roast at 325° for 13-15 minutes per pound, or until the internal temperature reaches about 165°. Remove from the over and cover. Let the turkey rest for about 20-30 minutes before carving and serving.

French Silverplate Meat Trolley

How amazing would it be to present your Thanksgiving turkey on this incredible antique meat trolley? This particular antique was made for and used at the world-famous Hôtel Ruhl in Nice. The large, elegant form of this meat trolley would be incredibly impressive next to your dining room table — not to mention your gorgeous turkey within it! Raise the lid to reveal a large serving area and wells for gravy. The serving surface is also removable and heated to ensure your bird stays warm until it is time to feast.

Dessert

Don’t think we forgot about dessert! Every Thanksgiving feast needs something sweet at the end of the meal. With many autumnal choices during this time of year, we chose the classic as well as a sensational M.S. Rau product to eat it.

Pumpkin Pie

2 eggs
1 can of pumpkin puree (16 oz)
1 can of sweetened condensed milk (14 oz)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
Pre-made pie crust (homemade or store-bought)

Preheat oven to 425°.

Combine eggs, pumpkin puree, sweetened condensed milk, and spices in a large bowl and mix until combined. Pour mixture into pie crust already in pan.

Place pie on a baking sheet and bake in the oven for 15 minutes. Reduce heat to 350° and bake until filling is set, 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the pie from the oven and let it cool before serving. Easy as pie!

Tiffany & Co. Vine Pattern Dessert Service

This incredible 49-piece dessert service was crafted by the famed Tiffany & Co. in the late 1800s. Comprised of coffee spoons, dessert knives, pastry forks, ice cream spoons and sugar tongs all crafted from gilded silver in Tiffany’s highly coveted Vine pattern, this dessert service will surely add that final “Wow” factor to your Thanksgiving feast. Happy Holidays, and let’s get cooking!

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