F&W Test Kitchen's Ultimate Thanksgiving Guide

Food & Wine's Kay Chun sneaks a small piece of Parmesan cheese into this lovely soup, giving it a flavor boost. To make it extra special, she serves the silky bisque topped with a nutty, crunchy and vibrant walnut-and-parsley gremolata.

Test Kitchen Tip: Croutons aren't just for salads. Top silky soups like this one with crispy garnishes.

This wild rice dish from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple will be the prettiest and brightest-tasting side dish on the Thanksgiving table, but it's equally good any time of the year.

Test Kitchen Tip: This hearty salad does great in the fridge overnight. Just fold in the arugula and nights before you serve. 

Given this soup's supremely silky texture, you'll think it's made with cream, but that texture actually comes from a potato pureed into the broth. For contrast, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple tops the soup with crispy broccoli florets and croutons.

Food & Wine's Justin Chapple thinks that lima beans deserve a place on every table, especially when they're made into a bright, herby salad and piled onto crunchy and creamy ricotta toasts.

Test Kitchen Tip: Look to the freezer section for fresh frozen beans, like these limas, so you can skip the shelling and get to snacking. 

In a riff on a traditional green bean casserole, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes a bright and punchy green bean salad with a mustard vinaigrette and tops it with crispy oven-baked Yukon Gold potato chips.

Test Kitchen Tip: If you need to save time, substitute thick-cut store-bought chips for homemade. 

These pull-apart rolls from Food & Wine's Kay Chun are addictively buttery and garlicky--like garlic bread on steroids. Because they're baked in a cast-iron skillet, the bottoms get supremely crispy, too.

Test Kitchen Tip: Bring these buttery pull-apart rolls right to the table in the cast-iron skillet. 

Food & Wine's Kay Chun makes this beautiful, sunny-yellow tart for special occasions. It's a standout because she makes the rich and silky curd with fresh tangerine and lemon juices for the perfect balance of tangy and sweet.

Test Kitchen Tip: Any fresh citrus will work in thie creamy tart filling--the tangerine we used is tangy without being sour. 

This classic pumpkin cake from Food & Wine's Justin Chapple is perfectly moist and delicately spiced. The simple vanilla buttercream frosting gets a lovely tang from the mascarpone that's blended in.

Test Kitchen Tip: The mascarpone frosting on this killer pumpkin cake beats buttercream hands down. 

Instead of making a traditional two-crust pie in a pie plate, Food & Wine's Justin Chapple makes this free-form, fruit-filled, ginger-laced pie on a baking sheet.

Test Kitchen Tip: Choose firm, slightly underripe pears (we like Anjou or Bartlett) to cook with the cranberries in this tart.