Shawn McClain's New American Thanksgiving Dinner

By Food & Wine
Updated May 24, 2017
Chef Shawn McClain’s Thanksgiving menu has a few French touches including profiteroles, tarte tatin and sparkling pomegranate punch.
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Hazelnut Profiteroles with Blue Cheese and Grapes

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Shawn McClain serves some form of these savory cream puffs with drinks at both of his Chicago restaurants. He pokes a hole in the sides of the puffs when they come out of the oven to release the steam, then fills them with a creamy mixture of blue cheese and mascarpone.

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Chicken-Liver Mousse with Pickled Red Onion

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A good recipe for chicken-liver mousse is critical, says Shawn McClain, “because when a recipe’s bad, it’s really bad.” His version is supremely silky and light, with a lovely hint of apple from Calvados. He serves the mousse with pickled red onion and toasted baguette slices alongside, so guests can assemble their own crostini.

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Sparkling Pomegranate Punch

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This bubbly, sweet-tart cocktail combines sparkling wine, dessert wine and deep-red pomegranate juice.

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Fall Harvest Salad

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This salad epitomizes fall flavors, with its chunks of butternut squash, pumpkin seeds, pecans and greens. The easiest way to peel the butternut squash is with a sturdy U-peeler (named for its wide, U-shaped handle), which is available at most supermarkets.

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Herb-Roasted Turkey with Gravy

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“I wasn’t always a briner,” says McClain, “but when enough people tell you it’s the thing to do, you try it.” He’s glad he did: The brine here, which is a simple combination of salt, sugar, spices and water, keeps the turkey moist in the oven and seasons the meat perfectly.

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Fig-and-Almond Bread Stuffing with Fennel

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This stuffing is slightly sweet and fragrant, with plenty of herbs. There’s no meat in it, so it’s a little bit lighter and fresher-tasting than stuffings made with sausage.

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Cranberry-Quince Chutney

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McClain says cranberries and quince need a bit of sweetness to taste their best, so he combines them with apples, raisins and sugar, as well as cider vinegar and spices, to make a tangy chutney.

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Five-Spice Glazed Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Toffee

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Crunchy toffee stands in for the usual marshmallow topping on these potatoes, which McClain glazes with brown sugar and spice-scented butter.

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Glazed Carrots with Cardamom and Ginger

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Most people cook carrots in water, McClain says, which dulls their flavor. His secret to keeping them supertasty is to cook them in carrot juice and orange juice until glazed.

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Pear Tarte Tatin with Red-Wine Caramel

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Instead of apple pie, McClain ends his Thanksgivings with this stunning tarte Tatin. Because the recipe calls for store-bought puff pastry (McClain is a huge fan of Dufour’s), it’s quite easy to prepare.

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Vanilla-and-Cider Panna Cottas with Spiced Ginger Cookies

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McClain tops his cinnamon-and-vanilla-flavored panna cotta with an elegant apple-cider gelée. He equates the dessert to a Creamsicle because it successfully combines creamy and tangy flavors.

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