Thanksgiving Recipes to Make Ahead and Freeze

By Food & Wine
Updated April 25, 2017

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Alain Ducasse's Gougères

Credit: Hector Sanchez
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These airy French cheese puffs, flavored with Gruyere cheese and a hint of nutmeg, make phenomenal hors d'oeuvres. Bonus: they freeze well. After baking, spread the gougères out on a baking sheet, cover the sheet with plastic wrap and freeze until they are firm. Then store the gougères in sturdy plastic bags for several months.

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Fromage Fort

Credit: Marcus Nilsson
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Fromage fort is the ultimate way of using leftover cheese. Jacques Pépin's father used to combine pieces of Camembert, Brie, Swiss, blue cheese and goat cheese together with his mother's leek broth, some white wine and crushed garlic. These ingredients marinated in a cold cellar for a week to a week-and-a-half (he liked it really strong). Now Pépin's wife, Gloria, makes a milder version in a food processor that takes only seconds. It is delicious with crackers or melted onto toasts. It also freezes well.

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Savory Ricotta-Squash Tart

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Instead of appearing in a soup, squash gets cut into rings, caramelized and baked in a tart that can be served with a salad as a starter, or as an unusual side dish.

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Gluten-Free Apple-Spice Muffins

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In just 35 minutes, this recipe makes 12 moist, gluten-free apple-spice muffins. Be sure to freeze any leftovers—they'll last for two months.

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Pumpkin-Coconut Bread

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Great for unexpected fall guests, this gluten-free coconut flour pumpkin bread can be made in advance and frozen for up to 2 months.

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Brandied Apricot Butter

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This fruit-filled butter is wonderful on crusty bread. It's also great with warm popovers, pancakes, waffles and muffins.

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Parker House Rolls

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These fluffy, buttery rolls have a homey quality. “They are deep Americana,” says chef Alex Guarnaschelli. This recipe makes a big batch, but the unbaked rolls freeze well.

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Crunchy Baked Fennel

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Sweet roasted slices of fennel topped with herbed bread crumbs make for a fabulous freezer-to-oven side dish.

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Roasted Winter Squash and Onion Turnovers

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The filling for these turnovers also makes a terrific side dish on its own.

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Pumpkin-Gingersnap Tiramisù

Credit: © Lucy Schaeffer
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Pumpkin pie meets tiramisù, with layers of pumpkin-mascarpone custard and gingersnaps brushed with Calvados syrup. In the freezer, the flavors and textures meld to form a deliciously creamy dessert.

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Lebkuchen

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In this version of these traditional German spice cookies, the edges are slightly crisp and the middles, soft and chewy. They’re topped with a confectioners’ sugar icing that is thicker than the classic see-through glaze.

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Brandy-Mascarpone Semifreddo

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This indulgent semifreddo, frozen in a kugelhof mold, is an especially spectacular dessert to serve during the winter holidays.

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Espresso Date Log with Greek Yogurt

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Sticky, dried dates are supersweet, so Maura Kilpatrick simmers them with espresso to make a thick paste, which she molds and freezes. When she slices the log to serve, she tops it with pistachios and tangy Greek yogurt.

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