These 16 Celebrities Revealed Their Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes and for That, We Are Very Thankful

Blake Lively

Sausage and Brie Puff Pastry
 
Ingredients:
 
8 ripe figs
1 pint raspberries
4 shallots
1/2 cup water
6 sausages, casings removed
Puff pastry sheets
1 wheel of brie (in rind)
1/4 cup maple syrup (bourbon-flavored)
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (fruit-flavored)
Vanilla, salt and sugar to taste
1 tablespoon butter
2 tablespoons olive oil
Egg wash (beaten egg, splash of cream)
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Julienne shallots, dice figs and sausages, rinse raspberries.
Add figs, raspberries, water, balsamic and vanilla salt to saucepan. Boil, stirring constantly. Lower heat; simmer to reduce. Add salt and sugar to taste. Remove from heat.
Heat butter and oil in a skillet. Sauté shallots and sausages until cooked.
Lay puff pastry on parchment paper.
Cut brie in half. Add fillings. Top with other half (cheese-side down). Place in center of puff pastry.
Gather puff pastry from corners; cinch, twist, press to seal and brush with egg wash. Place on parchment-lined baking sheet.
Bake 30-35 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool 5 minutes before serving.
Drizzle with warm syrup. Serve with apple slices.

Buddy Valastro

Sunday Gravy
 
Ingredients:
 
1/4 cup olive oil
1 meaty lamb neck bone (about 1 pound), cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces with a heavy knife (Ask your butcher to do this)
Salt
1 pound sweet Italian sausage links (about 8 links)
Braciole
1 large Spanish onion, diced
5 large garlic cloves, pressed
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh basil leaves
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh oregano leaves
3 28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes with their juice
3 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes with their juice
1 empty 28-ounce tomato can, filled with cold water
2 tablespoons sugar
Meatballs
Chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano, for serving
 
Directions:
 
Heat oil in a heavy stockpot or other wide, deep, heavy pot over medium heat until it is shimmering, almost smoking.
 
Lightly salt the lamb pieces, add them to the pot and sear them, stirring, until golden brown all over, 5-7 minutes. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
 
Add the sausage links to the pan and sear them, turning as they cook, until browned all over, 5-7 minutes. Transfer the braciole to the plate with the other meats.
 
Add the onions to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, basil and oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the tomatoes and water, and add the sugar. Stir and cook until the sauce comes to a boil. Lower the heat to bring the sauce to a simmer. Return the meats to the pot, along with the meatballs.
 
Cook the sauce, adjusting the heat to keep it at a low simmer, and stirring occasionally to ensure that nothing scorches until cooked to your desired thickness — it can range from thin and mildly flavored to thick and richly flavored. When done to your taste, 2-3 hours, use tongs to transfer the meats to a platter. Stir the sauce and reduce further, if necessary. Taste, and if necessary, add more salt.
 
Slice the sausage crosswise into individual portions. Remove the string or toothpicks from the braciole and slice it crosswise into portions. Arrange the meats and meatballs on a platter, including the neck bone pieces for those who wish to pick the meat from them.
 
Serve the sauce with cooked pasta and grated cheese, passing the platter of meatballs and sliced meats.
 
Serves 8-10 with leftovers

Gordon Ramsay

Roasted Cauliflower, Quinoa and Pomegranate Salad
 
Ingredients:
 
For the salad:
1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
Olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
Small bunch of flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked
Seeds from 1 pomegranate, to serve
For the dressing:
1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
1 tbsp white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, peeled and crushed
6 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
 
Directions:
 
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
 
Place the cauliflower florets on a baking sheet and drizzle with a little olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and toss in the oil to coat. Transfer to the oven and roast for about 20 minutes, turning the cauliflower halfway through, until browned in places. Remove from the oven once cooked.
 
Then cook the quinoa, according to the package instructions.
 
Using a small whisk or a fork, mix the ingredients for the dressing together with a pinch of salt and pepper until completely combined. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary.
 
Put the cooked quinoa and the cauliflower into a large bowl. Drizzle with the dressing and fold in the parsley leaves. Scatter over the pomegranate seeds and serve.
 
Makes 4 servings

Gwyneth Paltrow

Classic Bread Stuffing
 
Ingredients:
 
15 cups of 1/2˝ bread cubes (I usually have challah, wholegrain and ciabatta in my bread bin)
1/4 cup butter   1 tablespoon cut into small pieces
1/4 cup   1 tablespoon olive oil
1 very large onion, very finely diced (roughly 2 1/2 cups)
2 stalks celery, very finely diced (roughly 1/2 cup)
2 1/2 teaspoons fennel seeds
3/4 teaspoon celery seeds
2 generous tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 1/2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh parsley
2 1/2 cups high-quality vegetable stock, divided
 

Directions:

 
Preheat the oven to 300 degrees. Spread the bread cubes out on two cookie sheets and bake for about ten minutes or until a bit dried out, not browned.
 
Meanwhile, heat the 1/4 cup of butter and olive oil over medium heat in a large sauté pan. Add the onion, celery, fennel and celery seeds, rosemary, salt and pepper and sweat the mixture for 20 minutes, keeping the heat low enough so that the vegetables don’t color – you just want them to get soft and sweet. Turn off the heat, add the parsley and let the mixture cool for about ten minutes in the pan. Add the bread cubes and 2 cups of stock; stir to evenly distribute. Let the mixture sit for about an hour to let the flavors really get into everything (now’s a good time to work on your other Thanksgiving dishes!).
 
Reserve two cups of the stuffing for the turkey if desired.
 
Set the oven to 350º F. Put the stuffing into an ovenproof baking dish (you could even leave it in your sauté pan if it doesn’t have plastic handles – one less thing to wash!). Pour over the remaining stock and dot with the remaining tablespoon of butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned.
 

Serves 12

Jennie Garth

Pecan Pie

 
Ingredients:
 
3 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 cup Crisco, chilled
1/2 cup butter, chilled
1/2 cup cold water
1 tbsp vinegar
2-3 cups whole pecans
2 cups sugar
6 tbsp brown sugar
2 cups corn syrup
2 tsp vanilla
2/3 cup salted butter, melted
6 eggs, beaten
 
Directions:
 
In a food processor, sift flour, sugar and salt and pulse to blend.
 
Add Crisco and 1/2 cup butter. Pulse until everything is ground in.
 
While the machine is still on, add water and vinegar. Blend until dough starts to form.
 
Divide into three balls and flatten. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
 
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and place pie crust into bottom of pan. Pour pecans into the bottom.
 
In a large bowl, mix the sugar, brown sugar, salt, corn syrup, vanilla, melted butter and eggs. Pour on top of pecans.
 
Cover pan loosely with aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove foil and bake for an additional 20 minutes. Bake pie until there is very little JIGGLE in the center of the pie.
 
PIE CRUST: This recipe will make a double crust or 3 single crusts — the pecan pie recipe needs a single crust. Roll out the dough to completely cover the entire bottom of the pan and over the edges. Flute the edges of the dough of the pie pan.

Jessica Alba

Cornish Game Hens
 
Ingredients:
 
½ cup unsalted butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped white mushrooms
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp poultry seasoning
6 slices day-old white bread, cubed
1 cup cooked wild rice
½ cup each dried cranberries, dark raisins, chopped walnuts
2½ cups chicken broth, divided
Salt and pepper to taste
4 Cornish hens (about 1¼ lb. each)
1½ cups apricot-flavored brandy
2 sprigs each rosemary, sage and basil
1 can (11 oz.) mandarin oranges, drained
“This recipe is from my great Aunt Ruthie and one of my favorite things my mom made when I was growing up.”
 
Directions:
 
Preheat over to 375 degrees.
 
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt butter; add onion, celery, mushrooms, garlic and poultry seasoning. Cook until vegetables have softened, about 8 minutes.
 
In large bowl, combine bread, rice, cranberries, raisins and walnuts. Stir in vegetable mixture. Add 1 cup broth and mix. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 2 cups mixture for stuffing hens.
 
Lightly grease 9″x9″ baking dish. Spoon remaining stuffing into dish. Cover with foil; bake 30 minutes.
 
Meanwhile, in measuring cup, combine remaining broth and brandy. Set aside.
 
Discard neck and giblets; season hen cavities with salt and pepper. Stuff each with ½ cup stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Arrange breast side up, on rack in roasting pan. Pour in half of brandy mixture; scatter herbs and oranges around poultry. Roast for 30 minutes basting occasionally.
 
Pour 1 cup brandy mixture into roasting pan. Continue roasting 15 to 20 minutes, or until thermometer inserted in hens registers 175°F.
 
Transfer to cutting board; let stand 10 minutes. Remove rack from pan and pour in remaining ½ cup brandy mixture.
 
Deglaze pan over high heat, scraping up brown bits. Toss herbs. Transfer liquid to the saucepan and bring to boil until slightly thickened, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
 
Serves 8.

Jessica Seinfeld

Mashed Potatoes With Garlic and Thyme

Ingredients:

1½ pounds medium red or Yukon Gold potatoes (3 or 4)
½ cup whole milk, plus more if necessary
4 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil, for serving
⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Scrub the potatoes if you are not peeling them. The potato skins are thin and edible so peel only if you wish. Then cut potatoes in half. Place them in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil then lower the heat to medium and simmer (low boil) until the potatoes are very tender and can be easily pierced with the tip of a paring knife, 18 to 22 minutes.

Meanwhile, measure and pour the milk into a small saucepan. Wash the thyme sprigs, smash and peel the garlic, and add to the pan. Add the butter and salt. Place on the stove over medium-high heat and let come to a boil. Turn the heat off and let sit until the potatoes are ready.

Are the potatoes tender, yet? Place a colander in the sink and drain the potatoes. Return them to the same saucepan.

Mash the potatoes with a handheld masher. Using tongs, pluck the thyme and garlic from the milk mixture and discard. Then, pour all of milk mixture over the potatoes and continue to mash and stir until creamy. You can add a little more milk, if you like, for a creamier consistency. Serve topped with a drizzle of oil and some pepper (6 turns on pepper mill).

Kelly Ripa

Squash Soup
 
Ingredients:
 
3 sprigs fresh thyme
4 whole cloves
1 star anise pod
1 t peppercorns
1 large butternut squash, skinned and cubed
2 T extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
3 shallots, thinly sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4 C low-sodium chicken broth
3/4 t kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
2 T honey
2-3 T pepitas, toastedFOR THE BOWLS:
4 small baking pumpkins (such as hooligan or sugar pie), acorn squash or sweet dumpling squash
2 teaspoons sugar
Kosher salt
 
Directions:
 
Place the thyme, cloves, star anise, and peppercorns in the center of a piece of cheesecloth and tie into a pouch. Set aside.
 
Warm the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic and cook about 2 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the squash, broth, salt, pepper, and the spice bag. Simmer, partially covered, until the squash is tender (25-30 mins).
 
Remove the bag of spices and puree the soup until smooth with an immersion blender or in a blender. To serve, ladle into bowls, drizzle with honey, and garnish with the pepitas and a final drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
 
To make the bowls:
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Use a paring knife to cut a large circle around the stem of each pumpkin (make a zigzag cut, if desired). Remove the lid and scoop out the seeds and fibers. Sprinkle the inside of each with 1/2 teaspoon each sugar and salt. Place the pumpkins and lids on a baking sheet; roast until tender, 20 to 35 minutes, depending on their size.

Kris Jenner

Sweet Potato Souffle
 
Ingredients:
 
2 Sticks Butter (Melted)
6 sweet potatoes
1/2 of a 2lb. box of Brown Sugar
2 Cups White Sugar
6 Eggs (Beaten)
1 Can Eagle Brand Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
1 Teaspoon Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Nutmeg
 
Directions: 
 
Cut potatoes in 4 pieces.
 
Boil potatoes for 20 minutes, until soft.
 
Peel and mash until very fine.
 
Add 2 sticks of melted butter.
 
Add all other ingredients (except the eggs).
 
Add the eggs, beaten fine, at the end (once all other ingredients have been added).
 
Put ingredients into souffle dish.
 
Bake for 1 hour at 375 degrees.
 
Serves one souffle 

Martina McBride

Green Beans With Goat Cheese and Warm Bacon Dressing
 
Ingredients:
 
3 pounds green beans, trimmed
1/2 pound smoked bacon, chopped (about 6 to 8 slices)
1/2 cup chopped shallots (about 3)
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup sherry wine vinegar
3 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon dry mustard 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled goat cheese
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
 
Directions:
 
Cook the beans in a large pot of boiling water until tender-crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain.
 
Rinse with cold water, and drain. Pat dry. (Beans can be prepared 1 day ahead. Wrap in paper towels, put in a zip-lock plastic bag, and chill. Bring to room temp before continuing.)
 
Place the beans in a large bowl. Cook the bacon in a skillet, and transfer to paper towels to drain, reserving the drippings in skillet. Add the shallots and garlic to the drippings in skillet. Saute over medium, 1 minute or just until soft. Add the vinegar, Dijon, and dry mustard. Whisk, stirring to loosen the browned bits in the bottom of the skillet. Whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and black pepper.
 
Toss the beans with the warm dressing. Sprinkle with the bacon, goat cheese and dried cranberries. Serve immediately.
 

Serves 12

Maya Angelou

Buttermilk Biscuits
 
Ingredients:
 
4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
6 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 cup lard
2 cups buttermilk
All-purpose flour
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
 
Sift flour with salt, baking powder and baking soda. Cut in lard until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Add buttermilk and stir until dough leaves side of bowl.
 
Turn dough out onto a lightly floured board, and knead until smooth. Roll out to 1/2 thickness, and cut into 2-inch rounds. If there is no biscuit cutter at hand, use a water glass. (Turn glass upside down, dust rim in flour and cut biscuits.)
 
Bake on ungreased cookie sheet for 20 to 25 minutes, or until biscuits are golden brown.
 
Makes two dozen biscuits

Michael Strahan

Sweet Potato Casserole With Marshmellow
 
Ingredients:
 
8 average size sweet potatoes
1 tbsp. vanilla
3-5 tbsp. brown sugar (to taste)
1/2 stick butter
1/4 – 1 tsp. nutmeg to taste
1/4 c. orange juice to taste
Mini Marshmallows
1/4 tsp. cinnamon to taste
1 cup Pecans
1/4 cup Maple Syrup
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven 350 degrees roast pecans on sheet pan at 350 for 3-5 mins. until lightly toasted and allow to cool.
 
Boil (or bake) sweet potatoes until done. Remove peeling from HOT POTATOES and mash well, removing all strings.
 
Add all ingredients but marshmallows and cinnamon; mix well.
 
Spray or grease lightly Pyrex or Corning dish. Make a layer of sweet potatoes, then a layer of marshmallows, and another layer of sweet potatoes on top.
 
Sprinkle cinnamon for added flavor.
 
Bake about 350 degrees until HOT.
 
Remove from oven and put marshmallows on top. Place again in oven to brown lightly.
 
Drizzle with maple syrup and sprinkle with toasted pecans
 
Serves 10 to 12.
 
** For creamier potatoes, you can add 1 cup of warm milk or 1 cup of warm chicken stock to the potato mixture **

Lauren Conrad

Brown Butter Pumpkin Cupcakes
 
Ingredients: 
 
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup canned pumpkin puree (not pie filling – just pumpkin!)
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
 
Directions:
 
Preheat over to 325 degrees.
 
Line muffin tins with paper liners.
 
In a saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat and continue to cook, swirling occasionally until butter turns golden brown.
 
Skim foam from top and remove from heat.
 
Pour into a bowl to stop the cooking process, leaving any burned sediment behind. Allow to cool.
 
Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves.
 
In another bowl, whisk together pumping puree, both sugars, eggs and brown-butter mixture.
 
Add the flour mixture and whisk until just combined.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full.
 
Bake, rotating tins halfway through until a cake tester inserted in centers comes out clean — about 20 minutes.
 
Transfer to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.
 
Frost with cinnamon cream cheese frosting.
 
Makes 15 cupcakes

Teresa Giudice

Tuscan Apple Torta

Ingredients:

5 large eggs, at room temperature
1 1/3 cups sugar
1 cup unsweetened, natural applesauce
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
2 tablespoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons baking powder
2 Golden Delicious apples
Cinnamon and sugar, for coating the apples

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggs and the sugar and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until they are light and fluffy, at least 3 minutes. Add the applesauce, orange juice, vanilla, and salt, and mix again until just blended.

In a separate bowl, sift together the flour and the baking powder. Do not skip the sifting! It’s very important! Stir the dry mixture into the wet mixture 1/2 cup at a time.

Peel and core the apples, and then cut them into quarters. Cut each quarter into thin slices 1/4-inch thick. (Do not do this ahead of time, as the apple slices will turn brown!) Put half of the apple slices in a bowl and coat with cinnamon and sugar. Leave the other half plain.

Grease (really grease!) the pan, even the inside tube. Pour half of the batter in the pan. Lay the sugared apple slices in a single layer on the batter. Pour the remaining batter over the apple slices in the pan.

Carefully lay the plain apple slices on top of the cake in a spiral pattern, overlapping each other halfway. If they sink a bit, that’s OK. Bake for 45 minutes until golden brown. Set on a wire cooling rack to cool for 5 minutes. Run a knife around the inside of the pan and the tube. Carefully remove the cake from the pan, but leave it on the tube insert. Let cool completely on the wire rack. When cooled, slip a knife between the cake and the insert, and carefully lift up and remove the cake. Transfer the cake to a platter, with the apples on top. Serve with whipped or iced cream and coffee.

Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott

Cranberry, Vanilla Bean and Orange Gelatina

 
Ingredients:
 
Cranberry Layer:
2 1/2 cups cranberry juice from concentrate, at room temperature
1/4 cup sugar
2 whole allspice berries
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 orange, zested
3/4 ounce gelatin
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
Vanilla Bean Layer:
1 cup whole milk
1 tablespoon sugar
1 vanilla bean, split and scraped
1/2 ounce gelatin
1/2 cup sour cream
Orange Layer:
1 ounce orange-flavor gelatin
1 cup boiling water
1 orange, segmented and each halved
 
Directions
 
Special equipment: a 5-cup gelatin mold
 
For the cranberry layer: In a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat, add 1 3/4 cups of the cranberry juice, the sugar, allspice, cinnamon and orange zest, and bring to a boil. Remove from the heat and infuse the spiced cranberry juice for 10 minutes. Add the gelatin to the remaining 3/4 cup cranberry juice to dissolve. Strain the infused cranberry juice into the gelatin mixture and whisk to combine. Pour into the gelatin mold and sprinkle with the pomegranate seeds. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
 
For the vanilla layer: In a small saucepan set over medium heat, add 1/4 cup of the milk, the sugar and scraped vanilla seeds. Heat until warmed but not boiling. In the meantime, dissolve the gelatin in the remaining 3/4 cup milk. While whisking, strain the warm milk into the gelatin mixture. Then whisk in the sour cream. Cool to room temperature before pouring the cream over the cranberry layer. Refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
 
For the orange layer: Dissolve the gelatin in the boiling water, whisking until fully dissolved. Add 1 cup cold water. Cool to room temperature before pouring the orange gelatin mixture over the vanilla layer. Sprinkle the orange segments into the mold and refrigerate until set, at least 6 hours or up to overnight.
 
To unmold, dip the mold in hot water to loosen. Invert and serve.

Zooey Deschanel

Pecan Pie
 
Ingredients:
 
For the pie crust
1 cup all-purpose flour, plus some for dusting
A pinch of salt
1 stick cold, unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
Approximately 1 to 2 tablespoons ice water
For the filling
1 cup dark Karo syrup
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 tablespoon flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
A mound of pecan halves, enough to fill the crust
Molasses, for garnish, about 1/4 cup
 
Directions:
 
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
 
For the pie crust, using a pastry cutter, combine the flour, salt and butter until it looks like a coarse meal. Add the ice water a tablespoon at a time, just enough until the dough comes together. Form into a disk, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
 
Roll disk out into a 1/4-inch-thick circle, transfer to a pie plate and crimp the edges of the crust.
 
For the filling, in a mixing bowl, thoroughly combine the Karo syrup, eggs, butter, flour, salt, brown sugar and vanilla.
 
Fill the crust with pecans to the top and pour the filling over the top of the pecans. Drizzle with molasses.
 
Bake for 15 minutes then lower the oven temperature to 350F and continue to bake for 40 minutes.