No-stress classic turkey dinner
By Soo Kim and The Canadian Living Test Kitchen
Yes, you can pull off a complete turkey dinner - without the tears! This classic holiday menu includes time-tested restaurant strategies that save time, and sanity.
Cider-Brined Turkey with Gravy and Maple Cranberry Sauce
Photography by Yvonne Duivenvoorden
An easygoing restaurant-quality turkey dinner is simple to pull together when you plan ahead. Take some hints from the restaurant industry, where chefs create multicourse dinners for hundreds of guests on a nightly basis. Organization and smart make-aheads are key.
Turkey dinner make-ahead schedule:
(Find links to recipes below)
2 days ahead
• Make cranberry sauce
• Make pastry for pie
1 day ahead
• Brine turkey
• Make stuffing; refrigerate
• Make mashed potatoes
• Blanch brussels sprouts and green beans
• Make pumpkin pie and yogurt whipped cream
4 hours ahead
• Roast turkey
1 hour ahead
• Bake stuffing
• Let mashed potatoes
stand for 20 minutes;
reheat
20 minutes ahead
• Sauté brussels sprouts and green beans
• Cook carrots
• Warm cranberry sauce
To serve
• Carve turkey
• Slice pumpkin pie; serve with whipped cream
Recipes
-
Cider-Brined Turkey With Gravy
Brining marinates to the bone, ensuring a juicy turkey every time. We've created a lower-sodium brining option by replacing salted water with apple ci... -
Chorizo, Apricot and Chestnut Stuffing
Stuffing is best cooked separately from the turkey. A stuffed bird will often dry out by the time the stuffing inside reaches a safe temperature. This... -
Maple Cranberry Sauce
Maple helps to offset the tartness of the cranberries – and also gives this lovely condiment a delicious Canadian twist. -
Sautéed Parmesan Brussels Sprouts and Green Beans
Blanching vegetables ahead of time is a great way to get a head start on your dinner – and it's also a restaurant secret. -
Irish Mashed Potatoes
The simple yet sublime twist of adding green onions to mashed potatoes makes this traditional Irish dish known as champ. Use a vegetable mill or potat... -
Glazed Carrots
The restaurant trick to perfectly cooked carrots is uniform thickness, good timing and simple seasoning. -
Classic Pumpkin Pie With Yogurt Whipped Cream
Draining pumpkin purée maximizes its flavour, eliminates excess water and makes a thick, luxurious filling.






