A Trio of Jacques Pépin’s Favorite Thanksgiving Recipes

As I always say, food, for me, is inseparable from sharing. There is no great meal unless it is shared with family or friends. That’s why Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays – it is all about food and family. Ahead of this year’s holiday, I wanted to share a few of my favorite appetizers and side dishes that I often serve with my classic roasted turkey – French Onion Soup, Green Beans Almondine and a delicious Sweet Potato Gratin. French onion soup is a classic and one of my favorites – what more can I say? You cannot go wrong with green beans almondine with its combination of haricots verts, shallots and butter, and gratins always remind me of my childhood. This gratin is made with sweet potatoes and warm spices like ginger, cloves and nutmeg for a really nice autumn flavor.

With that, let’s get in the kitchen – Happy Cooking and Happy Thanksgiving!

FRENCH ONION SOUP | GRATINÉE À L’OIGNON
Serves 4 (makes 5 cups)

INGREDIENTS
7 cups beef stock
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
9 cups thinly sliced onion
1½ tablespoons finely chopped garlic
3 thyme sprigs
3 marjoram sprigs
12 to 16 slices baguette, each ¼ inch thick
Extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup dry white wine (such as chardonnay)
1/2 cup dry red wine (such as merlot)
3 tablespoons brandy
3½ cups chicken stock
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded Gruyère cheese

DIRECTIONS
Pour the beef stock into a large saucepan and bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat. Adjust the heat as needed to maintain a gentle boil and cook until the stock reduces by half, about 30 minutes. Set aside.

In a stockpot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent and a light golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Decrease the heat to medium-low and cook until the onion is a rich brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour, lowering the heat as necessary to prevent scorching. Stir occasionally.

Meanwhile, place the thyme and marjoram sprigs on a small piece of cheesecloth and tie into a sachet with kitchen twine. Set aside. Preheat the oven to 350°F.

Lightly brush the baguette slices on both sides with olive oil. Place in the oven and heat, turning once, until dry, about 5 minutes on each side. Do not allow the bread to color. Set aside.

Add the white wine, red wine and brandy to the browned onion and bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the alcohol evaporates and the onion is glazed, about 5 minutes. Add the sachet, the reduced beef stock and the chicken stock and bring to a simmer. Keep at a low simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour. Season with salt and pepper.

Preheat the broiler. Place 4 flameproof serving bowls on a small sheet pan. Ladle the soup into the bowls. Top with the bread slices and then top the bread slices with enough cheese to cover the bread completely and extend to the rims of the bowls, about ½ cup for each bowl. Place under the broiler until the cheese is bubbling and toasted.

GREEN BEANS ALMONDINE | HARICOTS VERTS AMANDINE
Serves 4

INGREDIENTS
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 pound haricots verts, trimmed on 1 end only
¼ cup sliced almonds
¼ cup butter, cubed
¼ cup minced shallots
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
Maldon salt, for finishing

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, prepare an ice water bath. In a large stockpot, combine the salt with about 3 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Add the beans, return to a boil and cook until the beans turn bright green, about 2 to 4 minutes. Using tongs, transfer the beans to the ice water bath. When the beans have cooled to room temperature, remove from the ice water and reserve.

In a large sauté pan over medium-high heat, toast the almonds, stirring constantly, until golden. Remove from the pan and reserve. In the same pan, sweat the shallots in the butter until the shallots soften and the butter lightly browns. Add the reserved beans and toss well, adding more butter if needed. When the beans are warm, add the toasted almonds and lemon juice. Finish with Maldon salt.

SWEET POTATO GRATIN | GRATIN DE PATATES DOUCES
Serves 8

INGREDIENTS
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus additional for baking dish
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
2 tablespoons minced shallots
Pinch of ground allspice
Pinch of ground nutmeg
Pinch of ground cloves
1 cup heavy cream
1½ pounds russet potatoes, peeled
1½ pounds sweet potatoes, peeled
4 cloves garlic, halved
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish, preferably glass or ceramic.

In a small sauté pan over low heat, melt the butter. Add the ginger and shallots and sauté gently for 1 to 2 minutes, until softened. Add the allspice, nutmeg and cloves and increase the heat to medium. Sauté for about 2 minutes, or until the spices release their aromas. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside.

Pour the cream into a large bowl. Using a mandoline, thinly slice the russet and sweet potatoes and add them to the cream. (Do not rinse the slices in water.)

In a large stockpot over medium-high heat, combine the cream, potatoes, spiced butter and garlic. Heat for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes are partially cooked.

Remove the potatoes from the cream and layer them in the baking dish, overlapping them in each layer. Remove the garlic pieces from the cream and discard. Pour enough cream over the potatoes to reach 2/3 the height of the potatoes. Bake until the potatoes are soft and the top is golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

NOTE: This recipe can be easily adapted to make a regular potato gratin. Use 3 pounds of russet potatoes and forgo the sweet potatoes. Do not add the ginger, allspice, nutmeg or cloves to the butter in the sauté pan. Instead, add a pinch of nutmeg to the cup of heavy cream.

What are your favorite Thanksgiving recipes and cooking traditions? We’d love to hear about them – share them with us on Facebook.

About Master Chef & Executive Culinary Director Jacques Pépin
Oceania Cruises’ Executive Culinary Director since 2003, Master Chef Jacques Pépin has long inspired our culinary team and our culinary passions. An internationally renowned chef, author of more than 30 cookbooks, and host of 13 PBS television series, he served as personal chef to three French heads of state, including Charles de Gaulle, and is also the recipient of countless awards, including the American Public Television’s Lifetime Achievement Award and La Légion d’Honneur, France’s highest civilian honor. In 2016, Master Chef Pépin and his closest family founded the Jacques Pépin Foundation to share Jacques’ passion for cooking and mastery of technique with economically disadvantaged individuals in order to encourage them to seek pathways of success through culinary professionalism.