The Best-Ever Thanksgiving -- with Savenor's Help!!!

Let's Talk Turkey!!!

Savenor's strategies for the tastiest and most effortless holiday ever

Thanksgiving is the time to call in the experts. You may cook 364 days a year, but still shiver at the thought of Thanksgiving. "That big bird just paralyzes people," says Juliana, manager of Savenor's Markets.
You can rely on Savenor's butchers and staff for their years of experience and enthusiasm to help make your feast the best it can be. It all starts with the best turkey, says Juliana. Massachusetts-grown turkeys, freshly slaughtered and brought directly to Savenor's with no middleman, means that our customers have an edge right away. "These are not last year's turkeys held in cold storage," she says.

Savenor's will do all the prep work, from supplying the perfect poultry seasoning rub (see below), to brining, if desired, to even roasting the turkey for you. This year for the first time, Savenor's is offering kosher turkeys, already brined. Organic turkeys from Pennsylvania and fresh-foraging Vermont turkeys that are raised on open pasture are also available.

      Now that you've selected the Savenor's turkey just right for you (click here for options), Juliana and the Savenor's crew has some helpful hints. First, dry your turkey, put it on a sheet pan, and rub it inside and out with Savenor's poultry rub to let the seasoning infuse. Put it in the refrigerator, covered loosely with a kitchen towel, so that it can "breathe." Do not put stuffing inside the bird at this point, she stresses because that can be a health hazard.
    Fifteen to 20 minutes before beginning to roast the turkey, remove from fridge while oven heats. Recipe cards in Savenor's Cambridge and Boston stores give step-by-step instructions on roasting, stuffing, and making gravy for your bird.

    Now that you have Savenor's on your Thanksgiving team, don't you feel confident?

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Side dishes: Easy, easier, easiest

Everyone wants to have the perfect Thanksgiving. But lack of space and, more importantly, not enough time, often keep you from devoting hours to cooking.

That's when you'll want to turn to Savenor's. Savenor's Thanksgiving menu (click here for Full Menu) gives many different options and solutions for any situation. Order a complete dinner with soup, jumbo shrimp, turkey, homemade gravy, herb stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry chutney, tea rolls, butternut squash and a pie of your choice for 4, 6, 8 or 12. Savenor's will even roast your turkey.

Or use your oven space for the big bird and order the freshly-made side dishes (think what a stress-reliever it would be to have delicious homemade turkey gravy without having to stir forever over the stove.) Or order perfect apple, traditional pumpkin or pecan pies. With Savenor's, you'll get an individualized feast and cooking that is anything but mass-produced.
Oh, and did we mention, that Savenor's now delivers. Check out all the wonderful ways to Thanksgiving by clicking here.

Here's an easy side dish to add to your Savenor's order. Buy Delicata or already-peeled Butternut Squash from Savenor's well-stocked produce section to make this easy Roasted Squash with Pine Nuts and Pomegranate Molasses Vinaigrette (sold at Savenor's). Your guests will be amazed.
delicata cut

Starters and a finale,

inspired by the Classics

Pear Fragipane Tart inspired by Julia (above); below, Savenor's Smoked Ham for Cornbread Sliders.

With Savenor's pitching in on Thanksgiving, you'll have a little DIY time. Use it to make a spectacular appetizer, just right for whetting appetites and starting conversations. Cornbread and Smoked Ham Sliders with Roasted Garlic and Onion Jam or Red Pepper Jelly are irresistible and a snap to make. Savenor's smoked ham is just right to add special flavor to this adaptation of a Southern favorite. And the roasted garlic and red pepper spreads are on Savenor's shelves.
Julia Child, who relied on Savenor's when she entertained, always had a knack for pleasing guests. Follow Julia's lead once more by widening your dessert repertoire past pumpkin pie to create a Pear Fragipane Tart. This tart, filled with

a buttery, almond-flavored filling spiked with rum and topped with wine-poached pears, is inspired by Julia, but uses a simpler version of the almond filling. Savenor's has the pears, of course -- from Bosc to Ruby Red to Bartlett. And if you'd prefer to skip rolling out a crust, Savenor's has those, too. Made in Vermont, these all-butter crusts are as far from generic store-bought as possible.

When the sighs of appreciation go round the table at the first bite of this Pear Tart, you'll know that Julia was right about Savenor's.

Surprise your guests with a Turducken

For every traditionalist at Thanksgiving, there's someone who likes to bend the rules. Why just turkey when there are so many possibilities in the poultry family. Savenor's offers a sure-fire way to impress -- with a fresh Turducken!! It's a chicken stuffed inside a duck stuffed inside a turkey. All the birds are of the highest quality -- Savenor's wouldn't have it any other way -- and are stuffed to order. Click here for information and to order. All you have to do is roast the big bird. And then sit back for the oohs and aahs when the Turducken is carved!!!!

Hanukkah: Apples in your Latkes? Sweet!!

Amy Traverso gives you her tips for success

This is a wonderful apple season in New England, and Savenor's offers all the best in local fruit. That's lucky for Yankee Magazine food editor and author Amy Traverso, whose "The Apple Lover's Cookbook" came out last year. Each year she throws a big party for her husband, 5-year-old son, and dozens of friends to mark Hanukkah, which starts on Thanksgiving night this year. Sweet Potato and Apple Latkes are always on the menu.

Choosing the variety of apple that will match the flavors of the dish is important, Amy says, who thinks a tart apple like a Granny Smith would work well with the sweet potatoes in this dish. In the Applesauce that accompanies them, use a tender-tart apple like a McIntosh. Savenor's produce staff can guide you to the right apple for each dish.

When she first started researching apples, she thought beef would never go with apples -- pork, yes, but beef? However, she changed her mind when developing a Braised Brisket with Apples and Hard Cider. Another traditional Hanukkah dish, brisket can sound humdrum -- until you get the best in brisket from Savenor's, and follow Amy's winning ways with apples.

Brisket know-how makes for tenderness

Brisket is sometimes dismissed as a tough cut of meat, from the part of the breast area that supports the animal's weight while standing. But it's also incredibly flavorful, says owner Ron Savenor, providing you get a good cut of brisket. Savenor's sells USDA Prime Brisket and also brisket from PT Farms in New Hampshire, null

where the farm family lavishes care and attention on each animal in their herd. "What makes the brisket is the way we trim it," Ron says. "You don't need much fat, just a little to mix in with the potatoes and carrots in the bottom of the pan." Then your finished brisket will be full of delicious, meaty flavor without drowning in fat. He suggests slow roasting the brisket -- "low and slow is the way to go these days," he says. Then he would add moisture, such as beef stock, at intervals as the brisket slowly reaches tenderness over three hours to so. "Mmmm," he says, remembering his mother's brisket with chopped onions and carrots. He mischievously adds a footnote: "If I had my way, I'd put potatoes cooked in duck fat on top."