Thanksgiving Dinner: Recipes, Techniques, and Yips for America's Favorite Celebration

Valuable for veteran feastmakers and first-timers alike, this thorough and engaging examination of that most American meal is, like the dinner itself, traditional and satisfying. While the husband-and-wife authors confess, ``We think about Thanksgiving all year,'' they suggest that ``normal'' people should start planning during the first week of November. In chapters for each course, from soup to leftovers, straightforward recipes with plenty of do-ahead steps transform fresh ingredients into Ojai Valley carrot soup, winter white pureeno accent per web or pumpkin praline pie. The turkey chapter is meatiest, with trussing and carving advice and recipes for the bird grilled, roasted, cut up and en papillote . Stuffings utilize croutons, cornbread, couscous, nuts, oysters and so on; proper, unfussy attention is paid to gravies and condiments. Side dishes feature old favorites with a difference, such as savory creamed onions laced with lemon juce and mustard. Desserts highlight pies and tarts. Leftovers include ``killer'' turkey hash and turkey tortilla casserole. An authoritative, untraditional chapter on wines (Anthony Dias Blue is author of American Wine) concludes this practical paean. Illustrations not seen by PW. Author tour. (Oct.)