When thinking about how to cover Thanksgiving dishes from a fresh perspective this year, I actually traveled back into the past. A happenstance conversation with writer and archivist Valerie Frey, who wrote a book about preserving family recipes, led me to the biography of Sarah Joseph Hale. Hale was instrumental in persuading President Abraham Lincoln with declaring Thanksgiving a national holiday through her editorials in Godey’s Lady’s Book. Until the middle of the U.S. Civil War, Thanksgiving was a regional celebration in the Northeast. Then, in 1863, Lincoln signed the executive action to establish a “national day of Thanksgiving and Praise.”
So, what would Savannahians have served at those first Thanksgivings? Surveying old recipes and cookbooks through the online archives at the Georgia Historical Society revealed the meats, most likely, were wild turkey and venison. There would have been seafood—oysters and shrimp especially—on the table. Rice. Corn. Preserved and pickled vegetables put up from spring and early summer harvests. Okra. Greens. Seasonal fruits.
Food historian and former Savannah Morning News food columnist Damon Lee Fowler’s 2008 “The Savannah Cookbook” offered valuable insight how home cooks, most of them African American, created a uniquely Savannah cuisine. And Martha Giddens Nesbit, the former food editor for the newspaper and a cookbook author, captured the way professional chefs, such as Elizabeth Terry, used those historical underpinnings to put Savannah’s culinary point of view on the foodie map. Each of these individuals will shape how I approach Thanksgiving this year.
But one thing will not change. The first thing I make every Thanksgiving is a double batch of buttermilk cornbread in a cast iron skillet, because it will serve three purposes for the meal.
I am partial to the Perfect Cornbread recipe in the 1968 edition of the red-and-white-checked Better Homes and Garden cookbook. That recipe was the first thing I ever made at the age of 5 under the tutelage of my mom and kickstarted my lifelong love for collecting cookbooks. It calls for milk, but I substitute buttermilk for added texture and richness. If I’m in a time-pinch, though, I will use two boxes of Jiffy mix, again, substituting buttermilk. I’m all for maintaining my sanity so that I can enjoy the meal with others rather than live in the kitchen all day. And cornbread is easily made ahead.
Tip: Reserve half the cornbread crumbled in an airtight container for dressing. You can even freeze it and thaw it if you have better time-management skills than I do.
Broiled Oysters with Ham-Leek-Garlic Dressing
A peruse through historic coastal Southern cookbooks revealed several oyster recipes, which makes sense as Georgia was one of the leading sources of canned oysters in the country until the mid-1950s. Most of those recipes, however, leaned toward stews and bisques because Georgia oysters tended to grow in small clusters. But with new cultivation techniques, such as those used by the Tybee Oyster Co., local purveyors are harvesting larger and longer ears with super-salty meat and liquor from our very own waters.
This recipe was inspired by a tartlet in Elizabeth Terry’s 1996 cookbook, “Savannah Seasons: Food and Stories from Elizabeth on 37th.” A variation on this recipe also appeared in Nesbit’s 2001 cookbook, “Savoring Savannah: Feasts from the Low Country.”
Serves 4 to 6
12 fresh oysters
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 leek, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
½ cup finely diced ham
½ cup cornbread crumbs
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Position the top rack of the oven about 4 to 6 inches from the heating unit, and preheat your oven to broil.
Scrub the outside of the oysters clean, then shuck them, reserving the bottoms with the meat and that savory, briny juice. Place them in a cast iron skillet or grill pan, then set aside. (Save the tops for oyster recycling.)
Warm the olive oil over medium-low heat in a skillet. Sauté the leek and garlic in the olive oil for about 2 minutes, just until tender, then sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stir in the ham and cook about 2 minutes more.
Meanwhile, mix the cornbread crumbs with the melted butter in a small bowl.
Spoon equal amounts of the leek and ham mixture onto each oyster then top with about a tablespoon of the cornbread.
Broil the oysters for about 5 minutes, or until the cornbread is golden brown and the oyster juices are bubbling. Serve as an appetizer to whet your guests’ appetites.
NotesI prefer either country ham or regular cured ham without flavorings such as mesquite-smoked, which can overpower the fresh, salty brine of the oysters.You can substitute bacon or prosciutto for the ham called for in this recipe.Sausage-Pecan Cornbread Dressing
Cornbread dressing was my mother’s contribution to the Thanksgiving family potlucks. Hers was simple but tasty, with nothing more than celery, onions and generous amounts of sage added. When I branched out on my own in my early-20s, I started experimenting with her recipe so that I could have a taste of home but also put my stamp on it. This recipe is now a staple on our Thanksgiving table.
The addition of sausage and pecans captures the essence of Georgia. The South’s pork passions began in the 1500s when Spanish explorers left hogs on the sea islands so that they would have a food source during winters. Prior to the mid-1800s, the American chestnut would have been the nut of choice during the fall and winter seasons, but disease nearly wiped out the species by the early 1900s. Today, trying to find roasted chestnuts in a supermarket is difficult. Pecans, a staple for Native Americans, became the dominant tree nut in Georgia in the early 1900s. Savannah was one of the first places where pecan trees were planted in the late 1800s, but southwest Georgia is the center of pecan production. Since the 1950s, Georgia has been the leading producer of pecans in the U.S.
Serves 6 to 8
8 ounces Jimmie Dean sage pork sausage
2 cups chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon poultry seasoning
1 tablespoon olive oil (optional)
3 celery stalks with leaves, finely diced
1 medium white onion, small diced
1 teaspoon sea salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup roughly chopped pecans
4 cups cornbread crumbs
Butter a 9-inch-by-13-inch casserole dish and set aside. Preheat the oven to 350° F.
Brown the sausage over medium heat in a large cast iron skillet. On another burner, warm the broth, butter and poultry seasoning in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat.
When the sausage has just browned, transfer the sausage to a paper towel-lined plate to drain. Leave the tasty bits in the skillet and heat a tablespoon of olive oil, if needed, to sauté the celery and onions. Season the aromatics with the salt and pepper then cook until they are tender, about 4 to 5 minutes. To help release the tasty bits on the bottom of the pan, splash a tablespoon of chicken broth into the pan and scrape gently.
Add the pecans, cornbread and sausage to the skillet and toss the ingredients until sausage, pecans and vegetables are evenly distributed. Transfer the cornbread dressing to the casserole dish then gently pour the stock over the dressing until the cornbread is moist but not drenched. You may have some left over, which you can use in gravy later. Bake the dressing for 30 to 40 minutes or until it is golden brown. Serve warm alongside your turkey.
NotesFeel free to substitute turkey sausage or spice it up with a mild or hot Italian sausage if you’re serving a fried turkey.If you have friends or family with nut allergies, forego the nuts altogether.Sometimes I add ½ cup of finely diced Granny Smith apples in with the celery and onions for a bit of sweetness to balance with the savory.
Blackberry Sauce
Because cranberries do not grow in the South, most Georgians were not familiar with cranberry sauce until it became a holiday staple in the 1940s. Matthew Raiford included a recipe for Venison Steaks with Blackberry Sauce in his 2021 cookbook, “Bress ‘n’ Nyam: Gullah Geechee Recipes from a Sixth-Generation Farmer” that was based upon meals his family made during his childhood. They hunted deer on the family farm to help keep the population in check so that the deer would not starve during the winter nor destroy the row crops that kept his family fed. I’ve played around with his recipe, using ingredients that I had on hand, and what I’ve found is the resulting sauce pairs well with roast chicken, turkey and fish. So, try something rooted in history with a little spin on it, including serving wild or fresh turkey or venison tenderloin (backstraps), which are available at Ogeechee Meat Market.
Makes 2 cups
1 pint fresh blackberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup sorghum syrup
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon allspice berries
Combine all the ingredients in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the blackberries have broken down and the sauce is reduced by half. Remove the cinnamon sticks and allspice berries, then strain the sauce through a fine mesh sieve into a creamer or gravy boat.
Rustic Black Plum Tart
If you want a break from apple or pumpkin pie, might I suggest this easy, homespun tart, which is based on a Wild Plum Tart recipe I ran across, but could not find when I tried to retrace my steps. Word to the wise: the biggest lie you will ever tell yourself is, “I’ll remember.” So, write things down. Five different kinds of wild plums grow in Georgia, and if you have access to any of those varieties, please substitute them in this recipe. Most cultivated plums are Japanese varietals. I chose black plums for their striking deep purple color and sweet-tart flavor.
Serves 8
1 pie dough
1 package almond paste
5 black plums, seeded and thinly (about ¼”) sliced
1 egg, beaten with 1 tablespoon water
Turbinado (“Raw”) sugar, for sprinkling
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat the oven to 375° F.
Roll the pie dough into a circle about ¼-inch thick. Heat the almond paste for about 15 seconds on high in the microwave to soften it. Spread a circle of almond paste about 8 inches round in the middle of the pie dough so that you have about 2 inches left all around.
Arrange the plum slices in whatever pattern you choose, then fold the edges of the dough over the plums. Brush the dough with the egg wash, then sprinkle it with the raw sugar.
Transfer the tart to the prepared baking sheet and bake for 30 to 40 minutes until the crust is golden brown and flaky. Let the tart rest at least 15 minutes before serving, or let it cool completely. Serve it with a side of whipped cream or a scoop of ice cream.
Sorghum and Spiced Pecan Pie
Last year I made a Sorghum Pie from a recipe developed by North Carolina-based Milk Glass Pie’s Keia Mastrianni. This year, I wanted to try my hand at combining my mother’s pecan pie recipe with Mastrianni’s recipe then adding my own twist by spicing the nuts first. Beta eaters have been happy with the results. Why sorghum? Before maple syrup and processed white sugar were widely available, Southerners relied on honey, pure cane syrup, molasses and sorghum syrup as sweeteners. Sorghum syrup is earthier in flavor with an almost-green brightness to it. Plus, it is chock-full of antioxidants, so I tell myself that I’m being slightly healthier using it instead of processed sugars or corn syrup in recipes.
Serves 8
For the spiced pecans:
½ cups pecan halves
1 egg white, reserve the yolk
½ cup light brown sugar, loosely packed
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon ground allspice
For the filling:
3 large eggs
1 cup sorghum syrup
½ cup light brown sugar, tightly packed
¼ cup unsalted butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ teaspoon sea salt
1 pie dough
Preheat the oven to 375° F. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.
Toss the pecan halves with the egg white and spices in a large bowl until they are all evenly coated. Spread the pecans in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Beat the reserved egg yolk with a tablespoon of water and set aside as an egg wash for the pie dough.
Set the baking sheet on a wire wrack and let the pecans cool completely.
Roll out the pie dough into a 12-inch circle that is about ¼-inch thick. Line a deep-dish pie plate with the dough and crimp the edges.
When the pecans are cool, whisk the filling ingredients until they are fully combined. Fold the pecans into the filling. Pour the filling into the prepared pie plate and brush the edges with the egg wash.
Set the pie on a baking sheet to catch any spills and bake it in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, until the pie is set and only slightly jiggly in the very center. Remove from the oven and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Serve it with a side of whipped cream or a scoop of butter pecan ice cream.
The pie can be made ahead of time and frozen or refrigerated. Bring it to room temperature before serving for the best flavor profile. Most of all, just enjoy Thanksgiving and don’t worry about perfection.