Melissa Clark's Thanksgiving Issue

Thanksgiving is just around the corner and with it brings recipe anxiety. Many home chefs are wondering what to cook and how to cook it. There's also the problem of finding new dishes to liven up the meal. Not to worry. Melissa Clark comes to rescue,

She was the star  - and rightly so - of today's New York Times Wednesday Food section. She has contributed some of the paper's best recipes along with great advice for several years.It's no wonder.Cooking  is in her veins. Her chief influence were her parents who were also creative with recipes. The one that has her father's influence is her roast turkey with garlic, rosemary  and anchovies. He didn't like cooking a bland bird, threatening to sub in something else like a leg of lamb. His daughter takes it a step further and treats the turkey as if it were a leg of lamb. She pierces the legs all over  and stuffs the tiny  slits with a paste of garlic ,rosemary and anchovies. This is also rubbed all over the rest of the bird as well.  This also makes for a more fragrant gravy too.The bird sits for an hour before being popped into a 450 F degree oven.Of course stuffing has to come with it. Hers is made with rich  buttery brioche and roasted peeled chestnuts. As with any stuffing, sage and  thyme are added. Ms. Clark uses fresh for maximum flavor. Another must is chicken or turkey stock,It has to be homemade for the best taste. Season it with leeks and parsley tops .

Sides are always important to the Thanksgiving meal.Again Ms. Clark knows how to elevate the humble cranberry, turning it into a  dinner table star. She takes her Aunt Sandy's recipe, originally from a magazine and updates it. Gone is the orange that gave the berries some tang. In its place is pomegranate There are also pistachios for crunch and more color. Instead of sugar she makes it healthier by subbing in half a cup of honey.Other dishes are mashed sweet potatoes with bourbon(!) and brown sugar along with broccoli with fried shallots and olives. These would definitely be eye openers at any table, thanks to the different spin on them.Every holiday table has to have potatoes and salad. Again, Ms. Clark does not disappoint with her recipes.The potatoes are slathered in a duck fat confit , made fragrant with thyme, sage and garlic. The result is a crisp on the outside, fluffy on the inside potato that will sure to be a hit. Her salad has anchovy  - again-blended with lemon juice and parsley. This is a great dressing to make for weeknight salads too. Pie is de rigeur . Her pumpkin pie is laced with rum along with ginger and star anise.Four egg yolks give the filling richness. To gild the lily even more there is a ginger ice cream recipe, zinged up with fresh ginger and cinnamon.It's perfect with the pie, as it's decorated with candied ginger.

Follow Ms. Clark's recipes for a fun twist on a classic holiday meal. The result is a tasty dinner , from beginning to end. Try all of them - or just try one or two for a unique Thanksgiving.