My good friend and Chef extraordinaire, Christian Pritchard, has taken some time out from his busy schedule filming for his new show on Rogers TV – Mission Meal – to offer some last minute tips for a great Thanksgiving dinner.

And not only that……… he’s thrown in a recipe for a fantastic stuffing.

Here’s Christian’s great tips for Thanksgiving Food!

1) Ask your guests to bring a side dish. This makes life so much easier and not only will you thin out your own work you will experience (most likely) a recipe with traditions from another family.

2) Serve a fruit wine with dinner. One of the BEST pairings I ever had with Thanksgiving Turkey was a Cranberry Wine from Stoney Ridge Estates in Niagara. Archibald Estate Winery in Bowmanville, Ontario has amazing apple wines that also pair really well with your harvest feast.

3) Prepare something different. Just because it is Thanksgiving doesn’t mean you have to have Turkey. Try tenderloin of pork or beef. Why not roast a duck or goose? Another fun idea is make individual capons for each guest.

4) Prepare your stuffing outside of the bird. Not only will your stuffing be great but your turkey will be juicier because it will cook in the carcass where the stuffing would have been. It will also take a little less time if the bird is cooked at high heat for the first hour and at low heat for the next several hours.

5) Eat outside if it is a nice day. One of the best memories I have of Thanksgiving is going to my Mother and Father in law’s cottage after a round of golf and sitting outside in the warm autumn sun having our harvest feast. If the weather permits do it…You didn’t spend all this money on your cottage to sit inside all the time! Put the gourds and leaves right on the table. By the way I live for my Mother in law’s Lemon Pie for Thanksgiving – some love pumpkin, I love lemon!

Almond Sausage Stuffing

3 lbs of good pork sausage

5 cups of great day old Italian or French bread

3 cups of celery

2 cups of chopped carrots

2 cups of chopped onions

2 cups of cremini mushrooms (Italian Brown)

1 cup of crushed salted almonds (roasted for 20 minutes at 400 degrees)

2 tsps Fresh Rosemary

2 tsps Fresh Sage

1/2 cup olive oil

Salt and Pepper to taste

A little white wine to de glaze

Method:

Put all veggies into a well oiled saute pan and saute down with pork until caramelized and browned about twenty minutes, Add your fresh herbs to mix when browned. De glaze with a little white wine and then add your almonds. Heat through for about five miutes and then put aside until you heat up to have as a side dish. So easy!

If this sounds good, why not try a Gourmet Weekend at a Cottage. Christian and his team will come to the cottage of your choice and cook up a fabulous dinner for you and your family or friends. Check out this link for more information.