Holiday Entertaining

Your Ultimate Thanksgivukkah Recipe: A Face-Off with the Serious Eats Community

by:
October 17, 2013

We're challenging the Serious Eats community to come up with the ultimate Thanksgivukkah recipe -- and we need your help.

Bacon Turkey with Gravy form Food52  Truly Scrumptious Apple Pie from Food52  Panko Latkes from Food52

Maple Meringue Donuts from Food52  Pear, Brandy and Cranberry Sauce from Food52  Ciabatta Stuffing from Food52

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Challah from Food52  Persimmon Latkes from Food52  Pumpkin Pie from Food52

As we're gorging on Halloween candy, as we're gnawing on a turkey leg, as we're eating cookies and carving roasts and drinking eggnog and cider and champagne, it's easy to think: it really is the most wonderful time of the year. It cannot get better than this.

Oh yes, it can.

Because this year, we have a new holiday on our hands. This holiday is Thanksgivukkah.

Thanksgivukkah is the one-in-70,000-ish-years holiday in which Thanksgiving and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day. And, like any other holiday, it deserves a celebration. It deserves a party. It deserves a feast to go along with it.

We and our friends at Serious Eats have challenged each other to a friendly Thanksgivukkah competition -- Ă  la the great Cherpumple-off of 2012 -- to come up with the most clever Hanukkah/Thanksgiving mash-up recipe. And we need your help.

Leave your ideas in the comments for the ultimate Thanksgivukkah dish -- mains, sides, desserts, all fair game! -- and help us out-Thanksgivukkah the fine folks at Serious Eats. We'll build our mashup based on your brilliant brainstorming, and they'll do the same. Check back on November 4th for the big reveal. Let the festivities begin!

So tell us: What would your ultimate Thanksgiving-Hanukkah mashup recipe be?

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See what other Food52 readers are saying.

  • Maia Brumberg-Kraus
    Maia Brumberg-Kraus
  • Steve Krodman
    Steve Krodman
  • Lilly Bellman
    Lilly Bellman
  • Kristen Miglore
    Kristen Miglore
  • CarolineSL
    CarolineSL
Food52 (we cook 52 weeks a year, get it?) is a food and home brand, here to help you eat thoughtfully and live joyfully.

73 Comments

Maia B. November 17, 2013
Another idea- the focus for Hanukkah foods is really meant to be the oil. So why not a variety of wonderful dipping oils and a nice crusty bread for dipping?
 
Maia B. November 10, 2013
cranberry chutney latkes with apples, pears, candied ginger and cranberries. Would they need eggs and or matzo meal to hold them together?
 
Adrian S. November 10, 2013
Maia, I would do the latkes separately and serve with the chutney. Add some sweet potato to the regular potatoes and you will need matzo meal or flour and eggs to hold them together.
 
Maia B. November 17, 2013
Thanks Adrian! We've always made these wonderful apple latkes from, if I recall correctly, Joan Nathan's Jewish Holiday Cookbook. I was thinking of playing with that recipe by adding some cranberries and spices. But we also make this great chutney and maybe it makes more sense to go your route and stick to what we know works!
 
Steve K. November 7, 2013
"Thanksgivukkah is the one-in-70,000-ish-years holiday in which Thanksgiving and the first night of Hanukkah fall on the same day."

Err, not to be picky, but this year the first day of Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving. The first night is actually Wednesday evening at sundown.

Me, I'm thinking pastrami-cured turkey; sweet-potato latkes with cranberry sauce, and grean beans 'n' gribenes (the crispy bits left over after rendering out chicken fat).
 
Lilly B. November 4, 2013
how about a play on "chicken and waffles" but do turkey and latkes... with a cranberry maple syrup!
 
Kristen M. November 4, 2013
Hi all, check out the Thanksgivukkah recipe spawned from your brilliant ideas (and what Serious Eats brought to the table): http://food52.com/blog/8864-the-thanksgivukkah-double-down-food52-vs-serious-eats-face-off#comments
 
Kristen M. November 4, 2013
Oops, this is a better link: http://food52.com/blog/8864-the-thanksgivukkah-double-down-food52-vs-serious-eats-face-off
 
CarolineSL November 3, 2013
Here's what I've been thinking about:
Turkey gribenes
Pumpkin or chestnut cream sufganiyot
Challah stuffing (although maybe this year I'll omit the oysters!)
Sweet potato latkes w cranberry
Thanksgiving veggie latkes of potatoes & Brussels sprouts
Too many ideas! Only 1 meal...
 
Adrian S. October 28, 2013
Pastrami spice brined Turkey. Would be great if it was deep fried, but that is too scary for me, Apple cranberry fritters, pumpkin kugel or butternut squash latkes.
 
Couldn't B. October 27, 2013
These are two ideas I came up with. Both are dairy free to accomodate people who keep kosher and are eating turkey.
Cranberry apple hand pies shaped like dreidels http://www.couldntbeparve.com/2013/10/thanksgivikkuah-hand-pies/ and pumpkin pie filled sufganiot (doughnuts) http://www.couldntbeparve.com/2013/10/pumpkin-pie-sufganiot/
 
susan G. October 22, 2013
Here's my pick, from food52: http://food52.com/recipes/1625-sweet-potatoes-anna-with-prunes. I've eaten it befoe. This time I'll make it.
 
molly Y. October 22, 2013
and pastrami and challah stuffing! http://blogs.forward.com/the-jew-and-the-carrot/166360/a-pastrami-sandwich-in-stuffing-form/
 
vrunka October 22, 2013
yes!! that was exactly what I was thinking of! sounds amazing. Stuffing is my favorite part of T-day, too.
 
Julie B. November 16, 2013
does anyone have a recipe for pastrami and challah stuffing?
 
molly Y. November 16, 2013
Hi Julie! Here: http://m.forward.com/blogs/the-jew-and-the-carrot/166360/
 
molly Y. October 22, 2013
sufganiyot stuffing! http://mynameisyeh.com/mynameisyeh/2013/10/recipe-sufganiyot-stuffing-with-bacon
 
Rachel T. October 21, 2013
-Donut Stuffing
-Deep Fried Stuffing Patties
-Sweet Potato Casserole with Chocolate Gelt
-Latkes with Gravy
-Green Bean Casserole Topped with Crispy Latke Pieces
-Cranberry sauce chocolate gelt challah bread pudding, have made this one
-Doughnuts Filled with Cranberry Sauce
TurLatNut: Jelly donuts stuffed with cranberry sauce, stuffed into a turkey along with latkes.
-Gluten Free Turkey Sandwich: Two Latkes with Sliced Turkey & Cranberry Sauce
-Thanksgivukkah Snack Mix, have made this one
 
Julie B. November 16, 2013
Is there a recipe for Thanksgivukkah snack mix? Can you post a link? What is in it?
 
Rachel T. November 16, 2013
Julie,

Here is the Thanksgivukkah Snack Mix recipe! http://www.oogiah.com/1/post/2013/10/mix-it-up.html

Thanks!

Rachel
 
vrunka October 21, 2013
Also, I think adding some diced pastrami to your (challah?) stuffing would be amazing -- just think of all that smokiness and spice permeating the turkey. Yum.
 
realfoods October 21, 2013
Pre-dinner snack: Chestnuts, roasted like garbanzo beans, with pumpkin pie spice.
 
vrunka October 21, 2013
I know charoset is not a Hanukkah thing, but being so similar to mincemeat, it's always struck me as the perfect base for a Thanksgiving day pie. If you minced everything very fine and bound it with honey, you could fill up a pre-baked crust and I think it would slice up nicely. Or you could do serve charoset as a fruit salad -- or even a warm dressing to go with the turkey. You could use the usual apples, walnuts (or pecans!), honey, sweet wine -- then maybe add cranberries (fresh or dried) or pomegranate arils to make it even more festive.
 
savorthis October 21, 2013
It also happens to be my birthday this year so I get to enjoy the holiday even more this year. My friend's mother always brings me blintzes during Hannukah so for Thanksgivukkah I plan on doing a sweet potato/cream cheese blintz with a honey syrup and toasted nuts (and some burnt marshmallow folded in to honor my dad). I have to redeem myself for a brisket gone wrong many Hannukahs ago so I'm considering doing a brisket (smoked of course as we'll be in Austin) with some sort of orange/cinnamon/cranberry glaze. And a candle.
 
Johnny B. October 21, 2013
Just fry a turkey
 
Deborah A. October 21, 2013
Chanukkah Bouche de Noel (Might as well go for three holidays)
 
Judi S. October 21, 2013
My Sephardic Thanksgivukah menu:
1st "pre-sert"- Banana cream pie (we keep kosher and eat my husband's family's traditional Thanksgiving dessert half an hour before dinner because it's made with dairy ingredients; our guests never seem to mind)
Israeli salad with chopped rosemary
Turkey roasted with Moroccan spices & stuffed with olives and preserved lemon, served with laffa
Challah stuffing with pomegranate seeds, flavored with rose water
Curried sweet potato kugel
Pan roasted string beans with pistachios
Leek and shredded brussels sprout latkes with cilantro, topped with zaatar and harissa with ground dried cranberries
Bunuelos with honey syrup for 2nd dessert
Rose chai tea spiked with bourbon



 
realfoods October 21, 2013
LOVE this menu.
 
molly Y. October 22, 2013
i just about DIED when i saw your latke idea! that sounds unreal.
 
Maya M. October 29, 2013
this sounds amazing. do you have a recipe for the leek and brussel sprouts latkes?
 
Judi S. November 3, 2013
I'd start with a basic Sephardic leek patty recipe (Gil Marks has a decent one, you can found it here: http://jwa.org/blog/eating-jewish-sephardic-leek-patties), but I'd replace about half of the leeks with slightly caramelized sauteed shredded brussels sprouts (if you really want to go over the top, mash in a few cloves of roasted garlic- it'll augment the leeks without overpowering them like fresh garlic would).

For the accompaniment, I'd find a decent pre-made harissa (if you have an Israeli or Middle Eastern market nearby, look there)- unless you routinely make it yourself, it's not a smart use of time to do it just for this purpose- and I'd add some finely minced dried cranberries. Or, if you want it sweeter, just add some cranberry sauce; who's to judge? Sprinkle a little zaatar around and on top; the flavor will mostly get lost, but it'll come through every now and then & besides, let's face it, it looks nice.

Let me know if you try this & how it works out!
 
Rich B. October 21, 2013
Cranberry Topped Brie Cheese http://www.asimplehomecook.com/cranberry-topped-brie-cheese/