A Holiday Super-Menu From Food52's Resident Experts

Earlier this year, we asked ourselves: What would happen if some of the country's best cooks—an expert bread baker, cheese plater, pasta maker, Genius Recipe hunter, and dessert know-it-all, to name just a few—got together to make our dream holiday menu?

It'd be a menu with the biggest and juiciest bird out there, yes, but with crispy chicken for smaller gatherings and luxurious pasta, too. We'd find a sweet-spicy-smoky take on our favorite cornbread dressing; a minimalist greens gratin that's full of cream and sharp cheddar; a so-simple cheese basket to graze on as you cook, and naturally leavened flatbread to go with. And of course, we couldn't dream up the perfect menu without dessert—and a festive, fizzy cocktail too.

We dreamt it, and our team of Resident Experts did it—more deliciously than we could have ever imagined. Who are our Residents, you ask? Think of them as the cooking Avengers. They're the pros we turn to when our sourdough starter's giving us grief, when we want to roll out the tenderest pasta [with tools we have on hand],(https://food52.com/shop/collections/gifts-for-pasta-lovers) when we just need a dang-good riffable recipe using ingredients in the fridge...and so much more. You've probably seen them around Food52, cooking up a storm and sharing all sorts of wonderful recipes and helpful advice (and if you haven't, check 'em out here!).

We know the holidays will be out of the ordinary this time around, and we could all use a few friendly voices cheering us on.

The Bountiful Cheese Plate to Stave Off Pre-Dinner Hanger by Marissa Mullen

The Crispy, Crackly Double-Duty Flatbread by Maurizio Leo

The Celebratory (But Still Chill) Cold-Weather Cocktail by Apartment Bartender

The Lowest-Maintenance, Most Genius-Ever Bird By Genius Recipes

The Smaller-but-Still-Special Bird by Emma Laperruque

The Stunning (& So-Cozy) Stewed Beans & Greens by Sohla El-Waylly

The butteriest, cheesiest squash-stuffed pasta, With Bonus Brussels Sprouts by Pasta Social Club

The Ultimate Sweet & Spicy Cornbread Dressing by Rick Martinez

The Creamy, Cheesy Casserole That Still Counts as a Vegetable by Emma Laperruque

The Irreverent (But Extremely Fun) Peanut Butter & Jelly Pie by Erin McDowell

What are you cooking up for the holidays? Let us know in the comments.