Spending quality time with family and friends; what more could you be thankful for this season? The holidays are slowly creeping up on us and before we know it, celebrations are happening in rapid succession. Whether it’s your first-time hosting Thanksgiving or maybe you’re just hoping this year’s Turkey Day prep will be stress-free - to host the perfect Thanksgiving feast, you need a plan. Chef and entertaining expert James Briscione has hosted many a holiday dinner and has the process down to a science
- Early Bird: Opinions may range widely on the best time to book travel. However, most agree that booking early will likely net you the greatest options so make sure to get a head start on your holiday travel plans.
- How Sweet It Is: You don’t have to give up indulging on the sweet stuff around the holidays. Simple swaps in your holiday recipes can sweeten food and beverages without using sugar.
- Perfect Pairings: One of the most important parts of the Thanksgiving feast is the wine choice. Be sure to choose a few options that pair with the many different flavors on the menu.
- Go Hands Free: Prepping a Thanksgiving feast requires all hands-on deck, literally. Luckily, advances in technology allow us the opportunity to free our hands up when we don’t have a hand to spare!
MORE ABOUT JAMES BRISCIONE:
James Briscione is the Director of Culinary Research and a chef-instructor at the Institute of Culinary Education (ICE) in New York City. He is the first two-time champion of Food Network’s ‘Chopped,’ a host and judge on Food Network, and one of People Magazine’s ‘Sexiest Chefs Alive 2016.’ He is the author of four books: Just Married & Cooking (Scribner 11’), Cognitive Cooking with Chef Watson (Sourcebooks 15’), The Great Cook (Oxmoor House 15’) and the forthcoming The Flavor Matrix (HMH 18’). Since 2008, James has operated Just Married & Cooking LLC with his wife, Brooke Parkhurst. Their company creates one-of-a-kind, custom dining and educational experiences. Together, they also teach a series of date night cooking classes at ICE, where they inspire couples of all ages to get in the kitchen and create delicious food. For the past decade, Chef James has been at the forefront of groundbreaking culinary events that seek to combine unexpected ingredients in new and exciting ways. Most recently, James was invited to speak at TEDxWarsaw to share his work and discuss the future of food. You can currently follow the culinary adventures of James and his family in their Food Network digital series, Man Crafted, and Cooking with Dad. You can also catch James in his ‘live’ broadcasts for Food52 as well as his regular guest appearances as a chef and food expert on The Dr. Oz Show.
