Happy Thanksgiving!

It's that time of year again. My kitchen has already smelled of roast turkey, in July when I developed three new holiday bird recipes for Bon Appetit's November issue, but I still look forward to the Big Day when I sit at the table with my friends.

Check out my holiday cooking class and demonstration schedule pages. I will be in the San Mateo CA; Sonoma, CA; Portland OR; Wayne, New Jersey; New Milford, Connecticut; Chapel Hill, NC; Hartsdale NY, and Pittsburgh, PA. I hope to see you at one of these classes.

Here's what's been going on at Cuisine Américaine since I last had a minute. I've just had two new books released, AUTUMN GATHERINGS and Williams-Sonoma NEW FLAVORS FOR CHICKEN. People often ask me how I can write so many cookbooks. My recent cookbooks have had a limited number of recipes (about fifty) with lots of pictures. So, it's a question of quality rather than quantity. For myself, I would rather have a concise cookbook that has fifty well-considered recipes than a huge collection of ones that I won't use most of anyway! I love the recipes in these two books.

More publishing news: I am working on two more installations in the GATHERINGS series for Winter 2009 and Spring 2010, and I am also helping world-class baker Sarabeth Levine with her first cookbook. I'll also be doing a book, TIPS COOKS LOVE for Sur La Table.

If you are looking for new ideas for your holiday entertaining, you can get my advice from two great sources. and www.epicurious.com. Look for my turkey recipes in Bon Appetit's November issue. These birds are dry-brined with a combination of salt and seasonings, with appropriate gravies. The results are fantastic, and about a hundred times easier than wet brining.

I will also be doing a Thanksgiving blog at www.epicurious.com starting November 1. You can post a question in any of my posts, and I'll answer it. This is my second year as guest blogger there, and it is a great way to be in touch with you.

As for my own blog, I am getting closer and closer to establishing it. With all of the cooking going on here, there is so much that I want to share with you. The holiday cookbook season is upon us, and I have recently come across books that I would like to recommend, but I need a blog to do it effectively. For the record, two of my favorites are FAT by Jennifer McLaren and SWEET! by Mani Niall. (Full disclosure: I worked behind the scenes on SWEET!, and it impressed me as the go-to book for solid information on the huge range of sweeteners and sugars out there.)

For the recipes this time around, I'll stick with turkey. Here are the three turkeys from Bon Appétit, which you can also find at www.epicurious.com. Although, I can't resist adding a great dessert for your holiday feasts--Quince Tarte Tatin.

Happy Cooking!

Rick