All recipes can be found in Jacques Pépin Celebrates -- both book and television series. Each of these meals reflects one episode of the television series.

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday because it's all about sharing food and having a good time with family and friends.

First and foremost, there is no Thanksgiving for me without turkey, so a roasted turkey is the centerpiece of this special menu. Then, since holidays are about splurging, I thought it would be fun to prepare raw salmon three different ways to start. Whether you prepare only one or all of these recipes, salmon gives variety to the menu and is not too filling. With the turkey, I serve a bread and mushroom stuffing, which I prefer to cook separately because it's easier to serve and I have better control over the cooking of the turkey. As vegetables, I prepare Brussels sprouts and a gratin of butternut squash, both naturals for fall, and, to complement the turkey, there's cherry-ginger chutney, which is a pleasant remnant of summer. We go all the way for dessert with three possibilities: a chocolate cake, poached pears, and-since nuts are a Thanksgiving favorite for us-pecan pie that features a puff pastry crust. We are as generous with the wines as we are with the food.

Instant Cured Salmon Slices Salmon Tartare
Salmon Gravlax with Onion-and-Cucumber Garnish
Roasted Turkey with Bread-and-Mushroom Stuffing
Brussels Sprouts
Gratin of Butternut Squash
Cherry-Ginger Chutney
Chocolate-Bourbon-Prune Cake with Caramelized Pecans
Poached Pears in Citrus Juice with Home Cake
Pecan Pie in Puff Pastry
Wines:
Stonestreet Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley '97
Denogent Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix '98
Billecart-Salmon Champagne

Episode 23. MERRY CHRISTMAS

Christmas is the ultimate close family gathering time. In the classical French tradition, we always have oysters, foie gras, poultry, and, for dessert, a bûche de Noël, or Yule log. Our menu starts with oysters on the half-shell with a peppery sauce, then home-smoked salmon, which complements the oysters, then two types of foie gras-why not?-one salt-cured and one with a port wine aspic. Our poultry is braised duck with shallots, which we serve with honeyed sweet potatoes. Then, for more elegance, we present a black truffle salad, a classic tray of cheese, and, finally, two desserts: a chocolate Yule log and an English pudding with hard sauce. We always have a great deal of champagne, the definitive drink for celebrations, at Christmas, and, of course, red and white wines from France as well as America.

Oysters on the Half-Shell with Mignonnette Sauce
Home-Smoked Salmon with Cucumber Salad
Fresh Foie Gras with Port Wine Aspic
Salt-Cured Foie Gras
Braised Duck with Glazed Shallots and Honey Sweet Potatoes
Black Truffle Salad
Cheese
Chocolate Yule Log with Mint Leaves and Chocolate Bark
English Christmas Pudding with Hard Sauce
Wines:
Cambria Pinot Noir Julia's Vineyard '98
Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet '97
Champagne Dom Pérignon '92

Although it is somewhat presumptuous to tell people what to eat or drink when organizing recipes into menus with specific wines, the alternative--providing no suggestions at all--doesn't help the beginner cook. So I am suggesting a series of menus here that encompass practically all the recipes in this book.

These are the menus demonstrated on the television series Jacques Pépin Celebrates that I taped at KQED, the PBS station in San Francisco, with my daughter, Claudine. Based on this book, the series consists of twenty-six shows arranged in three groupings.

First, there are six one-hour specials celebrating great holidays of the year--Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah, Easter, and Independence Day--as well as Graduation Day, which we honor with a buffet. For these special meals, the menus are extensive, featuring many dishes. You can, of course, pare down these menus, selecting dishes from them to prepare for your own special occasions. In our house, holidays are the time when we really splurge for family and friends, when we give of ourselves and cook for one another.

Second, there is a series of seven menus organized thematically to explore what can be done with choux paste, puff pastry, or eggs, and how to make different types of pies or breads. These are not menus in the traditional sense; they are intended to teach variations on a theme and demonstrate what can be done with one main ingredient.

Finally, there is series of thirteen half-hour shows that celebrate special times with loved ones, from a Valentine surprise and a country luncheon, to a ski chalet supper and dinner party al fresco. These menus are organized in a relatively arbitrary way, and you should select from them based on what's in the market, how much time you have, and what you enjoy cooking. The instructions are intended only to inform and to guide, so do what you like with them. Add or eliminate at will, creating new groupings by substituting wines and dishes that fit in with the way you live or just the way you may be feeling at the moment. At my house, for example, we always enjoy salad, bread, and wine with our meals but rarely have desserts other than fruit except when we have guests. Furthermore, I usually decide on my menu at the market as I look at the produce. I take into account the availability and quality of ingredients, whether they are in season, and the price, as well as who is coming for dinner, how much time I have, and my mood on that particular day.

Likewise with the wines. The specific wines I recommend with my menus may or may not be available where you live, but one pinot noir can be replaced by another pinot noir, and a Rhône Valley wine can be easily exchanged for other wines made with Syrah or Grenache grapes. Take advantage of special sales, and make your selections based on what's available and recommended by your wine shop, and, especially, trust your own tastes.

So, these menus are intended to help. I hope that you will adapt them to your style of cooking and enjoy them with your family and your friends. Happy Cooking!