What if you celebrated Thanksgiving this year? Like every fourth Thursday of the month of November, a large number of Americans prepare to celebrate this traditional festival, which has its origins in the 17th century. Originally, the “harvest festival” consisted of praying and gathering in a festive manner to express gratitude for the blessings received during the preceding months. Today, in the United States, this holiday is secular. On the program? Reunions between loved ones or family, around a beautiful, big roast turkey, devoured between two bursts of laughter.
At least that is the image we have on our side of the Atlantic, as it reaches us in particular through TV films or series. Unlike Halloween, which has many fans, very few French people look forward to this festive meal. Or not yet. Because from year to year, initiatives multiply and Thanksgiving comes in small touches in France.
« Home-baked »
If the origins of this American national holiday do not speak to the French and their history, its gastronomy does not leave them indifferent: it is difficult to resist this famous glistening turkey, the creamy mashed potatoes, the “pecan pie” … So many recipes that we can now discover and learn to prepare, as Thanksgiving approaches. At L'atelier gourmand, an address where we offer cooking classes near Chartres, we have been organizing a special annual workshop since last year, followed by a meal. An evening given by a cook from the United States, which very quickly found its audience.
“When it comes to world cuisine, there’s always a lot of interest,” explains Aurélie, the company’s manager. Our customers come to look for dishes they don't really know how to make and to discover new things. »
Friday evening, a few hours behind the American festivities, budding cooks will learn how to stuff and roast a turkey, simmer cranberry sauce or concoct a pecan tartlet. For 59 euros (there are still a few places to reserve), they will also discover the roots of this tradition and its friendly spirit. “It’s not just cooking, it’s also sharing and spending time together,” emphasizes Aurélie.
If it's a little more risky, nothing stops you from going solo behind the stove. Thanksgiving meal recipes abound on the Internet and social networks. It is also possible to cheat and order turkeys already stuffed – and even roasted – in stores, like at Stévenot, a Basque rotisserie in Paris, which offers poultry on pre-order for the occasion.
“Like at home”
For those who are too lazy to spend a whole day in the kitchen (or who no longer have any RTT to submit before the end of the year), why not simply head to the restaurant? More and more establishments are switching to American time for Thanksgiving, particularly in Paris. This will be the case Thursday and Friday at Cocoricains, in the 2nd arrondissement. For the first time, the restaurant founded by two Franco-American friends is offering a menu for 29 euros – upon reservation -, with roast turkey with gravy sauce (a meat gravy), peanut soup or even roasted cornbread.
The evening will also be under the sign of the United States at the Drugstore, on the Champs-Elysées. The restaurant offers a menu designed by chef Eric Frechon with, among other things, crispy corn tempuras and a free-range turkey roasted with chestnuts. The bill is a little higher, count on 78 euros per meal.
In the capital, certain essential addresses of American gastronomy do not miss this meeting, such as Joe Allen, the oldest American brasserie in Paris. “We have done it every year since 1972,” explains Antoine, the director of the establishment. There are a lot of Americans because it's a traditional Thanksgiving, they say it's “just like home”, like at their grandmother's house. »
For 90 euros, gourmets will delight in crab croquettes, stuffed turkey, roasted bone-in ham with mustard sauce or even “pumpkin pie”.
If the restaurant welcomes many American expatriates, the French also answer the call. “These are mainly customers who have already come and know the quality of the meal. It’s also a pretty great atmosphere because the restaurant is full, it’s moving in all directions.”
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