Thanksgiving Menu From “Friends”

Americans traditionally celebrate Thanksgiving on the fourth Thursday of November. This day marks the beginning of the holiday season in the United States, which lasts until the New Year.

We'd like to suggest that you recall the Thanksgiving dishes from the TV series Friends, because for ten seasons of this series, one episode of each season has always been dedicated to this popular family holiday.

Here are five delicious dishes that New York's most famous friends have tried for Thanksgiving. All of these dishes, by the way, will be to your liking not only on the holiday, but also on any day of the week for no particular reason.

Turkey is the queen of the holiday table. Monica has always prepared this dish every year and once she even put a turkey on her head.

Ingredients

    12 lb turkey (Anything from 11-15 lbs will work, but bake time will vary – see below)
    Salt & Pepper for the inside and outside of the bird

For the Turkey Stuffing

    1 large onion, quartered (no peeling)
    4 garlic cloves, halved (no peeling)
    1/2 bunch parsley
    1 lemon, quartered

For the Flavored Butter

    1 cup (2 sticks or 226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
    2 Tbsp light olive oil (not extra virgin), or other high-heat oil, plus more to drizzle the top
    4 Tbsp fresh lemon juice (from 1 large lemon), plus 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest
    3 large garlic cloves, pressed
    1/4 cup freshly chopped parsley
    1/2 Tbsp salt (I used sea salt)
    1/2 tsp black pepper, freshly ground

Preparing Your Turkey

Take the thawed turkey out of the fridge about 30 minutes before starting. Remove the giblets and neck, pat the turkey dry, and let it sit in a roasting pan with paper towels to absorb moisture. Tuck the wings behind the bird.

Season & Flavor: Sprinkle 1 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp pepper inside the turkey cavity. Make a seasoned butter by mixing 2 sticks softened butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil, 1/2 Tbsp lemon zest, 4 Tbsp lemon juice, 3 minced garlic cloves, 1/4 cup parsley, 1/2 Tbsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Separate the skin from the breast, spread most of the butter under the skin, and rub the rest on the outside. Drizzle with olive oil and season the outside with salt and pepper.

Stuff & Tie: Fill the cavity with onion quarters, garlic halves, parsley, and lemon. Tie the legs with kitchen string.

Roasting Your Turkey

Preheat Oven: Heat the oven to 430°F. Place an oven-safe thermometer in the turkey's thigh.

Start Roasting: Roast uncovered at 430°F for 20 minutes, then baste and cover the breast with a foil shield.

Continue Roasting: Lower oven temperature to 350°F. Roast for about 13 minutes per pound, until the thigh reaches 170°F and the breast reaches 160°F.

Rest & Serve: Let the turkey rest under foil for at least an hour before carving. Use drippings for gravy, and garnish with greens, apples, and citrus for a festive touch.

In one episode, Chandler made cranberry sauce. Monica became so annoyed with his constant offers to help in the kitchen that she assigned him the 'very important task' of making the turkey sauce.

Ingredients

Sugar: Cranberries are quite tart—only lemons and limes have more acidity—so sugar helps balance their sharpness.

Cranberries: Fresh or frozen works fine. If using frozen, no need to thaw first. Choose firm, deep-colored berries if buying fresh.

Orange Zest: Adds aromatic flavor that complements the cranberries perfectly.

Instructions

In a small saucepan (avoid aluminum due to acidity), mix sugar with 1 cup water over low heat until dissolved. Add cranberries and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.

Lower the heat to medium and let simmer, stirring occasionally, for about 10 minutes until most cranberries have burst and the mixture thickens.

Add orange zest and a pinch of salt, stirring to combine. Allow the sauce to cool, letting it thicken further as it rests.

Make Ahead Tip: This sauce can be made up to a week in advance. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator, letting the flavors deepen over time.

Mashed potatoes are a classic side dish for roasted turkey. However, in Episode 9 of Season 1, the friends ask Monica to make three different types of potatoes, as each of them likes potatoes prepared in their way. Naturally, Monica goes along with it and makes the classic mashed potatoes, among others.

Ingredients

Potatoes: You’ll need 4 pounds of Yukon Gold or Russet potatoes. Scrub them clean before cutting into cubes, especially if you plan to keep the skins on.

Butter: Butter adds richness and smoothness to the potatoes. I prefer unsalted butter for control over seasoning, but salted works too. No need to bring it to room temperature first.

Salt: Fine sea salt or kosher salt works well to enhance the potatoes' flavor. Use about one tablespoon for the cooking water and more to taste.

Milk: Whole milk or heavy cream gives the potatoes a creamy texture. Half-and-half is also a suitable option if preferred.

Instructions

If desired, peel the potatoes, then cut them into large, even-sized chunks.

Place the potato chunks in a large pot. Add one tablespoon of salt and fill the pot with water, covering the potatoes by about 1 inch.

Set the pot over high heat and bring the water to a boil. Let the potatoes cook for around 10 minutes, or until they’re tender enough to be easily pierced with a fork.

Drain the cooked potatoes and return them to the warm pot. Set the pot over low heat, stirring gently for about a minute to evaporate any remaining moisture. Remove from heat, then mash to your preferred texture using a potato masher or wooden spoon.

While the potatoes are finishing, combine the milk and butter in a small saucepan. Warm over medium heat for 3–4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the butter melts. Remove from heat.

Gradually pour the warm milk mixture into the mashed potatoes, gently mixing until smooth. Add salt and pepper to taste. For extra flavor, top with more butter and garnish with cracked pepper, chopped chives, or parsley, if desired.

Rachel made the trifle dessert in episode 9 of season 6. Trifle is a layered dessert with ladyfingers soaked in fortified wine, custard, and fruit. Everything would have been fine, except the cookbook Rachel used had pages stuck together, so she ended up making the dessert with custard, jam, meat, and canned peas.

Ingredients

1 pound of sponge cake or ladyfingers
1 cup of sherry or fortified wine (optional)
2 cups of custard (store-bought or homemade)
1 cup of heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup of sugar
Fresh fruit (such as berries or sliced bananas)
Jam or jelly (raspberry or strawberry works well)

Instructions

Prepare the sponge cake: If you're using a store-bought sponge cake or ladyfingers, cut them into pieces that will fit into your trifle dish.

Soak the cake: In a small bowl, lightly soak the sponge cake or ladyfingers with sherry or fortified wine. If you prefer a non-alcoholic version, you can use fruit juice instead.

Layer the trifle: Start by placing a layer of soaked sponge cake at the bottom of your trifle dish.

Add fruit: Place a layer of fresh fruit, like berries or sliced bananas, on top of the cake layer.

Add jam/jelly: Spread a thin layer of your chosen jam or jelly on top of the fruit.

Layer with custard: Pour a layer of custard over the fruit and cake, smoothing it out to cover the entire surface.

Whip the cream: In a mixing bowl, whip the heavy cream with sugar until it forms soft peaks. Spread the whipped cream over the custard layer.

Repeat layers: Repeat the layers of cake, fruit, jam, custard, and whipped cream until you reach the top of the dish.

Chill: Refrigerate the trifle for several hours or overnight, allowing the flavors to meld together.

Serve: Before serving, garnish with additional fruit or fresh mint.

Shepherd's Pie is actually the second half of the recipe from the stuck-together pages of the cookbook Rachel decided to use for Thanksgiving. The pie is made with minced meat, canned peas, and mashed potatoes. The minced meat is fried, then simmered in tomato juice, and is placed into a baking dish. Green peas are layered on top, and everything is covered with a "cap" of mashed potatoes. As you can imagine, cream and jam are completely out of place in this dish.

Recipe
Chop finely or shred a big ass onion 
Shred a big carrot (or two medium carrots) 
Shred or finely chop 2 or 3 garlic cloves
Heat up some olive grease in a pan on medium 
Fry the onion, carrot, and garlic for a few minutes until soft 
Create a ring of fire and put around a pound or 500g beef in the middle
Add in a teaspoon of salt and some triple P 
Brown the beef and then reunite all of the food components 
Add in: 
1 tablespoon Wercestishire sauce
1 tablespoon red wine vinegestishire sauce 
1 small tin of tomato paste 
A pinch of rosemary 
A pinch of thyme 
Let me know if I forgot anything 
Wangjanlge together until thoroughly combined for a couple minutes
Add in a cup of broth: beef, chicken, veggie, barguest, grindelow, whatever 
Thaw a wild peasicle then add in some peas (an amount that you think is good)
Add in some apple corn (an amount that you think is good also) 
Wangjangle into Shepherd’s Slop, until it gets thickish again

Go back in time 20 minutes 
Cut up some potato chunks
Boil them in extremely salty water for 15-20 minutes or until you fork says so 
Mash them with some butter and milk or cream, then add in some garlic powder and parmesan or grana padano, or some other cheese if you want 
Wangjangle until they are literally clouds 

In a 9 X 9 baking dish (or whatever you have), put the Shepherd’s Slop downstairs, and the starch frosting upstairs, then add some diary sprinkles

Undoh’s on three seventy fundoh, bake for 20 to 30 minutes until the top starts to brown 

Take that dish of Shepherd’s Pie out of the undoh then let it sit for ten minutes then serve to your friends, or your enemies, depending on the mood you’re in.