How to get ahead for Thanksgiving with Dan Souza

After 16 years at America’s Test Kitchen, Dan has lots of advice

“Thanksgiving day, you shouldn’t be doing a lot of cooking,” says this week’s podcast guest, Dan Souza. Instead, he says, “clear off your Tuesday and your Wednesday and get to work.”

Dan’s worked at America’s Test Kitchen for 16 years—including as the editor in chief of Cook’s Illustrated. He currently holds the title of chief content officer, working across ATK’s books, magazines, TV, and podcasts, and he also appears on the Youtube series What’s Eating Dan? Dan joined me on The Dinner Plan this week to share his prep-ahead Thanksgiving moves—plus ideas for what to eat in the days leading up to the holiday. 

Dan gave us a peek at the cookbooks (over)filling his shelves and the condiments crowding his fridge—and talked a bit about the new 25th anniversary cookbook just released by ATK.

In this week’s episode—shared a little early in case you’re already in spreadsheet mode—we talked about why it makes sense to start brussels sprouts cooking in a cold pan, the reason you might want to get your turkey in the oven earlier, and the surprisingly delicious soup that could kick off your Thanksgiving meal. (Scroll down for the full recipe.) 

I think you’ll enjoy listening in.

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Books Dan loves

The Wok by J. Kenji López-Alt
Filipinx: Heritage Recipes from the Diaspora by Angela Dimayuga and Ligaya Mishan 
Xi'an Famous Foods by Jason Wang with Jessica K. Chou

Mentioned recipes

Crispy Cacio e Pepe Bites (ATK, accessible with free trial)
Skillet-Roasted Brussels Sprouts With Mustard and Brown Sugar (ATK, accessible with free trial)
Angela Dimayuga’s Coconut Milk Chicken Adobo (Filipinx)

A few other things

Searzall torch attachment
Ducktrap River of Maine smoked mackerel
Xi’an Famous Foods kits

Gift alert!

I’ve also built a list here on Bookshop to gather all of the cookbook recommendations made by podcast guests so far—plus you can see the cookbooks written by Dinner Plan guests here.

Photo: America’s Test Kitchen

Cauliflower Soup

Excerpted from America’s Test Kitchen 25th Anniversary Cookbook: 500 Recipes That Changed the Way America Cooks. Reprinted by permission of America’s Test Kitchen. All rights reserved.

Serves: Serves 4 to 6

Time: 1 hour

Why This Recipe Works
For a creamy cauliflower soup without cream, we relied on cauliflower’s low insoluble fiber content to produce a velvety smooth puree. To ensure that cauliflower flavor remained at the forefront, we cooked the cauliflower in seasoned water (instead of broth), skipped the spice rack entirely, and bolstered the soup with sautéed onion and leek. We added the cauliflower to the simmering water in two stages so that we got the grassy flavor of just-cooked cauliflower and the sweeter, nuttier flavor of long-cooked cauliflower. Finally, we fried florets in butter until both browned and used each as a separate, richly flavored garnish.

Before You Begin
White wine vinegar may be substituted for the sherry vinegar. Be sure to thoroughly trim the cauliflower’s core of green leaves and leaf stems, which can be fibrous and contribute to a grainy texture in the soup.

Gather Your Ingredients
1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)
8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces
1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
4½ – 5 cups water
½ teaspoon sherry vinegar
3 tablespoons minced fresh chives

Instructions

1. Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem. Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; thinly slice core and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of ½-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into ½-inch thick slices.

2. Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, onion, and 1½ teaspoons salt; cook, stirring frequently, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.

3. Increase heat to medium-high; add 4½ cups water, sliced core, and half of sliced cauliflower; and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower, return to simmer, and continue to cook until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

4. While soup simmers, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring frequently, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and imparts nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl. Toss florets with vinegar and season with salt to taste. Pour browned butter in skillet into small bowl and reserve for garnishing.

5. Process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds. Rinse out pan. Return pureed soup to pan and return to simmer over medium heat, adjusting consistency with remaining water as needed (soup should have thick, velvety texture but should be thin enough to settle with flat surface after being stirred) and seasoning with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with browned florets, drizzle of browned butter, and chives and seasoning with pepper to taste.

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