Last-minute Thanksgiving cooking tips, side dish recipes and a no-bake dessert

Happy Thanksgiving!
As home cooks across the country prepare their holiday meals, the experts from America’s Test Kitchen are taking over Times Square to share last-minute tips for the perfect turkey, delicious sides and a decadent no-bake dessert recipe.
Chief content officer Dan Souza and Cook’s Illustrated associate editor Erica Turner joined “Good Morning America” on Thursday ready to talk turkey day.
Check out some full recipes below, plus everything you need to make the perfect meal.
Serves: 6Time: 50 minutes
Why this recipe works
“Our Brussels sprout salad is dressed in a warm mustard vinaigrette that gently tenderizes the sprouts while letting them retain their fresh flavor. Bites of quick-pickled shallot and dried apricots add pop to the salad, while ricotta salata cheese, chopped toasted pistachios, and watercress add richness, flavor and a touch of bitterness. We dress the salad in the skillet before transferring it to a serving bowl.”
Ingredients5 tablespoons white wine vinegar1 tablespoon whole-grain mustard1 teaspoon sugarSalt and pepper1 shallot, halved through root end and sliced thin crosswise1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped5 tablespoons vegetable oil1/3 cup shelled pistachios, chopped1 1/2 pounds Brussels sprouts, trimmed, halved, and sliced thin1 1/2 ounces (1 1/2 cups) watercress, chopped4 ounces ricotta salata, shaved into thin strips using vegetable peeler
Before you begin: A food processor’s slicing blade can be used to slice the Brussels sprouts, but the salad will be less tender.
Instructions
1. Whisk vinegar, mustard, sugar and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in bowl. Add shallot and apricots, cover tightly with plastic wrap, and microwave until steaming, 30 to 60 seconds. Stir briefly to submerge shallot. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
2. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add pistachios and cook, stirring frequently, until pistachios are golden brown, 1 to 2 minutes. Off heat, whisk in shallot mixture. Add Brussels sprouts and toss with tongs until dressing is evenly distributed and sprouts darken slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to serving bowl. Add watercress and ricotta salata and toss to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve immediately.
Serves: 4Time: 25 minutes
Why this recipe works
“Inspired by an innovative macaroni and cheese recipe that calls for adding sodium citrate, an emulsifying salt, to cheese to keep it smooth when heated (instead of adding flour to make a béchamel), we based our sauce on American cheese, which contains a similar ingredient. Because American cheese has plenty of emulsifier but not a lot of flavor, we combined it with more-flavorful extra-sharp cheddar. A bit of mustard and cayenne pepper added piquancy. We cooked the macaroni in a smaller-than-usual amount of water (along with some milk), so we didn’t have to drain it; the liquid that was left after the elbows were hydrated was just enough to form the base of the sauce. Rather than bake the mac and cheese, we sprinkled crunchy, cheesy toasted panko bread crumbs on top. Our simplified mac and cheese recipe takes only about 20 minutes from start to finish.”
Ingredients1 1/2 cups water1 cup milk8 ounces elbow macaroni4 ounces American cheese, shredded (1 cup)1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustardSmall pinch cayenne pepper4 ounces extra-sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (1 cup)1/3 cup panko bread crumbs1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oilSalt and pepper2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
Before you begin: Because the macaroni is cooked in a measured amount of liquid, we don’t recommend using different shapes or sizes of pasta. Use a 4-ounce block of American cheese from the deli counter rather than pre-sliced cheese.
Instructions
1. Bring water and milk to boil in medium saucepan over high heat. Stir in macaroni and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until macaroni is soft (slightly past al dente), 6 to 8 minutes. Add American cheese, mustard and cayenne, and cook, stirring constantly, until cheese is completely melted, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in cheddar until evenly distributed but not melted. Cover saucepan and let stand for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine panko, oil, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in 8-inch nonstick skillet until panko is evenly moistened. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until evenly browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Off heat, sprinkle Parmesan over panko mixture and stir to combine. Transfer panko mixture to small bowl.
3. Stir macaroni until sauce is smooth (sauce may look loose but will thicken as it cools). Season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer to warm serving dish and sprinkle panko mixture over top. Serve immediately.
Serves: 8Time: 1 3/4 hours, plus 30 minutes chilling and 4 hours cooling
Why this recipe works
“We wanted to create a grown-up pie that brought together apples and flavorful salted caramel. Instead of stewing the fruit in a double crust, we reimagined our apple slices and used them as a fancy garnish to a caramel custard pie. We made the salted caramel filling by whisking basic custard components into homemade caramel. A surprising ingredient — white miso — deepened the flavor of the caramel dramatically so it stood out from the dairy. The miso’s savory quality also prevented our caramel custard filling from being too sweet. To adorn the custard, we softened thin apple slices with sugar and a little lemon juice so they could be bent and formed into beautiful roses that made our pie look like an edible bouquet. Carefully tilt the saucepan to pool the caramel to get a more consistent temperature reading. For best results, use a mandoline to slice the apples paper-thin.”
Ingredients1 recipe single-crust pie dough (see ingredient note below)1 1/2 cups (10 1/2 ounces / 298 grams) plus 2 tablespoons sugar, divided3 large eggs1/4 cup (1 ounce / 28 grams) cornstarch2 tablespoons white miso1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon table salt1/4 cup water1 cup heavy cream, divided1 1/2 cups whole milk3 Fuji, Gala, or Golden Delicious apples, cored, quartered and sliced very thin lengthwise2 tablespoons lemon juiceFlake sea salt
Instructions
1. Roll dough into 12-inch circle on floured counter. Loosely roll dough around rolling pin and gently unroll it onto 9-inch pie plate, letting excess dough hang over edge. Ease dough into plate by gently lifting edge of dough with your hand while pressing into plate bottom with your other hand.
2. Trim overhang to half-inch beyond lip of plate. Tuck overhang under itself; folded edge should be flush with edge of plate. Crimp dough evenly around edge of plate. Wrap dough-lined plate loosely in plastic wrap and refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 F.
3. Line chilled pie shell with double layer of aluminum foil, covering edges to prevent burning, and fill with pie weights. Bake on foil-lined rimmed baking sheet until edges are set and just beginning to turn golden, 25 to 30 minutes, rotating sheet halfway through baking. Remove foil and weights, rotate sheet, and continue to bake crust until golden brown and crisp, 10 to 15 minutes longer. Transfer sheet to wire rack. (Crust must still be warm when filling is added.)
4. Whisk 3/4 cup sugar, eggs, cornstarch, miso, vanilla and table salt together in bowl. Set aside. Bring 3/4 cup sugar and water to boil in large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook, without stirring, until mixture is straw-colored, 4 to 6 minutes. Reduce heat to low and continue to cook, swirling saucepan occasionally, until caramel is amber-colored and registers 360 to 370 F, 2 to 5 minutes.
5. Off heat, carefully stir in 1/4 cup cream; mixture will bubble and steam. Whisk vigorously, being sure to scrape corners of saucepan, until mixture is completely smooth, at least 30 seconds. Gradually whisk in remaining 3/4 cup cream and milk, then bring to simmer over medium heat. Slowly whisk 1 cup hot caramel mixture into egg mixture to temper then slowly whisk tempered egg mixture into remaining caramel mixture in saucepan. Cook, whisking constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbling and registers 180 F, 4 to 6 minutes (mixture should have consistency of thick pudding). Strain mixture through fine-mesh strainer into clean bowl.
6. With pie still on sheet, pour filling into warm crust, smoothing top with clean spatula into even layer. Bake until center of pie registers 160 F, 14 to 18 minutes. Let pie cool completely on wire rack, about 4 hours.
7. Before serving, combine apple slices, remaining 2 tablespoons sugar, and lemon juice in bowl. Microwave until apples are pliable, about 2 minutes, stirring halfway through microwaving. Drain apples then transfer to paper towel-lined sheet and pat dry with paper towels. Shingle 5 apple slices, peel side out, overlapping each slice by about half-inch on cutting board or counter. Starting at 1 end, roll up slices to form rose shape and place in center of pie. Repeat, arranging apple roses decoratively over top of pie. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve.
Serves: Makes 64 squaresTime: 35 minutes, plus 1 1/5 hours chilling
Why this recipe works: These truffle-like treats hit the spot as the ultimate homemade chocolate snack, without requiring the hassle of an oven. Crushed chocolate sandwich cookies created a decadent, fudgy base, which was bound together with melted chocolate chips, butter, and sweetened condensed milk. After chilling, an extra layer of melted chocolate added more complexity and creaminess.
Ingredients36 Oreo cookies, broken into rough pieces2 cups (12 ounces) bittersweet chocolate chips, divided8 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 1-tablespoon pieces, divided14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk2 teaspoons vanilla extract1/4 teaspoon table salt
Before you begin: For dessert bars with tidy edges, be sure to wipe your knife clean with a dish towel after each cut. These are quite rich, so we prefer to cut them into small squares for serving.
Instructions
1. Make foil sling for 8-inch square baking pan by folding 2 long sheets of aluminum foil so each is 8 inches wide. Lay sheets of foil in pan perpendicular to each other, with extra foil hanging over edges of pan. Push foil into corners and up sides of pan, smoothing foil flush to pan. Spray foil with vegetable oil spray.
2. Process cookies in food processor until finely ground, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer cookie crumbs to large bowl.
3. Microwave 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips and 4 tablespoons butter in bowl at 50% power until melted, about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer melted chocolate mixture to bowl with cookie crumbs and stir in condensed milk, vanilla and salt until evenly combined (mixture will be very thick). Transfer to prepared pan. Using rubber spatula or your hands, press into even layer. Refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.
Recipes reprinted courtesy of America’s Test Kitchen.
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“To celebrate 25 years of America’s top cooking show, we’ve assembled our 500 best recipes in one beautiful cookbook,” Souza told “GMA.” “I like to call it our greatest hits album. And there’s something for everyone, whether you are just starting out in the kitchen or an experienced cook. We test each recipe 40 to 60 times, so they are guaranteed to work for you the first time.”