This year, we hosted almost my entire side of the family for Thanksgiving, missing two of my brothers. It was so great having everyone over and Justin blew us away with his amazing cooking talent! I love to test out my creative skills as a Charleston food photographer, whenever he cooks delicious dishes! Thank goodness Justin cooks, since I always seem to fail miserably. But at least I can help him in documenting everything! 😛
Thought I would post the photos and links to the recipes that Justin took inspiration from. All the recipes are winners, if you decide to check them out. Just note that the dishes he made were slightly altered, just to give you home-cook readers a heads up!
Loved finally setting my new Thanksgiving dinnerware for the family! Turkey and corn decor, as well as the green napkins, were from Pier 1, centerpiece was fresh flowers that my mom brought, plates were from Macy’s, straw place mats from Belk, and napkin rings were from the Biltmore store!
Justin used his own rub mix creation on the turkey crown and then smoked it for a few hours! Prior to smoking, he cut off the legs to make a special turkey leg roulade from Chef Steps. (Scroll to the end to see how that portion turned out)
This beautiful pie was the first thing to be finished and it was as scrumptious as it looks! It is a Salted Caramel Chocolate Pecan Pie from Food 52. Then he sprinkled a few pinches of Maldon Sea Salt to finish. The salty and sweet were perfectly balanced, while also satisfying any chocolate lover’s craving with the fudge-y goodness in each bite.
Below are the two appetizers, Pork Rillettes from Serious Eats and BBQ Shrimp from Tasting Table (contributed by FIG and The Ordinary‘s Mike Lata, Justin’s personal chef hero). Justin cooked the pork rillettes in duck fat from duck confit he made earlier in the week for added flavor and paired with baby dill pickles, mustard, and plum chutney condiments.
Here is a wonderful closeup of the smoked turkey crown with the Turkey Leg Roulade! The roulade had thyme, sage, parsley, and rosemary within. He also made a gravy to pair from Serious Eats.
This cranberry sauce wasn’t that canned kind (don’t worry, we had that on hand too!) and was oh so good! Once again, this amazing recipe was found here at Serious Eats!
Personally, Thanksgiving can’t be complete without some homemade green bean casserole! 
Justin added another green dish of roasted brussel sprouts and shallots with balsamic vinegar. Roasting brussel sprouts has made this former hater of the vegetable into a fanatic! 😛 And of course, mashed potatoes made from scratch are a staple for Thanksgiving dinner! The best part was that Justin made it a day ahead and then just reheated with his sous vide on Turkey day.
The last two sides were Corn Pudding from Charleston Magazine & Sausage and Sage Stuffing. Justin made the stuffing with homemade duck stock and added a kick to the corn pudding with Hatch chiles he got from the Lewis BBQ Hatch Chile Roast (check out my Instagram photo of the event here).
My sister grabbed a photo with me and the cook below! Spent the rest of the night talking, laughing and playing games with my family, so thankful! We ended the visit with a trip to The Codfather the day they traveled back home for some crispy fish and chips. 🙂 Can’t wait until Christmas!
The fact that Justin turned a veggie hater to a veggie fanatic is such a testament to his talent as a first class chef. Your supreme talents as a photographer tease my palate too. Looks like a perfect Thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing. Please send me some leftovers!