Turkey to go: a new trend to be thankful for?

Ms. Clingman has answered turkey-related questions on the telephone for 18 years. She says the nearly 200,000 phone calls she and her staff of 45 receive each autumn lead her to believe that many Americans are spending almost as much time in the kitchen now as ever.

Her callers range from experienced cooks who want to know the latest basting trends to a widower who wanted to prove to his family that, since the recent passing of his wife, he could take her place and cook the whole meal.

"He called four times, and then the next day, to let us know how it went," Clingman recalls.

But one thing that's new, she says, is that more effort is being devoted to regional or nontraditional foods from other cultures that have made their way to the Thanksgiving table.

"Often the dinners are being melded together with different generations, traditions, and backgrounds," Clingman says. "When people can bring something they remember from their past, it makes them more comfortable."

But when the Thanksgiving dinner is ordered from a grocery store or restaurant, "... it brings people further and further away from an understanding of where the food actually comes from," points out Gifford.

"It's not even in a vegetable bin or a bread rack; it's in a can, a takeout package, and you warm it up and eat it. The family is still together, but what's missing is the connection to food, the human bond from earth to table."

This is a connection that Poulain learned much about in his native France. There, he says, the social aspect of lingering over a meal together is so important - and not just on holidays."

Despite long work hours, he tries to maintain this tradition at home with his American wife and children. On Thanksgiving, after he has provided dinner for hundreds of Bostonians, he grabs his coat and heads home to a feast with his family.

After all, this is his favorite holiday, replete with the special joy of those many Sundays he so loved in France - eating for hours in the company of family.

Tempted by the takeout option, but feel a bit as though you're cheating? Go ahead and order out, but also give your Thanksgiving feast a homemade touch with this tangy relish. It's seasonal and so simple - you don't even have to peel the orange!

1 orange, unpeeled and scrubbed
2 bags (12 ounces each) fresh cranberries
1-1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup peeled and finely chopped fresh ginger

Cut the orange (with its peel on) into 16 slices and discard any seeds. Working in batches, combine the orange slices, cranberries, sugar, and ginger in a food processor. Pulse to chop finely and evenly, stopping once or twice with each batch to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Transfer to a storage container, cover, and refrigerate for at least 24 hours to develop the flavors. Bring to room temperature and stir well before serving.

Make-ahead tip: This relish improves when made in advance, since the flavors have more time to marry. Prepare it up to 3 days before serving.

Makes 8 to 10 servings.

- From 'Thanksgiving,' a cookbook in the Williams-Sonoma Collection (Simon & Schuster, $16.95).

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