Making a traditional Thanksgiving meal requires a long list of ingredients. I used to bring things back with me from the states but over the years I have found that I can find all that I need in Paris at stores specializing in American products or those with a large international selection or I can substitute with what is available locally.
Brussel sprouts, green beans, broccoli etc can be picked up at the local markets or green grocers without any problem.
Sweet potatoes used to mean a trip to one of the Asian or African markets but now they have become more mainstream and I can find them in my local markets and green grocers.
Winter squash – Potimarron, (known in English as Kuri or Hokkaido), kobocha, (super tasty Japanese squash), butternut and other winter squash are plentiful in the markets during the fall. Delicious roasted or for making a gratin. Roasted Spiced Pumpkin is a favorite side dish for Thanksgiving.
Potatoes – there are a lot of potatoes to choose from, make sure to select the the right variety for the dish!
Roasting: Grenaille – a size, not a variety, perfect for roasting (see recipe for roasting grenaille potatoes)
Purée: Monolisa or Binjte
Gratin: Annabelle, Charlotte, Roseval
Pearl onions – oignons grelots find them raw in the markets or buy them peeled and ready to cook “petite oignons blanc entiers, épluchés” from Picard, the French frozen food specialist.
Cranberries – Canneberge – Sold canned, fresh and frozen at one of the stores listed below and closer to Thanksgiving, Picard, the French frozen food specialist will carry them. Sometimes les airelles (lingonberries) are confused with cranberries as they have slightly similar taste. Les airelles come in clusters, are much smaller and not as sour. Cranberries are large, individual berries.
Creamed corn – The Real McCoy (see below) is the only place I have ever found creamed corn. It’s imported and expensive. In general, canned cream corn is whole kernels mixed with pureed corn, sugar, salt and starch. Very seldom is it made with real cream and it can be overly sweet – great for some casseroles but not very appealing as a side dish. Making your own with French cream and butter is not much trouble.
You can find almost all of the American brand ingredients you need to make traditional Thanksgiving desserts either in the stores listed below or in the imported food sections of high-end grocery stores or hypermarches or but substitutions are readily available.
Pumpkin: Potiron – Canned pumpkin for the traditional pumpkin pie is super convenient but can also be a little bland. If you want to try your hand at making your own, the giant CourgeMusquée de Provence, sold in slices in the market or the Cinderella pumpkin, the Rouge Vif d’Etampes both make more interesting purées. Remove any seeds and soft string tissue, give the skin a good scrub and bake in a 400 °F (200°C) oven for about 45 minutes or until the rinds begin to turn brown. Cool, scrape out the flesh and mash or purée. If the purée is too liquid, drain in a large colander lined with 2 layers of paper towel set over a bowl for about 30 minutes.
Pecans Noix de Pécans available in most green grocers and also larger supermarkets.
Corn Syrup – substitute rice syrup, available in Asian grocery stores or Golden Syrup (a British pantry staple)
Sugar
Sucre Cristal: all-purpose white sugar crystals are a bit larger than US granulated sugar. Sucre en poudre: caster or superfine sugar
Sucre Vergeoise: beet sugar sprayed with caramel. Taste similar to brown sugar. Light brown (blond) and standard (brune)
Cassonade: raw can sugar
Sirop d’Erable: maple syrup
Sucre de Canne Semoule Fonce : Dark brown cane sugar, available in natural food stores
Sucre de Canne Semoule Claire : Light brown cane sugar, available in naturalfood stores
Pastry
Ready-made pastry is very popular in France. Pate sucrée and brisée will work for most American pies. They are crumbly but firmer than flaky America pie crust and will hold their shape when cut into slices and served. The best are all butter “Pur beurre”.
Pate prête à dèrouler: ready-made, pre-rolled pastry.
Pâte sablée, pate sucrée : sweet tart pastry or shortcrust pastry
Pâte brisée the sweetened version can be used for pies or tarts
Pâte feuiletée: puff pastry for sweet or savory
Recipes here if you want to have a go at making your own. Pate Sucrée and Pate Brisée
Keep in mind that your French ovens may be smaller than what you are used to. Buy a turkey to fit your oven.
Whole turkeys are hard to find outside the Christmas holiday season. But, thanks to the large American community in Paris, a lot of Parisian butchers will take orders to obtain birds near the end of November for Thanksgiving celebrations. Turkeys will vary from large, moderately priced, intensively raised birds that weigh up to 7 kg (15 lb) to naturally smaller, unnaturally expensive, free-range turkeys, prized regional breeds (unique to France), Label Rouge and AOC/AOP turkeys from Bresse
If you think you have a solid enough relationship with your butcher, ask…and he might be willing to stuff (***) and even roast your turkey for you. If you prefer to cook the turkey yourself and would like the giblets and gizzards for making gravy and stuffing, make sure to ask the butcher to put them aside for you since he generally removes them when he prepares the bird.
In other regions of France it might take a visit to a farm to find a whole bird to roast for your Thanksgiving meal. Whether you order from a butcher or a farmer, make sure to do so early enough to get the type and size you want.
***Traditional stuffing in France is usually meat-based, often including both ground veal and pork sausage, nuts, truffles, or even foie gras. While delicious, this combination can weigh down the palate of someone used to bread-based stuffing.
The Real McCoy
194 rue de Grenelle
75007 Paris
Tel: +33(0)1 45 56 98 82
email: us.food@wanadoo.fr
One-stop shopping for all your Thanksgiving needs – including delicious, farm-raised turkeys – that you can take home and cook yourself (or leave it all up to them and they will not only stuff and cook your bird but provide all the trimmings as well! – place orders early!)
Costco
3 ave de Bréhat
91140 villebon-sur-Yvette
This American wholesale behemoth has landed in France. If you are up for the adventure of getting out there (it’s about 20 kms from Paris) they will have everything you need for the big day. As we get closer to Thanksgiving they tell me they will have:
Fresh turkeys
Apple pie
Pumpkin pie
Fresh Cranberries (but they won’t have Ocean Spray whole cranberry sauce)
Mini Marshmellows
Sweet potatoes
Shop on-line
Everything from Crisco to Campbells Turkey gravy, only a click away –all you need for your American holidays abroad – and then some…
French stores that sell recognised American products:
La Grande Epicerie rive gauche
38 Rue de Sèvres
75006
Le Grande Epicerie rive droite
80 rue du Passy
75016
High-end grocery stores selling luxury, sought-after and out-of-season products – as well as a diverse array of American goods. They might not have Libby’s pumpkin purée but they will have enough familiar items – marshmallow fluff and planters peanut – to fill in some gaps.