The Triangle hospitality pro, wine expert and consummate host shares her treasured Turkey Day recipes, along with the help of her industry friends.
by Hampton Williams Hoffer | photography by Forrest Mason

Sara Abernethy and Chris Borreson of Wye Hill Hospitality love to host. Both came from theater backgrounds, and see serving food as a type of theater itself. “You hope the details of what a guest sees, tastes and hears transport them, even just for two hours, away from whatever burdens they carry,” says Abernethy.

But the other thing Abernethy has realized is that you can’t do it all. In this season of life — the couple has two young children at home — they’re leaning on their industry friends to whip up the perfect Thanksgiving. Abernethy has a few favorite recipes that she loves to make herself, like an apple pie and a mushroom gravy, but she’s happy to tap the talent at Wye Hill Brewing and Glasshouse Kitchen to fill out the meal. Below are a few of the recipes she and her friends have on deck for Thanksgiving.

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A classic recipe for Abernethy, she loves using torn pieces of Union Special bread for a robust stuffing.

Ingredients
1 cup celery, coarsely chopped 
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium-sized loaf of crusty day-old bread or baguette, cut into 1-inch cubes (I used 1 full Levain from Boulted Bread)
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Salt and black pepper, to taste (Abernathy likes about a teaspoon of each, or 10 cranks of pepper grinder)
3 cups low sodium chicken broth

Instructions Heat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium to large skillet, melt butter over medium high heat. Add onions and celery and sauté until translucent, about 4-5 minutes. Add cubed bread and broth to the skillet in 2 batches: half of the bread with one cup of broth, let simmer about 5 minutes, then add the rest of the bread and another cup of broth. Add salt and pepper, then turn heat down to medium low. Let simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a large casserole dish, then drizzle the last cup of broth over the mixture and dot with butter. Bake for 25 minutes, or until the top is brown and crispy.

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Made with a mix of white and portobello mushrooms, this deeply-flavored gravy goes well with the mains and sides.

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons flour
3-4 large cloves garlic, minced
2 shallots, sliced
Salt, to taste
3 cups chicken broth
24 ounces white or portobello mushrooms, sliced and divided into three parts
3 tablespoons tamari

Instructions Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium high. Watching closely to not let it burn! Sprinkle in flour and stir gently to make a roux. Add the garlic and shallots, and a generous pinch of salt. (The mixture may look a tiny bit crumpled, but that’s OK.) Stir continuously, adding a splash of broth if needed, until the aromatics are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup of broth and about 1/3 of the mushroom slices; saute for 4-5 minutes. Add the next batch of mushrooms and repeat, then the final batch. If the pot is looking too dry, or the mushrooms are burning, add a splash of broth. Once all the mushrooms are added, add another generous pinch of salt and the rest of the broth. Stir and cover.  Turn the heat down to low and let simmer for about 20-30 minutes. Add the tamari and let simmer until serving.

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Abernethy uses Ashley Christensen’s pie crust recipe as a base for her take on this classic Thanksgiving dessert. 

Crust Ingredients
5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
4 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 cups unsalted butter, cut into ½-inch cubes
⅔ cup ice water 

Filling ingredients
4-5 granny smith apples 
3-4 large Fuji apples
¾ cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg
¼ cup orange juice
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons cold butter, cubed
1 egg
1 tablespoon milk 
Cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar, for garnish
Vanilla ice cream (optional)

Instructions To make the crust, combine the dry ingredients in a large bowl or food processor, then cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or pulse with a food processor until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Slowly drizzle in ice water while continuing to mix, until the dough just begins to come together. Do not overmix. Scrape the dough onto a lightly floured work surface. Gather it into a ball, divide it in half, and pat each half into a flat disk. Wrap each disk tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least one hour, until ready to use. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Make the filling: Peel, core and thinly slice the apples and place in a very large bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and orange juice; stir to mix. Then add the cornstarch and stir to mix. Roll out one disc of pie crust, place into the pie pan. Fill with apple mixture, then dot the top with small pieces of butter. Roll out the second pie crust, then place on top, pinching around the sides to seal it. Beat the egg with milk to make a glaze, then brush over the entire top of the pie. Cut 4 slits into the top for ventilation, then sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar. Place the pie on the center rack in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, then turn the oven down to 350, loosely cover the pie with foil and bake for an additional 45 minutes. Serve with vanilla ice cream.

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Bonnie Cameron is the pastry chef at Glasshouse Kitchen makes this decadent streusel. She loves to serve it alongside an orange espresso mascarpone cream.

Streusel Ingredients
36 grams (about ⅓ cup) oats
12 grams (about 1 tablespoon) whole wheat flour (or all purpose)
12 grams (about 1 tablespoon) brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon cloves
45 grams (about ¼ cup, chopped) white chocolate
85 grams (about 1 cup) pecans
25 grams (about 2 tablespoons) butter, softened

Batter Ingredients
200 grams (about 1 ⅔ cups) all purpose flour
90 grams (about ½ cup, chopped) white chocolate
36 grams (about ⅓ cup) malted milk powder (optional)
224 grams (about 1 ¼ cup) brown sugar
96 grams (about ¾ stick) butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 egg
85 grams (about ⅓ cup) pumpkin puree

Mascarpone
250 grams (about 1 cup) mascarpone 
250 grams (about 1 cup) heavy cream
50 grams (about ¼ cup) sugar
Pinch salt
2 teaspoons espresso powder (or instant coffee), to taste
Zest of half an orange

Instructions
To make the streusel, chop pecans and white chocolate, combine everything together with clean hands or stand mixer until crumbly. Set aside. Use a food processor to combine flour, white chocolate and malted milk powder; set aside. Preheat oven to 350 and grease an 8″ cast iron skillet. Combine butter, brown sugar, salt, baking powder and nutmeg in the bowl of a stand mixer with a paddle attachment and beat until light and fluffy, scraping the bowl occasionally. Add egg and mix to combine, scraping the bowl. Add pumpkin puree; mix to combine. Dump in the flour mixture all at once and mix until combined, finishing by hand to make sure everything on the bottom is thoroughly incorporated. Scrape into the greased pan and spread evenly. Scatter streusel on top and press gently into batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until puffed in the center. (Note: a toothpick will never come out of this clean! You can check doneness with a thermometer; looking for 205°. The cake will be very soft when hot, but set up nicely after cooling.) To make the mascarpone topping: Combine all ingredients and whip. Serve on top of the cake.

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Bobby McFarland, the company chef for Wye Hill Hospitality, shares this spicy take on the cornbread stuffing.

Ingredients
Two 15-ounce loaves of cornbread
1 stick butter
1 pound uncooked bacon, chopped
Two yellow onions, diced
8 ribs celery, diced
10 jalapeños, diced
5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 heaping tablespoon sage
1 bunch thyme
4 sprigs rosemary
3 cups turkey or chicken stock
2 cups cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
teaspoon salt

Instructions
Cut the cornbread into ½-inch slices, butter each side and toast in a 350-degree oven until lightly browned (about 8-10 minutes). Allow to cool, dice into cubes and spread out on a baking sheet. Lower the oven to 250° and put them back in until dry, about 20 minutes. In a wide, heavy-bottomed pot, render the bacon until crispy. Add the onions, celery, herbs and salt and sweat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for two more minutes. Pour in the stock and herbs and bring to a simmer. Remove the pot from the heat and cool to room temperature. Remove the sprigs of thyme and rosemary. Preheat the oven to 350°. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and gently mix until combined. Mix three more times over the next 30 minutes, allowing the bread in the stuffing to hydrate and the mixture to firm up. Using a half cup or 4-ounce scoop, portion the mixture into greased muffin trays. Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the internal temperature reaches 175°. Yields 20 muffins.

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Another side with a kick: McFarland makes this spicy topping to pair with roasted veggies, turkey and more.

Ingredients

Dry Mix
150 grams (about 1 ½ cups) mixed dried chilies
150 grams (about 1 ½ cups) pecans, roughly chopped
150 grams (about 1 cup) cranberries, chopped
20 grams (about 2 ½ tablespoons) cinnamon
20 grams (about 2 ½ tablespoons) allspice
20 grams (about 2 ½ tablespoons) Sichuan peppercorns
5 grams (about 2 teaspoons) clove
5 grams (about 2 teaspoons)  star anise
10 grams (about 1 tablespoon) black pepper
40 grams (about 2 ¼ tablespoons) salt
40 grams (about 2 ¼ tablespoons) sugar
10 grams (about 2 teaspoons) MSG
5 grams (about 1 teaspoon) citric acid

Aromatics & Oil
1.5 liters (about 6 ½ cups) canola or other neutral oil
400 grams (about 3 cups) shallots, thinly sliced
150 grams (about 1 ½ cups) garlic, thinly sliced
100 grams (about ¾ cup) ginger, julienned

Instructions

Grind all spices and combine everything from the dry mix list into a heat proof bowl. Heat oil in a heavy pot to 375°. Make sure the pot is plenty tall for the amount of oil in it as it could bubble up to double its height. Set a strainer over another heatproof bowl or pot and set aside. Quickly but carefully add all of the shallots and cook until golden brown. Strain the oil, spread the shallots on a tray to cool, and return it to the pot. Bring the oil back up to temperature and add the garlic and ginger and repeat the process, but this time only bring the oil back up to 350°. Dump the oil into the bowl of dry mix. Allow to cool before stirring in the shallots, garlic, and ginger. Yields 2 1/2 quarts.

This article was originally published on November 10, 2025 on waltermagazine.com