Crowning Glory: Meringue-topped baked Alaska.   (Photo: William Meppem)

Honestly? We're deeply into comfort food. But when it's time to celebrate, we want our retro fix with a little more sophistication, please. We're thinking coq au vin steeped in demi-glace and Zinfandel. Impossibly rich chateaubriand dressed to kill in portobello mushrooms and bacon. Crêpes Suzette sizzling in the pan. You're thinking: Who has the time? We do, because Washington Park wizard Jonathan Waxman showed us how to make Thanksgiving dinner -- with all the trimmings -- in two hours flat. A good thing, too, because there are several stunning champagne cocktails we're planning to raise in our annual toast to the holiday season, 2002.

See Our Holiday Recipe Guide

By Gillian Duffy
Text by Robin Raisfeld

Related:

• Archive: “Cover Story”
• Table of Contents: Nov 11, 2002 issue of New York | Subscribe!