Top left: Caramelized Brussels sprouts. Bottom left: Sweet-potato gratin. Right: Pumpkin pie with pecan-caramel sauce and sweet cream.   (Photo: Romulo Yanes. Food styling by Alison Attenborough. Prop styling by Theo Vamvounakis. Luna oval platter from Calvin Klein Home.)

Down-Home Brooklyn
David and Laura Shea make Mom’s versions—only better.

David and Laura Shea, Applewood’s husband-and-wife team (he’s the chef, she runs the place), heap seasonal favorites upon seasonal favorites: oyster-and-leek soup, stuffing with chestnuts, Brussels sprouts with bacon, pumpkin pie with pecan-caramel sauce. All market-driven, and aided by an old-fashioned secret: lots of butter and cream. It’s Thanksgiving, David says. “Why count calories?”

MENU
• Malpeque-Oyster-and-Leek Soup
• Roasted Turkey With Toasted-Chestnut Stuffing
• Sweet-Potato Gratin
• Caramelized Brussels Sprouts With Applewood-Smoked Bacon, Lemon, and Brown Butter
• Pumpkin Pie With Pecan-Caramel Sauce and Sweet Cream

Related:

• Archive: “Food Features”
• Articles by Gillian Duffy
• Table of Contents: Nov 9, 2009 issue of New York | Subscribe!