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Menu Makeover: Updating a 1904 Thanksgiving meal

Written By Jean Sexton

Posted 10/18/22

Updated 10/16/25

Holiday Traditions

For a complete menu makeover of the Vanderbilt family’s 1904 Thanksgiving meal, we asked Estate Executive Chef Mark DeMarco to update the dishes recorded in Biltmore’s Menu Book for today’s tastes.

Menu makeover for a food-focused holiday

Archival Biltmore House menu book
Biltmore’s archival menu book dated Saturday, November 12, 1904

“Thanksgiving is a food-focused holiday,” said Lauren Henry, Curator of Interpretation, “and that tradition is as true today as it was in 1904 when George and Edith Vanderbilt celebrated the holiday with a multi-course dinner for family and guests.”

According to Lauren, Biltmore’s archives include a handwritten menu for the 1904 Thanksgiving dinner that features time-honored favorites like turkey, ham, and sweet potatoes, plus more unusual offerings such as braised calves’ brains.

“While some of those dishes don’t sound as appealing today, they were the height of elegant dining during the Gilded Age,” Lauren said. 

In addition, the original holiday menu topped out at eight courses. That seems like a lot of food to modern diners, but Lauren noted that the portions were fairly small, and it was also common for a formal dinner of the era to last two hours or more.

Menu makeover: easy appetizers

Elegant and easy, make these salmon rillettes a day in advance and chill them until you’re ready to serve.

The Vanderbilts’ 1904 celebration began with oysters on the half shell, followed by “Consomme Royal” and broiled Spanish mackerel. For a more modern adaptation, Chef DeMarco kept the seafood theme with an appetizer of Salmon Rillettes.

Salmon Rillettes Recipe:

Ingredients:

Instructions:


Wine pairing suggestion: Savor your salmon rillettes with our Biltmore® Reserve North Carolina Chardonnay—it’s a perfect complement for this rich, savory appetizer and a wonderful way to welcome family and friends to the table!

Pair traditional roast turkey with Biltmore Reserve North Carolina Chardonnay.

Menu makeover: George Vanderbilt’s favorite dish

We know from archival information that George Vanderbilt loved roast turkey and it was frequently served at Biltmore. For our modern menu makeover, Chef DeMarco recommends our Simple Brined and Roasted Turkey to ensure you bring the most tender, flavorful main dish to the table. 

Simple Brined and Roasted Turkey Recipe:

Brining

Roasting

Wine pairing suggestion: Enjoy the classic varietal character of our smooth Biltmore Reserve® North Carolina Chardonnay, handcrafted from estate-grown grapes, with your Thanksgiving turkey, on its own, or as part of our Thanksgiving Wine Trio, which is carefully curated to complement your celebration.

Set your Thanksgiving table with recipes from Biltmore’s executive chef and handcrafted wines from our winemaker!

Menu makeover: sensational sides

A variety of vegetables appears on the 1904 menu, and Chef Demarco elevated traditional green beans into something sublime with Green Beans with Pancetta and Hazelnut Brown Butter.

Green Beans with Pancetta and Hazelnut Brown Butter Recipe:

Ingredients

Instructions

Based on archival notes, we think Edith Vanderbilt would have enjoyed this delicious Pumpkin-Pecan Layer Cake–and you will, too!

Menu makeover: dessert decadence

Cake was one of Edith Vanderbilt’s favorite desserts, so the inclusion of pineapple cake (along with mince pie) on the 1904 menu is not surprising. For our updated interpretation of classic holiday flavors, try our Pumpkin-Pecan Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting—it’s a flavorful combination to round out your holiday meal in style!

Pumpkin-Pecan Layer Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:

Cake

Caramel Pecan Filling

Cream Cheese Frosting

Wine pairing suggestion: Uncork the festive bubbles of Biltmore Estate® Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine with a decadent dessert like this and offer a toast to celebrate the occasion.

Overhead view of a table set for Thanksgiving.
Make your Thanksgiving menu shine with Biltmore wines!

Bring Biltmore wines to the table

While decadent holiday meals may be a bit tricky to pair with wines, our Thanksgiving Wine Trio features Biltmore Estate® Dry Rosé, Biltmore Reserve® North Carolina Chardonnay, and Vanderbilt Reserve® Sonoma County Pinot Noir to cover most options.

Whether your Thanksgiving table is laden with tried-and-true classics or new favorites, we hope your holiday is filled with fellowship, good memories, and delicious food-and-wine pairings!

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