"A simple way to shake up this year's Thanksgiving feast is to incorporate modern flavors," says Chef Leonard, certified master chef, Le Cordon Bleu and executive chef, Technique Restaurants. "Using new culinary techniques to create innovative dishes can update the traditional feast for a memorable meal everyone is sure to enjoy."

Home cooks can spice up a traditional dish by infusing it with modern ingredients or new garnishes, such as exchanging Roast Turkey with Herbs for the time-honored baked turkey. Chef Leonard's recipe for Butternut Squash Soup with Chestnuts uses modern cooking techniques to update a Thanksgiving table tradition.

Switching up holiday dishes does not have to mean: Out with the old, in with the new. Chef Leonard suggests deconstructing classic meals and putting them back together for an interesting way to reinvent tried-and-true dishes. These additional tips from Chef Leonard show how easy it is for home cooks to add contemporary twists to perennial Thanksgiving classics:

• Update this year's turkey with a fresh take on the stuffing. Try Brioche Stuffing that uses diced brioche bread, ground pork sausage and several seasoning ingredients to punch up the flavor.
• Incorporate some of your favorite fall comfort foods to spice up your Thanksgiving feast. Fall's bumper crop of fruits and vegetables offer a range of intense flavors and substantial textures for mouth-watering recipes, such as an Apple Sauce Cake that uses diced apples to bring a fall favorite to life.
• Updating side dishes is an easy way to jazz up your holiday meal. Try a Roast Brussels Sprouts and Root Vegetables with Peas to anchor the star of the show.

For more information on Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts please visit www.chefs.edu. Follow Le Cordon Bleu on Facebook and on Twitter @LCBSchools.

About Le Cordon Bleu

Le Cordon Bleu (LCB) is one of the largest providers of quality culinary arts education worldwide. Our network of 17 schools in the United States offers culinary students a hands-on education with faculty dedicated to providing students with the necessary skills, knowledge, support and guidance to pursue fulfilling career opportunities in the culinary arts.  LCB does not guarantee employment or salary and is a member of the Career Education Corporation (NASDAQ: CECO) network of universities, colleges and schools. For more information about Le Cordon Bleu, go to www.Chefs.edu.