As a Matter of Food

Here we are exactly one week away from Thanksgiving ! I get to host it and I am very excited.  Of course I want everything to be PERFECT.  So far we’re having my parents, my sister and her boyfriend, and my brother and his girlfriend, and one of our friends join us.  This means I have to start planning my menu.  I don’t know why I’m so nervous.  I have done this before.  Maybe it’s the pressure of having it all “Perfect” this year that is making my stomach kind of queasy.

First, I have to determine how big of a bird I want to buy.  Then I have to find the recipe I want to use for my turkey.  Then I have to determine which sides to serve in addition to the regular mashed potatoes, gravy, green beans, cranberry relish, and stuffing.  Do I go the traditional route or do I go with some flare?  What is considered traditional anyway?  I also need to get a big pan to cook this big bird in.  Oh just the thought of it all is making my head spin with excitement and then with fear of having a flop.

While I’m planning all this I wanted to share some recipes I’ve relied on in the past.  I was successful in following the recipe and achieving a delicious outcome.

Herb-Butter-Roasted Turkey

Prep:  20 min

Cook:  3 hr 50 min

Servings:  14

Ingredients:

• 1 14-pound turkey
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup butter (no substitutes)
• 2 – 3 Tbs. snipped fresh thyme, tarragon, marjoram, and/or rosemary
• 2 cloves garlic, minced

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.
2. Remove giblets and neck from interior cavity of turkey; reserve for gravy stock. Rinse bird; pat dry. Cut off wing tips; reserve for gravy stock. Season cavity with salt and pepper.
3. For Herb-Butter Seasoning, combine butter, the fresh herbs, and garlic. Starting at the neck end of the turkey, loosen skin by sliding your fingers underneath it, being careful not to tear it. Slide your hand as far as you can toward the other end of the turkey, separating the skin from the meat. Rub about two-thirds of the herb butter seasoning over the entire breast.
4. Spoon some of the stuffing into the neck cavity. Skewer neck skin to back. Spoon more of the stuffing loosely into the body cavity. (If you pack stuffing too tightly, it will not get hot enough by the time the turkey is cooked.) Tuck drumsticks under tail skin, or tie to tail. Transfer any remaining stuffing to a 2-quart casserole; cover and chill in the refrigerator.
5. Place turkey, breast side up, on a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Insert a meat thermometer into the center of one of the inside thigh muscles. The bulb should not touch the bone.
6. Rub remaining herb-butter season over the entire turkey. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast in the preheated oven for 20 minutes. Reduce temperature to 350 degrees F. Continue roasting turkey for about 3-1/2 to 4 hours or until thermometer registers 180 degrees F. Cut band of skin between legs after 2-1/2 hours so the thighs will cook evenly. Bake casserole of stuffing alongside turkey during the last 40 minutes of roasting. During the last 30 minutes of roasting, uncover turkey.
7. When done remove turkey from oven; cover. Let turkey stand for 20 minutes before carving. To serve, remove stuffing from turkey; transfer to a serving bowl. Carve turkey and serve warm. Makes 14 servings.

Recipe source:  Better Homes and Gardens®.  Copyright 2002.  Meredith Corporation.

My quick tip:

Wing tip is the section from the tip of the wing to the first bend.  Don’t make the mistake of cutting off to much of the wing or the entire wing.  I’ve done it!  I read to “Cut of wing…” and cut off the wing then saw “tip”.  :-p

Here is another recipe I have tried in the past which yielded a great delicious turkey as well.

Brined Roast Turkey with Pan Gravy

Ingredients:

Brine:

• 1 gallon water
• ½ ounce ground cloves
• ½ ounce ground ginger
• 4 ounces cracked black peppercorns
• 12 bay leaves
• 1 pound kosher salt
• 24 ounces honey
• 24 ounces maple syrup

Additional Ingredients:

• 1 (10-pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock
• 1 stick butter, room temperature
• 2 teaspoons chopped garlic
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
• 2 apples quartered and cored
• 1 onion, peeled and cored
• 2 rosemary sprigs
• 3 sprigs sage
• Olive oil, for drizzling
• 1 cup cubed carrots
• 1 cup cubed celery
• 1 cup cubed onions
• ½ cup white wine
• ½ cup Madeira wine
• 4 cups turkey stock, recipe follows
• 1 sprig thyme
• 2 sprigs parsley
• Beurre manie (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough)
• Salt and pepper

Instructions:

1. In a large stockpot, bring the water, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
2. Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold tap water. Reserve the neck and specialty meats for pan gravy. Set the turkey in the brine, making sure that the turkey is fully immersed in the brine. Place a weight on top of the turkey to make sure it is always covered with brine. Marinate for at least 4 hours to overnight, depending on the weight of the turkey, in the refrigerator.
3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
4. In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions. Remove turkey from brine.
5. Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey.
6. Place the turkey over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin. Roast the turkey to at least 165 degrees F in the breast, about 2 ½ hours. If the skin gets too dark during roasting, tent with foil.
7. Transfer turkey to a platter and allow to cool. Meanwhile, prepare pan gravy.
8. Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Reduce until only a quarter remains. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into saucepan. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.

Turkey stock:

• Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• ½ cup port wine
• 1 cup roughly chopped onions
• ½ cup roughly chopped carrots
• ½ cup roughly chopped celery
• 2 sprigs rosemary
• 5 peppercorns
• Water, to cover

Instructions:

1. Heat a saucepan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Ad the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard.
3. Strain the stock. Use immediately, or cool an refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Recipe courtesy of Wolfgang Puck, 2003.  Copyright 2002 Television food network G.P.

My quick tip:

If you decide to use this last recipe, please be ready for some WORK!  I suggest you do all the prep work the day before.  The brine definitely, and have your turkey soak in that overnight.  Measure all your dry ingredients and set them aside.  Cut up all the vegetables and refrigerate them.  If you’re like me, I start early in the morning.  If you have everything prepped all you have to do Thanksgiving morning is to assemble and stick the bird in the oven and have it cook.

Let me know if you decide to try any of these recipes and how it turns out!  It’d be great to get some feedback!  Just email me at GotFood13@gmail.com or post in the comments section.  Enjoy!