Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Photo from a previous Thanksgiving

Smoked salmon and caviar terrine, recipe in last week's blog!

Thanksgiving Turkey Tips

Key objective: plan ahead, be ready, have a good time.

No matter what kind of turkey you buy, the same remains true:

1. Order a turkey large enough to have left-overs.

2. Don’t forget to thaw the turkey if it’s frozen, up to several days ahead in the refrigerator (number of days depends on the size of the turkey).

3. Don’t forget to take the giblets and the turkey neck out of the cavities.

4. Wash the turkey inside and out(water only!!!)and pat dry with paper towels.

5. Season the turkey inside and out. Simple salt and freshly ground black pepper, or season with your favorite herbs.

6. After seasoning the turkey, rub 1 stick of softened butter all over the turkey, stuff the turkey (if you choose to), right before cooking. 

Stuff both the neck and the cavity. 

7. Truss the turkey(if you have stuffed it with a bread stuffing or just fresh herbs and sliced citrus fruits).

8. Preheat your oven 425 F. degrees and begin the roasting process... I like to start with a high temperature because it produces a crispy brown skin and juicy meat. 

9. Baste, Baste, Baste, with melted butter and white wine.

note: basting is a process which helps to keep the turkey moist and add to the flavor. You can baste a turkey simply with pan drippings while it is roasting(using either a bulb baster or a pastry brush). However, I prefer to baste the turkey with a mixture of melted butter and white wine.

Instructions for Roasting a 12 pound turkey: 

Place the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan on one side and roast , turning once, for 30 minutes . Reduce the heat to 325 degrees F. and turn the turkey breast side down, add 1 cup of white wine to the pan and roast for 1 hour and 20 minutes, basting every 20 minutes. Turn the turkey breast side up, and roast for another hour, basting well with the juices, wine and butter in the pan 2 or 3 times. 

TIP: if you don’t turn the turkey, it will not get brown all over.

The turkey is ready when the breast meat registers 165 degrees F. on an instant-read thermometer, and 170-175 degrees F. in the thigh and the juices run clear when the thigh is pricked with a skewer. 

Transfer the turkey to a carving board or a serving platter and cover with a tent of tin foil ( keeps the turkey warm and lets the juices settle )while you make the gravy .

Gravy Instructions:
Put the roasting pan on top of the stove and pour all the pan drippings into a bowl. Let sit until the fat separates from the juices. Add ¼ cup of fat back into the pan. Remove the rest of the fat leaving the juices in the bowl. Add 5 tablespoons of flour to the pan. Cook the roux over low heat, whisking for 2 to 3 minutes. Add  1 ½ cups of chicken stock or home-made, hot giblet stock* (recipe follows ) and the juices from the bowl and cook until thickened about 15-20 minutes, adding more chicken or turkey broth if it gets too thick.  Season with salt and pepper. ( if you would like a creamy gravy, add 2/3 cup of light cream to the sauce.)

*Giblet Stock:  
( You can prepare a day or two ahead; cool, cover and refrigerate.)

Giblets( but not the liver) and neck from turkey

4 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 onion, cut into pieces

1 stalk of celery with leaves roughly chopped

1 carrot roughly chopped

2 sprigs parsley

½ teaspoon salt

4 whole peppercorns

4 cups water

1 dried bay leaf

Rinse the giblets and neck and pat dry.

In a medium saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons butter, over medium heat.Add the onion, celery and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the salt and pepper, cook 1 minute. Add the water, the parsley, bay leaf and the giblets, (without the liver) and the neck. Bring to a simmer and cook about 45 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer the giblets and neck to a plate and set aside. 

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a small pan and add the liver. Cook, stirring until it is pink about 3 to 4 minutes. Chop the liver.

Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a bowl. Finely chop the gizzard and the heart, shred the meat from the neck. Add to the bowl of stock. Cover and refrigerate until ready to make the gravy.

My menu always has to have:

Hors d'oeuvres

Cream of Pumpkin soup(recipe my blog from 2 weeks ago)

Turkey

Stuffing or dressing; the difference between the two- stuffing is in the bird; dressing is out of the bird, baked in a casserole in the oven.

Mashed potatoes

Sweet potatoes or yams, candied or otherwise

Cranberry relish(last week's blog)

A green vegetable, a squash, your preference

Turkey gravy

Note: I usually can’t resist adding more trimmings and two different kinds of dressing to my menu.

Dessert:

Traditionally I serve a pumpkin pie, an apple pie, and then something new each time.

Apple Pie from previous Thanksgiving.

A short story:

Growing up in the 50’s, my dad, a commercial artist would treat my cousins and me and my brother to his hand-made holiday decorations. There were Pilgram’s hats and Indian head-dresses that were made of painted paper and cardboard. We’d all gather around and choose whether we would be a Pilgrim or an Indian chief. Last week I received a comment on my blog from a dear friend who reminded me that my 1997 Thanksgiving included her two daughters, who were 4 years old at the time. I made Indian head-dresses for them to color and wear at the table. My friend told me the girls, who are now in their 20’s, never have forgotten that Thanksgiving at our house.

 Happy Thanksgiving! Next week I will post photos of my turkey and give a yummy left-over recipe from a previous journal.

As always, xxoo Sheila