Food FestThere were seven coming for Thanksgiving dinner, and I needed a lot of food because they were all bringing ravenous appetites. This traditional holiday meal is one of my very favorites, and with a couple of games of Risk planned for later that night, I was ready for some fun.
H was bringing the cranberry sauce and would keep us well lubricated with a couple of pitchers of Planters Punch and Mint Juleps. M and B were in charge of desserts. I would take care of the rest of the menu – cream of turkey soup, roast turkey, oyster dressing, herbed root vegetables and candied sweet potatoes.
The Stock
I was going to need a lot of stock – a couple of birds' worth – for the soup, dressing, rice and gravy. When the first turkey was delivered by Peapod the Friday night before Thanksgiving, I cut off the legs and thighs and made the first batch of stock. On Tuesday at Eastern Market I picked up two more turkeys (one for the main course) and made stock again on Wednesday. Nothing fancy – a stockpot full of water, a turkey carcass and wingtips, chopped-up onion, celery, and carrots, and herbs and spices, simmered for eight hours, strained, put back on the heat, and reduced by one third.
The Bird
I was going to try something new this year – brine. I had been hearing about the miracle of the moistest bird for a few years now, but never had attempted it. Now it was time. I had an 18-pound free-range fresh turkey and four extra drumsticks. I was planning to soak the bird in the brine overnight on Tuesday, air dry it in the fridge on Wednesday and use high heat to roast it on Thursday. That left Monday to make the brine.
I mixed 3 gallons of water, 2 cups of salt, 2 cups of brown sugar, some peppercorns and a good size knob of ginger, cut up and smashed with the side of a knife. I brought it all to a boil and stirred until everything was dissolved. Then I turned off the heat and let it cool down to where I could bottle it (12 mayonnaise jars!) and put it into the fridge.
On Tuesday, after I returned from the market, I washed the turkey then placed it breast down in a large cooler. I poured in the well-chilled brine and a 10-pound bag of ice and left the cooler on the back porch overnight.
The next morning, I removed the bird and washed it really well to remove all of the brine. I then put it on a platter, uncovered, in the refrigerator. The air-drying was supposed to make the skin extra crispy.
The big day finally arrived. I covered the bottom of a roasting pan with onions, carrots and celery, all rough chopped. I simmered an apple and an onion, both sliced, in water for 5 minutes and put them into the cavity of the bird, along with some fresh sage and rosemary.
I set the oven to 500 degrees since I planned to use the high-heat method of cooking. The bird went on the veggies in the roasting pan, the four extra drumsticks went along the edges. I liberally rubbed butter all over, inside and under as much skin as I could get my hand into. I put a probe thermometer into the thickest part of one breast and set it for 161 degrees. The whole pan went into the over. After half an hour, I covered the breasts with foil and turned the heat down to 350. The bird took a total of 2 hours and 40 minutes.
Cream of Turkey Soup
I brought 9 cups of turkey stock to a boil and added 3/4 cup each of finely chopped carrots and celery and let this simmer for about 30 minutes. I then mixed in 2 cups of cooked wild rice and whisked in one cup of heavy cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. I served it in a bowl with nutmeg dusted on top.
Oyster Dressing
The GF wanted leftover dressing, and who was I to deny her so simple a request? I picked up 4 pints of oysters and planned to whip up a quadruple recipe. I've cooked this recipe many times, and you can find the double-size version of it on this page.
Herbed Root Vegetables
I found this recipe as a side dish to corned beef and cabbage. I doubled it.
Candied Sweet Potatoes
I needed a sweet potato recipe that I could cook on top of the stove and found this one. I doubled it.
The soup was surprisingly light. The turkey was amazing – incredibly moist and juicy with delicious crisped skin. Very tasty oyster dressing (with leftovers!) and sweet and buttery veggies. Two different kinds of cranberry sauce (the one L made with horseradish and sour cream was especially tasty). Chocolate popcorn, whiskey cake and oatmeal cookies for dessert. The whole day was the best.
My birthday was over the Thanksgiving weekend, and this was a wonderful kickoff to my festival weekend. Thanks to those who came, and thanks to you all who read about it.