Skip to main content

Let's Talk Turkey (and Gravy)


2010 Turkey
In addition to using homemade stock, sometimes I use white wine and the stock. It makes a flavorful gravy.

I usually try to buy an organic free-range turkey. I find that they are moist - probably because they are usually fresh. I am definitely in the camp of stuffing the bird. I know there are people that say that by stuffing the bird, this dries the bird out and you can kill your family by stuffing the turkey. Well the turkey has always come out moist and I haven't killed any family member yet.  I remove the turkey from the oven after ensuring that the turkey thigh is about 165. I immediately remove the stuffing and set it in a covered dish to keep warm. I never stuff the bird the night before. But let me get back to actually getting the bird in the oven.

First off, the night before I wash the turkey and place it in a shallow bowl in the refrigerator with no covering. This dries out the skin and allows it to become nice and crisp in the oven. I place the turkey on top of a bed of onions, carrots, and celery in a heavy duty roasting pan-not one of those flimsy foil pans. Invest in a heavy duty roasting pan it makes the difference. First of all clean up is a breeze and you can make the gravy right in the pan on the top of the stove.  Getting back to the bed of veg - this allows the vege to collect the drippings and makes the gravy so flavorful.

Next up I stuff the bird in both the cavity and the neck. You can either use thick thread and sew the cavity closed but I find a nice wedge of aluminum foil works just as well. Next I smear the whole bird with butter (everything's better with butter). Season with salt and pepper. Shield the wings and legs with aluminum foil. Now it's all ready to go in a 300 convection oven. I baste the bird every 20 minutes. I know, I know some people don't believe in basting either. For a 15lb turkey it takes about 3 1/2 hours (remember this is a convection oven). About the last 30-45 minutes I remove the shield off the legs but not off the wings. If you think the skin is getting a little too dark, you can cover that with foil but I've never had to do that. Tent a piece of aluminum foil and let the turkey rest for 30 minutes before carving.

To make the gravy, I use a roux. You mix equal parts of flour and butter. It makes a thick paste and you let it toast a little in a skillet. In the roasting pan remove vege - they have done their work, add your stock. Heat the liquid to a good simmer.  Gradually add the roux to thicken the gravy. Don't add too much at once because it may take a little bit to thicken. If you use a roux, there are no lumps. Now you may be thinking this is an awful lot of butter between coating the turkey and the roux, but it's Thanksgiving. You're not eating like this everyday.

While you are working on the gravy, have the Sous Chef carve the turkey. He's really gotten the hang of carving the turkey - I'm not that good.
2011 Carved Turkey

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

I appreciate your comments!

Popular posts from this blog

New Kid on the Block

So here's a picture of the new kid on the block. Ain't she a beauty? It's a Blomberg . They are fairly new to the US. They have been around in Europe for quite a while. I really liked the design. I've been dying to have a freezer on the bottom. With the old refrigerator I would constantly lose brain cells by hitting my head on the freezer will poking around in the refrigerator. It really makes sense to have the refrigerator on top - that is where you spend most of your time. When we bought the old one, it was an emergency situation. The prior one was leaking on the floor and was no longer cooling. Fifteen years ago the freezer on the bottom was just starting to get popular but we were in no situation to wait for delivery. We had to take what they had on hand. Now the freezer on the bottom is by no means unique. What is - is this freezer's design. There are 3 compartments in the freezer. I used to have a chest freezer in the basement and everything would get los
2 comments
Read more

Burnt Cinnamon Simple Syrup

The NY Times Magazine section did a piece on cocktails about two weeks ago and one was calling me- Rhum Agricole Daiquiri . What attracted me here (well besides the cocktail aspect) was the Burnt Cinnamon Simple Syrup. It was easy enough to make, as are most simple syrups, but it was the potential uses.  I started thinking not only daiquiris but why not with Applejack? Apples, burnt cinnamon sounds like a winner to me. Or how about a nice hot cider, with a little rum, and the simple syrup (Guess I'll have to wait until the fall for the cider). On the non-alcohol side-why not use it to moisten a sponge cake - wouldn't that give it an interesting flavor? Or what about a burnt cinnamon ice cream? Now first for the burning of the cinnamon - it felt a little like I was doing a cleanse to ward off evil spirits. I think that is usually done with sage but if cinnamon works too - so be it. The recipe recommended using a small creme brulee torch to burn the cinnamon sticks - like you d
Post a Comment
Read more

Tomato Risotto

Want to build up those arm muscles.  There is no better way than to do up a good risotto. You will get tired of stirring but it is oh so worth it. Tomato Risotto 1 onion, chopped olive oil 2 clove garlic, minced 1 1/2 c Aborio Rice 1/2 c white wine 4 medium-sized tomatoes, peeled about 1 cup warm vegetable stock (may need additional) 1 t fresh oregano 1 T fresh torn basil 2 T fresh parsley salt/pepper Parmesan cheese In a dutch oven, saute chopped onion in olive oil.  Add a little salt to help the onions along.  Meanwhile prep the tomatoes. Squeeze tomatoes gently just to rid them of the seeds. You do not need to get rid of all the liquid. Chop the tomatoes into large cubes. Cook onions until translucent. Add garlic and cook until fragrant. Add rice and saute for a few minutes until the rice smells toasted. Gradually add white wine and stir until almost all of the wine is absorbed. Add tomatoes to the rice. Add the oregano and basil. Stirring constantly until a
Post a Comment
Read more