Brined and Buttered Turkey

Even for those of us who love cooking and entertaining, the pressure of preparing the "perfect" holiday meal can be a little stressful.  One of the keys to avoiding a turkey fowl-up (sorry, it was sitting right there!) is planning ahead.  Start with an organized shopping list and game plan (allowing enough time for thawing, brining, etc.).  Below, I've provided step-by-step instructions for preparing a deliciously tender brined and buttered turkey.

And for all the list-makers and checker-offers like me, I've created some handy-dandy printables I hope you find helpful!

Grocery Shopping
Click on the image below for a printable version of the COMPLETE shopping list.  It includes all necessary ingredients to brine, stuff (with aromatics), and roast a 10-12 pound turkey.  Ingredients for pan gravy are also included.  Slightly increase ingredients and adjust cooking time if using a larger turkey.  NOTE:  As a general rule of thumb, 1 to 1-1/2 pounds of turkey per adult is plenty, and then on top of that add the desired amount of leftovers.

Thawing the Turkey
If using a fresh bird, skip this step.  If your turkey is frozen, thaw on a baking sheet in the refrigerator (keep sealed in original wrapper).  *Allow 24 hours for every 5 pounds.

Brining the Turkey
Brine Ingredients:
1/2 cup kosher salt
1/3 cup sugar
1-1/2 tablespoons coriander seeds
1-1/2 tablespoons fennel seeds
1 scant teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 bay leaves
2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 onion, diced

Remove turkey from wrapper and remove interior bags.  Rinse turkey thoroughly under cold water.  Place turkey in a very large stockpot (canning pot, if you have one) or a brining bag.  Combine brine ingredients with 7 quarts cold water and pour over turkey (add extra water if necessary to completely cover the turkey.  Cover pot or seal bag tightly and refrigerate for at least 24 hours (up to 2 days).

Roasting the Turkey
On Thanksgiving Day, remove turkey from brine and rinse thoroughly under cold water.  Discard the brine.  Place turkey breast-side up in a roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels and let stand for 1 hour at room temperature.

Position oven rack in the lowest position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

Butter the Turkey:  Mix 4 tablespoons softened butter with 1-1/2 teaspoon salt and 1-1/2 teaspoon pepper.  Rub mixture all over the turkey and under the skin.

Aromatics:
Gently toss together below ingredients and loosely pack into cavity of turkey.
1 red apple, cored and sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1 teaspoon rubbed sage
6 sprigs rosemary
1 bay leaf

Tuck wings under and tie the drumsticks together with twine.  For an alternative method of trussing turkey, see this post.

Melt 1-1/2 sticks butter  and combine with 1-1/2 cups dry white wine.  Dip cheesecloth in butter-wine mixture so that it becomes very damp.  Squeeze it slightly and place it on top of turkey breast.

Roast turkey for 30 minutes in 450 degree oven.  Remove from oven and baste cheesecloth and any exposed parts with butter-wine mixture (cheesecloth will brown).


Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees F and continue to cook for approximately 1-1/2 more hours, basting every 30 minutes (with butter-mixture and/or pan drippings).

After turkey has cooked for 1-1/2 hours at 350 degrees, remove from oven and discard cheesecloth.  Baste turkey with pan drippings and roast for another hour, basting after 30 minutes.

Check for Doneness:  Turkey is ready when a thermometer inserted in the thickest part reads 165 degrees F (make sure thermometer is not touching bone).  When turkey has reached proper temperature, transfer to a serving platter, cover loosely with aluminum foil, and let rest* for 30 minutes before carving.  Reserve pan juices to make gravy.

*While the turkey roasts, the internal juices are forced to the center (away from the outside that is directly exposed to heat).  Resting allows those juices to re-distribute throughout the turkey.  If carved too soon, all of the juices will escape, leaving your turkey undesirably dry.

Preparing the Gravy
Gravy Ingredients:
4 cups low sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon finely minced onion
1 clove garlic, smashed into paste
1 sprig rosemary, minced
1 sprig thyme leaves, minced
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour

Pour pan drippings into a glass measuring cup.  Let stand until fat separates and rises to top.  Skim off and discard all but 2 tablespoons of fat.  Combine pan drippings with chicken broth and set aside.  Add the reserved 2 tablespoons fat to the roasting pan and place over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, garlic paste, rosemary, thyme, and bay leaf; season with salt and pepper.  Heat for about 3 minutes.

Mash together the butter and flour, creating a paste (set aside).

When pan drippings are heated, add chicken broth and loosen up any browned bits from bottom of pan with a wooden spoon.  Bring to a boil and whisk in the butter-flour mixture.  Boil until liquid reduces and thickens into a gravy, about 4 to 5 minutes.  Discard the bay leaf and add salt and pepper, to taste.

This turkey is delicious! Brad has to work on Thanksgiving this year, so we celebrated over the weekend.  I will be preparing this turkey again on Thursday for my family's dinner.  I hope you will try it too!!  Here is a printable version of the step-by-step instructions.

love people. make them good food.

Happy Thanksgiving Y'all!

Turkey Tools

Well friends, we are in the one week count down to Thanksgiving!  I can't believe the holidays are here.  I've finalized my menu this week, made my complete grocery list, and have begun purchasing ingredients that will keep until my "crash cooking" days (aka Tuesday and Wednesday before Thanksgiving).  I secretly love making holiday to-do lists :)

With Turkey Day almost here, I want to focus some attention on the tools of the trade necessary for true turkey roasting.  Check out the list below for explanations of why each piece of equipment is helpful.  Because this post is seasoned with a little how-to and because-why, I'm adding it to the cook | bake tips file.

.........Turkey Tools 101.........

Good Quality Roasting Pan

My grandmother used to say, "The secret to cooking is the pots and pans."  Well, technique and culinary knowledge DO have something to do with it, but when cooking a turkey, using a good quality roasting pan is important.  Here are some things to consider:

Heavy Weight:  Choose a sturdy pan that won't buckle when lifted.  The disposable aluminum pans should not be used for your Thanksgiving turkey-- they are simply too flimsy, and you run the risk of burning yourself and ruining the main dish!  Handles on each side are very helpful too.

Shallow Sides: Roasting is a "dry heat cooking method" (see this post) which, if done correctly, allows for a nice golden brown turkey.  If the sides of your pan are too high, you'll end up simmering/steaming the turkey, and those cooking methods do not produce the golden, slightly crispy skin (which is the best part!).

Roasting Rack:  A rack is important when roasting a turkey because it keeps the underside of the bird out of the drippings and allows heat to evenly circulate (again, we're going for that nice golden skin on the outside).  If you don't have a roasting pan with a rack, you can place a wire rack inside a broiler pan to elevate the turkey as it cooks.  Beforehand, make sure you'll have a sturdy grip when it comes time to remove the hot turkey from the oven.

Kitchen Twine

A spool of cotton kitchen twine is needed for trussing, or tying the turkey into a more compact shape before cooking.  If you're not used to doing this, I promise you won't regret it!  Trussing allows the turkey to cook more evenly and helps prevent the wings and legs from burning.  It also ensures that the turkey holds its shape while roasting, lending to a much prettier presentation (kinda like Spanx... anything that holds thighs in place is a good thing, right?).  Here's a quick picture tutorial:

1. With breast side up, center a 4 ft. piece of kitchen twine under the back of the turkey.	2. Pull both ends up towards the breast, tucking in the wings at the sides.  Tie a knot.
3. Bring the twine towards the thighs, crossing under the ends and wrapping several times to hold the legs neatly in place.	4. Cut any excess twine and continue to roast turkey.

photos via

Basting Tools

To baste or not to baste, is there really a question?  I guess some folks think it's a waste of time and it ties you to the oven, but I think it's a must.  Basting a turkey with its natural juices, broth, wine, sauce, or butter helps keep it moist.  A baster is handy for soaking up pan juices after about an hour of cooking.  You can also use a pastry brush to spread melted butter over the surface of the turkey.  I like to dip cheesecloth in melted butter and dry white wine and drape it over my turkey to keep it moist.

Meat Thermometer

This tool is a must.  Heating meats to the correct temperature ensures that the food has been cooked to a temperature necessary to kill food borne bacteria.  Using a meat thermometer helps ensure you will cook the turkey to a safe temperature (165 degrees F), but also not overcook it and dry it out.

Check the wrapper on the turkey and refer to your recipe for approximate cooking times, but keep in mind that the bird isn't done until the thermometer says so.  Insert a meat thermometer into the thickest part of the breast and in between the thigh and the wing.  When the temperature reads 165 degrees F, the turkey is safe to eat.

.................................

The art of roasting a turkey has certainly come a long way since the first Thanksgiving!  How are you preparing yours this year???

Happy Thanksgiving!



Blue Cheese Dressing

Pop Quiz!

1. When planning a meal for company, what is the first item on the menu you focus on?

A. the main dish

B. the dessert

C. the salad

2. When entertaining for a crowd, what food item would you most likely purchase "store bought"?

A. already prepared main dish

B. bakery dessert

C. bagged salad and/or bottled salad dressing

3. If one of your invited guests offers to bring something last minute, what would you most likely suggest they bring?

A. the main dish

B. the dessert

C. the salad

There's really no right or wrong answer, but if you're at all like me, oftentimes the salad takes second fiddle to the rest of the spread!  In an effort to jazz up this first course, I've whipped up my own version of a blue cheese dressing Brad and I had at a restaurant recently.  We were both so impressed with the salad dressing, I actually asked the waitress if she could bring out another small dish of it to put on my steak.  When she came back to the table, I asked her for the recipe (never hurts to ask!).  While she couldn't share exact measurements, she did give me the gist of the ingredients list and stressed, "A good blue cheese dressing, starts with good blue cheese."

I wholeheartedly agree.  Blue cheese is like olive oil; you just have to purchase the best you can find.

Blue Cheese Dressing

1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1 tablespoon milk
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
pinch garlic powder
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
3 ounces good quality blue cheese

Whisk together mayonnaise, sour cream, and milk in a small bowl.  Add in vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, and seasonings until well blended.  Crumble blue cheese and gently fold in.  Chill until ready to serve.

P.S. I know, piling on blue cheese dressing creates a bit of an oxymoron out of your supposedly healthy salad, but aren't all good salads that way???

Happy Weekend!