About the only things moving today are my fingers. The days of cooking, shopping and preparing for the family feast have come to an abrupt and bloated end. They came, they ate and they helped to clean-up. It's amazing how much three college kids can consume! The truth be told, I have a difficult time sharing and delegating when it comes to my kitchen. I insist on doing it all-except for peeling the potatoes. My food prep-area is fondly called the Bermuda Triangle, meaning, STAY OUT!
TO STUFF, OR NOT TO STUFF...This year, I turned my back on Martha Stewart's tried-and-true recipe for Roasting the Perfect Thanksgiving Turkey. Frankly, ever since her unfortunate incarceration, it hasn't had the same caché. I've been using Martha's method for years, which involved reams of cheesecloth, immersed in m(p)ounds of butter and bottles of Chardonnay, culminating in a messy basting ritual every 30 minutes. So, after watching the Food Network's knowledgeable chefs weighing-in on various turkey matters, I decided to heed their advice and NOT stuff the bird and roast the damn thing with old fashioned aluminum foil. The mere mention of turkey blood and galactic juices dripping onto the stuffing and not getting the thorough heating to fry the bacterium, convinced me to leave the bird cavernous, except for a few sliced apples and sprigs of thyme.
BRINE EYES HAVE SEEN THE TURKEY...
I also decided to brine the beast. This turned out to be a good choice as the turkey was infused with extra delicious flavor that basting simply cannot achieve. Sorry Martha.
Why brine? Salt changes the structure of the muscles tissues, breaking down proteins and allowing the flavorings to be absorbed, which result in a more tender piece of meat. So why not brine?
Here's an easy brining recipe:
Start the day before you cook the turkey.
You will need: One clean 5 Gallon container ( food grade material, preferably with a handle ) with lid. Try to scrape and remove all dry wall plaster, paint or whatever from container!
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:1 red apple, sliced or 2 lemons, quartered
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cup water
4 sprigs thyme
6 leaves sage
1 cup water
4 sprigs thyme
6 leaves sage
Directions:
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir , then remove from heat, cool to room temperature and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Do not add hot brine to your container/bird!
Combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, set in cool area for 6 to 16 hours. You can turn the turkey over once, half way through brining if you wish. Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stockpot, and bring to a boil. Stir , then remove from heat, cool to room temperature and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Do not add hot brine to your container/bird!
Combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, set in cool area for 6 to 16 hours. You can turn the turkey over once, half way through brining if you wish. Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.
Drain bird and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with sliced apples or oranges, rosemary and sage . Tuck back wings and tie the drumsticks together with string. Sprinkle salt and fresh pepper and baste with melted butter.
Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F. for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees F. Cooking temp around 170 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.
As for FN's recommendations regarding the type of potato to use, they're full of tofu! My opinion is that Russet potatoes are not as flavorful as our local Yukon Gold potatoes. Yukons have a natural butter-i-ness and texture that the bland old Russet cannot touch!
Doesn't this just make you smile? Yesterday I took a little trip out to Point Reye's Station, a small community in Marin County, CA. This is a photo of Toby's, a store filled with all sorts of goodies; local jam, honey, candies, fruits and vegetables. Hay is sold in back. 
How lucky can I get! A bumper crop of sweet, juicy apricots...yum!
