Thanksgiving 2013

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Roast Turkey (Steph & Dad)

Oyster Stuffing (Steph & Dad)

Candied Sweet Potatoes (Mom)

Scalloped Potatoes (Tim)

Cranberry-Riesling Compote (Missy)

Gravy (Mom)

Roast Brussels Sprouts (Tim)

Sugar Pumpkin Pie (Missy)

Bourbon Pecan Pie (Missy)

Cooking Schedule

 

Night before

Prepare pie crusts (Missy)

Prepare cranberry-riesling compote (Missy)

Thanksgiving Day

Bake pies at condo (Missy)

10:30a Prepare turkey stuffing (Steph & Dad)

12:00p Take turkey out of refrigerator

12:30p Put stuffing in the oven 

12:30p Prepare turkey
1:45p Stir stuffing
2:00p Take stuffing out of oven

2:10p Put turkey in oven

2:20p Prepare scalloped potatoes
3:30p Start gravy
3:40p Flip and baste turkey

4:00p Bake scalloped potatoes
4:00p Prepare sweet potatoes and brussel sprouts

5:00? Remove turkey from oven

5:30p Roast brussel sprouts

6:00p Dinner

Turkey

(adapted from 2009 Sunset Magazine)

12-14 lbs fresh Diestel Ranch organic free range turkey from Guerra's

Remove from refrigerator 2 hours before roasting.

Pat dry turkey.

Rub with olive oil mixed with ground salt (2 tsp) and pepper (1 tsp)

Place on rack in deep pan, breast side up.

Pin legs together (do not fill cavity).

Pour 1.5 cups of chicken broth under the turkey.

Do not cover turkey. 

Preheat oven to 350 F and move racks to the bottom two rungs.

Roast turkey breast side up.

After 1 ½ hours, baste turkey and turn pan around (do not flip).
Cover breast, wings, and ends of legs with foil.

Roast another 1 1/2 hours.

Check temperature 15 minutes before it should be done: 

- Place thermometer into the fleshy part of each thigh (test both, close to but not touching the bone).   

- When fully cooked, turkey thigh should register 175F (180F after resting).  Turkey breast should be 165F (170F after resting).

Let turkey stand at least 30 minutes.

Note: Excellent results, no need for brining.  Next time, start roasting breast side down and flip after the first hour.  (This time, the bottom of the turkey was a bit undercooked, but the rest of the turkey was excellent.)

Oyster Stuffing

(adapted from the Time-Life Holiday Cookbook, 1976)

Saute in Le Creuset 1.5 cups olive oil (strong and grassy)

3 large onions, chopped

2 teaspoons black pepper (freshly ground)

2 teaspoons sea salt

Add 2 lbs pre-washed fresh spinach, chopped, saute until wilted

Turn off heat

Mix in 2 cups fresh chopped parsley

grated lemon peel from 3 lemons

1 egg + 1 egg white

1.5 large bags of plain croutons from Andronico's (each bag says 3 oz)

Then 30 oz. of fresh oysters (jars from Guerra's), not cleaned or drained, with juices, cut into half

No chicken stock

Put mixture into 2 foil baking pans (9" x 12" x4")

Bake 375 degrees for at least 1 hour 15 minutes, uncovered. (Stir once after the first 45 minutes.)

Cranberry-Riesling Compote

(Adapted from Brian Voltaggio, Range in DC)

½ cup granulated sugar
1 cup sweet Riesling
2 pounds fresh cranberries, cleaned and picked through (any wrinkled or discolored cranberries discarded)
1 medium whole orange, quartered and deseeded
½ cinnamon stick
2 whole allspice berries
1 dried bay leaf
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

1. Heat a medium saucepan over medium heat and add the sugar and wine. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cook until the sugar dissolves and the mixture simmers with thick, slow bubbles, 6 to 8 minutes (the temperature will be between 234° and 240° on an instant-read thermometer).

2. Add the cranberries, stir to combine and reduce the heat to low. Cook for 3 minutes, then squeeze the juice from the orange quarters into the pan and add the squeezed orange quarters along with the cinnamon stick, allspice berries, bay leaf and salt. Cook, stirring often, until the cranberries begin to burst and the sauce thickens, 10 to 15 minutes.

3. Remove the pan from the heat and set aside to cool for 10 minutes. Remove and discard the orange quarters, cinnamon stick, allspice berries and bay leaf, and set the compote aside to cool completely. The cranberry compote can be left as is or transferred to a blender and puréed until smooth. Store the compote in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Candied Sweet Potatoes

(adapted from the FineCooking.com)
http://www.finecooking.com/recipes/spicy_roasted_sweet_potatoes.aspx

2 oranges' squeezed juice (next time use 1)

4 large sweet potatoes, cut into wedges (next time disks)

? agave syrup

Pinch of cayenne pepper, salt

Olive oil
Butter

This time, we steamed the potatoes in four tablespoons of water in the oven at 350F for 20 minutes and then coated the potatoes in the glaze mixture and roasted them for another 20 minutes or so at 375F.  Next time, don't steam, just roast at 400F instead, and consider only using 1 orange worth of juice.

Gravy

(adapted from the Time-Life Holiday Cookbook, 1976)

Neck, gizzard, heart and liver of the turkey

1 medium sized carrot, peeled and cut

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

4 sprigs fresh parsley

3 dried bay leaves

4 cups water

1 cup of turkey drippings

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

Combine everything (except turkey stock and cornstarch) in a small saucepan

Bring to boil, and then simmer covered for 1 ½ hours

Remove everything but the broth

Stir cornstarch into a small amount of cold water, add mixture to gravy

Add turkey stock

Cook under high heat until the sauce thickens and is smooth

Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered for 5 minutes

Scalloped Potatoes

(From Chow.com)

2 cups (1/2 quart) half-and-half

1 medium garlic clove, minced 

1/2 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon sea salt 

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/4 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme leaves 

2 pounds russet potatoes 

1 cup shredded Gruyère cheese (about 2.5 ounces) 

1 tablespoon unsalted butter (1/8 stick), cut into 4 pieces, plus more for coating the baking dish

1. Heat the oven to 350°F and arrange a rack in the upper third. Coat a 13-by-9-inch baking dish with butter; set aside.
2. Place the half-and-half, garlic, salt, pepper, and thyme in a large, wide pot or Dutch oven. Peel and cut the potatoes into 1/8-inch-thick slices and add them to the pot. Bring the mixture to a simmer over medium heat, gently folding the potatoes into the sauce occasionally (this helps the potatoes heat evenly), about 20 minutes total.
3. Using a slotted spoon, transfer half of the potatoes to the prepared baking dish and arrange them in an even layer. Evenly sprinkle with half of the cheese. Transfer the remaining potatoes to the dish, arranging them in an even layer. Pour the half-and-half mixture from the pot over the potatoes. Sprinkle with the remaining half of the cheese and scatter the butter pieces on top.
4. Bake uncovered until the potatoes are very tender and the top of the casserole is dark golden brown and bubbling, about 1 hour (cover the dish with foil if the top starts to get too brown). Remove to a wire rack and let sit for 10 minutes before serving.