Thanksgiving 101 (13 page)

5.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F.

6.
Place the boned turkey, skin side down, on the work surface. Form the stuffing into a loaf shape and place down the center of the turkey. Bring both sides of the boned turkey up to enclose the stuffing. Using kitchen twine and a mattress needle, sew up the turkey. Tie the turkey crosswise in several places to form it into an elongated shape.

7.
Place the turkey on a long roasting rack (or use two overlapped wire cake racks) in a roasting pan. Brush with the melted butter and season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pour 2 cups of the broth into the pan.

8.
Roast, basting occasionally with the pan juices, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the turkey reads 175°F, about 3 hours. If the drippings evaporate and threaten to burn, moisten then with 2 cups additional stock. (With a boned turkey, the dark-meat area will not look undercooked at this temperature, as it does with bone-in turkey.) Transfer the
turkey to an oval serving platter, and tent with aluminum foil to keep warm. Let the turkey stand for 20 minutes before slicing.

9.
Pour the pan drippings into a separator cup. Let stand 5 minutes, then pour off and reserve the drippings and discard the fat. Place the roasting pan on two burners over high heat. Pour the drippings into the pan. Pour in 1 quart of stock. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits in the pan with a wooden spoon. Boil until syrupy and reduced to ¾ cup, about 12 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the sauce into a warmed sauceboat.

10.
Remove the strings. Carve the turkey crosswise into thick slices. Serve, drizzling a bit of sauce over each portion.

Whole Turkey Breast with Walnut-Raisin Stuffing

By no means are my Thanksgiving guest lists predictable. Sometimes it’s dinner for twenty, and sometimes for six. One year, I decided a whole bird wasn’t necessary for our small gathering, and as I was leaving the next day on a trip, I didn’t want to worry about a lot of leftovers. We had this whole turkey breast, stuffed under the skin with a walnut-raisin dressing. My guests loved its traditional flavors in a contemporary setting, and I appreciated its easy preparation.

STUFFING

1.
To make the stuffing, in a medium skillet, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, carrot, and celery, and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 10 minutes. Season with the salt and pepper, and transfer to a large bowl. Add the remaining 10 tablespoons butter to the skillet and melt. Pour into the bowl. Add the stuffing cubes, stock, raisins, walnuts, and poultry seasoning, and mix well.

2.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F.

3.
Rinse the turkey breast under cold water and pat dry. Slip your fingers underneath the skin to loosen it from the breast. Spread about one-third of the bread mixture under the skin, smoothing it to an even thickness. Place the remaining stuffing in a buttered casserole and cover to bake later as a side dish. Place the turkey breast on a roasting rack in a roasting pan. Brush with the melted butter and season
with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Pour 2 cups water into the pan.

4.
Roast, basting occasionally, until a meat thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the breast reads 170°F, about 2¼ hours. During the last 30 minutes, drizzle the reserved stuffing with
¹
/3 cup broth and bake with the breast to reheat.

5.
Transfer the breast to a serving platter and set aside. Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a separator cup. Let stand 5 minutes; then pour off the drippings and reserve the drippings and fat. Measure
¹
/3 cup fat, adding melted butter, if needed. Add enough turkey stock to the drippings (there won’t be many) to make 3 cups total.

6.
Place the roasting pan over a stove burner on low heat. Add the reserved turkey fat. Whisk in the flour, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and cook until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the turkey stock. Cook, whisking often, until the gravy has thickened and no trace of raw flour flavor remains, about 5 minutes. Season the gravy with salt and pepper. Transfer the gravy to a warmed gravy boat.

7.
Carve the turkey and serve with the stuffing and gravy.

Wild Turkey with Wild Rice and Cherry Stuffing

An 11-pound wild turkey will feed only six to eight people. The meat a wild turkey does have is firm and full-flavored, but don’t expect it to come cheaply. If your investment is cooked beyond 175°F, it will dry out, so keep an eye on the meat thermometer. Be sure to special-order your wild turkey, and be prepared for it to be a different weight than you expected. Small-scale turkey farms cannot always supply exact orders. Adjust the timing as needed, allowing about 15 minutes per pound for a stuffed turkey; 12 minutes per pound if unstuffed.

1.
At least 2 hours before roasting the turkey, chop the turkey neck into 1-inch pieces. Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the neck, turkey heart, and gizzard. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the turkey pieces are well browned, about 10 minutes. Add the stock, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, scraping up the browned bits in the pan. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer for 2 hours. Strain the stock and set aside. Let stand 5 minutes and skim off any fat that rises to the surface. You should have 1½ quarts stock; add water to the stock, if needed. (The stock can be prepared up to 1 day ahead, cooled, covered, and refrigerated.) Set aside.

2.
Position a rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 325°F. Turn the turkey on its breast. Loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Using a thin wooden or metal
skewer, pin the turkey’s neck skin to the back. Fold the turkey’s wings akimbo behind the back or tie to the body with kitchen string. Loosely fill the large body cavity with some of the stuffing, and cover the stuffing with foil. Place any remaining stuffing in a lightly buttered casserole, cover, and refrigerate to bake as a side dish. Tie the drumsticks together with kitchen string.

3.
Place the turkey, breast side up, on a rack in the roasting pan. Rub all over with the 4 tablespoons softened butter. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Tightly cover the breast area with aluminum foil. Pour 2 cups stock into the bottom of the pan.

4.
Roast the turkey, basting all over every 40 minutes with the juices on the bottom of the pan (lift up the foil to reach the breast area), until a meat thermometer inserted in the meaty part of the thigh (but not touching a bone) reads 170°F and the stuffing is at least 160°F, about 3 hours. Whenever the drippings evaporate, add water to moisten them (about 1½ cups at a time). During the last 45 minutes, remove the foil and baste a couple of times to brown the skin.

5.
Transfer the turkey to a large serving platter and let it stand for at least 20 minutes before carving. Increase the oven temperature to 350°F. Cover and bake the stuffing until heated through, about 20 minutes.

6.
Meanwhile, pour the drippings from the roasting pan into a separator cup. Let stand 5 minutes; then pour off and reserve the drippings and discard the fat. Return the drippings with the remaining 1 quart stock to the roasting pan. Place the roasting pan over two burners on high heat, and bring the stock to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spatula. Boil until the liquid is reduced to 2 cups, 10 to 15 minutes.

7.
In a small bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch into the port and stir to dissolve. Stir into the pan and cook until the sauce is lightly thickened. Remove from the heat. One tablespoon at a time, whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper. Strain the sauce and pour into a warmed sauceboat.

8.
Carve the turkey and serve with the stuffing and gravy. If the dark meat seems a bit pink, do not be concerned, because it is safe to eat. If you want it cooked longer for aesthetic reasons, cut the thighs and drumsticks from the carcass, and bake them at 350°F for a few minutes until the meat shows no sign of pink. Or microwave on High at 30-second intervals until the meat looks well done.

Turkey Breast with Wild Mushroom Stuffing and Marsala Sauce

Need a great low-fat Thanksgiving entrée? Look no further. A combination of fresh and dried mushrooms gives hearty flavor to the mild turkey breast, and it’s further enhanced by a Marsala wine sauce. It meets the criteria for any good recipe, low-fat or not, and I serve it throughout the year at dinner parties, as well.

WILD MUSHROOM STUFFING

1.
To make the stuffing, combine the boiling water and dried mushrooms in a small bowl. Let stand until the mushrooms soften, about 30 minutes. Lift the mushrooms out of the water, rinse under running water, and chop coarsely. Strain the cooking liquid through a wire sieve lined with a moistened paper towel set over a small bowl. Reserve the liquid.

2.
In a food processor, pulse the fresh mushrooms until finely chopped. Set aside.

3.
In a large skillet, heat the butter over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 1 minute. Add the fresh mushrooms, soaked mushrooms, soaking liquid, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Cover and cook until the fresh mushrooms release some liquid, about 3 minutes. Uncover and cook over high heat until the liquid evaporates, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a medium bowl and cool completely. Stir in the bread crumbs and egg white.

4.
Place a turkey breast, skin side down, on a work surface. Using a sharp knife, cut a deep, diagonal incision into the thickest part of the breast from the center of the roast almost to the edge, being careful not to cut completely through to the skin. Open this flap like a book. Make another cut on the other side, to butterfly the other side of the roast, and fold out in the other direction. Pound gently with a meat mallet, rolling pin, or empty wine bottle to flatten to an even thickness. Repeat with the other breast.

5.
Spread half of the filling over one breast. Starting at a long side, roll up into a thick cylinder. Tie the breast crosswise in several places with kitchen string. Repeat with the remaining stuffing and breast. (The turkey breasts can be prepared up to this point 4 hours ahead, covered with plastic wrap, and refrigerated.)

6.
Position a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray a flameproof baking dish large enough to comfortably hold the turkey breasts with nonstick spray.

7.
Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick spray and heat over medium heat until very hot. Season the turkey with ¼ teaspoon salt and
¹
/8 teaspoon pepper. Add the turkey breasts and cook, turning occasionally, until browned on all sides, about 6 minutes. Transfer the turkey to the prepared dish. Pour the broth into the dish and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Bake until a meat thermometer inserted in the centers of the breasts reads 165°F, about 40 minutes. Transfer the breasts to a serving platter and cover with aluminum foil to keep warm.

8.
Place the roasting pan on top of the stove and bring the liquid to a boil over high heat. Boil until reduced to about ½ cup, about 8 minutes. In a small bowl, sprinkle the cornstarch into the Marsala, and stir to dissolve. Whisk into the pan and cook until lightly thickened. Remove from the heat and whisk in the butter until melted. Season with salt and pepper.