Turkey Prep & Carving

Last week I told you to allow about 24 hours in the refrigerator for every 4 pounds of turkey to have a safely thawed bird.  So let's continue from there this week.

In buying a turkey for the big day, use 1 pound for each guest.  Thus a 12 to 14 pound turkey will handle 12 to 14 people.

When ready to work with the big bird, clean a kitchen sink to set it in.  Remove the wrapper and take out giblets and neck which are usually frozen inside in one the two place possible.  Usually the neck is in the body cavity and the giblets are in the extra neck skin above the breast.  You can use these items to make stock, add to your dressing/stuffing or discard them.

Now rinse the turkey inside and out and pat dry with paper towels.  From here, follow your recipe that you are using to cook this treat.  Some recipes will have you brine the turkey overnight and others will have you do seasonings the day of the big meal.

There is always the big question of do you stuff the turkey or not.  I like it both ways but prefer to stuff it.  Many will tell you of the dangers of stuffing a turkey.  I have never encountered a problem or even heard personally of anyone getting sick because of stuffing their turkey.  If you follow common sense and practice food safety, you should not have a problem.  I know people also will cut their turkey into major pieces and then cook them.  Even know of people who have the turkey deboned before they cook it.  Go with whatever makes you feel comfortable and tastes great.

The turkey is done when it hits a temperature of 175 degrees in the thigh meat.  If you are stuffing the bird, the stuffing needs to hit 165 degrees.  The most used temperature for the oven is 325 degrees, but again follow your recipe.  It will tell you the proper temperature for that recipe.

To cover or not to cover, that is a question.  If you are roasting in an open roasting pan, you may want to loosely cover with foil to start and remove later to let it brown to desired color.  If you are using a covered roasting pan or an electric roaster, probably don't need foil.  But do check and add if turkey is getting too dark.

Once the turkey is done and removed from the oven, cover with  foil and let it rest 15 to 20 minutes before starting to carve.

To carve the turkey, start by removing the leg and thigh in one piece.  To do this, grab the leg and cut through the skin between the body of the bird and the thigh.  Go all the way to the bone.  Now use the tip to separate the thigh bone from the body at the joint.  Next separate the leg from the thigh again by cutting through the skin at the joint between the two pieces.  Leave the leg whole and slice the thigh meat from the thigh bone.

For the breast meat, stick your fork into the wing to help steady the turkey.  Make a horizontal cut through the breast meat just above the wing all the way to the body frame.  Now slice vertical cuts beginning at the front part of the breast.  Slice down to the horizontal cut and the pieces will just fall away.  Lastly, remove the wing at the joint connecting to the body.  At the joints, separate the three pieces of wing and place the closet two sections to the body on your serving platter.  Repeat the process with the other side.

I hope this helps you when the big day or meal arrives.  I  have a little different turkey recipe for you this week and a stuffing recipe that is Gluten-Free too.  Enjoy and have a great Thanksgiving.  "Happy Cooking" and I'm thankful for all of you that check out my food blog.  Thanks again.

Garlic Rosemary Dressing

Garlic Rosemary Dressing

(20 plus servings)

 

Ingredients:

18 oz. loaf Rustic White Bread, cubed

18 oz. loaf Rustic Whole Wheat Bread, cubed

½ cup Unsalted Butter

2 lb. Yellow Onions, chopped

6 stalks Celery, chopped

2 tsp. Celery Seeds

10 cloves Fresh Garlic, minced

4 large Fresh Eggs, beaten

3 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary, finely chopped

2 tbsp. Fresh Sage, finely chopped

4 cups Chicken Broth

¼ cup Olive Oil

2 cups Cranberries (fresh or frozen)

Directions:

Spread cubed bread on sheet trays.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for about 15 minutes to toast.  Stir frequently and cook to golden brown.  Cool.  In a large skillet over medium-high heat, melt butter.  Add onions, celery and celery seeds cooking and stirring until soft (10 minutes).  In a very large bowl, combine garlic, eggs, rosemary and sage.  Add broth along with 2½ tsp. salt and 1 tsp. black pepper.  Working in batches, add bread cubes and onion mixture gently tossing to combine.  Divide final mixture between 2 lightly greased 3-qt. baking dishes.  Drizzle each dish with 2 tbsp. olive oil, cover with foil and refrigerate overnight.  Place in a pre-heated 350 oven with foil on for 25 minutes.  Uncover and continue baking for 20 minutes or until dressing is lightly browned and heated through.  Remove from oven and stir in 1 cup of cranberries in each dish.  Then let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Note:               This recipe can easily be cut in half to work for a smaller group/dinner.

Note:               If using frozen cranberries, thaw before adding to dish.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille

Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille

(8-10 servings)

 

Ingredients:

1 box Corn Bread Mix, prepared (see note)

1 lb. Andouille Sausage, quartered lengthwise & then sliced into ½ inch thick pieces

3 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

2 medium Yellow Onions, chopped

1 bunch Celery, chopped

8 medium Green Onions, sliced (white & light green parts only)

1 lb. large Raw Shrimp, shelled, deveined & chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Garlic, minced

1 tbsp. Fresh Sage, chopped

1 tbsp. Fresh Thyme, chopped

3 cups Chicken Broth

½ cup Fresh Flatleaf Parsley, chopped

to taste Salt & Black Pepper

to taste Tabasco

Directions:

Place cutup corn bread in a large mixing bowl.  In a large heavy skillet, cook sausage over moderate heat until lightly browned (10 minutes).  Add to the bowl with corn bread.  Now melt butter in skillet and add onions, celery and half of green onions.  Cook over moderate heat until softened (10 minutes).  Add shrimp, garlic, sage and thyme while continuing to cook until shrimp are just cooked through (3 minutes).  Add shrimp mixture to bowl with corn bread.  In the same skillet, heat broth to a boil.  Pour over corn bread mixture and stir well.   Add parsley, remaining green onions and season with salt, pepper and Tabasco mixing to incorporate.  Spread stuffing into a 10x15 generously buttered non-metal baking dish.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 1 hour or until crisp and brown on top.

Note:               Make a box of your favorite corn bread mix or recipe in a 9x13 baking dish.  When cooled, slice into 1 inch squares for this recipe.  Corn bread will be thinner than when you use an 8x8 dish according to the box mix.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Thanksgiving Time Lines & Other Info

Thanksgiving in the USA is just over two weeks away.  You probably should have already started planning what you are doing for the big meal.  Hopefully I can help you in getting ready this year and in the years to come.

There are some items you can make ahead and freeze for up to a month.  Dinner rolls, pies and soups are some good ones for this prep.  Dinner rolls can be pulled the night before or morning of and served at room temperature or warmed wrapped in foil.  Pies can be baked from frozen so you don't lose space in the refrigerator.  Soups actually gain flavor when made early.  Heat from frozen on a low temperature or thaw in refrigerator 3 days before needed.

The turkey is the big item for most Thanksgiving dinners.  If you are using a frozen bird, give it plenty of time to thaw.  Figure one day for every 4 pounds of turkey.  So a 12 lb. turkey is 3 days and a 20 lb. turkey is 5 days.  Now if you are going to brine your turkey, add a day to that too.  Remember to thaw the turkey in the refrigerator.

Having stuffing or dressing with your turkey?  Remember to put bread out a day or two before wanting to use as you want stale bread.  You can probably make the stuffing or dressing the day before and refrigerate.  This, of course, depends on available space in your refrigerator.

Some of your side dishes can be made early and either frozen or refrigerated depending on the dish and space.  Try to make it so that big day is not so hectic or nerve-racking for you and your family.

This week the recipes are for some different types of stuffing or dressing.  Those words are used interchangeably.  Although many consider stuffing as going inside the bird and dressing being done in a casserole dish separately.  Wednesday's "Corn Bread Stuffing with Shrimp & Andouille" is done in a casserole dish and not in the bird.  Thursday's "Garlic Rosemary Dressing" is also done in a casserole dish.

Just thought I'd give a couple slightly different dishes for Thanksgiving.  I like to always try something new each year to go with all the traditional dishes of the season.  Remember there are many other great recipes for the holidays in the recipe tabs above.  "Happy Cooking" until next week.

Homemade Mac & Cheese (GF)

Homemade Mac & Cheese (GF)

(6 servings)

 

Ingredients:

2 tbsp. Unsalted Butter

2 tbsp. Potato Flour/Starch

2 cups Milk (see note)

½ lb. Velveeta Cheese, cut up

1 cup Shredded Sharp Cheddar Cheese

1 cup Shredded Colby & Monterey Jack Cheese

4 oz. Havarti Cheese, cut up

½ tsp. White Pepper

½ tsp. Nutmeg, fresh grated (ground if fresh is not available)

½ lb. Bacon, cooked & chopped

½ cup Roasted Red Peppers, chopped (fresh or from a jar)

1 pkg. (12 oz.) Corn Pasta, cooked 1 minute short of box directions (see note)

½ cup GF Bread Crumbs mixed with 2 tbsp. melted butter (optional)

Directions:

First confirm that all ingredients are gluten-free.  In a 3 qt. saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Add potato flour and whisk cooking another 2 minutes.  Slowly add milk as you continue to whisk.  Heat mixture until it starts to thicken.  Add cheeses one at a time continuing to whisk until each melted and sauce is smooth.  Next add seasonings, bacon and peppers to combine.  Stir in the pasta and pour mixture into a greased 1½-2 qt. baking dish.  Top with bread crumbs if using.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 30 to 45 minutes or until hot, bubbly and slightly browned.

Note:               Whole or 2% milk works here.  If I

                        use skim milk, reduce to 1½ cups

                        and add ½ cup heavy whipping cream.

Note:               I suggest you use “BiAglut” brand Gluten-Free Pasta in this recipe.  In fact, it is the only GF pasta I like to use.  If you can’t find a store close by, go to their website and purchase online.  You can also use any shape that you like in this recipe.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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Honey Oat Bread (GF)

Honey Oat Bread (GF)

(1 loaf)

 

Ingredients:

1 ½ cups Warm Water (105-115 degrees)

2 tbsp. (scant) Active Dry Yeast

3 1/3 cups Oat Flour (see note)

¼ cup Olive Oil

¼ cup plus 2 tbsp. Honey

½ cup Corn Starch (or Tapioca Flour)

½ cup White Rice Flour

2 tsp. Zanthan Gum

1 tsp. Salt

¼ tsp. Ground Cinnamon

4 large Fresh Eggs

as needed Whole Oats

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine water and yeast and let rest 5-10 minutes.  Now add oat flour, oil, honey, corn starch, rice flour and xanthan gum.  Beat on medium speed with electric mixer until combined.  Next add salt, cinnamon and eggs continuing to beat until well combined and fluffy.  Pour dough into a greased 9x5 loaf pan, cover, place in a warm area and let rise for about 45 minutes or until doubled in size.  Sprinkle loaf with some whole oats, make a few slits in top with serrated knife.  Place in a pre-heated 350 degree oven for 45 minutes or until done.  Let loaf cool 5 minutes in pan and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Don’t slice bread until fully cooled (very important).

Note:               If you want to use whole oats, blend them in a food processor until very fine (very important).  You will need about 4 cups to make the amount needed.

Ideas for Future Efforts

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More Gluten-Free Recipes

I have a couple of "Gluten-Free" recipes for you this week.  I hope you are trying all these GF recipes I'm putting out every 4 weeks.  If you don't need them, then please pass them on to people you know that do need GF recipes for their diet.

Wednesday's recipe is for "Honey Oat Bread GF" and I'd have to say it's my favorite GF bread that I've tried or made.  Now as you can see in it's title, we have a "Red Flag" in the word "Oats."  You have to be very careful when using oats in a GF recipe.  Not all oats are gluten-free.  So you need to make sure that you are using "Certified Gluten-Free Oats" in any of your recipes.

Another important piece of knowledge for any of your GF baking is make sure the product has completely cooled before slicing.  If it is still warm, it just seems to glob up for lack of a better word to describe it as you are slicing the product.

GF baked goods don't last real long either.  They have a short shelf life as a fresh product.  If you're not going to consume it within 24 hours, freeze it as soon as it has completely cooled down.  Even then, I'd not keep product longer than 30 days in the freezer.

On Thursday I have a recipe for "Homemade Mac & Cheese GF" which was a big hit with my blog assistants.  Both are on GF diets and loved the mac & cheese right out of the pan.  While the adults preferred the baked version better.  The nice thing, this recipe works for both ways of making it.

But I did find that the type of GF pasta you use has a great influence on the outcome.  I'm sticking with the brand "BiAglut" which is made in Italy.  It is owned by J. C. Heinz and is hard to find in the USA.  My suggestion is to order it online.

It doesn't have rice as an ingredient and I'm fine with that.  I've not been pleased with any of the rice based pasta products I've tried.

Don't use this product if you have a peanut allergy.  It does contain "Lupin Flour and Proteins."

Well, "Happy Cooking" until next week and please share my link.  There are many tasty recipes on "Cabana Boy Cooks" and some good information for new and inexperienced cooks.