Recipe Tag: Thanksgiving

Roasted Turkey

Brined Roasted Turkey

Preheat oven to 400°. Pat turkey dry with paper towels. Spread butter over skin and liberally season turkey with salt and pepper. Tuck wing tips under, truss legs, and place turkey on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan.

Cook turkey, rotating roasting pan 180° every 1 hour. After 1 hour, baste turkey with broth. Continue to roast, basting every 30 minutes. If turkey begins to get too brown, cover loosely with foil.

To check internal temperature, insert an instant-read thermometer into inner meatiest part of thigh, not touching bone. Roast until internal temperature reaches 165°, 1 3/4-2 hours. Let turkey rest, loosely tented with foil, 30-45 minutes before carving.

14-16-pound turkey: Roast at 350°. Total roasting time: 2-2 3/4 hours

16-18 pound turkey: Roast at 350°. Total roasting time: 2 3/4-3 hours

18 or more pounds: Roast at 350°. Total roasting time: 3-4 hours

Defrosting a Frozen Turkey in the Refrigerator

12-14 pounds: 2-3 days

14-16 pounds: 3-4 days

16-18 pounds: 4-5 days

18-20 pounds: 5-6 days

Italian Sausage and Bread Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350°. Generously butter a 9”x13” baking dish.

Put bread in 2 shallow baking pans and bake, switching position of pans halfway through baking, until just dried out, about 10 minutes.

In a heavy frying pan over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil shimmers, add half of sausage, stirring and breaking it into small pieces,

until golden brown, about 6 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to a

large bowl. Brown remaining sausage in remaining 1 tablespoon oil and transfer to bowl.

In same pan over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions, celery, garlic, and 1/2 teaspoon salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 12-15 minutes. Add vegetables and bread to sausage.

Whisk together eggs, 1/2 cup cream, broth, cheese, and parsley, then stir into stuffing and cool completely, about 30 minutes. Spoon stuffing into baking dish, then drizzle with remaining 1/4 cup cream. Cover stuffing
and chill.

Increase heat to 425° and bake stuffing, covered tightly with foil, until hot

throughout, about 20 minutes. Remove foil and bake until top is golden and crisp, about 15 minutes more.

Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

In a small bowl, add garlic, thyme, 1 tablespoon oil, 2 teaspoons salt, and paprika and stir to form a thick paste. In a medium saucepan over medium-low heat, add garlic-thyme mixture, and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mushrooms, shallots, and bay leaves, stirring occasionally, until mushrooms are tender and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes. Add broth, bring to a simmer, and cook 30 minutes.

Strain mushroom mixture through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl and wipe out pot. Cook flour and remaining 2 tablespoons oil in saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until nutty brown and thickened, about 8 minutes. Add wine, bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, and cook 3 minutes.

Add mushroom broth, parsley, pepper, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and return to a simmer until thickened. Season with salt and pepper.

Cheesy Baked Butternut Squash Polenta

In a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat, bring broth to a boil. Gradually whisk in polenta, season with 1 tablespoon salt, reduce heat to medium, and cook, whisking constantly, until polenta just begins to thicken, about 5 minutes. Stir in squash, reduce heat to medium-low, and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until polenta is thick and no longer gritty and squash is soft, 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a saucepan over medium heat, add milk, cream, butter, and 2 sage leaves, and bring to a simmer. Remove sage leaves and add to polenta-squash mixture. Increase heat to medium-high and stir constantly, about 8-10 minutes. Add fontina cheese, nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Remove from heat.

In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add oil. When oil shimmers, add remaining 8 sage leaves and cook until crispy, about 30 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer sage to a paper towel-lined plate and sprinkle with salt.

Transfer polenta to an oven safe dish. Sprinkle parmesan cheese on top and broil until cheese is melted and golden brown, 3-5 minutes. Let sit for 10 minutes and garnish with sage leaves.

Root Vegetable Stuffing

In an 8-quart saucepan over medium-high heat, melt butter. Add onions and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, 8-10 minutes. Add mushrooms, celery root, and parsnips and cook until soft, 12-15 minutes. Stir in 11/2 cups broth, parsley, sage, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and stir

in bread; let cool slightly. Preheat oven to 375°. Add remaining 1 cup broth and stir to combine. Place in a buttered 9”x13” baking dish and pour stuffing into pan. Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 10 minutes. Remove foil and cook for an additional 15 minutes.

Apple and Pork Sausage Stuffing

Preheat oven to 350°.

In a frying pan over medium-high heat, warm oil. Add sausage and cook until browned, 5-7 minutes. Add celery, onion, garlic, apple, sage, thyme, oregano, fennel seeds, and salt and cook until onion and celery have just softened, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool.

In a small bowl, whisk together broth, cream and eggs.

In a large bowl combine bread cubes with sausage mixture and 1/2 cup cheese. Pour broth-cream mixture over bread and stir to combine. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese, transfer to a 9- by 13-inch baking dish, and cook until golden brown, 35-40 minutes.

Wild Rice With Cherries and Pecans

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm oil. Add onion and celery and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add rice and stir for about 1 minute, then add wine and cook until almost evaporated. Add broth, bring to a boil, then reduce heat, cover and simmer until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender, 35-45 minutes. Remove from heat and mix in pecans, cherries, and green onions. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Brining a Turkey

Brined Roasted Turkey

Use this brine for turkeys 14 pounds and more. The recipe may be halved or doubled; the important thing is to have enough brine to completely cover the turkey.

Place water in unscented garbage bag that can easily hold liquid and turkey. Add all ingredients and stir until sugar and salt dissolve, 1-2 minutes. Add turkey and leave in brine for 24 hours. If turkey floats to the top, use a plate or other weight to keep it completely submerged in brine.

To roast: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread 2 tablespoons softened unsalted butter over skin. Sprinkle fresh ground black pepper over skin and in cavity. Tuck wing tips under, loosely truss legs and place turkey on a V-shaped rack in a roasting pan. Tent breast with foil. Cook turkey, rotating roasting pan 180 degrees every 30 minutes. Roast for about 1 hour, remove foil and baste turkey with melted unsalted butter. Continue to roast, basting every 20 minutes, using more butter as needed.

Start checking internal temperature after about 1 hour by inserting an instant-read thermometer in the inner meatiest part of the thigh, not touching the bone. If legs or breast begin to get too brown, cover loosely with foil. Roast until internal thigh temperature reaches 165 degrees. Total roasting time for a turkey up to 16 pounds should be about 2 to 2 3/4 hours. Let bird rest for 30 to 45 minutes before carving.

Birds more than 16 pounds: Roast at 350 degrees. Cover the breast tightly with foil for the first half of the cooking time, then remove the foil and baste with broth every 30 minutes for the remainder of the time. An 18-pound bird should be done in 3-4 hours, or when the thigh temperature reaches 165 degrees.

Chez Panisse Restaurant, Berkeley, Calif.

Pumpkin Cake Roll With Cream Cheese Filling

Preheat oven to 375° and line a rimmed baking sheet with silicone mats or parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, pumpkin pie spice and salt.

In bowl of a stand mixer with paddle attachment, add eggs and beat on medium speed, 5 min. Slowly add sugar, pumpkin and lemon juice. Add flour mixture and mix just until combined. Pour batter onto baking sheet and bake until set and lighter in color, about 15 min. Remove from oven and let cool 5 min.

Meanwhile, liberally sprinkle clean dish towel with powdered sugar. Turn cake out onto dish towel. Remove parchment paper, if using. Loosely roll up cake in towel and let cool completely.

To make filling, in a medium bowl, combine cream cheese and butter and beat until smooth. Add 1 c powdered sugar and vanilla and stir until smooth. Unroll cake and spread with filling, leaving a 1” edge farthest away from you with no frosting, then roll back up and cover with plastic wrap. Serve chilled.

Celery Root-Two Potato Gratin

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 13″x9″ baking dish.

In a saucepan over medium heat, warm olive oil. Add shallots and cook until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and thyme and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add cream, mustard, salt and pepper and whisk until just blended. Remove from heat and let cool slightly.

Arrange a layer of potato and celery root slices, slightly overlapping, in prepared baking dish. Sprinkle with one-third of cheese mixture. Pour over one-third of cream mixture. Repeat layering 2 more times, ending with cheese. Pour any remaining over gratin.

Cover dish loosely with foil and bake for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until top is golden and vegetables are tender when pierced, another 30-45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes and garnish with parsley.