Gobble, Gobble, Gobble...(NSR)

[BobMc]

Maple-Roasted Turkey with Sage, Smoked Bacon, and Cornbread Stuffing


1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 bunch fresh sage, leaves finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 large onions, finely chopped
1 loaf cornbread, cubed (about 6 cups)
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
3 cups chicken stock
1 (12 to 14 pound) fresh turkey
1 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 cup hot water
8 strips smoked bacon
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 lemon, juiced

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and remove the top rack.
Combine the butter and sage in a mixing bowl, mash with a fork or spoon until the sage is well incorporated and the butter has flecks of green in it; season with salt and pepper.

In a saute pan, melt 4 tablespoons of the sage butter, add the onions, cook and stir for 15 minutes until soft and golden. Remove from heat. Put the cornbread in a large mixing bowl and scrape the sauteed onion mixture on top. Add the egg, heavy cream, and just enough chicken stock to moisten the stuffing without making it soggy (about 1/2 cup.) Toss well to combine, season with salt and pepper.

Remove the neck and gizzards from the inside of the turkey and discard. Rinse the bird thoroughly inside and out with cold water, pat dry. Sprinkle the cavity and skin liberally with salt and pepper. Using your fingers, gently lift the skin from the breast and legs, and slip pieces of the sage butter underneath; massaging it in as you go. Fill the bird with the cornbread stuffing without packing too tightly; cook the remaining stuffing separately in a buttered baking dish. Truss the turkey; place it on a rack in a large roasting pan, and put into the oven.

Meanwhile, in a small mixing bowl, whisk together the maple syrup and hot water to thin the glaze out a bit; use this to baste the turkey every 30 minutes. The turkey should take about 3 hours to cook (i.e. 15 to 20 minutes per pound.) If the legs or breast brown too quickly, cover with foil. About 2 hours into cooking, shingle the strips of bacon oven the turkey breast to cover; continue to roast and baste for another hour or so. The turkey is done when an instant-read thermometer inserted into the meatiest part of the thigh registers 170 degrees F (the thigh juices will also run clear when pricked with a knife.) Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let rest for 20 minutes before carving, so the juices can settle back into the meat.

Skim off the excess fat from the pan drippings with a spoon and place the roasting pan over 2 burners set on medium-high heat. Using a wooden spoon, scrape up brown bits stuck to bottom of pan. Whisk the flour into the drippings, stirring as it thickens to prevent lumps. Add the remaining chicken stock and bring to a simmer; season with salt and pepper and hit it with a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten the flavor. Simmer for 5 minutes and then strain to remove any particles. Serve the gravy with the maple-roasted turkey and cornbread stuffing.


Foodnetwork.com


We did that one last year, turned out wonderfully. The bacon was almost candied by the maple syrup basting.

BobMc

[bagtagley]

We've fooled w/ baking recipes for years. All have been delicious, but none have compared to deep fried methods. For the most part, I hate deep fried foods, but the turkey is completely different. The hot oil keeps the moisture from escaping, making it the juiciest turkey you've ever eaten.

Last year we made a spicy ginger-soy sauce to inject the turkey with and coated it with fresh herbs....mmmmmmMMM!

[teledave]

Oh yeah - that one did sound good!! Hmmmm mebbe I should make this one instead......


http://www.epicurious.com/images/rec...tos/105797.jpg

CITRUS-GLAZED TURKEY WITH CHIPOTLE GRAVY

Traditional flavors (honey and orange) and contemporary ones (cumin and chilies) come together in the glaze, which also gives the gravy some heat and zip.

That's it! 5 Stars!

This part "Starting at neck end, carefully slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Rub 1/2 cup citrus glaze over breast meat under skin." kinda freaked my mom and wife out but I'm figuring it was probably the key to the whole process. Gotta go to my wife's aunts house this year, that whole side of the family cooks everything about 3 times longer than it should be cooked. Wish I was cooking again this year, looks like lots of great recipes above.

[frozenwater]

For all you brining fans out there, don't you find that it makes the pan drippings way to salty to make gravy out of? - I like my brined turkey, but I LOVE my gravy.

[irul&ublo]

For all you brining fans out there, don't you find that it makes the pan drippings way to salty to make gravy out of? - I like my brined turkey, but I LOVE my gravy.

Solution....

Make giblet gravy. You can roast the neck, gizzard etc to get the drippings necessary. Or if you want to be sneaky, roast a big chicken a couple of days before, save all the drippings and use that.

[KQ]

This looks great and the fact that you can make it ahead is a major plus!!!


http://www.epicurious.com/images/rec...tos/105811.jpg

BUTTERNUT SQUASH AND CARROT PUREE WITH MAPLE SYRUP

Colorful and slightly sweet, this puree is perfect for Thanksgiving.

4 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
1 onion, chopped
3 carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
1 3 1/2-pound butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons pure maple syrup

Melt 2 tablespoons butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until just tender, about 8 minutes. Stir in 1 tablespoon butter. Add carrots and sauté until coated with butter, about 1 minute. Stir in remaining 1 tablespoon butter. Add squash and sauté until beginning to soften, about 8 minutes. Pour orange juice over vegetables. Cover and simmer until vegetables are soft, about 25 minutes. Uncover and simmer until all liquid evaporates, about 5 minutes. Stir in maple syrup. Cool slightly. Working in batches, puree mixture in processor until smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer to serving bowl. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate. Stir over medium heat to rewarm.)

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

[KQ]

http://www.epicurious.com/images/rec...tos/105810.jpg


BRUSSELS SPROUTS WITH MARJORAM AND PINE NUTS

Think you don't like brussels sprouts? Think again: These are pretty irresistible.

3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 1/2 pounds fresh brussels sprouts, halved, or 1 1/2 pounds frozen brussels sprouts, thawed, halved
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth
2 shallots, minced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
1/3 cup whipping cream

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add nuts and stir until golden, about 3 minutes. Transfer nuts to small bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in same skillet over medium heat. Add sprouts; stir 1 minute. Add broth; cover and simmer until sprouts are almost tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and simmer until broth evaporates, about 5 minutes. Using wooden spoon, push sprouts to sides of skillet. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in center of same skillet. Add shallots; sauté until tender, about 2 minutes. Stir in marjoram, then cream. Simmer until sprouts are coated with cream, stirring frequently, about 4 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 4 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Stir over medium heat to rewarm.)
Transfer brussels sprouts to serving platter. Mix in half of pine nuts. Sprinkle with remaining pine nuts.

Makes 8 servings.

[bigsugar]

OHHHHHH...........squash is my favorite. That recipe looks awesome, I might break that out for Christmas.

[KQ]

MASHED POTATOES WITH PROSCIUTTO AND PARMESAN CHEESE

Here are potatoes with Italian flavor.

3 1/4 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
4 large garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
3 1/2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, finely chopped
3/4 teaspoon minced fresh rosemary

3/4 cup (or more) whole milk
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 3 ounces)
Additional fresh rosemary

Cook potatoes and garlic in large pot of boiling salted water until potatoes are very tender, about 15 minutes. Drain; return potatoes and garlic to same pot.

Meanwhile, melt 1/2 cup butter in heavy small saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped prosciutto and 3/4 teaspoon minced rosemary and sauté until fragrant, about 2 minutes.

Add prosciutto mixture and 3/4 cup milk to potatoes and garlic. Mash well, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls if potatoes are dry. Mix in 3/4 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be prepared 6 hours ahead. Cover and chill. Stir over low heat to rewarm, adding more milk by tablespoonfuls, if desired.) Transfer potatoes to bowl. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cheese; garnish with fresh rosemary and serve.

Serves 8.

[teledave]

I wonder if this guy knows what tomorrow is?

http://forum.powdermag.com/photopost...Turkey-med.JPG

Or maybe he does and that's why he is hanging out in the national park.

[bad_roo]

ROO'S THANKSGIVING SPECIAL

1. Acquire Your Bird

Turkey theft is difficult. At this time of year security guards are keeping an eagle eye open for heavily pregnant men so my advice is to murder the dirty bird yourself. Seeing as turkeys don't grow on trees in the UK, the next best thing is a dog or, failing that, a pheasant.

Pheasants are easy to come by. Drive down a country lane until you spot one in the bushes, get out of your car, creep up on it with a length of 2x4 and then smash its brains out. The pheasant may run around for a bit after you've collapsed its tiny mind, but don't worry. Just make sure it doesn't run back into the road and get crushed by a horse or something.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stevebrown15/Pheasant.jpg

2. Prepare Your Bird

When preparing a dog or pheasant, hygiene is all important. Organise a competition with children you don't like to see who can hug the bird the hardest. This will squeeze all of the shit and bile out of it and over their clothes, saving you the task of dealing with it. Next, defeather the bird by visiting a laundromat and putting it into a tumble dryer along with the alternator from a Honda Accord. This will also tenderise the meat. Finally remove the gubbins and clean by inserting the nozzle of a Soda Stream up the deceased animal's dirty chuff.

3. Cooking

There are many so-called 'experts' who have all manner of techniques for cooking animals. Don't listen to them. The best way to cook a pheasant is to stretch its bunghole over the exhaust pipe of your car and drive vigorously for around an hour. Make sure you have removed the beak, claws and junk from the bird first. Don't worry about fatal carcinogens if you're using unleaded fuels, but if you are using diesel, a second Soda Streaming may well be necessary.

4. Presentation Is Everything

After you've cooked the bird, grate to serve and garnish with potato snacks and sweet temptations that will offset the acrid taste of pheasant. I recommend a carefully julienned PayDay bar or alternatively jus de pomme drizzled over a king sized Baby Ruth.

[L7]

Oh yeah - that one did sound good!! Hmmmm mebbe I should make this one instead......


http://www.epicurious.com/images/rec...tos/105797.jpg

CITRUS-GLAZED TURKEY WITH CHIPOTLE GRAVY

Traditional flavors (honey and orange) and contemporary ones (cumin and chilies) come together in the glaze, which also gives the gravy some heat and zip.
See how to carve a turkey.

Yea that's the one! I still have that recipe floating around at home but have yet to make it. All the turkey eaters I know are chicken shits who pretend to be merely traditionalists.

yea mtnlion I mean you and the girlguide one too!

[EPSkis]

One of the best dam Thanksgiving dinners I ever cooked was pheasant.

But I did it in the oven. Had I known.....

[L7]

ROO'S THANKSGIVING SPECIAL


http://homepage.ntlworld.com/stevebrown15/Pheasant.jpg


After you've cooked the bird, grate to serve and garnish with potato snacks and sweet temptations that will offset the acrid taste of pheasant. .

Of course it might not taste so acrid if you spent less time chasing it onto roadways and seasoning with alternator du accord.

Just last week I passed by a pen filled with a couple of hundred of those plump fellers. If I'd known I could have taken an order for you.