Photo: hin255 at FreeDigitalPhotos.net
By Carolyne
This is a modified version of my recipe column from the ’70s. It never fails, so don’t be frightened and think you cannot do this.
Try to buy a fresh turkey for your big celebration dinner. If absolutely impossible (I’d drive across the city for a fresh bird) then buy a Butterball, which is definitely your next best bet.
Don’t take delivery of your fresh bird until as close as possible to the day you want to cook it. If you collect your bird a day ahead, refrigerate it as soon as possible. Do not ever leave it in the garage even in subzero weather.
The bird will likely be in a large, heavy plastic bag; tied. Untie the bag. Leave it open in the fridge until you are ready to cook it. It won’t dry out.
Keep a large platter under the bag, or a large enough tinfoil baking pan. Make sure the exact weight of the bird is marked on the bag. If the shop doesn’t write it down automatically for you, ask them to reweigh it and to mark down the weight for you. This is very important. Cooking time for poultry in the oven is determined by weight.
The day you prepare and cook your celebration turkey, you are the master chef at work, creating a masterpiece for family and friends.
Even if this is the first time you’ve made turkey, (maybe for your new in-laws?) don’t worry about it. Just follow my simple directions and you can’t go wrong. All your guests will want your recipe. Your turkey will be moist and tender; yes, even the white meat – it won’t be dry.
Try to eliminate all possibilities of little things that may go awry, such as burned-out fuses in your stove. Buy a couple of fuses for the stove – 20s and 30s – to always have on hand. I learned this the hard way one evening when preparing a meal of Rock Cornish hens for 26 people. The oven died. There was an electrician in the group and he couldn’t figure out the problem. It was a burned out stove fuse. Don’t ever replace smaller fuses with larger ones. That is a fire hazard; we’re talking older stoves.
I mention things such as this because they have actually happened at one time or another. It would be awful if the stove didn’t work. Should your stove not work, check the fuses in the stove and/or the power panel breakers and fuses.
Preheat your oven to 325-350 degrees. You do have to know your oven. Every one is different. Ideally, keep two oven thermometers in use in the oven at all times. They are not expensive and are indispensable. Point of reference when baking cakes in glass: always drop your oven temp by 25 degrees.
Wash the bird thoroughly in cold running water, inside and out. This is extremely important. Rinse all your meat and poultry in particular.
A bacterium called salmonella is highly prevalent in poultry and if transmitted to humans can cause severe problems in the intestinal tract. On the subject of bacteria, always refrigerate your cooked turkey (and the stuffing) immediately after you have finished your meal. Poultry will turn very quickly and it must be stored in a cold place – the stuffing too.
Drain and pat off excess water. Clean the counters, taps and containers with bleach when you are done. I know French chef and TV show host Jacques Pepin thinks differently – that a hot oven and/or pan kills all bacteria so no need to wash. To each his own. I don’t ever want to get salmonella poisoning.
Salt and pepper your bird inside. Stuff with your favourite dressing and truss. (Make your dressing the day before and refrigerate). Pat the outside of the turkey with lots of salt, rubbing it in well on all sides and on the legs.
Sprinkle with a little pepper. Place your turkey on the oven tray, breast side up, and cover the bird with tinfoil, shiny side down, tucking the foil under the edge of the pan. Use two pieces with a folded seam overlapping, if the foil isn’t wide enough to cover the bird.
Adjust the oven rack to its bottom position. Put turkey in the oven and forget about it, for the next few hours at least. Now, I usually do a bird of about 20 pounds. I allow 20 minutes per pound, which equals in this case about 6½ hours.
Don’t open the oven until the last hour. Only then, remove the foil and allow the turkey to brown. When you probe thigh joint, clear juice should run. You’ve done it! Your turkey is cooked. There now, that wasn’t very difficult, was it? Allow the turkey to rest in the oven with the door open, turned off for not longer than 10-15 minutes, so juices settle back where they belong. Never carve immediately.
Place the turkey on a serving platter and garnish with candied carrots, steamed creamed onions and snow peas; or, if you prefer to keep your vegetables separate, garnish with a few sprigs of parsley and lemon curls, with tomato “roses” around the edge. Tomato roses prepared ahead and refrigerated look very nice on this dish. Use really large tomatoes to marry up with the big bird size.
Special mashed, whipped potatoes always seem to round out this meal. I am partial to halved, baked squash, in season – baked with butter, brown sugar, salt and finished with a drizzle of really good real maple syrup. Each person gets their own small half, served in its shell on a side dish. For me the meal would not be complete without this.
For gravy, you can make a roux, well browned, or as I prefer, use scalded, thickened cream, stirred in the pan drippings, and savouring every last drop. Clean the oven roaster with a firm spatula.
Present your whole turkey to your guests at the table. It’s part of the thrill of a special dinner, to tease the taste buds while the head of the household carves the beautiful bird. This is a great experience for older teens to engage in. Learning how to carve properly is a special thing.
The hostess may serve the soup and or the salad while this is being done, allowing a small portion for the host so he may eat when finished carving and still catch up to everyone else.
Prepare a large serving platter (heated) for the carved bird to be placed on and sit down, eat and enjoy! Don’t run back and forth to the kitchen. Get organized ahead of time so you too can enjoy.
Turkey in Aspic
Here’s a perfect use for leftovers. Coat a pre-cooled mould or small stainless steel pot, or loaf pan, or bowl with a thin layer of aspic. Place a thin slice of turkey in the aspic. Cover the turkey slice with a thin layer of aspic. Sprinkle each layer of aspic with finely minced red and green pepper, minced firm tomato pieces and chopped parsley. Repeat layers, ending with aspic. Refrigerate it overnight. Unmould it carefully by placing a serving plate over top of mould. Invert and shake slightly. The aspic should unmould with no difficulty. Cut in small pie-shaped pieces and serve with salad greens and toast wedges.
Ciabatta bread is perfect with this. Decorate the mould with thick homemade mayonnaise using a forcing bag and big bunches of parsley. To vary this mould, alternate slices of turkey, roast veal and baked ham.
The working title for Carolyne’s Gourmet Recipes cookbook is From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen: A Canadian Contessa Cooks. This kitchen-friendly doyenne has been honoured and referred to as the grande dame of executive real estate in her market area during her 35-year career. She taught gourmet cooking in the mid-70s and wrote a weekly newspaper cooking column, long before gourmet was popular as it is today. Her ebook, Gourmet Cooking – at Home with Carolyne is available here for $5.99 US. Email Carolyne. Scroll down to the comments at each recipe column. Carolyne often adds complimentary “From Lady Ralston’s Kitchen” additional recipes in the Recipes for Realtors Comments section at REM.
