Thanksgiving Anyone ?

Have you finalized your Thanksgiving menu yet? I have, but really, it pretty much stays the same year after year. I sometimes vary the recipe for the turkey a bit and no one seems to mind. Last year I brined the bird and I was positively thrilled with the results, so I am most definitely repeating that process. It is not overly time consuming, but simply a matter of planning ahead. The brine last year was very simple with not a lot going on flavor wise, it just produced the moistest turkey I have ever roasted. This year I am changing the recipe up, looking for more flavor, and plan to use Alton Brown's brining solution. I have read rave reviews and can't wait to taste the turkey. The only change I plan to make is to use half butter and half canola oil to coat the turkey and perhaps sprinkle with some rosemary.

I wanted to get ahead of the game and post the recipe so you would have plenty of time to plan, should you choose to brine. I can promise you will not go back once you step over. The results are amazing.

Oh, oh, oh, I almost forgot to add. The Williams Sonoma brining bags are a life saver here. They take up far less room in the refrigerator than a bucket and I think they are easier to handle.

Good Eats Roast Turkey

Ingredients

1 (14 to 16 pound) frozen young turkey

For the brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar - packed
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1 1/2 teaspoons allspice berries
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped candied ginger
1 gallon heavily iced water

For the aromatics:

* 1 red apple, sliced
* 1/2 onion, sliced
* 1 cinnamon stick
* 1 cup water
* 4 sprigs rosemary
* 6 leaves sage
* Canola oil

Directions

2 to 3 days before roasting:

Begin thawing the turkey in the refrigerator or in a cooler kept at 38 degrees F.

Combine the vegetable stock, salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, allspice berries, and candied ginger in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Stir occasionally to dissolve solids and bring to a boil. Then remove the brine from the heat, cool to room temperature, and refrigerate.

The night before you'd like to eat:

Combine the brine, water and ice in the 5-gallon bucket. Place the thawed turkey (with innards removed) breast side down in brine. If necessary, weigh down the bird to ensure it is fully immersed, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area for 8 to 16 hours, turning the bird once half way through brining.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Remove the bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard the brine.

Place the bird on roasting rack inside a half sheet pan and pat dry with paper towels.

Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick, and 1 cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes. Add steeped aromatics to the turkey's cavity along with the rosemary and sage. Tuck the wings underneath the bird and coat the skin liberally with canola oil.

Roast the turkey on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees F for 30 minutes. Insert a probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees F. Set the thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees F. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let the turkey rest, loosely covered with foil or a large mixing bowl for 15 minutes before carving.

So, Until Tomorrow.........,
S~~~

Thankgiving, A Little Late.................

It has been a tad bit busy around the Sunset Suppers table lately. I have been caught up in the whirlwind of Thanksgiving festivities , we hosted 16 at our house and all went well. Having Lacy and Bashar home with us for a couple of weeks (they will be back for New Years Eve, YEA.....) and trying to get a start on the Christmas shopping, ordering, writing Christmas cards and planning our annual Christmas Party has kept me in a dead run. Oh and did I mention that the 5th season of LOST just came out on DVD?

Picking back up from my Thanksgiving day post.............................
After dinner I was too exhausted to even look at my laptop, so I hopped on the Friday after Thanksgiving for the promised menu post. Literally as I typed, I received a call about my uncle. He had what appears to have been a mini stroke. (He has had two previous serious strokes). After a mad dash across town I arrived just ahead of the EMS. To make a very, very, very long story short, his son, my cousin Brently (whom I am as close to as a brother) was thankfully home from Orlando for the holiday and made the very sad decision to move his Daddy to assisted living. Even though it was the proper decision, hands down, it has been a difficult couple of weeks.

I have actually been doing a lot of cooking, just nothing inspired. It was so much fun cooking for Bashar. He enjoys everything !! We even served him soup beans, fried livermush (Hunter's, of course, I would NEVER touch any other livermush) and cornbread one night which he loved. He did look at Lacy a bit strange when she added butter, mayonnaise and catsup to her soup beans and cornbread. He had never had soup beans or livermush before. A bit of culture shock I suppose.
Just in case we have anyone here that doesn't know about Hunter's Livermush, check out this YouTube link to Marion's own Livermush Festival. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gd4TmJ9-p6s&feature=related

Not that it seems important at this late date but..................., here is the promised Taylor 2009 Thanksgiving menu:

Salt Brined and Herb Roasted Turkey
Butter Herb Turkey Breast
Robinson Family Dressing
Creamed Potatoes
Turkey Cream Gravy
Broccoli Casserole
Baked Macaroni and Cheese
Oriental Cole Slaw
Tiny Green Peas
Butter Beans
Deviled Eggs
Pickled Beets
Mandarin Orange Cranberry Salad
Parker House Rolls
Traditional Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkin Cream Pie

As I have said, ad nasuem, I am sure, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. We were surrounded by both sides of our family. Life is good.....................

So, until tomorrow.............
S~~~