Perfect Holiday Turkey 1996
Shopping List
20 lb. fresh turkey
onions
celery
parsley - 2 bunches
sour dried cherries
dried cranberries
dried apricots
walnuts, pecans or chestnuts (your choice)
2 parsnips
2 turnips
1 sweet potato
1 lb. butter
dry white wine (Riesling)
Madeira
2 loaves homemade egg bread***
(or top quality purchased)
fresh thyme
fresh sage
poultry seasoning
salt
black pepper
Special Tools You Will Need
cheesecloth (at least 4 yards)
roaster
rack
baster
accurate meat thermometer -- instant read
Turkey and Stuffing
20 lb. fresh turkey
1 onion, cut in quarters
1 turnip, cut in quarters
3 stalks celery cut in 6 inch pieces
1 sweet potato, peeled and cut in quarters
2 sticks unsalted butter
2 C white wine
1 C Madeira
In a saucepan, melt butter. Add 1 C white wine and stir to combine and heat through. Turn off heat under saucepan. Wash fresh turkey inside and out with cool water. Pat dry and sprinkle cavities lightly with salt and pepper. Turn the turkey upside down and loosely fill the neck cavity with stuffing. Skewer flap to back of turkey and fold wings under. Turn turkey breast side up and stuff the visceral cavity loosely with dressing. Tie legs and tail together with string. Place the cut vegetables and the turkey's liver, heart, gizzard and neck in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Add 2 cups of stock. Place rack in pan and turkey, breast side up, on rack. Brush surface of the turkey with butter/wine basting mixture in saucepan, using it all. Fold the cheesecloth in such a way as to have at least four layers of the breast of the bird. Soak cheesecloth in stock, wring out and drape over the breast of the turkey. Preheat the oven to 350. Roast the turkey for about 3 1/2 hours, basting with pan juices every half hour. Remove cheesecloth from turkey and continue to roast for another hour or so, basting with pan juices every 15 minutes until turkey reaches an internal temperature of 180 degrees Fahrenheit at the thickest part of the thigh. The center of the dressing should be at 165 degrees Fahrenheit. If, at any time the liquid in the bottom of the roaster dries up and the vegetables in the bottom start to burn, add more stock from the kettle.
Remove from oven and place the turkey on platter. Remove rack, scraping off turkey residue. Remove and reserve the vegetables and giblets. Pour the liquid in the pan into a large glass measure and set aside.
Add 1 cup Madeira to pan. Sit pan on stove burner over low heat and stir, scraping stuck bits from bottom and side of pan. Puree the vegetables with 1 C stock and add to the pan. Continue to cook and stir until reduced by half. When reserved cooking liquids from the turkey have separated, use a baster to remove the rich dark liquid from the bottom of the glass container, taking care to not pick up the grease from the top. Add to the pan and stir in. Continue to simmer. Thicken the gravy according to your preference 1. Put 2 C stock into a jar or bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Add 1/2 C flour, cover tightly and shake to blend flour and liquid until smooth. Add to the pan, and cook and stir until gravy is thickened. 2. Combine 2 C stock with 1/2 C cornstarch. Stir to blend and add to the pan. Cook and stir until gravy is thickened. Pour through a sieve to remove lumps if desired, adjust seasoning and serve. (I prefer my turkey gravy to have a little character, so I skip this step).
Dressing
2 loaves of egg bread, cut in 1/2- 1-inch cubes
2 C chopped onions
2 C chopped celery
1 stick unsalted butter
1/4 C chopped fresh sage (sub. 1 tbsp. dried sage)
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, minced
1 tbsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tsp. poultry seasoning
2 tsp. salt
8-10 cups rich turkey stock
1 C chopped parsley
1 C sour dried cherries
1/2 C dried cranberries
1/2 C dried apricots, cut in 1/4 inch pieces
pecans, toasted and chopped coarsely
Chop the bread into 1/2 inch - 1 inch cubes. Set aside. In a large skillet, melt the butter and stir in the onions and celery. Saute gently until the onions are translucent and the celery is cooked. Stir in the sage, thyme, black pepper, poultry seasoning and salt. Add 2 C stock to the pan, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 5 minutes.
In a large bowl, combine roughly 1/3 of the bread cubes with the contents of the skillet. Add chopped parsley. Stir to combine. Add an additional 1/3 of the bread cubes and the dried fruit and nuts. Add another 2 cups of the stock. Stir to combine. Add remaining 1/3 of the cubes with an additional 1-3 cups of stock. Vary the liquid to produce a dressing in which the cubes are still roughly distinguishable in shape.
Rich Turkey Stock
In a large saucepan or Dutch oven, put neck and gizzard from turkey. Add 3-4 quarts water, 6 stalks of celery, cut up, 1 onion, cut up, 3 carrots, cut in chunks, 1 tbsp. salt, 2 bay leaves, and 2 tbsp. black peppercorns. Bring to a boil, and reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 2-3 hours. Add 1 C white wine. Simmer for another couple of hours. Strain and discard vegetables. Reserve neck and gizzard to roast with the turkey.
*** Homemade Egg Bread: Because I use a bread machine, I like to use the recipe for Egg Bread from Lois Conway and Linda Rehberg's "Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints". I make two batches for the stuffing. If making bread by hand, any egg bread would be appropriate. If you are purchasing bread, a brioche, challah, or rich butter bread from a good bakery will work in this recipe.
Egg Bread
For 1 1/2 pound loaf
3/4 to 7/8 C milk
2 eggs
1 1/2 tsp. salt
3 tbsp. butter or margarine
1/4 cup sugar
3 cups bread flour
1 1/2 to 2 tsp. Red Star brand active dry yeast
1. Place all ingredients in bread pan, select Light Crust setting, and press Start.
2. After the baking cycle ends, remove bread from pan, place on cake rack and allow to cool 1 hour before slicing.
I like to bake the bread the day before, and baked this recipe twice. The next morning, I sliced the bread and then cut the slices into cubes.
Recipe from "The Bread Machine Magic Book of Helpful Hints" by Linda Rehberg and Lois Conway, published by St. Martin's Griffin Press, Copyright 1995. Used with permission.
