Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Giving Thanks


This was my fifth time roasting a turkey and I decided to try brining.  A couple of years ago my friend Paul did this with his turkey and itwas by far the tastiest, moistest turkey I ever ate.  I decided to try using maple syrup instead of white sugar for my brine, and used up the last of the fresh sage from the garden along with some garlic and thyme.  The result was an excellent tasting turkey, but I think I slightly overcooked it.  All the guests who like white meat claimed it was very moist and didn't thing it was overcooked at all!  It was also a very dark turkey which I think was due in part to the honey in the brine.  Aside from forgetting to turn the oven on for the first hour of cooking, the feast was a great success!  My favorite part, as always was the stuffing.  It is the same recipe my mom made every Christmas and Thanksgiving and I will never tire of it. The pumpkin pie made with the freshly roasted pumpkins from the garden was AMAZING and I am mad at myself for having made tofu pumpkin pies for so many years.  The real deal traditional pies are great!

MAPLE BRINED TURKEY with Whole Wheat Savoury Stuffing

1- 16 pound pasture raised turkey
1 1/4 cups coarse sea salt
1.25 litres boiling water
150 ml local maple syrup
8 litres cold water
5 tsp organic whole peppercorns
20 bay leaves
4 organic apples, sliced
2 organic onions, sliced
bunch of organic thyme
bunch of organic sage
6 cloves organic garlic, peeled
1 carrot
2 organic celery stalks

Stuffing:
5 cups organic whole wheat bread, cubed
3 Tbsp organic poultry seasoning
1 organic onion, chopped
2 organic celery stalks, chopped
2 cups organic mushrooms, sliced
1/2 pack of organic bacon, sliced
1/4 cup each minced organic parsely, thyme, sage and marjoram
sea salt and pepper
organic butter

Gravy: 1 cup organic chicken stock or white wine
2/3 cup organic unbleached white flour
6 cups water

Method for Stuffing:
Preheat oven to 350*. Place cubed bread in a pan and toast lightly in the oven for about 15 mins.  Heat a cast iron skillet over medium heat.  Add bacon, onion, celery and mushrooms to pan.  Saute until the onion is soft and the bacon begins to brown, then add the seasoning and some salt and pepper.  Fry for about 2 minutes, remove from heat and pour into a large bowl. Add the herbs and mix with your hands until thoroughly combined.

Method for Turkey:

Rinse turkey in cool water.  Combine the boiling water, salt, and maple syrup in a large heat proof bowl.  Stir until salt is dissolved.  Add the cold water, garlic, peppercorns, vegetables, and herbs in a large stainless steel stock pot and immerse turkey in the brine for at least 12 hours (I did ours for 18).  Then remove the turkey and pat dry, placing it in a stainless steel roasting pan, on a little rack.  Tuck the wings under the bird so they don't burn while you roast the turkey.


   




Stuff the neck part first, careful not to pack it in too tightly.  Using large toothpicks pin the flap of skin to to the turkey to keep the stuffing in.  Turn it over and stuff the back end (make sure the gizzards and neck are removed!), leaving a nice pile of the stuffing sticking out for picking on as the bird roasts.  Tie the legs together with cooking twine.  Rub the turkey with salted butter and sprinkle with some black pepper.  Place it on the rack and add the carrot, celery and onion to the bottom of the pan along with the neck and 2 cups of chicken stock.
     Preheat oven to 350* with rack in lowest position.  Tent the bird with foil to prevent  browning too quickly.  Roast 1 hour then baste it every 30 minutes with pan liqiuds until a thermometer reads 125*, about 3 hours.  Remove foil and continue to roast until thigh reaches 175*, about 45 minutes.  Tent it again if it browns too quickly.  Transfer turkey to platter to rest while you make gravy.

Gravy: Place the pan on the stove across 2 burners.  Bring pan liquids to a boil over a high heat. Cook stirring until liquid has mostly evaporated, about 5 minutes.  Keep cooking, stirring until the vegetables have browned, about 5  minutes.  Add the stock or wine, cook, stirring constantly until syrupy, 1-2 mins.  Add the flour, cook stirring until flour is incorporated and browned, about 2 minutes. Slowely add 6 cups of water; bring to a simmer, stirring, about 5 minutes.  Continue cooking until gravy reaches the consistency you like.  Pour gravy through a mesh sieve into a saucepan, discarding solids.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Keep warm. 

After turkey has rested about 20 minutes, remove the stuffing and carve.




MAPLE PUMPKIN PIE

1 whole wheat pastry crust, unbaked
1 1/3 cups cooked organic pumpkin puree
3/4 cup maple syrup
1 cup organic cream
1/2 cup organic whole milk
1 tsp organic cinnamon
1/2 tsp fresh grated organic nutmeg
1/8 tsp organic grated ginger
3 organic eggs
1 Tbsp organic unbleached white flour
1 tsp sea salt

Method: Preheat oven to 350*.  Blend all ingredients together.  Pour into pie shell and bake for about 45-60 minutes.  Let cool before serving.



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