It’s that time of year again! THANKSGIVING!!! What a freaking awesome holiday, right? I mean, it involves food, booze, dessert, more food and more booze. Plus like family and friends and stuff. Did I mention dessert?
Last year I slow roasted a turkey and it freaking rocked my world. So I am going to repost the majority of that post below, including last year’s menu.
Happy Early Turkey Day!!!
Love,
Rachel
Last Year’s Thanksgiving Post Follows
The menu:
Nosching plate of cheese, prosciutto and dried figs.
Slow roasted Turkey
Mashed Potatoes
Moose sausage stuffing (OMG soooo good!) (cornbread stuffing with sauted onions/celery, garlic, fresh herbs, dried cranberries soaked in chicken broth, pecans, and moose sausage flown in all the way from Alaska. This stuff was crazy good.)
Roasted brussel sprouts and carrots
Gravy
Cranberry-Pomegranate Relish (fresh cranberries, whole orange, ground ginger and sugar blended in food processor, then add chopped pecans and pomegranate seeds. Let sit over night if possible).
Canned Cranberry (of course)
Dessert: Classic pumpkin pie, triple chocolate pumpkin pie, apple-cran pie with streusel topping and super gingery gingerbread. Yes, I realize there are as many desserts as people for dinner, but that was planned. How else would you do it? A post on desserts will happen in the future (hopefully).
Amelia and I spent the day in the kitchen on Thursday (after staying up late on Wednesday making multiple pies). Here is a photo journal of what we did that day:
1. Remove turkey from basting bag. Turkey had been sitting in brine with pepper corns, tons of salt, fresh herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme), onions and bay leaves. Rub turkey down with butter/salt/pepper mixture, stick 1 quartered onion into cavity, insert fresh herbs into turkey breast (make incision into breast and insert herbs), also insert herbs under the skin, directly onto the meat. Put into 220F degree oven breast-side down. Baste every hour or so. When bird is about 140F or 145F, flip right-side up. Remove once breast temperature reaches 155F – you may want to cook for last hour at 300F to get the skin a little darker, because the skin doesn’t crisp up at 220F. Let sit for 20 minutes before carving.
- Slow roasting the turkey. A 16 pound bird took about 6.5 hours.
2. Take dog for a run. Dog chases and barks at squirrels.
- Chloe, dreaming big.
3. Maturely talk about our Thanksgiving dish preferences.
- Debate about whether stuffing gets roasted inside the bird or outside. Outside the bird won.
4. Indulge a little while cooking.
- Simple math: Case of wine + friends + cheese = wonderful Turkey day.
5. Indulge a little more. Four types of cheese (a triple cream, cambozola, something soaked in wine whose name escapes me right now, and a mushroom brie) served with prosciutto and dried figs.
- To nosch while cooking.
6. Maturely discuss whether we like our mashed potatoes lumpy or smooth.
- Settling another debate…with brussel sprout stalk.
6. Baste the turkey a few times.
- You want me to do what with this?
7. Check the turkey for doneness. Bird should be 155F. You can also make the gravy once the bird is out (which is what is happening in the background of the picture below). Most people check the temperature with a meat thermometer. Amelia chose to use the old-fashioned way, the face thermometer.
- Wait, Amelia! Can’t eat the turkey until there’s gravy!
7. Torment the dog.
- Chloe wants dark meat!
8. Admire your handiwork. You can see the slit in the breast where I stuffed the bird with rosemary, thyme and sage.
- Turkey!
9. Carve the turkey.
- Light or dark meat?
10. Admire your spread.
- Dinner time!
11. Do whatever dorky/endearing traditions that your family requires. We all had to have first bites that included a little bit of everything, and we went around the table and said what we were thankful for. I am thankful for cranberry sauce! And you know… friends, family… etc…
Happy Thanksgiving everybody!
Gobble gobble,
Rachel
Suits and Aprons 