What is your recipe?

Question

Ok, I am tired of cooking the same old type of turkey. Give me something new people!

Answer 1

This one wins them over every single holiday!

Brine:
1 gallon water
1/2 ounce ground cloves
1/2 ounce ground ginger
4 ounces cracked black peppercorns
12 bay leaves
1 pound kosher salt
24 ounces honey
24 ounces maple syrup
1 (10-pound) whole fresh turkey, giblets and neck removed and reserved for stock
1 stick butter, room temperature
2 teaspoons chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves
2 apples, quartered and cored
1 onion, peeled and quartered
2 rosemary sprigs
3 sprigs sage
Olive oil, for drizzling

1 cup cubed carrots
1 cup cubed celery
1 cup cubed onions
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup Madeira wine
4 cups turkey stock, recipe follows
1 sprig thyme
2 sprigs parsley
Beurre manie (2 ounces butter mixed with 2 ounces flour until it forms a soft dough)
Salt and pepper


In a large stockpot, bring the water, cloves, ginger, black peppercorn, bay leaves and salt to a boil. Lower to a simmer and stir in the honey and maple syrup until well blended. Turn off heat and allow to cool to room temperature.
Rinse the turkey inside and out with cold tap water. Reserve the neck and specialty meats for pan gravy. Set the turkey in the brine, making sure that the turkey is fully immersed in the brine. Place a weight on top of the turkey to make sure it is always covered with brine. Marinate for at least 4 hours to overnight, depending on the weight of the turkey, in the refrigerator.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

In a shallow roasting pan, place the carrots, celery and onions. Remove turkey from brine.

Mix together the butter, garlic, chopped rosemary, and sage to make a compound butter. Using your hands, loosen to the skin from the breast by gently inserting your fingers between the skin and the flesh. Rub the compound butter underneath the skin. Insert the apples, onions, and whole rosemary and sage into the cavity of the turkey.

Place the turkey over the vegetables, breast-side up, in the roasting pan. Tuck the wings back and under the turkey. Using kitchen twine, tie the legs together. This will make a compact shape and will create a great presentation. Drizzle the turkey with olive oil and rub it into the skin. Roast the turkey to at least 165 degrees F in the breast, about 2 1/2 hours. If the skin gets too dark during roasting, tent with foil.

Transfer turkey to a platter and allow to cool. Meanwhile, prepare the pan gravy.

Tilt the pan and skim as much fat as possible off the juice with a spoon. Set the pan on 2 burners set on medium heat. Deglaze roasting pan with white wine and Madeira. Scrape the bottom of the pan to loosen any brown bits. Reduce until only a quarter remains. Add the turkey stock, thyme and parsley. Bring to a boil and strain into a saucepan. Bring back to a boil, skim and lower to a simmer. Whisk in the beurre manie until well incorporated and continue to cook until gravy has thickened. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper.


Turkey Stock:
Giblets and neck from 1 turkey
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup port wine
1 cup roughly chopped onions
1/2 cup roughly chopped carrots
1/2 cup roughly chopped celery
2 sprigs rosemary
5 peppercorns
Water, to cover

Heat a saucepan over high heat. When the pan is hot, add the olive oil and heat. Add the neck and giblets and cook until browned all over, about 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and deglaze with the port. Return the pan to the heat and cook until the port is almost completely evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Add the carrots, onions, celery, rosemary and peppercorns. Cover with cold water by 4-inches. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, and simmer for 2 hours, adding a little more water, if necessary. Skim any scum that rises to the surface of the stock and discard.

Strain the stock. Use immediately, or cool and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

Enjoy!

Answer 2

Deep Fried Turkey

Ingredients: 11-14 lb. whole turkey

Marinade:

2/3 c Wishbone Italian Dressing
1/3 c sherry the real stuff not cooking sherry
2 teas garlic powder
3 teas lemon pepper
1 teas onion powder
2 teas cayenne pepper
5 gal peanut oil

Instructions

Mix all the marinade ingredients well, strain through a fine strainer and place in an injection syringe. Inject the marinade into all parts of the bird. Place the bird in a large plastic bag and allow to disperse throughout the bird for at least 2 hrs. Turn the bag and massage the bird from time to time.

Optionally you can make a rub of the dry ingredients and rub over the surface of the bird after the first hour of marinating.

Preheat the cooking oil in a kettle large enough to hold the entire bird and peanut oil, to 350-375. Tie the legs of the bird together with wire. It helps hold the bird together and provides a way to lift it in and out of the oil. Pat the bird dry inside and out.

Carefully place the bird into the oil and fry 3 1/2- 4 min per lb. You should carefully time your cooking as each cooker has it's own peculiarities. The resulting bird is tender, tasty, very juicy and crispy skin.

Answer 3

Buy a flavored breakfast sausage- like maple etc. Lift the skin on the breasts and place a 1/4 in. layer of the sausage under the skin. You'll probably need between 1-2 lbs. of sausage for a mid-sized turkey. Season the outer skin and before putting it in the oven-- take a towel and dip it in melted butter-- then spread the towel over the top of the turkey like a sheet. Bake for whatever time called for--- And during cooking, baste the towel over the turkey. Remove towel for last 40-45 minutes to allow the skin to brown and crisp up a little. You, my friend will LOVE IT !!!!!!

Answer 4

I don't know what you have been doing but, here's what I do.
Stuff it if you desire.
Get a large syringe (now they make them for cooking) Mix some chicken broth with wine of your chioce (I use chardonnay). Orf your concoction of choice. Inject the mix into the meaty parts of the bird. You will see it swell.
Now A trick, If you bake your turkey "breast " side down you will never have dry breast meat.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes per Lb. let stand 20 minutes before you carve.
I make a tent (don't let it touch the bird) out of foil sprayed with cooking spray just in case.

In the last 20 min of cooking time, remove foil, baste and brown by leaving foil off.

Every one comments on how moist my turkey is.

Antoher hint: If the breast meat is too dry. Sprinkle chicken broth over it.

Answer 5

Roast turkey for thanksgiving is just kind of roast turkey...no mystery there. The newest thing with the Thanksgiving bird seems to be "brining". Give that a try. You can throw all kinds of interesting herbs and spices in with your brining solution to make things a little more interesting. Alas...in the end...it is still roast turkey. Maybe you could just do ham?

Answer 6

Cook up apricots, pineapple pieces and apple with sultanas using brown sugar or honey and water, mix with the turkey stuffing add a tiny bit of garlic.

Baste turkey with meat and pineapple juice plus dried crushed mint leaves and mixed herbs and garlic butter.

Cook veges in same juice.

Blessings be yours in peace and light
Harriett Potty ;)

Answer 7

You could try a flavor injector. We used a Wild Game flavor one year, and it wasn't bad at all.

If you can't find a flavor injector, you could just try seasoning the turkey skin with some different spices. Ginger, or curry, or sage might interest you. Check your spice rack and start smelling what you have. Maybe something will peak your interest.

Answer 8

Turkey? How do you cook it in the first place? Just pop it in the oven with gravy! and herbs...

Answer 9

Black Turkey, circa 1963------------------------

For about a dozen years, at the approach of turkey-eating season, I have
been trumpeting to all who would listen, and to a good many who would
rather not, that there is only one way to cook a turkey. This turkey is
not my turkey. It is the creation of the late Morton Thompson, who wrote
"Not as a Stranger" and other books.

This recipe was first contained in the manuscript of a book called "The
Naked Countess" which was given to the late Robert Benchley, who had
eaten the turkey and was so moved as to write an introduction to the
book. Benchley then lost the manuscript. He kept hoping it would turn
up-- although not as much, perhaps, as Thompson did, but somehow it
vanished, irretrievably. Thompson did not have the heart to write it
over. He did, however, later put his turkey rule in another book. Not a
cookbook, but a collection of very funny pieces called "Joe, the Wounded
Tennis Player".

THE ONLY WAY TO COOK A TURKEY!!!!!!!

This turkey is work... it requires more attention than an average
six-month-old baby. There are no shortcuts, as you will see.

Get a HUGE turkey-- I don't mean just a big, big bird, but one that
looks as though it gave the farmer a hard time when he did it in. It
ought to weigh between 16 and 30 pounds. Have the poultryman, or
butcher, cut its head off at the end of the neck, peel back the skin,
and remove the neck close to the body, leaving the tube. You will want
this for stuffing. Also , he should leave all the fat on the bird.

When you are ready to cook your bird, rub it inside and out with salt
and pepper. Give it a friendly pat and set it aside. Chop the heart,
gizzard, and liver and put them, with the neck, into a stewpan with a
clove of garlic, a large bay leaf, 1/2 tsp coriander, and some salt. I
don't know how much salt-- whatever you think. Cover this with about 5
cups of water and put on the stove to simmer. This will be the basting
fluid a little later.

About this time I generally have my first drink of the day, usually a
RAMOS FIZZ. I concoct it by taking the whites of four eggs, an equal
amount of whipping cream, juice of half a lemon (less 1 tsp.), 1/2 tsp.
confectioner's sugar, an appropriate amount of gin, and blending with a
few ice cubes. Pour about two tablespoons of club soda in a chimney
glass, add the mix, with ice cubes if you prefer. Save your egg yolks,
plus 1 tsp. of lemon -- you'll need them later. Have a good sip! (add 1
dash of Orange Flower Water to the drink, not the egg yolks)

Get a huge bowl. Throw into it one diced apple, one diced orange, a
large can of crushed pineapple, the grated rind of a lemon, and three
tablespoons of chopped preserved ginger (If you like ginger, double this
-REB). Add 2 cans of drained Chinese water chestnuts.

Mix this altogether, and have another sip of your drink. Get a second,
somewhat smaller, bowl. Into this, measuring by teaspoons, put:

2 tsp hot dry mustard
2 tsp caraway seed
2 tsp celery seed
2 tsp poppy seed
1 tsp black pepper
2 1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp mace
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp savory
3/4 tsp sage
3/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp basil
1/2 tsp chili powder

In the same bowl, add:

1 Tbsp poultry seasoning
4 Tbsp parsley
1 Tbsp salt
4 headless crushed cloves
1 well-crushed bay leaf
4 lrg chopped onions
6 good dashes Tabasco
5 crushed garlic cloves
6 lrg chopped celery

Wipe your brow, refocus your eyes, get yet another drink--and a third
bowl. Put in three packages of unseasoned bread crumbs (or two loaves of
toast or bread crumbs), 3/4 lb. ground veal, 1/2 lb. ground fresh pork,
1/4 lb. butter, and all the fat you have been able to pull out of the
bird.

About now it seems advisable to switch drinks. Martinis or stingers are
recommended (Do this at your own risk - we always did! -REB). Get a
fourth bowl, an enormous one. Take a sip for a few minutes, wash your
hands, and mix the contents of all the other bowls. Mix it well. Stuff
the bird and skewer it. Put the leftover stuffing into the neck tube.

Turn your oven to 500 degrees F and get out a fifth small bowl. Make a
paste consisting of those four egg yolks and lemon juice left from the
Ramos Fizz. Add 1 tsp hot dry mustard, a crushed clove of garlic, 1 Tbl
onion juice, and enough flour to make a stiff paste. When the oven is
red hot, put the bird in, breast down on the rack. Sip on your drink
until the bird has begin to brown all over, then take it out and paint
the bird all over with paste. Put it back in and turn the oven down to
350 degrees F. Let the paste set, then pull the bird out and paint
again. Keep doing this until the paste is used up.

Add a quart of cider or white wine to the stuff that's been simmering on
the stove, This is your basting fluid. The turkey must be basted every
15 minutes. Don't argue. Set your timer and keep it up. (When confronted
with the choice "do I baste from the juice under the bird or do I baste
with the juice from the pot on the stove?" make certain that the juice
under the bird neither dries out and burns, nor becomes so thin that
gravy is weak. When you run out of baste, use cheap red wine. This
critter makes incredible gravy! -REB)The bird should cook about 12
minutes per pound, basting every 15 minutes. Enlist the aid of your
friends and family.

As the bird cooks, it will first get a light brown, then a dark brown,
then darker and darker. After about 2 hours you will think I'm crazy.
The bird will be turning black. (Newcomers to black turkey will think
you are demented and drunk on your butt, which, if you've followed
instructions, you are -REB) In fact, by the time it is finished, it will
look as though we have ruined it. Take a fork and poke at the black
cindery crust.

Beneath, the bird will be a gorgeous mahogany, reminding one of those
golden-browns found in precious Rembrandts. Stick the fork too deep, and
the juice will gush to the ceiling. When you take it out, ready to carve
it, you will find that you do not need a knife. A load sound will cause
the bird to fall apart like the walls of that famed biblical city. The
moist flesh will drive you crazy, and the stuffing--well, there is
nothing like it on this earth. You will make the gravy just like it as
always done, adding the giblets and what is left of the basting fluid.

Sometime during the meal, use a moment to give thanks to Morton
Thompson. There is seldom, if ever, leftover turkey when this recipe is
used. If there is, you'll find that the fowl retains its moisture for a
few days. That's all there is to it. It's work, hard work--- but it's
worth it.

(What follows is not part of the recipe, but is an ingredients list to
aid in shopping for this monster, or for checking your spice cabinet
-REB)


Ingredients List:
1 turkey
salt
garlic
4 eggs
1 apple
1 orange
1 lrg can crushed pineapple
1 lemon
4 lrg onions
6 celery stalks
plenty of preserved ginger
2 cans water chestnuts
3 packages unseasoned bread crumbs
3/4 lb ground veal
1/2 lb ground pork
1/4 lb butter
onion juice
1 qt apple cider

Spice List:
basil
bay leaf
caraway seed
celery seed
chili powder
cloves
ground coriander
mace
marjoram
dry mustard
oregano
parsley
pepper, black
poultry seasoning
poppy seed
sage
savory
Tabasco
thyme
turmeric

Answer 10

fry it!! or cook it in a bag it will come out pretty juicy. put emerils turkey rub on it. pour tomato juice all over it.