I’ve been making my list and checking it twice to make something nice for Thanksgiving supper this week. I love the traditional tastes of Thanksgiving and the cozy feeling of this holiday where people just gather to enjoy one another in an unhurried manner. I’m always researching new recipes to put flavorful twists on the classics that I adore. I like to have all of the ingredients right at my fingertips so I can make everything with ease while watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade and visiting in our busy kitchen.
Scroll on down to see my menu, recipes {or links to recipes} and a suggested shopping list for this year. Included is my version for the best turkey I’ve ever made, adapted from a recipe by Michal Symon, treated with a dry brine and then wrapped in butter saturated cheese cIoth and baked with plenty of flavorful broth, it turns out delectable EVERY time!
Splendid Thanksgiving Day Menu
Dry~brined Cheesecloth wrapped Turkey {recipe below} with wild rice stuffing
Pumpkin stuffed with cornbread, spinach and everything good
Captain Splendid’s Brussel sprouts with honey, almonds and chili
Franny’s Pumpkin Pie
After carefully researching and experimenting with many methods I’ve ended up combining 2 different practices to get the succulent bird of my dreams. Turns out, you don’t need to go through the sloshy hassle of brining that big bird in a bulky, splashy bucket of liquid after all. Instead I followed an abridged practice of using this dry rub on the turkey the day before, allowing it to sit in the refrigerator overnight uncovered and then for 2 hours {after wiping off the salt mixture} on the counter Thanksgiving morning so the skin got very dry, which is key to crispness.
Before draping the bird in the butter~saturated cheesecloth wrap I slid pats of butter and fresh sage leaves under the breast skin to add flavor, fat and pretty texture. Michael Symons {creator of the Juicy Turkey recipe} simply stuffs his bird with herbs, lemon and garlic. This year I have a craving for a wild rice stuffing dotted with dried sour cherries, chopped apples, pecans and armagnac soaked prunes. I’ll be referring to this Wild Rice Stuffing recipe for guidelines.
In the past I’ve done a classic cornbread stuffing with dried fruit in my bird, but this year I am doubling down with two favorite flavors by making the Pumpkin stuffed with cornbread, spinach and everything good. So, we get to indulge in 2 classic stuffings at the table!
Splendid Market Cheesecloth Wrapped Turkey
serves 8~10 people
(adapted from Michael Symons Juicy Turkey wrapped in Cheesecloth}
Ingredients
One 15-pound turkey, neck and gizzards reserved
4 sprigs fresh oregano
4 sprigs fresh thyme
5 sprigs of sage {optional}
2 heads garlic, halved through its equator
1 lemon, quartered
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 stick (8 tablespoons) salted butter, plus another 1/2 stick sliced
1/4 cup chicken or turkey stock (preferably homemade), or water
Preparation
Adjust shelves in oven to accommodate the size of the bird and roasting pan. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and then let cool.
Fill a pot with the stock. Add the remaining oregano, thyme, garlic, 1 quarter lemon and onions to the pot. Bring the stock mixture to a boil, reduce the heat so that the liquid simmers and continue to cook at a low simmer, about 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
Slide pats of butter and sprigs of sage under the breast skin of the bird if desired.
Soak a double layer of cheesecloth big enough to wrap around the turkey in the cooled butter and wrap it all around the turkey. Pour the stock mixture over the bird, pushing the pieces of vegetable and herbs into the bottom of the roasting pan. Add the reserved neck and gizzards to the bottom of the roasting pan.
Place fully cheesecloth wrapped 15 pound bird on a the roasting rack breast side down, douse it with the liquids, and place it into the 425 degrees preheated oven. He does it breast side up, but as I explain in my roasted chicken formula, if you begin the roasting process with the breast down all of the {more fatty} dark meat drippings merge into the stuffing and breast meat. Cook it for an hour.
Reduce the heat to 375 degrees and baste it with the pan liquids {over the cheesecloth} and let it cook until it was almost done, about another 2 hours depending upon the size of your turkey.
Using oven mitts and tongs, pull off the cheesecloth and turn the bird over, baste with more pan juices and maybe top it with a pat or two of butter to crisp up the already golden brown breast. Continue to roast for about 20 minutes, until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of a thigh registers 160 degrees F. The results should be a gorgeous, deep mahogany skin enclosing tender, moist and flavorful meat. Let it rest for about 20 minutes before carving.
Suggested shopping list for this menu
{assuming you have pantry basics}
15 pound turkey {serves 8 people with leftovers}
cheesecloth
celery
dried sour cherries {Trader Joes}
onions, shallots and scallions
garlic
apples
pecans
lemons
shredded carrots
thyme, sage, parsley
pomegranates
oranges
Maple syrup {in place of Silan, a date syrup called for in the tahini glazed carrot recipe}
baby spinach
cornbread stuffing kit
Gruyere cheese
cubed pancetta
heavy cream
butter
brussel sprouts
small fresno chili {red}
apple cider vinegar
roasted almonds
Off to the market I go!!
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