What's for Thanksgiving EDF? (planning & trip reports)

[SamIAm]

For a forum that likes talking about food, there's been very little thanksgiving discussion. We went up to my inlaws' place this weekend, and I cooked a big meal for them. (We're driving up to my parents' place on Tuesday night to cook for the big day.)

I took bunches of pictures of my food because I thought it'd make a neat trip report, but I want to hear what others are making. And ask/answer questions about technique. And insult eachother's traditional family recipes. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] So, What's Cooking EDF?

<font color="brown">Cornbread Dressing</font>

I don't make "stuffing" because it adds mass to the bird, so it adds time to cooking, so it subtracts moisture. "Stuffing" by any other name would taste as sweet. Therefore in the south, we make "Dressing".

First, make cornbread the night before:

4 T Butter (melted)
4 Eggs
1 1/3 C Buttermilk
1 1/3 C Milk
2 C Cornmeal
2 C AP Flour
4 t Baking powder
1 t Baking soda
2 T Sugar
1 t Salt

Preheat to 375. Whisk the wet stuff. Sift the dry.



Add the wet to the dry and mix until just combined. Pour into a nonstick 9x13 pan.



Bake for 30 minutes, till it's golden, brown, and also delicious.



The morning of, break into pieces and bake at 250 for an hour to dry-out.



1.5 lb Sausage
3 Onions
3 ribs Celery
2 T Fresh Thyme
2 T Fresh Sage
3 cloves Garlic
1 T Salt
2 t Pepper
3 C Chicken Broth
2 C Half&amp;half
2 Eggs
1 stick Butter

Cook the sausage to colored and remove. Mince the onion and celery in the remaining grease and 2 T of butter. Add those to the sausage, and saute the rest of the onion and celery with the rest of the butter. After translucent, add thyme, sage, garlic, salt, &amp; pepper.



Mix all of the above with the cornbread pieces, being careful not to break-up the cornbread too much. Whisk the rest of the liquids and pour over.



Cover and cool for up to four hours, so the flavors can meld. Then bake at 400 till golden brown, about 45 minutes.




<font color="brown">Gravy</font>

2 Carrots
2 ribs Celery
3 Onions
6 T Butter
1/2 C AP Flour
4 C Chicken Broth
4 C Beef Broth
2 Bay Leaves
1/2 t Dried Thyme
10 Peppercorns

Dump the veggies in a food processor and make a mirepoix puree. Heat butter and veggies till brown.



Add flour and cook another 10 minutes.



Add the broth and seasonings and bring to a simmer. Let it reduce till thickened, about half an hour.



Strain. SAVE those solids, because they're pretty awesome. They taste like pure thanksgiving, so put 'em on toast for breakfast.



This can be done well ahead of time. Fridge the gravy and heat it up come dinner time.


<font color="red">Tart Cranberry Dipping Sauce</font>

1 Orange
1 lb Cranberries
2 C Orange Juice
3 C Ginger Ale
2 T Maple Syrup
3 T Brown Sugar
1/2 t Salt

Here's how to zest an orange: First, wish you brought your microplane with you to your inlaws' kitchen. Then, use literally the worst peeler you've ever seen, and slice off big slabs of peel. Use the back of your knife to scrape off the bitter pith, and then mince the zest. Easy!



Dump all the above in a pot.



Bring to a simmer. Cook till reduced by half, about 45 minutes.



Puree and pour into a dipping glass for each setting.




<font color="orange">Mashed Potatoes w/ Carrots, Bacon, &amp; Sage</font>

4 Potatoes
2 Carrots
4 strips Bacon
2 T Butter
1/3 C Chicken Broth
3/4 C Half&amp;Half
1 t Fresh Sage

Chop the potatoes and carrots.



Cook the bacon till crisp, and then remove with a slotted spoon. Add butter and carrots to the remaining grease and cook 15 minutes till they start to color.



Add potatoes, broth, salt, &amp; pepper.



Cover over low heat for 30 minutes, till the potatoes start to fall apart. Add sage and bacon.



At dinner time, mash. Heat the half&amp;half and add.




<font color="brown">Turkey</font>

First make a brine:

1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water

Bring all the above to a boil to help mix, and then add the ice to cool it down. Use a huge lobster pot to brine the turkey.



Uh oh, the turkey doesn't fit. Maybe I could add another quart of water, but instead I found a turkey-shaped container.



Let brine for 6 hours.

This is a turkey neck. Don't freak out.



When it's done brining, rinse off and pat dry.

1 Red Apple
1/2 Onion
1 t Cinnamon
1 C Water
5 sprigs Rosemary
8 leaves Sage

Preheat to 500. Microwave the above ingredients for 5 minutes and shove 'em in the turkey. Just because we're making 'dressing' doesn't mean we can't stuff.



Take a doubled sheet of aluminum foil, and make a breast plate before you send your bird in for battle.



Roast at 500 for 30 minutes, to let the skin get crisp and awesome.



About this time, remember that you forgot to truss the turkey, so it's spread "eagled". Oh well.

Stick your thermometer probe into the thickest part of the breast and give your white meat a little protection, so the dark meat can catch up. Lower the heat to 350 and return the bird.



Note that in that photo it's almost 3:00. [censored]! That gives you 2 hours to bring a 17 lb bird up to 161 degrees. It's just not going to happen. LUCKILY, any family with a four-year-old shows up half an hour late to everything.





Sorry I don't have more final pretty pics, but we had piles of guests showing up. Here's the final table, all Norman Rockwell and [censored].