Serve a Holiday Feast-Drama Free Roast and Carve Like a Pro As a child I watched in fascination and wonderment at the preparation of the Thanksgiving Turkey. It seems that each year, my mother tried some newfangled way to ready the bird for the oven, all in an effort to produce a moist, juicy final result. I remember yards of greasy, herb flecked cheesecloth that seemed to have a life of its own and I think my mother ended up wearing it as she attempted to drape it across the turkey’s breast. It looked like a cross between a mummy and a toga party.I also remember the year she tried to cram the turkey into a paper bag and then had to somehow baste it while in the bag. OY VAY! What a mess with drippings shooting around the oven while she aimed into the bag with the turkey baster like some bizarre carnival game. My mother and my grandmother would both peer into the oven, through the impossibly small, dripping stained window, hoping that this year-the bird would magically be cooked all the way through and not be dry, dry, dry. For the turkey:
7. When fully cooked, transfer the turkey to a serving platter-lightly tent the turkey with foil (tear a large piece of foil lightly cover the turkey and let it rest.) For the Gravy:
Chef Laura Frankel is Executive Chef for Spertus Kosher Catering and author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons, and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes.
I can hardly even speak about the drama of carving the bird. My father got that job and took it upon himself to use every gadget known to mankind including knives, electric knives, shears, and all with the agony and urgency of a doctor in an ER as he fumbled with a bird that was twice the size of the average household cutting board. Bird and bones flying everywhere, they did get a feast on the table, but who needs all of that? It is no wonder I cook for a living, I just could not go through all of that.Here are professional tips for a delicious feast-Drama Free! - 1 12-14 pound whole turkey, thawed
- ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley
- 3 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary
- 3 large Spanish onions, roughly chopped
- 6 ribs celery, roughly chopped
- 2 large carrots, roughly chopped
- 2 bulbs of garlic, cut in half
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
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4. Place turkey, legs first, in oven. Place the neck in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Using a pastry brush, baste the exposed parts of turkey with the juices that will gather in the bottom of the pan. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees and continue to cook for 1 1/2 hours, basting every 30 minutes. Remove the neck and set aside for making the gravy.5. Turn roasting pan so that the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. Cook 1 more hour, basting after 30 minutes. 6. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should be between 140-160 degrees and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If legs are not yet fully cooked, baste turkey, return to oven, and cook another 20 to 30 minutes. 7. When fully cooked, transfer the turkey to a serving platter-lightly tent the turkey with foil (tear a large piece of foil lightly cover the turkey and let it rest.) For the Gravy:
- 2 large shallots, chopped
- 2 cups chopped mushrooms
- 1 ounce dried porcini mushrooms (optional)
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Chef Laura Frankel is Executive Chef for Spertus Kosher Catering and author of Jewish Cooking for All Seasons, and Jewish Slow Cooker Recipes.