It’s almost Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday! We
invite Americans as well as local friends for Thanksgiving. Since we can only
comfortably accommodate about 24 dinner guests, we usually have two meals, one
on Thursday, then one on Saturday.
I’ve had Thanksgiving guests tell me they don’t care
for turkey. They often change their tune by the end of the meal. Chances are
they had never tasted a properly cooked turkey.
As far as I’m concerned, there can never be too much
stuffing. Guests have also told me stuffing is not their favorite, before
taking seconds on mine. Some admitted they had previously only had stuffing
from a box!
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Justin waiting for the drumstick |
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ready to carve |
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Brady has become an expert carver over the years |
Turkey
Put the turkey in an oven pan at least 1 ¼-inch (3 cm)
deep. Baste the turkey with melted butter. Pour 1 cup liquid (water, broth,
wine) in the pan. Place on lowest oven rack and cook at 325° F (160°C) for 3
1/2 to 4 ½ hours for a 10-14 pound (4.5-6 kg) turkey. Baste every half hour.
Cover with aluminum foil once the skin is browned. Test if turkey is done by
moving the leg from side to side. When it moves easily, the bird is done. Do
not overcook or the turkey will be dry!
Stuffing
4
cups (200 g) white bread cubes
4
cups (200 g) brown bread cubes
2
tablespoons parsley flakes
2
teaspoon rubbed sage
1
cup (200 g) melted butter
2
onions, chopped
1 ½ cups
(3.5 dl) chopped celery
1
tablespoon chicken stock base
½ cup
(1.2 dl) hot water
Toss together bread cubes, cornbread cubes and herbs.
Sauté onions and celery in butter and drizzle over bread. Dissolve stock base
in hot water and sprinkle over stuffing; stir. Makes about 10 cups. Stuff the
turkey loosely. Beat an egg in half a cup of broth and mix into the stuffing
that didn’t fit inside the turkey. Bake in a separate well-greased covered dish
for 40 min (uncover the last 10 minutes to brown).
Gravy
Pour pan drippings into a frying pan. Mix 3
tablespoons of flour in 2 cups (5 dl) of milk and add to pan. Cook over medium
heat stirring continually till the gravy thickens. Season with salt, pepper,
and chili powder.
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One Thanksgiving we put the turkey on the balcony to
thaw. The only problem was our new windows and doors were adjusted later that
day and couldn’t be opened for 48 hours. Brady had to climb a ladder to
retrieve our bird.
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Dinde
Mettre la
dinde dans un plat allant au four
ou sur une plaque d’au moins 3 cm de profondeur. Badigeonner la dinde avec du beurre fondu. Verser 2 ou 3 dl de liquide (eau, bouillon, vin) dans
le plat. Placer sur le niveau
inférieur du four et cuire
à 160° C pendant 3
½ – 4 ½ heures
pour une dinde de 4.5 – 6 kg. Badigeonner
chaque demi-heure. Couvrir de papier
d'alu une fois que la peau est
dorée. Tester si la
dinde est cuite en tirant sur
la cuisse. Quand elle
se bouge facilement, la dinde est
cuite. Ne pas trop cuire sinon la dinde sera sèche
!
Farce
200 g de pain mi-blanc
200 g de pain complet
2 cuillères à soupe de persil lyophilisé
2 cuillères à café de sauge lyophilisé
200 g de beurre fondu
2 oignons
5 branches de céleri
10 g de bouillon de poulet
1 dl d’eau chaude
Couper tout le pain en petits
cubes et les mélanger aux herbes. Hacher les oignons et le céleri et les faire revenir dans le
beurre, puis bien mélanger au pain. Dissoudre le bouillon dans l'eau chaude et verser sur la farce; remuer. Farcir la dinde
sans tasser. Battre un œuf dans 1 dl de bouillon et mélanger à la farce
qui ne rentre pas à l'intérieur
de la dinde. Cuire au four
dans un plat bien graissé et couvert pendant 40 min (découvrir les 10 dernières minutes pour dorer).
Sauce
Verser le jus
de cuisson dans une poêle. Délayer 3 cuillères à
soupe de farine dans 5 dl de lait et ajouter à la poêle. Cuire à feu moyen en remuant constamment jusqu'à ce que la sauce épaississe. Assaisonner
avec du sel, du poivre et de la poudre de chili.