Southern Thanksgiving Recipes
Tuesday, November 18, 2008 11:41 PM PST
By The Daily News
Printable version
E-mail this articleROAST TURKEY WITH BACON, TARRAGON AND APPLE JACK GRAVY
Beautiful, impressive and filled with flavor.
Yield: Serves 12 to 14
For turkey
1 10-ounce jar crabapple jelly
3/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons (2 1/4 sticks) butter
1/3 cup frozen apple juice concentrate, thawed
4 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
12 ounces mushrooms, quartered
1 large onion, coarsely chopped
1 large carrot, coarsely chopped
1 22- to 24-pound turkey, neck cut into 4 pieces
10 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
For gravy
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 cups (about) canned low-salt chicken broth
8 bacon slices, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1/4 cup applejack or other apple brandy (optional)
Make turkey:
Stir jelly, 1/2 cup butter, apple juice concentrate and 2 tablespoons tarragon in small saucepan over medium heat until butter and jelly melt. Remove glaze from heat. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Cover and chill. Bring to room temperature and rewhisk before using.)
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F. Place small rack in center of large roasting pan. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and carrot; saut2029> until dark brown, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle vegetables and turkey neck pieces around rack in pan.
Stir remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons tarragon in heavy small saucepan until butter melts. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack in pan. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Brush 3 tablespoons tarragon butter over breast meat under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity. Brush remaining tarragon butter over outside of turkey. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs together to hold shape.
Roast turkey 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; add 1 cup broth to pan. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F., adding 1 cup broth and basting with pan juices every 1/2 hour and brushing with 1/3 cup glaze twice during last 2 hours, about 4 1/4 hours longer if unstuffed or 4 3/4 hours longer if stuffed.
Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil; let stand 1/2 hour. Reserve pan juices.
Make gravy:
Mix 1/2 cup glaze and flour in small bowl to blend. Strain pan juices into large measuring cup, pressing on solids; spoon off fat. Add enough broth to measure 6 cups.
Sauté bacon in heavy large saucepan over medium heat until crisp. Pour off fat. Add broth mixture to saucepan and bring to boil. Whisk in glaze-flour mixture and tarragon, then applejack. Simmer until thickened to sauce, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.
Set rack at lowest position in oven and preheat to 375°F. Place small rack in center of large roasting pan. Melt 1/4 cup butter in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms, onion and carrot; saut2029> until dark brown, about 12 minutes. Sprinkle vegetables and turkey neck pieces around rack in pan.
Stir remaining 6 tablespoons butter and 2 tablespoons tarragon in heavy small saucepan until butter melts. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack in pan. Starting at neck end, slide hand between skin and breast meat to loosen skin. Brush 3 tablespoons tarragon butter over breast meat under skin. If stuffing turkey, spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity. Brush remaining tarragon butter over outside of turkey. Sprinkle turkey with salt and pepper. Tuck wing tips under turkey; tie legs together to hold shape.
Roast turkey 45 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F; add 1 cup broth to pan. Cover turkey loosely with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 180°F., adding 1 cup broth and basting with pan juices every 1/2 hour and brushing with 1/3 cup glaze twice during last 2 hours, about 4 1/4 hours longer if unstuffed or 4 3/4 hours longer if stuffed.
Transfer turkey to platter. Tent with foil; let stand 1/2 hour. Reserve pan juices.
-- RecipeZaar Web site
SAUSAGE, CRANBERRY and CORNBREAD STUFFING
Yield: Makes 12 cups
1 1/2 loavesCorn Bread
2 cups pecans
7 leeks (about 1 pound; white and pale green parts only)
3 celery ribs
3/4 stick (6 tablespoons) unsalted butter
1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage (about 3 links)
2 cups fresh or unthawed frozen cranberries
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup packed fresh flat-leafed parsley leaves
2 cups chicken broth
Preheat oven to 325° F.
Cut corn bread into 1/2-inch cubes and in 2 large shallow baking pans bake in middle of oven until just dry, about 20 minutes. Transfer corn bread from 1 pan to a large bowl and in pan toast pecans in oven until insides are golden, 10 to 20 minutes.
Halve leeks lengthwise and then cut crosswise into 1/2-inch pieces. In a bowl of cold water wash leeks well and lift from water into a sieve to drain. Chop celery. In a 12-inch skillet cook leeks and celery in butter with salt and pepper to taste over moderately low heat, stirring, until leeks are tender, about 25 minutes. Remove sausage from casings and break into small pieces. Add sausage to leek mixture and cook over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes, or until sausage is cooked through.
In a small heavy saucepan cook cranberries with sugar over moderately high heat, stirring, 5 minutes, or until some begin to burst. Chop parsley.
To bowl of corn bread add remaining corn bread cubes, pecans, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, and salt and pepper to taste and toss together. Cool stuffing completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.
For cooking stuffing inside poultry:
Any frozen poultry destined for stuffing should be completely thawed, and the stuffing itself brought to room temperature before it’s put into the turkey. Do not stuff your bird the night before you cook it; such a seeming time-saver can have dangerous results. Instead, it is best to loosely fill the bird’s neck and body cavities immediately before roasting. And always use a meat or instant-read thermometer: The meat is done when the temperature of the thickest part of the thigh (be careful not to touch the bones) reaches 180°F.; the stuffing baked inside the bird is done at 160°-165°F. After roasting, let your stuffed poultry stand 15 to 20 minutes, a double assurance that the requisite temperatures for food safety have been reached.
For cooking all or part of stuffing outside poultry:
In a shallow baking dish bake stuffing in preheated 325° F. oven 1 hour (for moist stuffing, bake covered entire time; for less moist stuffing with a slightly crisp top, uncover halfway through baking time).
To bowl of corn bread add remaining corn bread cubes, pecans, sausage mixture, cranberries, parsley, broth, and salt and pepper to taste and toss together. Cool stuffing completely. Stuffing may be made up to this point 1 day ahead and chilled, covered. Bring stuffing to room temperature before proceeding.
--- Gourmet, November 1997
CORNBREAD AND SAUSAGE DRESSING
Serves 10
1 pound fresh pork sausage, casings removed, crumbled (plus giblets, diced; optional)
1 large onion, (about 2 cups), finely chopped
3 celery, finely chopped (1 1/2 cups)
Coarse salt and ground pepper
2 pounds prepared cornbread, cut into 3/4-inch cubes (12 cups)
3 tablespoons finely chopped fresh sage
3 large eggs, lightly beaten
1 to 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large nonstick skillet, cook sausage (and giblets, if using) over medium-high heat, stirring often, until browned and cooked through, 5 to 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl.
To pan, add onion, celery, and 1/4 cup water. Reduce heat to medium; cook, scraping up browned bits with a wooden spoon, until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add to sausage.
Add cornbread, sage, and eggs to sausage and vegetables. Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour 1/2 cup over stuffing, and toss gently (cornbread will break down into smaller pieces). If needed, add up to 1/2 cup more broth, until stuffing feels moist, but not wet. Stuff into turkey, using about 4 cups. Spoon remaining stuffing into a baking pan; it should reach the top. Refrigerate stuffing in pan and remaining broth separately, covered, until ready to bake.
—- Martha Stewart Food Web site
The next three recipes are from Linda Wilson, of Castle Rock.
“When I went through my mother’s recipes, I found she had gotten this one from a friend on Christmas Eve of 1956 - the year I was born.”
COILA KINNARD’S CRANBERRY-APPLE RELISH
2 cups fresh cranberries
1 apple, peeled and cored
1 unpeeled orange, sliced
Half of an unpeeled lemon, sliced
1 1/4 cups sugar or less to taste
“I’ve made this pie crust dozens of times since I was a kid, and it has never failed to turn out light and flaky. The secret is to not overmix the ingredients.”
NO-FAIL PIE CRUST
4 cups flour
1 3/4 cups shortening
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspooons salt
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 egg
1/2 cup water
With a fork, mix the first four ingredients in a bowl. In a separate bowl, beat remaining ingredients with a wire whisk. Combine the two mixtures, stirring with a fork until all ingredients are moistened. Don’t overmix. Mold dough into ball and chill for 15 minutes before rolling into a pie crust. Bake 10 to 12 minutes at 450 degrees for unfilled pies. Dough can be kept in the refrigerator for up to three days, or frozen. This recipe makes two double-crust, 9-inch pies.
“My mother never followed a recipe for her apple pie filling. She just peeled five or six golden delicious apples and added cinnamon, nutmeg, sugar and lemon juice to taste. She then used the above recipe for the bottom crust and topped the apples with the following mixture instead of a top crust.”
APPLE PIE
Topping
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup old-fashioned oatmeal
Cream the butter and brown sugar in a bowl. Cut in the flour and oatmeal. Flatten mixture into thin patties with your hands and arrange in a single layer on top of the pie. Bake as usual. For a large pie, you will need to double this recipe.
PUMPKIN CHEESECAKE WITH BOURBON SOUR CREAM TOPPING
For the crust
3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
1/2 cup finely chopped pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
For the filling
1 1/2 cups solid pack pumpkin
3 large eggs
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
three 8-ounce packages cream cheese, cut into bits and softened
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon if desired
For the topping
2 cups sour cream
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 tablespoon bourbon liqueur or bourbon, or to taste
16 pecan halves for garnish
Make the crust:
In a bowl combine the cracker crumbs, the pecans, and the sugars, stir in the butter, and press the mixture into the bottom and 1/2 inch up the side of a buttered 9-inch springform pan. Chill the crust for 1 hour.
Make the filling:
In a bowl whisk together the pumpkin, the egg, the cinnamon, the nutmeg, the ginger, the salt, and the brown sugar. In a large bowl with an electric mixer cream together the cream cheese and the granulated sugar, beat in the cream, the cornstarch, the vanilla, the bourbon liqueur, and the pumpkin mixture, and beat the filling until it is smooth.
Pour the filling into the crust, bake the cheesecake in the middle of a preheated 350°F. oven for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the center is just set, and let it cool in the pan on a rack for 5 minutes.
Make the topping:
In a bowl whisk together the sour cream, the sugar, and the bourbon liqueur.
Spread the sour cream mixture over the top of the cheesecake and bake the cheesecake for 5 minutes more. Let the cheesecake cool in the pan on a rack and chill it, covered, overnight. Remove the side of the pan and garnish the top of the cheesecake with the pecans.
--- Gourmet, November 1990
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