Succulent, tender turkey.

Tart, tangy, cranberry sauce.

Sweet Potato, Pear, Casserole.

I do realize I'm preaching to the choir here, but I thought I would hop on the Thanksgiving bandwagon and offer my two cents on how to roast a turkey.   Here are my few tricks that guarantee a succulent, tender, mouthwatering turkey. Plus a couple of favorite sides,  Happy Thanksgiving!

I’mnot really a kitchen gadget junkie but there are three items that I findindispensable when roasting a turkey.

1.    Anappropriately sized roasting pan with a rack is essential. Please forget anyideas of using a heavy duty foil pan, it won’t work. I highly recommend a rackto sit your turkey on, the heat circulates around the bird and will help cookit more evenly, you really don’t want your beautiful turkey stewing in its ownjuices. I have a large roasting pan I keep only for the Thanksgivingturkey.  It sits in my basement all yearlong waiting for its moment of glory. 

2.    Areliable meat thermometer.  Many ovensnow come with their own thermometer probes and these are wonderful, no moreguess work.  If your oven doesn’t havethis PLEASE go and buy the best meat thermometer you can find.  I will take the edge of any worry and you’lluse it again and again.  Think of it as awise investment.

3.    Aturkey baster. So much easier than messing around with a large spoon andsplashing yourself with hot juices.  It’snot expensive and it’s rather fun.

Whenin possession of your roasting pan, rack, thermometer and baster you are readyfor action.

For the perfect roast turkey and gravyyou will need;

1,14-16lb turkey, preferably fresh and free range
1stick of butter, very soft
1onion, peeled and halved
2lemons, quartered
4 clovesof garlic

1cup chicken or turkey stock
1very large bunch of:
          Rosemary,thyme and sage, about 1 tablespoon of each minced, to be rubbed on the turkey, therest to go inside the turkey cavity.
Saltand pepper

Iwould recommend a fresh bird.  There areso many great quality options around, from the farmer’s market to thesupermarket.  If you do choose to go witha frozen bird, make sure you give it enough time to thoroughly defrost beforethe big day.  Take it out of the freezerand put it in the fridge four daysbefore you plan to cook it or allow at least 5 hours per lb to thaw. Place iton a large tray, you don’t want turkey juice all over the fridge. 

Heatthe oven to 375 F

Takeyour turkey out of the fridge and bring to room temperature before you prepareit which should take about an hour or so, depending on the size.  Please remember to take out the giblets andthe neck.  I know, we’ve all doneit! 

Thenext thing to consider is whether you’re going to stuff the turkey or cook thestuffing separately in the oven.  I advisecooking it separately, I find it’s less greasy and the breast meat is lesslikely to be overcooked.

Mixthe butter up with the minced rosemary, thyme, sage, salt and pepper, rub allover the turkey.  Place the onion,garlic, bunches of rosemary, thyme, and chopped up lemons in the cavity. 

Placeit on the rack in the roasting pan, pour 1 cup of chicken or turkey stock inthe bottom of the pan and place in the pre heated oven.  A turkey of this size usually takes about 3 ½hours.  Allow 15 minutes per lb ofturkey.  Baste throughout the processwhich will help keep the breast moist. If the breast seems to be getting a little too golden, tent with somealuminum foil. 

Theturkey is done when the breast meat reaches 165 degrees and the thigh meatreaches 175.  The turkey will continuecooking to at least another 5 degrees while resting.   Do NOT pierce it with a knife to see if thejuices run clear, this is a sure way to dry out your turkey, use the meatthermometer. The resting process is absolutely essential, it allows the juicesto settle into the meat so that your turkey will be succulent.  Remove the turkey to a large warm platter, tentit with foil and allow to rest for 20 minutes before carving.

Whilethe turkey is resting start on the gravy. 

For the gravy;

Thepan drippings
1large sprig of fresh rosemary
3-4tablespoons unsalted butter
3-4tablespoons of all purpose flour
Ahealthy dash of Worcestershire sauce
3– 4 cups of chicken or turkey stock
Saltand pepper

Drainoff any excess fat from the roasting pan but be sure to leave the drippingsin. 

Heat3-4 cups of turkey or chicken stock in a measuring cup in the microwave.

Placethe pan on a low heat, add a couple of tablespoons of unsalted butter, let itmelt then add 3-4 tablespoons of all purpose flour, mix together and cook for aminute or two until you have a thick golden paste.

Slowlyadd the stock, whisking well with each addition.  Add the sprig of rosemary and a couple ofdashes of Worcestershire Sauce to give it some “bite”.

Simmerfor a few minutes for the gravy to thicken and thoroughly cook through.

Strainthe gravy through a sieve, season with black pepper and a little sea salt.  Pour into a warmed gravy boat and serve withthe carved turkey.

SweetPotato and Pear Casserole.
Alovely way to cook sweet potatoes, the fresh pear and crumble topping gives ita little added interest and sweetness.

6 Sweetpotatoes
¼cup of maple syrup
1½ teaspoons of cinnamon
1tablespoon brown sugar
Zestand juice of 1orange
3tablespoons of butter
Asplash of half and half

Topping;

1medium sized pear
3tablespoons of butter, room temperature
¼cup of pecans
3tablespoons of brown sugar
3tablespoons of white whole wheat flour

Peeland boil the sweet potatoes until tender. Drain, add the maple syrup, butter,cinnamon, zest and juice of the orange and mash well.  Place into an oven proof dish.

Peel,slice and core the pear and arrange in a decorative pattern over the top of thesweet potatoes.

Crushthe pecans, place in a bowl, add the flour and sugar, rub in the butter.  Scatter over the sweet potato mixture.  Place in the oven and bake for 30 minutes oruntil the topping is golden and potato bubbling.

Cranberry Sauce.

Cranberrysauce can be cooked 3 days ahead of the big day.

1,12oz bag of fresh cranberries
¼cup of maple syrup (or more to taste)
Zestand juice of an orange
1¼ cup of water

Placeall the ingredients in a medium pan, bring to the boil, turn down to a simmerand cook for 20 minutes or until the cranberries are soft. Remove from heat, place into a container and store until needed. They will happily sit in the oven for 4-5 days.