The Ultimate Thanksgiving Turkey

THE ULTIMATE THANKSGIVING TURKEY

I feel as if I've been walking around in a fog, and, now, Thanksgiving is basically a week away! When did this happen? I always think that Thanksgiving is far enough away that I have plenty of time to plan and then all of a sudden, it's just here. This year, I definitely don't want to go the traditional route with a turkey. We did this amazing, marinated, dry-brined, spatchcocked turkey last year out on our grill to free up oven space. It was AMAZING - super moist and evenly cooked with crispy, crackling skin.

Turkey can be so hit or miss with the main complaint being that it's too dry. Brining is the best way to ensure that the turkey will stay moist and flavorful! The only decision left is a dry brine vs. a wet brine. Using a dry brine is basically pre-salting the turkey without any water. Some say that this is the better method (it definitely saves space in the fridge...), and while it doesn’t always guarantee as juicy a bird as a wet brine, it does offer a much crispier skin when cooked. The turkey sits in the fridge, uncovered, with the dry salt brine mix for up to 3 days prior to cooking. The salt mixture will draw out the moisture from the bird. The salt is then dissolved in this liquid and reabsorbed which helps to break down any tough proteins making it tender, juicy and flavorful.

With a wet brine, you add water to the equation and need a bag big enough to house the turkey and a pan (for a just in case the bag bursts scenario). This just means more room needed in the fridge that, quite frankly not a lot of us have around this time of year! The turkey then bathes in the brine for up to 3 days and (I think) creates a juicer outcome.

I’ve used both techniques in the past and honestly, I think the choice for brining depends on the cooking method. For a traditional roast turkey, I say go with the wet brine - for the longer cooking time, you need the brine to plump up the moisture content. For a spatchcocked turkey, though, that cooks in far less time, I think a dry brine is the best way to go - you get the moisture you need and perfectly crisped skin!

What I love about both brines is that you can add whatever spices you want to create a personalized mix. In the past, I have played around with allspice berries, juniper berries, fresh (or dry) herbs, garlic chipotle peppers (grinded), citrus zest (orange, lemon, lime, etc…), star anise, cardamom…..you get the idea. All you need to know is the ratio of salt to water for a wet brine (about 2- 2 1/2 cups salt to 1 gallon of water). For a dry brine, I use a 1/2 cup kosher salt with 2 tablespoons baking powder as a ratio and don't always use all of that salt, depending on the size of the turkey.

A few things: Always default to kosher salt here as this method needs the larger crystals to work; regular table salt is not ideal for this recipe. Also, this is only good for a non-kosher, non-treated, fresh turkey. If you aren't buying a fresh one, make sure you read the label to see if it's been pre-treated.

Finally, remember that there is no need to re-salt the turkey once you are ready to put it in the oven! Usually with the wet brine, I rinse the turkey in and out and pat dry before stuffing it and putting it in the oven. With the dry brine, I don’t rinse but only pat the skin dry before roasting.

Here are a few recipe ideas to get you started with your Thanksgiving Feast!

SPATCHCOCKED ROAST TURKEY

SLOW-ROASTED TURKEY RECIPE

DRY-BRINED TURKEY

SLOW-SMOKED AND SPICE-BRINED TURKEY

JAMAICAN JERK TURKEY

Thanksgiving Ideas

Thanksgiving has to be my favorite holiday! I love the gathering of friends and family, that crisp fall weather, and, of course, the serious spread of food…I admit I get a little insane for the few days leading up to it with a master recipe list and plan of attack for prepping for the 3 days before (last year it was 14 pages long. I know, crazy.). And although I go a bit traditional for the turkey, I like to use the sides, apps and desserts to be creative and incorporate all of the delicious exotic flavors you guys have been reading about here. SO I thought I’d give everyone some ideas today on how to spice up your Thanksgiving…

Let’s start with appetizers. I love a big, beautiful cheese plate dressed with some membrillo, a great variety of honey, a rich balsamic vinegar to accompany the blue cheese, and perhaps some concord grapes. I’m doing that this year along with a bit of Indian street food called pani puri that I’ll have to post soon! Pani puri are little crispy puffs stuffed with a mixture of chickpeas, red onion, tamarind, yoghurt and cilantro-mint chutney. I wanted to keep the apps light this year because of how much food I’m making for the main meal, but if you’re going for hot apps, pao de quiejo is always a winner; you really can’t go wrong with Brazilian cheese bread, chewy cheesy goodness. I also love these harissa cheese-stuffed fried olives, this mushroom pissaladière and lamb meatballs with quince and black olives.

This year I’m doing red wine-braised short ribs to accompany my heritage turkey. For the sides, I love love macaroni pie, a West Indian version of mac ‘n cheese that has onions, garlic, and habanero and is baked in the oven– you can stick to the traditional one or try the porcini version (which is what I’m making…). My brain goes straight to casseroles when I think Thanksgiving sides, so smoky spicy corn pudding is always on my list as is South African shepherd’s pie or bobotie as it’s called there, a layered dish with spicy-sweet ground beef or lamb cooked down and topped with a velvety egg custard. The recipe I have shows how to make individual ones, but you can easily transfer it all to a gratin or casserole dish and just adjust baking time. I’m also planning for simple roasted, market vegetables and a rice dish. This pilau makes a beautiful accompaniment.

Ah, and now for dessert. Definitely, apple pie with star anise brown butter that I’m going to serve with vanilla ice cream and some homemade dulce de leche and some of the Greek-inspired madeleines. This recipe for cape malva pudding, another South African treasure that features a moist cake drenched in a bit of brandy cream works really well and is something I’ve served at previous Thanksgivings OR, if you’re going a bit more elegant, these Arabic coffee panna cottas are also silky and gorgeous. The easiest by far though would be these amarena cherry and dark chocolate clafoutis – yum…

Whatever you choose to do, I hope everyone has a warm, fun-food-family-friends-filled Thanksgiving!

Apple Pie with Star Anise Brown Butter

Fall may just be my favorite time of year. I grew up in Florida, where seasons blend and highs in the 80’s are not unheard of in mid-December. Now that I’ve been in NYC for so long, I can’t tell you how much I look forward to that first cool breeze, the leaf change and, of course, something I NEVER did before living up here…apple-picking! Yes, a beautiful, clear Fall day driving out to a farm, apple-picking, rooting around a pumpkin patch (and, potentially, a hayride to my husband’s dismay) is for me perfection.

Now, the reality is once you get out amongst the orchards, apple-picking turns to sport. And you can’t help but go a bit loony and bring back a quantity of apples that most normal people couldn’t consume in a year. I end up making pies, apple butter and chutneys until I can’t look at another apple for a year, and this weekend was no exception. I went in on some Red Delicious, Idareds, and Mushus, and this pie was the (necessary) result.

In fact, it was really my post from last week where I was dreaming up incorporating star anise into an apple pie that led me to create this recipe. The star anise infuses the brown butter, and that fragrant nuttiness complements the light, licorice-like flavor of the spice. In combination with cinnamon, nutmeg, and a rich vanilla bean, the pie has a complexity that still doesn’t take away from the simplicity of the apple pie itself – that traditional apple flavor and buttery, flaky crust. I love to make the crust from scratch, but feel free to use your own recipe here or go ready-made. The filling could not be more simple, and this is now my go-to apple pie…Enjoy!

Ingredients

Yields (1) 9-inch pie

Double crust:

2 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar

2 sticks butter, chilled and cut into cubes

8-9 tbsps ice water

For the pie filling:

6 apples, peeled, cored and sliced 1/8” thick*

a generous squeeze lemon juice

½ cup light brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

¼ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp ground star anise

3 tbsps all-purpose flour

4 tbsps butter

1 vanilla bean, split and scraped

1 star anise

heavy cream for brushing

sugar for sprinkling

Procedure

First, we’re going to make and chill the crust. To the bowl of a food processor, add the flour, salt, sugar and butter and pulse until mixture resembles a coarse meal. Turn mixture out into a bowl and add water, a tablespoon at a time, pressing dough using a pastry cutter or a fork until dough starts to come together. Dough will have both sandier crumbs and more clumped wet pieces. Divide dough in half and wrap each piece in plastic wrap forming each into flattened discs. Refrigerate for at least an hour.

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl, mix together the sliced apples with lemon juice, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, star anise, and flour.

In a small sauté pan over medium-low heat, melt butter with vanilla bean, the scraped vanilla seeds, and the star anise. Swirl pan and watch carefully as the foam subsides and the milk solids take on a golden brown color. The butter should look like the color of and smell like hazelnuts. Remove from the heat immediately, take out the vanilla bean and star anise and add to the apple mixture, stirring to incorporate thoroughly.

On a floured surface or between parchment paper, roll out the first disc to a 12” diameter circle and place carefully in the pie dish. Fill with apple mixture. Roll out the second disc and cut strips using a knife or pastry cutter to desired width. Place strips over pie and place remaining strips at a right angle, weaving if desired. Brush top crust with heavy cream and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 15 minutes keeping the pie on the middle rack with a baking sheet on the rack just below it to catch anything that might bubble over. Reduce heat to 350° F and bake for another 35 to 40 minutes until top is golden brown.

Let cool on a rack for 2 hours before serving. Serve warm or at room temperature.

*I used a combination of Idareds and Mushus here.

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