Sunday, November 17, 2013

Getting Ready for Thankfulness!

Well Chickens, its almost that time.  Your Polymath is in full pre-Thanksgiving prep mode and loving every minute of it!  In spite of my passion for the holiday, circumstances the past few years have prevented me from hosting, and as a result it has been 3 years since I got my Thanksgiving On!

For starters, as always, I want to tell you early and often how thankful I am for you.  I so appreciate that you are here, reading, commenting, and supporting me and my work.  And I hope that you will continue to hang out with me here, and at all the other relevant social media spots...  in case you aren't already, here is where to follow me on Twitter ,  Facebook ,  Pinterest , Google+  and my official website for upcoming events and information.

I also want to remind you that I'm enormously thankful for your pre-ordering my new book!



It will be released December 3, and is a lovely gift for the holidays.  There are over 40 pages of amazing recipes in the back, so even when the story is done, the delicious can last forever.

The other good news is that I'm back on Turkey Day duty, and it is much like riding a bike.  I realized that in the past, I've focused on sharing with you the things I make in a manner geared very much towards Thanksgiving newbies.  And if you want to read about that, or snag any of my classic recipes for the basics, you can check it out here.

There are some changes I've planned for this year, and the biggest one is that I'm going to Dry Brine our turkey.  In years past I've been a big proponent of a wet brine, and it took many experiments to get the brine liquid just right, but while it made for a moist bird with good flavor, the flavor wasn't predominantly turkey.  The turkey was more a texture, a delivery device for gravy and cranberry sauce and a sidekick to the side dishes.  But since I last hosted, a few things have changed.  One, I was diagnosed diabetic, so my carb overload Thanksgivings are a thing of the past.  I still make everything I used to, but I have to limit myself to small rational portions of the carbs, and go heavy on the protein and veggies.  This means that the turkey is suddenly much more important than ever before.  So this year I made a commitment in an effort to make the bird the star of the show.  

For starters, I ordered a fresh heritage turkey.  It's expensive, especially since it has to be shipped to me, but I think it will be worth it.  If you have the means, do it.  If not, I hope you will ask your butcher to find you a fresh bird from a local producer.  Second I'm losing the wet brine in favor of a dry brine.  The reason is simple.  While I want moist turkey, I want the moistness to be natural.  When you wet brine the salt in the brine draws the juices out of the turkey and then the turkey sucks back in the brine.  But now the juices have been significantly diluted by the water in the brine.  Moist, yes.  Flavorful, yes.  Turkey flavored?  Not so much.  Plus you have to manage a large bucket of raw poultry juice sloshing around, not ideal.  With a dry brine you need longer, three days instead of 16 hours.  But it is easier, and results in a bird that is moist and tastes like turkey.  The science is the same.  By salting the outside and inside of the bird heavily, it draws the moisture out of the bird.  Except then the turkey juices mix with the salt and get sucked back into the meat, without any extra water, just natural turkey juices that are now seasoned.  The salt that is now inside the meat helps the bird retain its natural moisture while it cooks.  And instead of a huge bucket of potential food poisoning liquid hanging about that you have to deal with, all you need is a large ziploc or brining bag, readily available at your grocery store or Amazon.

On Monday or Tuesday, take your turkey, remove the giblets bag, and generously salt with kosher salt,  1 Tablespoon for every 5 pounds of turkey, mixed with some dried herbs if you like.  Plunk your well salted bird in the big ziploc bag, press as much of the air out as you can, and pop it in the fridge.  Once a day or so if you remember, massage the bird around in the bag and flip it about.  The night before Thanksgiving, right before you go to bed, take it out of the bag, DON'T RINSE IT OFF, and put it in the fridge uncovered.  Be sure to give it plenty of room so that the raw turkey doesn't touch any other ingredients or things in your fridge.   I put a protective layer of saran wrap over the inside of the fridge door to cover all the condiments etc. just in case.  The next day, cook the turkey with your favorite recipe.

This year I'm also scaling things down a bit, for a more streamlined meal.  The only pre-dinner nibbles are going to be herbed popcorn, fresh snap peas, and almonds, and then little espresso cups of pumpkin soup.   I'm skipping the Jell-o mold this year, since all of us want to save our sugar rations for desserts, and doing steamed green beans with a lemon chive oil instead of the casserole.

But I'm adding in my mother-in-law's Pe-Hick Pie, a pretty simple pecan pie but with half pecans and half hickory nuts, which is a real upgrade and will be a lovely counterpoint to the classic deep dish apple pie.

The other thing I'm doing is some early mise-en place.  I compulsively save those round plastic deli containers that everything seems to come in these days.  So for each recipe I'm making, I'm making little tubs of the dry ingredients, pre-measured and labeled, so that when I'm cooking I don't have to measure things out one at a time.  It's a trick stolen from some chef pals, who use masking tape and a sharpie on the deli lids to keep stuff organized, and I think it will make a huge difference.

I'd love to hear from you what your plans are, and any changes or improvements you're excited to make for your celebrations!

Yours in Good Taste,
A Very Thankful Polymath

21 comments:

  1. I am making 2 turkey breasts for thanksgiving, instead of an entire turkey because I will need the oven and can cook my turkey breasts in the rotisserie and the slow cooker. Any recommendations for a Chicago area butcher to purchase something local?

    Thanks for the tip on pre- measuring and labeling! This is only my 2nd time to host thanksgiving so anything to help keep the chaos at bay is welcome.

    One of my besties from London is staying with me for the holiday- being british this will be her first thanksgiving. We're also having a few other friends who live hundreds of miles from family and can't make it home. I'm trying to keep things simple, somewhat healthy-ish, yet completely delish! turkey, mashed potatoes/gravy, steamed green beans with almonds, roasted brussel sprouts w/grapes, stuffing, rolls/cornbread and I'll be serving your mac and cheese from Good Enough To Eat! The only app I have planned is a goat cheese and cranberry pastry. And I'm only serving two desserts- a pumpkin tiramisu and the 2nd is undecided, hoping for something light that can be made ahead of time.

    I am extremely excited to host this year. I relish being able to spend the holiday with some of my best friends in the world who love and appreciate good food. Such a different experience than my normal dinner with the inlaws in a crowded basement, where someone serves gravy from a can and the rolls are still in the package from jewel.

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    1. Paulina Meat Market on Lincoln should be able to help you out with the turkey!

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    2. Thanks, I just placed my order!

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    3. also- the same dry brine should go for a turkey breast, correct?
      I could just mix up my herbs with 1 TBS of kosher salt for my 5 lb breast?

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    4. Yep! Also works great on chickens.

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  2. I'll be going over to the folks house helping mom with the traditional turkey, dressing, etc. I'm thinking I may finally try your recipe "RJ's Gougeres" from your book Off the Menu. Either that or "Girls Night Beet Bruschetta".
    Who am I kidding..., I'll just help in the kitchen and taste as we cook and be too full to eat once we get it all on the table.
    Looking forward to Dec 3 to get your new book and new recipes!!

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  3. So you don't rinse the turkey at all before cooking?
    I'm doing the full thing this year...even though it's just me, the hub and kid...my mother and my friend from Canada. Turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, yeast rolls, brocolli casserole...we're TRYING to come up with something vegetable like that will get eaten.

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    1. No rinsing! And no cleaning meats at all ever, frankly. The whole rinsing meats before cooking has been shown to not be necessary. Anything that can be rinsed off is killed on the outside of the meat when it gets cooked, and you run a greater risk of those bacteria ending up cross contaminating your kitchen by having raw meat or poultry in your sink, what splashes around is much more dangerous.

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    2. I won't rinse! Promise! I was wondering if you'd want to rinse off any salt still on the turkey. I really want to try this method, because the 5 gallon bucket of brining turkey is a pain in the ass.

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  4. I'm actually going out to dinner with my family for the first time in many many years. I offered to do the cooking all by myself, but they didn't want it. So, sadly, no leftovers too much. I might still make a homemade pumpkin pie.

    Thanks for the tips on measuring out the spices first hand and labeling them for later. I plan to do Thanksgiving next year and this will help out tremendously.

    Can't wait to read your next book. Happy Turkey Day!

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  5. I am so excited for the new book!! Ever since you've started including a recipe section, that's the first part of the book that I flip to. Have you ever considered publishing a cook book? Your recipes are so inspiring and make delicious gourmet meals obtainable to your readers no matter their skill set.

    I actually made a practice turkey a few weeks ago because it was my first time cooking such an important piece and I didn't want the evening to end up with a delivery man knocking on the door. I found a really easy recipe that said to cook the turkey breast side down for the first 2/3 rds of cooking and then flip it over (ziploc bags over pot holders to flip). I didn't have to worry about basting or covering or uncovering and the end result was a delicious bird that had crispy golden glow. Traditionally both of my parents cook Thanksgiving dinner and this turkey recipe is the new family recipe. No more turkey jerky!

    Just a quick question - for your green beans with lemon chive oil are you using a flavored olive oil or adding those ingredients to the olive oil? How does that work?

    Happy Thanksgiving! And thank you for sharing your tips and tricks. They are immensely helpful!!

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    1. I also cook the bird breast side down for about 2/3 the time, it works great. Basting does absolutely nothing except keep the skin from getting crisp and making the cooking take longer because of constantly opening the oven and letting the heat out.

      I take the zest of one lemon, one package of chives, chopped, a pinch of salt and pepper, a squeeze of the lemon juice, and enough extra virgin olive oil just to make a loose paste. When the beans are steamed al-dente, i drizzle it over them. Just as good as they cool to room temp. Sometimes I also sprinkle with fried shallots or toasted pine nuts for some extra crunch.

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    2. PS: I have my first digital cookbook coming out next October, so stay tuned!

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    3. Thank you so much for replying! Those green beans might make an appearance at Thanksgiving this year. I will definitely stay tuned for the cook book! Years ago, a friend mailed me a copy of Inappropriate Men. I outright snorted and guffawed throughout the entire book, but especially one day on the train into work at the line "he fucked like a one armed spastic playing a bongo" (I'm pretty sure that's how the line went) and have been hooked since. Thanks again for replying. :)

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  6. Hi Stacey! Congratulations for your new book! I write to you to say to you that thank you for choosing my photography for your front page! I would be charmed with being able to speak with you! Thank you!

    Silvia

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    1. Did you take the picture on the cover?!?! I don't get to choose such things, my publisher's art department does that, but I love it! You can reach me directly at staceyballisinfo@gmail.com

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  7. I just realized how soon December 3 is (pre-ordered a couple of weeks ago). Classes end December 6, so it's the perfect end-of-semester-I-don't -wanna-grade treat!

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  8. Stacey! Congrats on the new book, I have pre-ordered it as well, always excited for your next book to come out! Great tip about the dry brine, I might try that next year (we're going to be moving over the holiday but next year in our new house with my big gourmet kitchen I will absolutely be referring back to this recipie!) I like to do Beef Wellington for Christmas dinner every year -- any chance you have a great recipie for that? I've been using Martha's for years and it is delicious but a bit long-winded. I'm a big fan, so excited for you and your big year!

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    1. I don't have a specific recipe, but some things that make it easier for me... I use high quality frozen puff pastry, and I use porcini paste instead of making homemade duxelles. Cutting out those two steps makes it much more manageable.

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  9. Oooh, good tips! Thanks for taking time to reply!

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  10. Got the turkey dry brining...fingers crossed.

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