Newspaper Page Text
JLmaimt Baily Tjmmml
WEDNESDAY,
NOVEMBER 22, 2006
The Home Journal’s
DINNER
TABLE
[ i
The divas of
Thanksgiving
Their day has come.
The Thanksgiving
Divas are reigning
supreme.
If you aren’t one yourself,
you probably know one.
First, let’s get it clear that
it’s not about the bird, any
more. Thanksgiving Divas of
the past scalded and singed
and picked the pin feath
ers out of their own turkeys
by hand,
and then
stayed up
all night
basting it.
Today’s
divas have
conceded
that cook
ing turkey
is a man’s
job and
best done
outdoors
n
Charlotte
Perkins
Lifestyle Editor
in the smoker or fryer. So
here’s the updated test.
You could be aThanksgi ving
Diva if:
■ You privately consider
yourself The Cornbread
Dressing Queen of the
Universe. You'd be glad to
share your recipe if you
had a recipe, but they still
wouldn’t get it right with
the pinch of this and the
dash of that and the mix
ing. It’s all in the wrist, so
to speak.
■ Your turkey gravy is
world class. Everybody else
either makes it too greasy or
too flavorless, or too thick or
too thin.
■ You remember if any
male member of the fam
ily has ever taken a third
helping of any particular
Thanksgiving dish, and you
make it a permanent menu
addition. Then you remind
him every Thanksgiving that
you made it just for him.
■ You have to have the
right ingredients. You spent
$149.72 in the grocery store,
but forgot the cranberries
and oranges for the cran
berry orange relish, so you
have to go back to the store,
because even though you’ve
got the canned kind for
those who want it, the kind
you make in the food proces
sor is Bubba Junior’s favor
ite kind. You could send
somebody else to the store,
but they’d probably come
back with the wrong kind of
oranges.
■ You have never served
a naked vegetable for
Thanksgiving. For any veggie
to grace your Thanksgiving
table it must be boiled and
then baked with Cream of
Mushroom Soup and Other
Ingredients, which could be
Pepperidge Farm stuffing,
grated cheese, sour cream,
mayonnaise, water chest
nuts, canned onion rings or
slivered almonds, or maybe
all of the above.
■ If there were a nation
al Mrs. Sweet Potato con
test, you would have retired
the tiara.. Whether sweet
potatoes are marshmallow
topped, streusel-topped or
candied, you have the magic
touch. Your relatives mean
well, though, and you have
always been kind when they
have brought their pathetic
sweet potato dishes to your
house.
■ As exhausting as it all
is, you don’t really want
any help with the cooking,
because nothing anybody
else brings is exactly right .
They use margarine instead
of butter, or they forget that
pinch of nutmeg, or they use
storebought pie crusts.
■ Also, you have a master
plan for getting everything
to the table at the right tem
perature, and it’s a bit of a
bother to have to find space
in the refrigerator for other
See PERKINS, page 6C
* better tAem ever
From Staff Reports
You may have learned
long ago whether to coat
the turkey, on its way to the
oven, with oil versus but
ter; perhaps your mother
or grandmother taught you.
You weighed-in, way back,
on the friendly debate over
basting (some say not to
baste, some say to baste
every 30 minutes.)
And you’re sure to have
opinions on roasting the tur
key with or without the stuff
ing inside, and with or with
out a lid on the roasting pan.
While basting a turkey is
a tactic meant to maximize
moisture and flavor, glaz
ing is about a turkey’s fla
vor and deep, golden-brown
appearance. Glazing can
also hold moisture inside
the turkey in that crucial
final 10 to 20 minutes.
Simple to make (two room
temperature ingredients)
and simple to apply (one
pass will do), a turkey glaze
adds a rich, glossy luster
to the turkey, as well as a
subtle flavor-boost. Extra
glaze can be reserved and
served on the banquet
table, with the turkey.
Karo apricot turkey glaze
is one option a simple and
delicious glaze which boosts
your holiday turkey to its
full potential. Importantly,
the subtle-sweet apricot
undertone complements
- and does not clash with
- the dominant holiday
fruity flavor of cranberries.
Application of the glaze is
fast and easy.
Brush it on, spoon it
on, or ooze it on with a
turkey baster. Light corn
svrup or dark corn syrup
work equally well; choos
ing between them is a
matter of personal taste.
Fancy Mashed
Sweet Potatoes
6 sweet potatoes,
cooked and mashed or
6 (150 z.) cans sweet
potatoes, drained and
mashed
1 cup canned, crushed
pineapple
3/4 cup pineapple
juice
1/2 stick butter or mar
garine, melted
1/3 tsp. each ground
ginger, cinnamon and
nutmeg
1 cup walnut pieces
10 marshmallows
Place sweet potatoes in a
bowl. Add pineapple, juice,
butter and spices; blend
together. Mix in nuts and
pour into oiled baking dish.
Top with marshmallows
and bake for about 40 min
utes at 350 degrees. Makes
6-8 servings.
Created by Louisiana
Sweet Potato Commission
spokesperson, Holly Clegg
Fried turkey has become a holiday tradition
Some newspa
pers reprint ‘Twas
the Night Before
Christmas every Christmas
Eve. I have a tradition of
my own: the fried turkey
column.
If I didn’t write it and
turned on the news to see
that a turkey fryer caused
a house fire in our area,
I’d feel as though I were to
blame. OK, I wouldn’t lose
sleep, but I would make a
note to do a fried turkey
column next year.
Deep-fried turkeys are
popular for several reasons.
They cook quickly. A 12-
pound turkey can be thor
oughly cooked in less than
an hour (calculate about
four .to five minutes per
pound). So if you have a big
group, you can use small
turkeys and fry two or three
turkeys.
More turkeys mean more
Food
2 JSHVCTjBK
-JT
ItVB • Ja
Karo Syrup
Apricot turkey glaze.
Georgia Pecan
Cornbread
Dressing
Makes enough to stuff a
12- to 14-pound turkey or
serve 10-12 in a casserole
Corn Bread:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/3 cups yellow corn
meal
1 tablespoon baking
powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup milk
1 egg
3 tablespoons butter
or margarine, melted
and cooled
6 tablespoons butter
or margarine
2 cups finely chopped
onion
1-1/2 cups finely
chopped celery
8 ounces fresh mush
rooms, sliced
1/2 cup thinly sliced
green onion
1/4 cup minced parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons dried
thyme
1/4 teaspoon dried
sage
Salt and freshly ground
black pepper to taste
1 cup chopped Georgia
drumsticks.
Plus, it frees the oven to
be used for casseroles "and
other dishes.
Contrary to popular belief,
the bird is not at all greasy.
The outside is crisp, and the
inside is
moist and
hot.
The key
is to eat
the turkey
soon after
it is done
(or wrap
it in foil
to keep it
hot while
another
one is
-f
Dan MacDonald
Columnist
Morris News Service
cooking). I find it loses its
appeal once it starts getting
cold.
We like to get an injec
tor and push marinade
right into the bird. A fried
turkey can’t be stuffed, so
pecans
1 egg, lightly beaten
1-1/2 cups turkey - or
chicken stock, or as
needed to moisten
For the corn bread, pre
heat oven to 425°F. Lightly
butter an 8-inch square bak
ing pan. In a mixing bowl,
stir together flour, cornmeal,
baking powder and salt. In
a small bowl, whisk togeth
er milk, egg and butter and
stir into cornmeal mixture
until just combined. Pour
into prepared pan and bake
on the middle rack for 20-25
minutes, or until corn bread
tests done. Cool in pan 5
minutes, then invert onto
rack and cool completely.
This can be done two days
ahead. Keep cornbread well
wrapped. Reduce oven to
325°F.
Into a shallow baking
pan, crumble cornbread
into coarse pieces. Bake 30
minutes, or until it is dry
and golden. Set aside to cool
completely. In a large fry
ing pan, heat butter over
medium heat. Add onions,
celery and mushrooms and
cook, stirring often, until
vegetables are soft, about
5-7 minutes. Stir in green
onion, parsley, thyme, sage,
the injected marinades add
extra flavor.
But there are drawbacks.
This is probably the most
expensive way to cook a tur
key. For first-timers, you’ll
have to buy a frying kit
(they run about $80), and
then the three to five gal
lons of peanut oil that costs
about S3O. You’ll also need
a thermometer to make
sure the oil reaches 350
degrees before cooking the
turkey.
Because of the expense,
you should fry turkeys for
yourself and the neighbors.
The oil is good for about
five or six turkeys.
I’ve had fried turkey at
every Thanksgiving for the
past nine or 10 years.
My brother-in-law han
dles that cooking chore and
has done a fine job.
The turkey is tasty, and
we have yet to have a single
salt and pepper and pecans.
Fold onion mixture -into
cooled dried cornbread.
Add lightly beaten egg and
enough stock to pull stuff
ing together. It should be
soft enough to be moist but
not so runny as to create
a mess when stuffing the
turkey.
■—
\.
[:■
Louisiana Sweet Potato Commission
Fancy mashed sweet potatoes.
fire engine in front of his
house. It’s not because he’s
lucky. It’s because he takes
all the proper precautions.
Here are some safety tips
to remember when you cook
that turkey next week.
Use turkeys no larger
than 14 pounds. Larger tur
keys will fit too tightly in
the cooker.
- This cooking must be
done outside. Do not do it
in the garage, carport or on
a deck.
- Make sure the cooker is
on a sturdy, level surface.
- Place the propane tank
as far away from the oil as
possible.
- Have a fire extinguish
er on hand. Know how to
use it. A fire is no time to
be reading an instruction
manual.
- Before adding the oil,
place the turkey in the
cooker and then add water
SECTION
c
Cool stuffing completely
before using to stuff a 12- to
14-pound turkey.
Note: Stuffing can be
baked separately. You may
want to drizzle some melted
butter on top. Bake, cov
ered, at 325°F for 30 min
utes, then bake, uncovered,
30 minutes lon
to cover the turkey. Remove
the turkey and mark the
inside of the cooker where
the water level is. Dump
the water and thoroughly
dry the cooker. Add oil to
the water mark. This way,
it will prevent the hot oil
from spilling over when the
turkey is placed inside.
Make sure the turkey
is thawed and thoroughly
dried. Water and hot oil do
not mix. It makes for hot
bubbles and splattering.
- Once it’s lit, never leave
the cooker unattended.
- This is an adults-only
cooking event. No one from
the kids’ table should be
allowed near the cooker.
That goes for pets, too.
- Wear heavy gloves and
a long-sleeved shirt for pro
tection from hot-oil splat
ters while immersing and
removing the turkey from
the oil.