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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.