Thanksgiving #9: Turkey & Gravy

I know I'm very late with this post, but I'm backdating it to go with the Thanksgiving series. I just couldn't manage cooking and real-time blogging. Maybe for Christmas.

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Y'all know I was stressing over the turkey. Don't get me wrong, I was really excited about turkey with truffle, but I was trying to figure out if I could brine and air dry it too, blah, blah, blah.

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I made a killer Crock-Pot stock for the white wine gravy.

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The cool thing about this recipe is that you browned the turkey parts before making the stock.

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Isn't it all golden and beautiful?

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Switching back to the turkey. After the brine, I patted Mr. Turkey dry and placed truffle butter under the skin. In hindsight, I don't think my truffle butter was fresh, so I didn't get the flavor I wanted. I'll be buying it locally next year.

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Here's the turkey right before the flip -- I roasted it breast side down first and then breast side up.

Here's the finished bird. Look at that crispy skin! Wow.

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Now for the gravy. I just don't like gravy. I make it every year because I know it's a requirement, but yuck. I did have better hopes for this year's gravy because of the white wine. I have to admit it was better than most gravies.space

Here's what was left in the pan after I took the bird out.

You need a ton of shallots needed for the recipe.

I browned these in a little of the turkey fat.

Next, I deglazed the pan with the wine and brought the wine to a boil.

After the wine reduced, I added the wonderful turkey stock.

After I got this to a boil, I strained it and put it in a saucepan.

I made a past with flour and truffle butter and added it to the then boiling sauce.

Not bad, huh?

I made gravy! I get excited every time I do it correctly. It's such a challenge to cook stuff you don't like.

And So It Begins ... Thanksgiving #1

Well, actually, it began yesterday when I took the turkey out of the freezer to thaw. Thanksgiving is upon us! This is one of my favorite holidays, because it is when I truly challenge my kitchen skills. I wish I could share it with family, but to go home means I would have to compromise my menu (most folks don't appreciate my "weird" tastes) and cook my favorite meal without the kitchen gadgets I love so much. I'm in a quandary -- how exactly to prep the turkey? I have been brining turkeys for years now. (At least ever since the year every chef on the Food Network brined the turkeys for their shows.) My favorite recipe is from Emeril Lagasse. In 2006, Cook's Illustrated presented salting turkeys as a better option for a moist bird with crisp skin. On top of all that, I've been eating peanut butter and jelly; grilled cheese and red beans and rice so that I wouldn't break the bank when I purchased truffle butter for this year's turkey recipe. Last year was the year of the sweet potato for me. This year, I'm in love with truffles! I'm thanking Epicurious.com in advance for what I'm sure will be the best turkey I've ever had. I was so excited when I ran across the recipe.

So, what to do with the bird? It's a Butterball because after checking two stores, I couldn't find a turkey that hadn't been injected. I checked Whole Foods later and of course they would sell me one for $60. Not this year. I've always brined Butterballs anyway. I know you aren't supposed to, but it works for me. Although brining produces juicy flavorful turkey, the skin isn't really crispy. Salting would give me a crispy skin, but I'm afraid to salt a Butterball. Epicurious' truffle turkey recipe requires no brining, but I don't quite trust that.

So here's what I'm thinking (and I will email the foodie community to confirm or deny my craziness):

1. Brine the turkey
2. Let it air dry overnight and
3. Apply compound butter under the skin

I know that's a lot of work, but I'm willing to try it.

Moving on. If you haven't guessed by the title, I'm going to try some close to real-time Thanksgiving blogging this year. You may see random posts about having to clean off the table and digging through cabinets to find pans.

Wish me luck!