Thanksgiving 2018

Menu

• Pumpkin pie 
• Turkey: 1 (3 day dry brine, 1.5 hours of roasting) (white serving platter)
• Gravy
• Stuffing (9x12 pyrex) 
• Rice (cooker bowl)
• Pumpkin Pie with ice cream
• Green bean casserole (Peter)
• Cranberry sauce (Peter)
• Mashed potatoes (Jeff)
• Ice cream (Jeff)

Sunday:
Toasted sugar: 1 hour at 250 F
Butternut squash puree (last refrigerated 1 week)
Render lard
Condensed milk (lasts refrigerated up to 1 month)

Monday 5pm

Turkey

• Spatchcock the turkey (slideshow & video) by using kitchen shears to cut along on each side of the backbone , cutting out the wishbone, then flipping over and pressing down on the breast until it lays flat. 
• Rinse the turkey under cold water then pat dry.  
• Combine 2.5-3 Tbsp of kosher salt (use 1 Tbsp per 4lbs of bird), 1 tsp of baking powder, and 1 tsp of ground black pepper. Season the turkey, getting into the nooks and crannies.  Carefully separate the skin from the meat on the breast and thighs and rub the seasoning onto the meat under the skin.  Store in fridge covered with plastic wrap on a sheet of parchment paper.

Tuesday

Stuffing (30 min)

Wednesday 3pm

Turkey

• Uncover turkey and place back into the refrigerator

Gravy (1 hour 15 min)

• Roughly chop the neck, backbone, and giblets (minus the liver). 
• Quarter 3 onions and roughly chop 4 celery stalks then refrigerate 2/3 for the turkey.
• In a pressure cooker, saute the neck, backbone, and giblets over medium high heat until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.  
• Add in the 1/3 of the onions, carrots, and celery and continue cooking until softened and lightly browned, about 10 more minutes.
• Pour in 6 cups of chicken stock and add in black peppercorns, 2 bay leaves, and sprigs of thyme. Pressure cook at the first line for 1 hour.
• . Strain into a 4 cup liquid measure cup. You should have a little over 1 quart of fortified stock; if not, add water or more chicken stock to equal 1 quart. Discard solids and refrigerate

Pie crust

Thursday: Thanksgiving Day
Rice: Make Rice on a timer for 5:45pm
Pie (15 min prep, 1.5 hour total) 12:30pm

• For the Custard: Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat to 375°F (190°C). In a medium bowl, combine butternut squash purée, homemade condensed milk, (1 Tbsp / 1 oz / 15g) vanilla or bourbon, 1 1/2 teaspoons ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg, 1/4 teaspoon (1g) salt, 1/8 teaspoon cloves, 1 ounce butter, and 3 large eggs. Whisk until well combined, then pour into the prepared crust. Alternatively, the prepared custard can be refrigerated for up to a week before use.
• To Bake: Place on a half sheet pan and bake about 25 minutes, then reduce oven temperature to 350°F (175°C) and continue baking until the filling is firm around the edges but still wobbly in the very center, about 25 minutes more, or to an internal temperature of 200°F (93°C).
• Cool at room temperature until the custard has set, about 2 hours, and cut with a chef's knife to serve. 

Turkey 1:30pm

• 90 minutes - 2 hours before roasting take the turkey out of the fridge, pat dry, and allow to come to room temperature on a cooling/roasting rack over a half sheet pan.

Turkey (1.5 hours) 3pm

• Adjust oven rack to the middle position and pre-heat oven to 425°F
• Transfer turkey / stuffing combo to the oven and roast for 30 minutes.  
• After 30 minutes, reduce oven temperature 350°F and add stuffing to the oven.
• Bake stuffing until an instant-read thermometer reads 150°F (66°C) when inserted into center of dish, about 45 minutes, remove stuffing from oven and set aside somewhere warm.
• Continue roasting until a thermometer inserted into the deepest part of the breast registers 150°F, and the thighs register at least 165°F (about 40-50 minutes more).

Gravy (While turkey roasts)

• While the turkey is roasting, skim off the fat from the refrigerated stock, retaining 4 Tbsp. Add retained turkey fat and 4 Tbsp of flour to a sauce pan and cook until golden brown over medium high heat (about 3 minutes), stirring constantly. 
• Slowly whisk in the stock and bring to a simmer.  Reduce until about 4 cups (about 20 minutes)
• Keep warm.

Finishing Turkey & Gravy (After the turkey roasts - 30 min) 4:30pm

• When the breast registers 150°F, and the thighs register at least 165°F remove from oven, transfer turkey to new baking sheet, and tent with foil. Rest for 20-30 minutes before carving. Note, must be held at 150°F, for 3.8 minutes while resting to kill all salmonella

Stuffing

• Bake at 350°F, uncovered for 15-20 minutes or until the top is golden brown
• Remove from oven, let cool for 5 minutes, sprinkle with remaining parsley, and serve.

Gravy

• Strain and pour pan drippings into a liquid measuring cup (deglaze with stock if needed). Let settle then skim and discard the fat. 
• Whisk in the pan drippings into the gravy. Season with salt and pepper according to taste.  
• Transfer to a cutting board, carve turkey and serve.

Note: pie takes a long time! 2 hours (we did 30min in freezer) to rest after rolling into pie pan, 1 hour to blind bake crust, 1 hour to bake. Would need to start the pie at 10am. Turkey needs to start at 3pm, no need to get to room temperature according to Kenji.