Anyone trying anything new and exciting for Thanksgiving? I'm still finalizing our menu

I heard him say recently that the water in butter makes for uneven browning.

I'm pretty sure he also said the olive oil would be OK.

BTW, my turkey is dry-brining in a plastic bag, I'll take it out, dry it, and leave it uncovered in the fridge over night. I will put only aromatics in the cavity and oil it before cooking at 400F. I start breast down, rotate so each leg is up for a while then finishing breast up. This has been my technique for several years and I have always been pleased with the outcome.

 
That sounds like a good idea. Olive oil it is and I have cooked

whole chickens breast down and then turning over to brown. Makes the breast meat really moist. Thanks Cindy!

 
Thanksgiving Menu...

I wasn't until the Payard cookbook arrived smileys/smile.gif

We have a house full of kids, grandkids, puppies, and chaos.

Very traditional here:

Roast Turkey and pan gravy
Russian Potato Casserole
Cranberry Relish
Cornbread and Sausage Dressing (I made Sally Lunn last night--yeast raised buttermilk cornbread with bacon drippings)
Succotash
Sweet Potato Souffle
Salad
Grandma's Pumpkin Custard Pie
Tarte Tout Chocolat
German Apple Walnut Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
Pecan Cinnamon Tassies
Chocolate Chip Cookies

Popcorn for snacking later.

 
I made this gravy last week and froze it. It is thawing right now in a pan on the stove. I thought

it was wonderful. Nice color, easy and done! I will add a little of the turkey juice to it, because it got thicker than I like. Sure did taste good.

 
Made this Rec: Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie and it was delish!

Everyone loved it! Used a different crust (see recipe below), and added allspice, cloves and nutmeg to the apple filling. Served with vanilla ice cream and chantilly cream (guests chose what they wanted to go with their pie). And shhhh -- don't tell anyone, but it perfect breakfast fare the next day. smileys/smile.gif

Cinnamon Crumble Apple Pie
A thick layer of finely textured crumb topping crowns a tall mound of apple filling.

Yield: Makes 8 servings

Crust
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1/4 cup frozen solid vegetable shortening, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3 tablespoons (or more) ice water
1/2 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

Filling
3 1/4 pounds Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, sliced 1/4 inch thick
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
(Pat’s note: I also added 1/8 tsp ground allspice, a pinch of ground cloves, several gratings of fresh nutmeg)

Topping
1 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup (packed) golden brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

Vanilla ice cream

For crust:
Mix flour, salt, and sugar in large bowl. Add butter and shortening; rub in with fingertips until coarse meal forms. Mix 3 tablespoons ice water and vinegar in small bowl to blend. Drizzle over flour mixture; stir with fork until moist clumps form, adding more water by teaspoonfuls if dough is dry. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic; refrigerate 30 minutes.

Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 400̊F. Roll out dough on lightly floured surface to 12-inch round. Transfer to 9-inch-diameter glass pie dish. Trim overhang to 1/2 inch; turn edge under and crimp decoratively. Refrigerate while preparing filling and topping.

For filling: Mix all ingredients in large bowl to coat apples.

For topping: Blend first 5 ingredients in processor. Add chilled butter cubes; using on/off turns, cut in until mixture resembles wet sand.

Toss filling to redistribute juices; transfer to crust, mounding in center. Pack topping over and around apples. Bake pie on baking sheet until topping is golden, about 40 minutes (cover top with foil if browning too quickly). Reduce oven temperature to 350̊F. Bake until apples in center are tender when pierced and filling is bubbling thickly at edges, about 45 minutes longer. Cool until warm, about 1 hour. Serve with ice cream.

Source: 10/03 Bon Appetit http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108650

Pat's notes: Made this crust (using half the pie dough for another pie):
http://www.food.com/recipe/martha-stewarts-foolproof-pie-crust-59026
Martha Stewart’s Foolproof Pie Crust

1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1 tbsp. pieces, very cold
1/4-1/2 cup cold water

Put the flour, salt and sugar into a food processor and pulse once or twice.
Add the butter and process until the mixture looks grainy.
Then slowly, while pulsing, add the water until you can form the dough by pressing it between your fingers.
Decant the loose dough onto a piece of plastic wrap.
Using the wrap, fold the loose dough towards the middle and press with the back of your hands to form dough.
Split into two pieces and wrap each and chill for at least 4 hours before using.
Dough can be made ahead for up to one week.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/108650

 
This will be the Xmas pie. Thanks! The Martha crust needs the "2" added to flour amt smileys/smile.gif

 
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