Erik Dahl <eriktdahl at yahoo.com> writes: > David Dyer-Bennet (>) and I (>>) wrote: > > >> This year I'm brining the turkey again, because osmosis is a wonderful > >> thing. If you've never soaked the bird in such a solution, I heartily > >> recommend it. It keeps it moist throughout the long cooking time and > >> adds incredible flavor. > > > Is this the politically correct alternative to injecting it with > > broth? > > I don't know about "politically correct," and I've never injected a turkey with > broth, but my instinct is that injection wouldn't work as well, because it > would puncture the skin, allowing juices to seep out during cooking, and it > would be very hit-and-miss between the parts that were flavored and those that > weren't. I'm thinking of the fuss people make about commercial frozen turkeys being brine-injected. > Basically, by immersing the turkey in a salty solution for many hours, the > water in the meat and the water in the bucket want to reach equilibrium, so the > salty water gets sucked into the turkey, bringing all the flavors in with it. > Then they get trapped there. Yep. Pretty clearly the same idea. (Mind you, I'm not using this to diss brining the turkey; more to diss whinging about broth injection.) > Here's the brine I'm using (taken directly from Alton Brown's Good Eats): > > 1 cup kosher salt (has more flavor, but regular salt will work) > 1/2 cup light brown sugar > 1 gallon vegetable stock > 1 tablespoon black peppercorns > 1/2 tablespoon allspice berries > 1/2 tablespoon candied ginger > > Combine all these in a stockpot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve, then > remove from heat, cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until thoroughly > chilled. At least six hours before roasting, combine the brine and one gallon > of iced water in an unused 5-gallon bucket, place the thawed turket breast side > down in it, cover, and set it in a cool area. Turn the turkey once. All looks very reasonable and hopeful. > The recipe goes on to talk about roasting it with aromatics (an apple, an > onion, and cinnamon) in the cavity instead of stuffing, since the stuffing can > dry out the bird and doesn't contribute as much to the flavor. Basting is also > discouraged, since opening the oven a lot lengthens the cooking time and all > the flavor should already be inside the skin. You can find the recipe at > http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/0,6255,8865,00.html. Ooh. Lost me on the stuffing bit. The purpose of the turkey is largely to provide flavor to the stuffing, which is the centerpiece of the meal. It's mere coincidence that I actually like the turkey. > > Pumpkin pie and mince pie for dessert. > > Mmmm. Pumpkin pie is the norm for us, but we thought we'd try the cheesecake > this year. I'm reconsidering now, though. :) > > > Cranberry sauce, check; I'm fairly interested in all sorts of different > > cranberry sauces and relishes. > > You might be interested in trying a cranberry dipping sauce, like this one: > > http://www.foodtv.com/foodtv/recipe/0,6255,6953,00.html > > My family seems to prefer having it in a communal dish and slathering it on > everything on the plate itself, but it seems like an efficient idea for > applying cranberry to the meat to me. Intereting. I'll keep that idea in mind (I'm just the broccoli this year, Matt is the cranberry sauce). But I'm doing the turkey for Christmas I think, so I may try the brining. > > Gravy, not for me. Potatoes, not for me (in a meal with > > stuffing in it). Sweet potatoes, traditional, but not important to > > me. > > I think I'd be impaled on my own electric knife if I tried to remove the > potatoes or gravy from the menu. :) Most electric knives I've seen have pretty blunt points, so that doesn't sound *that* dangerous. > > And a good dry white wine. That's crucial. Or two, or three. > > Alas, my parents-in-law, if they are not teetotalers, are disinterested in > alcohol. We'll have a lot of sparkling apple cider, instead. But what wines do > you favor? Turkey dinners are one of the things I think a chardonnay, even a fairly big one, really does go with. But we've also used fairly dry rieslings some years. The big surprise and good result, though, was something that I haven't seen available for years, namely a well-made, dry, white zinfandel. Not this modern sweet blush nonsense. Back before the white zin became pop wine, several companies made good ones. Sebastiani had one called "Eye of the Swan". It was wonderful with turkey. -- David Dyer-Bennet, dd-b at dd-b.net / http://www.dd-b.net/dd-b/ John Dyer-Bennet 1915-2002 Memorial Site http://john.dyer-bennet.net Dragaera mailing lists, see http://dragaera.info