The Kitchn

Recipe Review: Mark Bittman's Braised Turkey

2008-12-01T17:20:00+00:00

So. In the end, how did you cook your turkey? We took no chances on this, our first year of hosting Thanksgiving. We chopped that turkey up and braised it with bacon, sausage, and mushrooms. That's what we call making really sure we end up with something edible; it's hedging your bets with pork products. And this recipe? Mark Bittman's braised turkey? Not only was it a hit, it may have made us new-minted turkey lovers.

Prepping the vegetables and turkey.

I'm not the biggest fan of turkey. I find the taste to be not as fresh as a good free-range chicken, and the sheer size of those birds seem built more for show than for real enjoyment. If I had my way we'd be eating roast leg of lamb every Thanksgiving. But I wasn't willing to depart that far from tradition on the first year of hosting Thanksgiving and making the entire meal myself. Plus I do adore turkey-gravy-drenched mashed potatoes and turkey-broth-moistened bread dressing. So turkey it was. An entire bird would be a tight fit in my extra-small oven, however, and I wasn't ready to attempt that gleaming, quite likely dry as sawdust whole bird of magazine spreads. Mark Bittman's recipe seemed much safer. When it comes to meat, my motto is: When in doubt, braise it.

Browning the turkey drumsticks.

The recipe seemed just as intimidating as roasting a whole turkey, at first. It involved butchering the whole turkey I bought and separating it into legs, breasts, and thighs. (The recipe actually just calls for breasts and thighs, but I opted for an entire turkey. This gave us plenty of meat and extra parts for turkey stock.) After much sweating, popping of joints (turkey's, not mine), referring back to this post, and hacking with inadequate chef's knives, it was in pieces. I felt like apologizing to the poor bird for such an ignominious end in such ill-equipped hands.

Browning the turkey breasts.

But you know what? After that it was a breeze. It felt like a familiar braise, albeit one with a few fancy touches. I browned the turkey legs, thighs, and breasts with sausage and bacon, then sweated some onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms. I piled the thighs and legs on top of the vegetables and sausage in two separate pans, since the breasts were large and all the meat wouldn't fit into one pan.

Porcini and shiitake mushrooms.

At this point there had been turkey stock simmering on the stove for most of the morning, so I ladled enough of that in to come up the sides of the meat. After the dark meat roasted for two hours I put in the breasts for another 40 minutes.

Two roasting pans of vegetables, stock, good pork products, and dark turkey meat in the oven.

When I took it all out of the oven the vegetables were browned and steaming, with crackly bits of bacon and tender lumps of sausage. The dark meat was practically melting off the bone, and the white meat was delicate and tender. We sliced the white meat thin and served it with a plain sage and onion dressing, moistened with turkey stock. The dark meat got shredded and mixed in with the vegetables, and I took half of the vegetables and pork and mushroom base to mix in with a second batch of bread dressing. The combination was a total hit - we couldn't get enough of it. The only drawback I can see to this recipe is the lack of pan drippings. You aren't getting pan drippings straight from the turkey, which leaves gravy out. You can do as Elizabeth and I both did and make a separate batch of turkey stock and gravy, or just pour off the fat and juices from the pan. That might make an odd gravy, though - so many tastes and flavors from the bacon, pork, and vegetables.

Shredded dark turkey with the braised vegetables.

Sliced white turkey breast.

I am curious - did anyone else try this recipe on Thanksgiving? If so, what did you think, and how did you make your gravy? My household highly recommends it; if you make turkey for Thanksgiving or New Year's, give this a try. It's impressive, festive comfort food. • Get the recipe: Braised Turkey at The New York Times Related: How Are You Cooking Your Turkey? (Images: Faith Durand)

Blogging The New York Times: How to Throw a Cheap(er) Holiday Dinner Party

2008-12-01T16:30:00+00:00

We don't usually find much cooking inspiration in the Sunday Styles section of The New York Times, but yesterday the cover story had a dinner party for eight that ran $30 a person—booze and winter wonderland-themed decorations included. The main course: baked potatoes. That's one way to cut costs...

The writer, Alex Williams, got event planner David Monn to help him create a swanky party on the cheap. We love this genre of reporting—throw big-time pro (who's used to big-time budgets) a curve ball and watch him or her shop at the 99-cent store. Always enlightening. Monn cut paper snowflakes out of computer paper, put birch bark in the fireplace, and rolled white batting down the dining table. His reasoning made sense: "Winter is white, and white is cheap." He bought Two Buck Chuck from Trader Joe's (which, according to Williams, is now Three Buck Chuck) and made an impressive-sounding chestnut soup. But for the main course, Monn suggested twice-baked potatoes. We happen to love twice-baked potatoes, where the flesh of a baked potato is scooped out, mixed with butter and cheese, and stuffed back in for another run in the oven. These apparently had mushrooms and other toppings to make them more substantial, although the details on the potatoes were a little thin. We wish there was a recipe. And we were thoroughly unimpressed with the dessert, a store-bought angel food cake with canned icing and flaked coconut. Ew! It would not have been hard to do something from scratch that cost less. The point we took away is that people love comfort food, even if the party is meant to be upscale, and recession-friendly gatherings can still be festive and fun.

Read the article (and definitely check out the narrated slideshow): We're Going to Party Like It's 1929, from The New York Times

Related: Jacques Pépin Cooks Dinner for Six with $24 (Images: Rob Bennett for The New York Times)

Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies Delicious links for 12.01.08

2008-12-01T16:00:00+00:00

These cookies caught our eye today and we just had to share.

Today's Delicious Links

• Soft Glazed Gingerbread Cookies at Emily Style. • Slanted pot spoons at Lee Valley. • Tea Bag Coffin - Bury those used-up tea bags. • Cheerio Treats at Ohdeedoh.

Previous Delicious Links

Food Science: Why Do Crustaceans Turn Reddish-Orange When Cooked?

2008-12-01T15:30:00+00:00

Have you ever wondered why lobster, shrimp, crab, crawfish, and other crustaceans turn a bright orange-red when cooked? No, they aren't blushing from embarrassment. It's a simple question answered with science.

Crustaceans have exoskeletons, and while the animal is in the sea, the exoskeleton primarily has a blue-green to grayish color. The exoskeletons contain a carotenoid called astaxanthin. Carotenes are pigments, and astaxanthin is the same carotene that gives salmon its color. When crustaceans are uncooked, the astaxanthin pigments are hidden because they are covered with protein chains; these protein chains give the shells their bluish-gray color. Heat destroys the protein coating, and when the animals are cooked, the astaxanthin molecules are released, thus changing the color of the crustaceans.

No More Plastic Bags: The Trashcan Liner Conundrum

2008-12-01T15:00:00+00:00

For years, we've been using our plastic grocery bags to line all our trashcans (including the one in our kitchen). Now that we've been packing groceries in our own cloth bags, we're running out of plastic bags for lining trashcans! We talked about this conundrum a few months ago and thought it would be a good one to revisit - any suggestions?

We really like using our own bags at the grocery store - not only is this good for ecological and economical reasons, but the bags are also easier to pack and carry. But it seems counter-productive to then buy plastic liner-bags for our trashcans. A quick internet search didn't reveal many solutions. Eco-friendly and biodegradable trash liners are available, but tend to be fairly cost-prohibitive for us (especially as compared to free plastic grocery bags!). Unfortunately, the Go-Green plastic bags we talked about in our earlier post still aren't very easy to find. One website suggested forgoing liners all together and dumping the contents of household garbage bins directly into the outside trashcan. This might work for our office and bathroom trash, but might not be so hot for the kitchen garbage. Are you facing this problem too? What do you think? Related: Green NYC: Are You Ready to Pay 6-cents for a Plastic Bag? (Image: Flickr member mtsofan licensed under Creative Commons)

New Favorite Indulgence: Pear Brandy

2008-12-01T14:30:00+00:00

Many months ago, we bought a bottle of pear brandy to make a pear clafouti, which turned out to be a disappointment (unlike this berry one, which Faith highly recommends). The brandy sat in a cupboard, forgotten, until we pulled it out to make a version of Nora's Thanksgiving Poinsettia cocktail. Now we're newly addicted to this stuff, and we've got more info, including the origin of this picture and how they got the pear inside the bottle, below...

You're likely to see pear brandy sold as Poire William, since the pears distilled to make the brandy are called Williams' Bon Chétien in France and much of the world (here, they're known as Bartlett). Authentic Poire William is made in Alsace or in Switzerland, but Clear Creek Distillery in Portland, Oregon also makes a pear brandy that's gotten rave reviews in a few publications. We found the above photo when browsing on Flickr, but turns out it's from Maggie Mason, who writes the Mighty Girl, Mighty Junior, Mighty Haus, and Mighty Goods blogs.

Read her post: Clear Creek Pear Brandy, from Mighty Goods

So, how did the fully-formed pear get inside the bottle? Companies actually place a bottle over a tiny bud of the immature fruit, then allow it to grow in the bottle. We're having a hard time imagining the sight of this, but it makes for a cool presentation (and a more expensive product, naturally).

Get more information: Williams Pear Brandy, from Clear Creek Distillery

You can sip a good pear brandy straight from the glass, but since ours wasn't super high-quality, we mixed it with champagne and a tiny splash of cranberry juice for color. It was delicious–and next time, we'll probably skip the cranberry juice. We're also thinking of flavoring ice cream with it or adding it to sautéed pears for dessert. We've got a good recipe we want to try, which we'll show you tomorrow. Anyone else have a favorite use for pear brandy? Related: Quick and Easy Thanksgiving Cocktail: The Poinsettia (Image: Flickr member Maggie Mason, licensed for use under Creative Commons)

Baker's Techniques: How to do the Windowpane Test when Kneading Bread

2008-12-01T14:00:00+00:00

The windowpane test is one of the best ways to tell if you've sufficiently kneaded your bread dough, though it can sound like a pretty bizarre instruction when you come across it in a recipe! Here's what you do...

First, cut off a small piece of the dough about the size of a golf ball. Hold it between your thumb and first two fingers like this: Next, gently spread your fingers and thumbs apart, stretching the dough into a thin translucent membrane (ie, a windowpane), like this: If you can stretch the dough without it breaking, that means the gluten is well-developed and your dough is ready to rise. Pat the ball back into the larger batch and you're good to go! If the dough tears before you've fully extended your fingers, the gluten isn't quite ready yet. Knead the dough for another two minutes and try the windowpane test again. Related: Tip: Proof Bread Dough in the Microwave (Images: Emma Christensen for the Kitchn)

Setting the Thanksgiving Table

2008-12-01T13:30:31+00:00

Maxwell & Sara Kate, Costa Rica

We're back from our week away and just getting our photos organized. Here is Maxwell with his team of trusty helpers setting our tropical Thanksgiving table. Do you have any photos of your table? Send them to us and we'll post them on the site. Give us the location and your first name.

Earlier today we saw Faith's Pie Breakfast Table (nice Ikea dishtowel napkins!) and a gallery of favorite holiday table-setting ideas. Have a table-setting tradition but no photo? Leave it as a tip in the comments below.

Win this Chef's Knife and Sharpening Strap from Vessel! Holiday Giveaway 2008

2008-12-01T13:00:00+00:00

To Main Giveaway Page

Name: 9" Chef's Knife and 16" Sharpening Strap (see image below the jump) Maker: Vessel Value: $235 Today in our Holiday Giveaway we're pleased to present this 9" Chef's Knife and 16" Sharpening Strap from Vessel. For professional chefs and amateur gourmets alike, the Simha knives do as they're told. Each blade is hand-made of 440-C, 154CM, and 13C26 stainless steel and heat-treated using a proprietary process to ensure a 56 Rockwell hardness. This means quick, effective honing, easy sharpening, and superior edge holding -- a must have for any chef. To enter this Giveaway, please click here. To see all our Giveaways, click here.

16" Sharpening Strap from Vessel

To Main Giveaway Page

---------------- ----------------- OFFICIAL GIVEAWAY RULES: Please fill out the submission form in this post. You are allowed ONLY ONE ENTRY PER PERSON PER GIVEAWAY ITEM. Duplicate entries will be discarded. Entries for each posted item are open for 3 days from the date of posting (for example, if a design gift is posted at 12:00 pm EST on Monday, it will be open for entries until Thursday at 12:00 pm EST). Entries generated by script, macro or other automated means are void. Normal time, toll, connection and usage rates, if any, charged by your Internet service provider will apply. All entries become the property of the Apartment Therapy Media. Winners will be selected at random. All registrations must include entrant's valid email address. The email address provided by online entrants will be the identity of the entrant and, if selected for a prize, the identity of the winner. All prizes will be shipped to the address listed on your entry form. You must be a U.S. resident, age 18 or older to enter. Employees, partners and vendors of Apartment Therapy and Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia and their immediate family members are not eligible to enter. For complete rules, please click here.

Turkey Giblets: We Wuz Robbed

2008-12-01T12:30:00+00:00

This is our turkey, and it was missing one very important thing that we were looking forward to: the giblets! We love giblets in stuffing, and we were looking forward to putting them in our turkey stock (for gravy) and in the bread dressing itself. Well, lo and behold, when we went in to get them there was only a lone neck - no giblets. But it turns out that, given the kind of turkey we bought, we should have been ready for this. Read on to learn why.

See? No giblets in the body cavity - just a neck. Sometimes the giblets are hidden in the neck cavity or inside the neck itself, but I chopped up this turkey myself for braising and there were no giblets squirreled away. We were giblet gypped! This was disappointing at the time (although the stock, gravy, and dressing all turned out fabulous - more on that later). As I did a little more research, though, I discovered that since I bought a kosher bird it was likely that I would not get giblets. According to a thread on Chowhound, which strongly advocated the Rubashkin's Aaron's kosher turkey that is repackaged under Trader Joe's brand, these kosher turkeys often don't include the giblets. During the koshering process the giblets are handled separately, and if they are damaged in any way they are discarded instead of being packaged with the turkey. • Read the thread here: Rubashkin's Aaron's Best Turkey at Chowhound Did your turkey have giblets, and if so, what did you do with them? Related: Chicken Giblets: An Illustrated Guide

Farmers' Market Report: Romanesco Los Angeles

2008-12-01T12:00:00+00:00

With its marvelous lime green cones and spirals, the Romanesco is a vegetable we have a hard time resisting whenever it catches our eye at the farmers' market.

Sometimes known as Romanesco broccoli, Romanesco cauliflower, or chou Romanesco, this striking brassica originally comes from northern Italy, where it was described as early as the 16th century. At the Hollywood Farmers' Market, it is usually available for a couple of months in the fall. The Romanesco tastes similar to cauliflower, with a mildly sweet and nutty flavor. It can generally be used in any cauliflower recipe, though we favor preparations that allow us to admire its fractal form, such as steaming it whole or breaking off the points and serving them as crudité. When buying, choose a tight head with firm florets and crisp leaves. It should be stored in the refrigerator and eaten within a few days before it loses its firmness. Related: Word of Mouth: Brassica (Images: Gregory Han)

Good Question: Help Me Clean Out My Fridge!

2008-12-01T11:30:00+00:00

Reader Dimara needs your help. Can you give her suggestions on good ways to use up her produce before she goes on vacation? I'm going on a long vacation and need to clean out my fridge beforehand, so nothing goes bad while I'm away – plus, I can't bear to waste the last veggies from my CSA! I have one potimorron, 1.5 lbs daikon, 1.5 lbs pea shoots, limes, potatoes, and apples. Any recipes or meal ideas would be more than welcome!

Dimara, first of all, depending on how long your vacation is, you can probably keep your apples until you get back. See our tips on storing apples here. Same for the potatoes: you can get some ideas on keeping them fresh here. Some thoughts on using up the produce: we are looking lately at this recipe for braised daikon. Also, a quick sauté of pea shoots would be refreshing. For the pumpkin, what about a pie? Try our winning Classic Pie: Sugar and Spice Pumpkin Pie. Any more good ideas for Dimara? (Images: Flickr member Mr and Mrs Stickyfingers, licensed under Creative Commons; Faith Durand)

Look! Fresh Ground Organic Flour at the Ferry Market

2008-12-01T11:00:00+00:00

Eatwell Farm has just started to harvest and mill their own organic flour. This lovely bag of whole wheat flour was ground just the day before and costs five dollars for the three-pound bag.

Eatwell has a hand-crank mill at the market which is a great way to attract attention. Kids especially were interested in turning the crank and watching the flour come out. But the majority of the flour is ground at the farm using their new mill which produces about 30 pounds of flour an hour. It seems like Eatwell is serious about offering grains in addition to their beautiful organic vegetables, pasture-raised eggs and lavender products. According to their web site, they've just planted eight acres each of oats, barley, triticale and Expresso Hard Red Winter Wheat and plan on adding grains and beans to their CSA offerings next year. I'm really excited about working with fresh ground flour and will report back soon with my experiences! (Images: Dana)

The Thanksgiving Report: A Pie Breakfast

2008-12-01T10:30:00+00:00

Thanksgiving is an important meal not just because of its overwhelming amount of work and the nostalgic significance attached to each of the dishes, but also because it kicks off the holiday entertaining season. It's the first big meal to get you into the holiday spirit. So we're going to share a few bits and pieces from our own Thanksgiving day and see what we can hold on to as inspiration for the rest of the month. First up is breakfast. We had guests arriving around noon on the day of Thanksgiving itself, so we planned a light brunch for when they arrived. On the menu? Pie!

Yes, the Pie Bakeoff really inspired us all this past month. I have been realizing specifically how good pie is as a make-ahead breakfast or dessert. So I made a crustless leek and chard tart and my own recipe for apple-blackberry-ginger pie. I made both of these the night before, and all that was left on the morning of (while I was also running around doing things for Thanksgiving dinner) was to warm the tart in the oven and put out fruit, coffee, and juice. The recipes I used: • Leek and Swiss Chard Tart (sans crust) at Epicurious • Apple-Blackberry Pie with Ginger What did you do for Thanksgiving breakfast? Do you have any traditions for breakfast on Thanksgiving or Christmas? Related: Thanksgiving Morning: What's Your Tradition? (Images: Faith Durand; tart image by Jeff Sarpa for Bon Appétit)

Flickr Find: A Brussels Sprouts Christmas Tree

2008-12-01T10:00:00+00:00

December snuck up on us this year, and we're quickly trying to adjust from Thanksgiving leftovers to thoughts of Christmas. Are you decorating? Did you put up a tree this weekend? Here's one that's edible...

We see brussels sprouts on the stalk at the farmers' markets and also got them a few times in our CSA. Ours leaned up against the wall in the kitchen, but this would have been so much cooler. A glittery star on top and voila, you've got a miniature Christmas tree. It might make a really great centerpiece for a holiday dinner party. The next day: brussels sprouts for breakfast. Related: In Season: Brussels Sprouts (for some recipe ideas) (Image: Flickr member Kent Wang, licensed for use under Creative Commons)