Dana McCauley shares her personal recipe for Thanksgiving Turkey...
Ingredients
1/4 cup (50 mL) butter
1 tbsp (15 mL) chopped fresh sage leaves
2 tbsp (30 mL) dry sherry
8 cups (2 L) diced bread, toasted
1-1/2 cups (375 mL) chopped prunes, dried apples or apricots
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) each salt and pepper (approx.)
1-1/2 tsp (7 mL) each ground nutmeg and allspice
1 tsp (5 mL) paprika
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup (125 mL) chicken or vegetable broth
10 to 12 lb (4.5 to 5.5 kg) thawed or fresh turkey
2 tbsp (30 mL) vegetable oil
1/2 tsp (2 mL ) each salt and pepper
Directions
1. Melt the butter in a large skillet set over medium heat; add the onions and cook, stirring often, for five minutes or until softened. Stir in sherry and cook for one minute. Cool to room temperature.
2. Stir cooled onion mixture with bread, prunes, salt, pepper, nutmeg, allspice and paprika. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. Whisk the egg into the broth and drizzle over the bread mixture, tossing to combine. Reserve for up to 20 minutes.
3. Remove the giblets from the inside of the turkey and rinse inside and out with cool, running water. Drain well and pat dry with paper towel.
4. Stuff the body and neck cavities with the cooled stuffing mixture just until full. Do not pack tightly. (Any leftover stuffing can be baked in a casserole dish alongside the roasting pan for 20 to 30 minutes or until lightly browned and set.) Transfer the turkey to a rack in a shallow roasting pan. Tuck the legs into the flap at the base of the body cavity or truss legs together with butcher’s twine. Brush evenly with vegetable oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a rack in a shallow roasting pan.
5. Roast turkey, basting occasionally with pan juices, for 3-3/4 to 4 hours or until a meat thermometer inserted in the inner thigh reads 180°F (80°C) and stuffing registers at least 165ºF (75ºC).
6. Remove stuffing from bird immediately. Tent both the stuffing and the turkey with foil and rest the turkey for 15 minutes before carving. Makes 12 to 15 servings.
Dana McCauley is an international food trend tracker and the author of five cookbooks. She has been the food editor at several national Canadian magazines. Dana McCauley’s cooking and trend knowledge has been showcased on hundreds of television shows including The Today Show, CNN, Canada AM, and the CBC News. She blogs daily at http://www.danamccauley.wordpress.com.
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