DU Cook Emergency!

[thedailyshow]

My mother, worn out after years of preparing Thanksgiving meals, has requested that I cook the Thanksgiving meal this time around. I've decided that I want to do a little twist to the traditional entree, which is the turkey, as you know is the centerpiece of the meal itself.

I don't have the time to be cooking a whole turkey in the kitchen for hours, and I want to spend more time on the side dishes. So, I'm thinking about having boneless turkey breasts, and stuffing them. The only problem is that I have no idea what to stuff them with, and whether I should sear them first before putting them in the oven. I would really appreciate any advice you guys might have for this unique dilemma.

As for the rest of the meal, I know what I want to prepare The starter course should be butternut bisque or a mixed greens salad with cranberries, walnuts, goat cheese and honey viniagrette. I'm thinking that I'll go with the mixed greens salad instead of the butternut bisque. I want to prepare roasted garlic mashed potatoes, and add some shredded gruyere cheese to the potatoes. I'm also thinking about making maple glazed sweet yams with pecans. I'm also going to be making a fresh cranberry-orange sauce from scratch to pair with the turkey breasts. I also want to make rustic apple tarts or else have my younger brother make the chocolate rum truffles which everyone in the family loves.

Am I leaving anything out?

[molly]

1. You didn't say where you live - everything sounds delicious

I'll look for some recipes.

[thedailyshow]

2. any ideas about the turkey breasts?

I'm drawing a blank when it comes to the turkey breasts.

[pk_du]

3. How about "stuffing" for the stuffing?

sage/onion

OR

apple/raisin/celery

etc?


OR Ham/Cheese



The rest sounds deelish btw.

[thedailyshow]

17. sage and onion sounds great

[demnan]

4. You don't have to stuff your bird

and to save time I suggest you don't. You can make a nice cassarole dish full of dressing for the meat. This is my personal favorite.

A bag of Pepperidge Farm seasoned stuffing.
Dice: Onion
Celery
Butter
Fresh sage and rosemary
Water to cover skillet (start with a cup you can add more if needed)
1 pint oysters

Dice the onion and celery and cook in the butter on medium in a large skillet until the onions look clear and the celery is tender. Add the oysters and water and poach the oysters until they lose their translucency but are tender. Just a few minutes. DO NOT OVERCOOK OYSTERS!

Add stuffing and spices taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Place in oven and/or microwave to warm through throughly before serving. Do not allow to dry out.

[thedailyshow]

22. that sounds like a nice recipe!

[OldLeftieLawyer]

25. This is almost the exact recipe I use

but I also throw in some raisins and chopped cashews. Adds interesting texture and a surprising, tiny sweetness.

That whole menu sounds marvelous.

Almost makes me feel guilty for the reservations we have at the Ritz-Carleton.

No, not really ........

[librechik]

5. Great idea--I do that every year

nobody ever ate the dark meat anyway. Just get some commercial stuffing mix, jazz it up with walnuts or mushrooms or cranberries (follow recipe on package. Just cook the breasts alone until about 30 minutes before it's done, then put the stuffing in the oven, either with the turkeys in their pan (gets juicy!) or in a separate casserole dish (my preference)

Don't sear them first, just roast covered 15 minutes per pound 375 and it browns nicely on its own.

Your menu sounds great! I love the fancy side dishes too; the turkey is the easy part!

[thedailyshow]

6. per pound? I'm buying turkey breasts that's about a pound each

About five to six pounds' worth, and do I have to add on 15 minutes for each turkey breast that weighs a pound?

[librechik]

27. that's total weight--and I find most turkey breasts weigh 3-4 lbs (or more

so if you're cooking 3 at 3 lbs each, that's 9 lbs of turkey and it takes about 2 hrs and 15 mins in the oven.

[molly]

7. I jazz up my stuffing with oysters - put them in the Cusinart

them mix them in with the stuffing - water chesnuts are good too.

[thedailyshow]

19. that sounds nice

but my family isn't that receptive to oysters which is all more the pity.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

8. As an alternate, you could invest in a deep fryer

about 60$ at Home Depot and deep fry the turkey...generally you inject it with seasonings first, and it cooks in the deep fryer in about an hour....very tasty

[thedailyshow]

18. a deep fryer wouldn't be used by my family that much so its

purchase would be irrelevant, but I'll keep that in mind once I get my own place.

[AValdoux]

9. Easy Turkey Recipe

An easy way to cook a turkey without having to spend a lot of time basting and worrying is to use a roasting bag. Reynolds makes one for different sizes of turkeys. All you do is rub the turkey with butter, salt & pepper. Stuff it with more butter, celery, onions, carrots, garlic, salt, pepper, etc. The bag instructions say to put a tablespoon of flour and shake. Put the turkey in the bag cut a few slits in the bag. put turkey and bag in a disposable foil roasting pan. seal with enclosed twist tie and bake according to directions. When its done all the drippings can be poured easily from the bag. I have made my turkey this way for years and have never had a dry turkey.

Happy Thanksgiving,
A Valdoux :hi:

[thedailyshow]

11. I'm making turkey breasts, not a whole turkey this year

I'm seeking advice on what to do with turkey breasts, not a whole turkey. Thanks for the advice though!

[matcom]

10. carefully peel the skin back on the breasts

coat the breast with cold butter (could also throw some herbs in and then pull the skin back over them

no need to sear them first

[thedailyshow]

12. and how long should they be in the oven for? what herbs to use?

And what temp should the oven be?

[matcom]

15. cooking time will depend on their size

but a meat thermometer should read between 170 & 180 i think (check www.foodtv.com) - GREAT resource

as for herbs, sage usually works WONDERFUL with turkey. i'd chop it up and mix in some olive oil

[thedailyshow]

16. looks like I should tell the mother to get a meat thermometer

I don't know how we survived without it all these years.

[Dora]

13. You shouldn't need to sear the breasts

They're boneless, but not skinless, right? If you're afraid of them drying out, you could try some cheesecloth or lightweight kitchen towel as a "skin" on your breasts and saturate it with melted butter as they're cooking. You'll have to take this off before they're finished in order for them to get all golden I think.

You're smart to skip the bisque in favor of the salad.

If you're set on stuffing them, perhaps you'll have to pound them flat then roll them up with your stuffing of choice. I think I've heard of this being done before.

[thedailyshow]

14. is this on the oven or stove?

I'm worried about using cheesecloth in the oven.

[Dora]

23. Oven. It's okay.

It won't burn. Saturate with the butter before you drape it on the breasts first. I tried this with my first turkey (whole turkey) and it worked great. My second turkey I didn't use the cheesecloth on, and it also came out just fine.

[TheCentepedeShoes]

20. We're doing a breast

instead of whole turkey this year, too. Depending on the weather we might do it on the gas grill. We always do the stuffing separately. And putting gouda cheese in the mashed potatoes. Hubby's been glued to Emeril the last few days.

[thedailyshow]

21. Is it a boneless breast?

or are you going with individual turkey breasts for each family member?

[TheCentepedeShoes]

28. No - Bone In

have to carve it. If I can find a small fresh whole turkey I'll get that. There are only going to be three of us for dinner. If the weather is dry, we'll turn it on the spit. If it's damp but not actually raining or snowing (and not TOO cold), we'll put it on the grill in an aluminum broiler pan. Otherwise, do it in the oven.

[thedailyshow]

31. that sounds great!

I sure wish that we had a grill, but it's not feasible in an apartment.

[Dora]

24. Here's a link to a recipe

That may give you some ideas for how to manage stuffing just a breast:
http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/recipe_views/views/109320

[thedailyshow]

26. thanks!

[haydukelives]

29. i use to be a chef

take the time to roast a Turkey. i suggest you read the joy of cooking first. follow all of there directions, you'll be glad you did

[thedailyshow]

30. I can't deal with the huge amount of leftovers that come from a turkey

so it's the turkey breast for me this year. Plus, my family always goes for the white meat instead of the dark meat, so a turkey breast is much more ideal this year.

[magdalena]

32. FETA CHEESE

During a short lived meat eating stint I found myself in a similar dilemma. Pound those breasts out flat and put some feta and spinach on top...roll up and secure with toothpicks. Drizzle with mandarin oranges or tangerines and tent with foil -- mmmmmm! Cream cheese and spinach would probably work well too.

The rest of your meal sounds delicious though, wish I was eating at your place.

[thedailyshow]

33. that sounds great!