T-Day Minus One

By Wanda A. Adams
Advertiser Food Editor

TODAY: Thaw turkey. Make cranberry sauce. Make stuffing. Marshall equipment, dishes and utensils; label serving dishes with Post-it notes. Set table. Make dessert. Sketch plan for tomorrow, including roasting times. Draft help! TOMORROW: Make turkey broth. Roast turkey. Set up coffee pot. An hour before dinner: Bring cranberry sauce, pickles, relishes to room temperature. Prep salad, vegetables. Half-hour before: Start mashed potatoes. Remove turkey from oven to "rest" before carving (juices boil to surface and need 15-20 minutes to settle into meat). Finish vegetables, salad. Make gravy. Have someone carve turkey. Illustration by Jon Orque • The Honolulu Advertiser

Tools for the job

To do Thanksgiving right, invest in these:

• heavy duty roasting pan with V-shaped rack; rack keeps turkey in shape, above drippings; heavy pan goes from oven to stove-top for gravy-making.
• instant-read thermometer. Reads temperature on contact for everything from proofing yeast to judging meat doneness. (For turkey, plunge into lower thigh, not touching bone.)
• ricer (shown) for mashed potatoes; press-through gadget creates fluffiest mashed potatoes.
• fat separator; captures juices for gravy without fat.

The long thaw

If your turkey is frozen solid as you read this this morning, you have a long day and night ahead of you. The only safe option at this point is the cool water thawing method, according to the Butterball turkey experts. This works at a rate of about 30 minutes per pound but requires constant care: Place turkey in unopened wrapper, cover completely with cool tap water and change water every 30 minutes. At this rate, a 15-pound turkey will take 8 or so hours.

Roasting 101

• Heat oven to 425 degrees.
• Wash and dry turkey. Remove neck, liver, giblets. Quarter onion, apple, lemon, celery and place in cavity.
• Rub turkey with oil or butter.
• Place breast side up on rack in roasting pan. Roast 45 minutes.
• Turn heat down to 325 degrees; cover turkey with tent of foil.
• Roast to 180 degrees, as measured in thigh meat.

Finishing up

Servings: For a whole, bone-in turkey; 1-1 1/2 pounds per person.

Roasting time (add 1 hour for stuffed turkeys): 10-18 pounds, 3-3 1/2 hours; 18-22 pounds, 3 1/2-5 hours; 22-24 pounds 4-4 1/2 hours.

Doneness: Use meat thermometer in thigh. Roast to 180 degrees; juices run clear when thigh muscle pierced deeply.

Dressing — no mystery

Who needs a recipe? Buy a couple of loaves of French bread; cut into 1-inch squares. If the bread is soft and fresh, dry it in the oven at 250 degrees for 15-20 minutes. Melt 1/2 cup butter in large, heavy pan; sauté 3-4 cups coarsely chopped onions and celery until limp and translucent. Add herbs (chopped fresh or dried parsley, sage, other) and salt and pepper. Add bread and toss lightly. Place in a buttered casserole and drizzle with chicken or turkey stock to moisten. Bake until heated through — 30 minutes or so. Or stuff the turkey with this mixture.

Cranberries quick and easy

You can open a can of jellied cranberries. Or make a fresh cranberry-orange relish: In a saucepan, combine 1 package of fresh cranberries, the juice and grated zest (the outer, colored skin) of one orange and 1/2 cup sugar and cook over medium heat until the berries pop. Makes 2 cups.

Best ever mashed potatoes

For the lightest, most decadent mashed potatoes, follow this technique exactly. Use only medium-sized russet (Idaho) potatoes (brown-skinned ones). Peel 3 pounds potatoes (6-8 of them), of similar size. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Place whole potatoes in water and cook, gently boiling, until easily pierced with a fork. Meanwhile, place an oven-proof earthenware bowl in oven set to warm. Bring to room temperature: 1 stick butter (sliced into six pieces) and fl cup cream. When potatoes are done, scoop out 1/2 cup of the water and reserve. Drain off remaining water and return potatoes to heat in same pan; shake and roll potatoes until water is cooked off. Put hot potatoes through ricer (see equipment entry, this page) into warm bowl. Stir in hot potato water. Gradually stir in half the butter and half the cream, add salt and pepper to taste; taste for flavor and texture. If too stiff, add cream; if not flavorful enough, add butter. These are best made at the very last minute but they can be kept in a just-warm oven for a short period of time. Serves 6.

Great gravy

Grandma used to make gravy by stirring flour and milk into drippings. Today's gravy is lighter, with homemade broth.

Coarsely chop 2 carrots, 1 onion and 2 celery stalks; sauté a few minutes in a little oil along with turkey neck and innards (but not liver). Add 1 quart water or chicken stock. Cook, simmering, 1-2 hours until reduced by half. Strain through cheesecloth or large coffee filter; refrigerate.

When turkey is done, remove from roasting pan. Pour drippings into cup measure or fat separator; strain off as much fat as possible. Return drippings to unwashed roasting pan; add turkey broth, stir and scrape up brown bits; simmer on top of stove 10-15 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Thicken by whisking in 1) a blend of 2 tablespoons cornstarch and 2 tablespoons water; OR 2) a beurre manie (2 tablespoons flour worked into 2 tablespoons soft butter), along with 1/2 cup cream. Cook 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Taste and season.