Month: November 2015

Month: November 2015

HISTORY OF THANKSGIVING

In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is acknowledged today as one of the first Thanksgiving celebrations in the colonies. For more than two centuries, days of thanksgiving were celebrated by individual colonies and states. It wasn’t until 1863, in the midst of the Civil War, that President Abraham Lincoln proclaimed a national Thanksgiving Day to be held each November.

THANKSGIVING AT PLYMOUTH
In September 1620, a small ship called the Mayflower left Plymouth, England, carrying 102 passengers—an assortment of religious separatists seeking a new home where they could freely practice their faith and other individuals lured by the promise of prosperity and land ownership in the New World. After a treacherous and uncomfortable crossing that lasted 66 days, they dropped anchor near the tip of Cape Cod, far north of their intended destination at the mouth of the Hudson River. One month later, the Mayflower crossed Massachusetts Bay, where the Pilgrims, as they are now commonly known, began the work of establishing a village at Plymouth.

Did You Know?
Lobster, seal and swans were on the Pilgrims’ menu.thanksgiving_history_youtube

Throughout that first brutal winter, most of the colonists remained on board the ship, where they suffered from exposure, scurvy and outbreaks of contagious disease. Only half of the Mayflower’s original passengers and crew lived to see their first New England spring. In March, the remaining settlers moved ashore, where they received an astonishing visit from an Abenaki Indian who greeted them in English. Several days later, he returned with another Native American, Squanto, a member of the Pawtuxet tribe who had been kidnapped by an English sea captain and sold into slavery before escaping to London and returning to his homeland on an exploratory expedition. Squanto taught the Pilgrims, weakened by malnutrition and illness, how to cultivate corn, extract sap from maple trees, catch fish in the rivers and avoid poisonous plants. He also helped the settlers forge an alliance with the Wampanoag, a local tribe, which would endure for more than 50 years and tragically remains one of the sole examples of harmony between European colonists and Native Americans.

In November 1621, after the Pilgrims’ first corn harvest proved successful, Governor William Bradford organized a celebratory feast and invited a group of the fledgling colony’s Native American allies, including the Wampanoag chief Massasoit. Now remembered as American’s “first Thanksgiving”—although the Pilgrims themselves may not have used the term at the time—the festival lasted for three days. While no record exists of the historic banquet’s exact menu, the Pilgrim chronicler Edward Winslow wrote in his journal that Governor Bradford sent four men on a “fowling” mission in preparation for the event, and that the Wampanoag guests arrived bearing five deer. Historians have suggested that many of the dishes were likely prepared using traditional Native American spices and cooking methods. Because the Pilgrims had no oven and the Mayflower’s sugar supply had dwindled by the fall of 1621, the meal did not feature pies, cakes or other desserts, which have become a hallmark of contemporary celebrations.

 

THANKSGIVING BECOMES AN OFFICIAL HOLIDAY
Pilgrims held their second Thanksgiving celebration in 1623 to mark the end of a long drought that had threatened the year’s harvest and prompted Governor Bradford to call for a religious fast. Days of fasting and thanksgiving on an annual or occasional basis became common practice in other New England settlements as well. During the American Revolution, the Continental Congress designated one or more days of thanksgiving a year, and in 1789 George Washington issued the first Thanksgiving proclamation by the national government of the United States; in it, he called upon Americans to express their gratitude for the happy conclusion to the country’s war of independence and the successful ratification of the U.S. Constitution. His successors John Adams and James Madison also designated days of thanks during their presidencies.

In 1817, New York became the first of several states to officially adopt an annual Thanksgiving holiday; each celebrated it on a different day, however, and the American South remained largely unfamiliar with the tradition. In 1827, the noted magazine editor and prolific writer Sarah Josepha Hale—author, among countless other things, of the nursery rhyme “Mary Had a Little Lamb”—launched a campaign to establish Thanksgiving as a national holiday. For 36 years, she published numerous editorials and sent scores of letters to governors, senators, presidents and other politicians. Abraham Lincoln finally heeded her request in 1863, at the height of the Civil War, in a proclamation entreating all Americans to ask God to “commend to his tender care all those who have become widows, orphans, mourners or sufferers in the lamentable civil strife” and to “heal the wounds of the nation.” He scheduled Thanksgiving for the final Thursday in November, and it was celebrated on that day every year until 1939, when Franklin D. Roosevelt moved the holiday up a week in an attempt to spur retail sales during the Great Depression. Roosevelt’s plan, known derisively as Franksgiving, was met with passionate opposition, and in 1941 the president reluctantly signed a bill making Thanksgiving the fourth Thursday in November.

THANKSGIVING TRADITIONS
In many American households, the Thanksgiving celebration has lost much of its original religious significance; instead, it now centers on cooking and sharing a bountiful meal with family and friends. Turkey, a Thanksgiving staple so ubiquitous it has become all but synonymous with the holiday, may or may not have been on offer when the Pilgrims hosted the inaugural feast in 1621. Today, however, nearly 90 percent of Americans eat the bird—whether roasted, baked or deep-fried—on Thanksgiving, according to the National Turkey Federation. Other traditional foods include stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce and pumpkin pie. Volunteering is a common Thanksgiving Day activity, and communities often hold food drives and host free dinners for the less fortunate.

Parades have also become an integral part of the holiday in cities and towns across the United States. Presented by Macy’s department store since 1924, New York City’s Thanksgiving Day parade is the largest and most famous, attracting some 2 to 3 million spectators along its 2.5-mile route and drawing an enormous television audience. It typically features marching bands, performers, elaborate floats conveying various celebrities and giant balloons shaped like cartoon characters.

Beginning in the mid-20th century and perhaps even earlier, the president of the United States has “pardoned” one or two Thanksgiving turkeys each year, sparing the birds from slaughter and sending them to a farm for retirement. A number of U.S. governors also perform the annual turkey pardoning ritual.

Thanksgiving Turkey

Thanksgiving-Table-600x446

Pre-Thanksgiving Turkey Prep

The first step is obvious. Buy a turkey. Buy about 1 pound per person. You can order a fresh turkey, or you can buy one at a grocery store. There is a good chance that the grocery store turkeys might be frozen, so get your turkey at least 3-5 days early so it has time to thaw out in your fridge. Research says that the turkey could need up to 1 day for every 4 pounds of weight to thaw out in your fridge.

While you are buying your turkey, pick up butter, thyme, rosemary, sage, a lemon, garlic, an onion, and chicken stock too.
You can opt to brine your turkey, but I would recommend against it. It is a lot of extra work, and if you brine a turkey you can’t use the bones to make stock for turkey soup – it will be salty and bitter (I learned this one the hard way).
The night before Thanksgiving, completely unwrap the turkey. Then remove the neck and the giblets. These will be in the cavity of the turkey. The giblets will likely be in a small bag and the turkey neck is big and you will find it easily. I recommend doing this the night before so that you can make sure that the cavity of the turkey is thawed out. If it is still a little icy, it should thaw overnight now that you unwrapped the turkey and took the neck and giblets out. Rinse the inside and outside of the turkey in cool water. Pat it dry with paper towels and sprinkle the inside and outside with a bit of salt. Put the turkey in a pan, and return it to the fridge unwrapped. Letting the turkey dry out in the fridge overnight will make the skin crispier.

Cooking the Turkey

Thanksgiving-Turkey-Final-600x428

Now let’s get to cooking the turkey. Turkeys take about 10-15 minutes per pound to cook, and then they need 30 minutes to rest before carving. So do a little math to determine when you want to put the turkey in the oven. In my experience, turkeys usually cook at 12 minutes a pound to give you a more exact number.
An hour before you need to start cooking the turkey, remove it from the fridge. Letting it come a bit closer to room temperature will help the turkey cook a little faster. Remove some butter from the fridge too.

Adjust the oven racks to make room for the turkey. Heat your oven to 400 degrees.
After an hour has passed, place the turkey in a roasting pan breast-side-up. I prefer to use a roasting pan with a rack since I think it helps the turkey cook more evenly.

Thanksgiving-Turkey-Step-by-Step-600x400
Rub 3-4 tablespoons of butter generously all over the outside of the turkey. You already salted the turkey last night, but add a little more salt if you think it needs it. Sprinkle pepper inside and outside. Then filled the cavity of the bird. Chop the onion and lemon into quarters, and add it to the cavity. Then add 4-6 cloves of garlic. Set aside 1 sprig of thyme and rosemary, and add the rest of the herbs to the cavity of the turkey.

Wrap small pieces of aluminum foil around the bottom of the drumsticks, this prevents them from overcooking and drying out.

Use butchers twine to tie the drumsticks together.

Preparing-Thanksgiving-Turkey-600x769 (1)
I absolutely love my instant read thermometer that is meant to be used throughout the cooking process so I can constantly monitor the turkey. My is from iDevices and I think it is a great investment. Insert the thermometer in the thickest part of the thigh, so it isn’t touching the bone. If you don’t have an in-oven thermometer, start to check the temperature of the turkey 20 minutes before you think it might be done and until it reaches 165 degrees.
Sprinkle the remaining rosemary and thyme over the outside of the turkey.
Place the turkey in the oven to roast. I like to start the turkey at 400 degrees for 30 minutes, and then I reduce it to 350 degrees. When you reduce the temperature, check on the turkey. You may want to tent the turkey with aluminum foil at some point so that the skin doesn’t go from browned to burnt. I just check every 30 minutes or so to see how things are going and once the turkey is nice and brown I place aluminum foil over the turkey very loosely.
Do a little planning for when the turkey comes out of the oven. Once the turkey is cooked you will want to place it on a platter and wrap it with 2 layers of aluminum foil. I recommend tearing off foil and arranging it on a platter so you can plop the turkey on top and wrap it all up. The other thing you need to do is pour all the turkey dippings into a glass container like a mason jar. Both of these tasks might require two people, and I suggest recruiting a strong person to help.
Now you have some free time while you wait for the turkey to cook. That’s right, I don’t baste the turkey. I just let it cook.
As soon as the turkey reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven, and wrap it with foil. Then use a spatula to scrape up any browned bits from the roasting pan. Then pour all the pan drippings into a glass container so that you can make gravy. You want to use a glass container so you can see the line of fat on top of the dippings.
I strongly suggest making gravy. It’s easy and you have time to do this while the turkey is resting. The turkey needs to rest so that it won’t lose all of the juices when you carve it. This way the turkey is juicier.

Making Gravy

Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a sauce pan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in 1 tablespoon of flour. Cook for 2-3 minutes, until the mixture is golden brown. Then use a baster to suck up the turkey drippings, below the line of fat that will form on top. Whisk all of the drippings into the gravy. Add 1/2 – 1 cup of chicken stock, and let the gravy come to a slow by steady bubble. Whisk constantly letting the gravy thicken. Taste test the gravy and season with salt and pepper if necessary.
For more detailed instructions of making gravy, check out this blog post.

Carving the TurkeyThanksgiving-Turkey-Carving
Once the gravy has been made and the turkey has rested for 30 minutes, go ahead and carve the turkey. Unwrap it from the foil. There are two techniques for carving a turkey. Some people cut the entire breast off and then carve it, but you can also carve slices off the turkey, it is a matter of personal preference. I put my husband in charge of carving while I made sure all the side dishes were hot and ready to go. Charles starts by carving slices of turkey off, starting outside and working in. He places the slices of turkey on a platter, along with the wings and drumsticks.

Carving-Turkey-600x400
I always make soup with the leftover turkey. Save the turkey bones for this. Here is a recipe for Turkey Stock, and this is my recipe for my Day After Thanksgiving Soup – it is so good my husband looks forward to it every year.

Thanksgiving-Plate-600x400

Golden Thanksgiving Turkey Giblet Stock

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock

Ingredients:

  • Neck and giblets (heart & gizzard) from a 16 to 20 pound fresh turkey & patted dry
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin or light olive oil
  • 8 cups filtered or purified water, such as distilled
  • 3 celery ribs (including tops), sliced
  • 2 large carrots, unpeeled & sliced
  • 1 large yellow onion, quartered into wedges with skin intact
  • Rind of 3 tangerines, with white pith removed, optional
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 sprig fresh thyme
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1½ teaspoons black peppercorns
  • Pinch kosher salt, optionalGolden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-4

Preparation:

In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. Once the oil ripples and is hot, add the neck and giblets and cook until well browned all over, about 6 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat; add ½ cup water and deglaze, scraping up the brown bits. Return the pan to medium heat.
Add the vegetables, tangerine rind (if using), herbs and peppercorns as well as the remaining water. Bring to a rapid simmer (do not boil), skimming the froth. Continue to cook on low heat at a bare simmer, skimming the froth occasionally, for 2 hours. Strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large 4-cup heatproof liquid measuring cup or bowl. There should be about 4 cups of stock. If there is more, simmer the stock until it is reduced to about 4 cups; if there is less, add enough water to measure about 4 cups.

Mise en Place: Everything in place. All pre-measured, rinsed, patted dry and chopped. Neck and giblets from a 16- to 20-pound fresh turkey, olive oil, purified water, celery, carrots, onion, tangerine rinds, fresh rosemary and thyme, bay leaf and whole black peppercorns. Kosher salt is optional and not pictured here.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-5
In a large saucepan over medium heat, add olive oil. As you can see, I am adding light olive oil here.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-6
Once the oil ripples and is hot, add the neck and giblets and cook until well browned all over, about 6 minutes. Be sure that you have rinsed and fully patted dry the turkey neck and specialty meats to prevent hot oil splatter when adding them to the pan. As you can see, the oil is rippling indicating that the pan and oil is hot enough to add the turkey neck and specialty meats to brown.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-7
Here, I am using tongs to add the turkey neck to our hot saucepan with light olive oil to brown. Using tongs makes turning the turkey neck and specialty meats over for even browning very easy.Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-8
Next, we start adding the specialty meats while using tongs to turn the meats often to brown evenly.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-9
Keep turning the neck and specialty meats often for even browning.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-10
Remove the pan from the heat; add ½ cup water and deglaze, scraping up the brown bits. Return the pan to medium heat. Look at that flavor bursting through! Here, I am adding ½ cup water to deglaze the pan.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-11
Here, I am using an angled wooden spatula which is so ideal in scraping up the brown bits when deglazing a pan.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-12
Add the vegetables, rind, herbs and peppercorns as well as the remaining water. As you can see, I am adding the celery, including some of the tops, for flavor.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-13
Here, I start adding the onion wedges. By keeping the onion skins intact, we are allowing more flavor to come through in our stock.

12241173_10153724609005148_3685063161569439495_n
Now for the citrus rind for spectacular flavor. Here, I am adding sections of tangerine rind where the bitter white pith has been carefully removed with a paring knife. The essential oils from the tangerine are what we are after and not bitterness from the pith.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-15
Now for the herbs. In goes the bay leaf and fresh rosemary and thyme sprigs.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-16
Here, I am adding the whole black peppercorns. Whole black peppercorns are essential for robust flavor in any stock.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-17
Here, I am adding the remaining water.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-19
As you can see, our turkey giblet stock is on her way. She’s looking mighty fine. The goal now is to bring the stock to a rapid simmer, but not a full boil.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-21
Bring the stock to a rapid simmer, skimming the froth occasionally. As you can see, we are just starting to get some bubbling action.As you can see, our Golden Thanksgiving Turkey Giblet Stock has reached a rapid simmer, just before reaching a full boil. (Do not boil.) Now it is time for the stock to cook over low heat at a bare simmer for 2 hours. Skim the froth occasionally.

Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-23

As you can see here, I am skimming some froth. Next, strain the stock through a fine sieve into a large 4-cup heatproof liquid measuring cup or bowl.Golden-Tangerine-Turkey-Giblet-Stock-3

 

Source: wickedgoodkitchen.com

Smoke the turkey


20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-36
I always recommend using turkeys that are between 10 and 12 pounds, as they have the best flavor and texture. Rather than use a larger turkey for more guests, it’s better to cook multiple smaller birds (using different methods!). Removing the wishbone is not strictly necessary, but it makes carving easier down the line. To remove the wishbone, start by lifting the skin around the turkey’s neck opening to reveal the Y-shaped bone underneath. Use the tip of a sharp paring knife to cut into the flesh above both halves of the Y.20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-02
Cut along the bottom of each side of the Y with your knife.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-03

Slide your finger behind the bone and start pulling it forward. The top should release pretty easily, though a little help with the tip of the paring knife might be necessary.
Pull the wishbone out. If it cracks or leaves behind bits of bone, you can grab them with a clean kitchen towel or paper towel and pull them out.20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-05

If there are any problem spots (the thigh joints in particular can sometimes be quite tough to get through with scissors), use a heavy cleaver or chef’s knife to cut through them. Save the backbone for stock or gravy.20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-06
Flip the turkey over and splay its legs outward as suggestively as you please.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-08
Press down firmly on the breastbone until you hear and feel it crack, so that the breasts will sit flat.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-09
You can use your favorite barbecue spice rub mixture for the turkey, or use mine: 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 1 tablespoon paprika, 1 teaspoon smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon ground yellow mustard seed, 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander seed, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin seed, 1/4 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic powder, 1 teaspoon granulated onion powder, 1 teaspoon ground sage, 2 tablespoons light brown sugar, and—here’s the secret ingredient—a tablespoon of baking powder.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-10

Rub the turkey on all surfaces with the salt and spice mixture. At this point, place the turkey on a tray, cover it loosely with plastic wrap, and let it rest at least overnight and up to 3 days in the refrigerator. This will allow time for the salt in the rub to slowly work its way into the meat, which will not only season it more deeply but also help the turkey retain more juices as it roasts. Read up on how dry-brining works for more details.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-11
When you’re ready to cook (that’s about 3 1/2 hours before everyone is ready to eat), ignite half a chimney’s worth of charcoal and dump it out into a kettle grill.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-12
Pile the coals along one side of the grill. The goal is to create a cooler zone on the other side so that the turkey slowly cooks via indirect heat.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-13
Place the cooking grate over the coals, cover the grill, let it preheat for about 10 minutes, then scrub it clean with a grill brush. Place the turkey on top of the cooler side of the grill with the legs facing the coals. As leg meat can safely withstand a higher cooking temperature, the goal here is to keep the breast cooking as gently as possible so that it retains juiciness while gaining smoke flavor.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-14

When the turkey is in place, put 4 chunks of hickory hardwood directly on top of the coals by lifting the grate (or using the hinged flap, if your grates have one).

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-15
Keep a lazy eye on the thermometer so that you don’t miss the alarm when it goes off. We’re aiming for a final temperature of 150°F here—that’s 15°F lower than the USDA’s recommended temperature of 165°F, but the turkey you get will be much juicier, and so long as it’s rested for at least 4 minutes, it will be just as safe as a turkey cooked to 165°F—but I like to set my alarm at 145°F, because the last few minutes of cooking require closer monitoring.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-17
The inside of the grill should hover between 225°F and 275°F for optimally gentle cooking. You can control the temperature by opening and closing the vents (the more closed they are, the less oxygen the coals will get, and the cooler they’ll smolder). Add more wood chunks to the coals every half hour, and, if necessary, add more coals if the original coals start to burn out too far.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-18

A 10- to 12-pound turkey will take around 3 hours, give or take half an hour in either direction. Once the turkey hits 145°F, continue cooking it, moving the thermometer around and taking its temperature in various locations as it approaches its final temperature of 150°F in the breasts.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-19
Transfer the turkey to a cutting board and let it rest for 15 minutes. This will allow the internal juices to settle and thicken slightly so that they don’t run around the board as you carve.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-22
To carve, start by removing the legs. Pull gently at the leg with one hand, and you should be able to easily slip a knife into the joint between the leg and the breast.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-23
Both legs should come off quite easily. If the turkey is too hot for your delicate fingers, plastic gloves can help.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-24

Use a knife to cut along the side of the thigh bone with the larger pieces of meat on it to completely remove the meat.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-27Slice the thigh meat into 1/2-inch slices, with the skin side up.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-28c

The meat should have a nice pink hue around its edges from the barbecue.
Remove the wings from the breasts by positioning the breast upright and holding it by one of the wings. Jiggle the wing back and forth a little to locate the joint, then cut through it with a sharp knife. Repeat with the other wing. You can remove the drumette from the flat/wing tip in the same manner that you separated the drumstick from the thigh.20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-29

Start removing the breast halves from the breastbone by running your knife down one side of the sternum.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-30
Slice the breast meat into 1/2-inch serving slices.

20151119-smoked-turkey-food-lab-28b

Source: www.seriouseats.com

 

Five-Star Apple Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-1

Ingredients

  • 5½ cups cubed white European style or sourdough bread, see Notes for Gluten Free Options
  • 2½ cups cubed whole grain wheat bread, see Notes for Gluten Free Options
  • 1½ pounds ground pork sausage, such as Bob Evans® brand
  • 1½ cups chopped yellow onion
  • 1½ cups grated carrot (2 to 3 large carrots)
  • 1¼ cups chopped celery
  • 3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage leaves2 tablespoons chopped fresh rosemary leaves
  • 2½ teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 large Golden Delicious apple, cored & coarsely chopped
  • 1 large Granny Smith apple, cored
  • & coarsely chopped
  • 1¼ cups dried cranberries
  • ½ cup minced fresh parsley
  • ¾ cup Golden Tangerine Turkey Giblet Stock
  • ¾ cup fine-quality Chardonnay or dry white wine
  • 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

1

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350º F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Bake the white or sourdough and whole wheat bread cubes in one layer on prepared baking sheets until golden brown, about 10 to 15 minutes, stirring halfway through baking time. Transfer toasted bread cubes to a bowl and let them cool.
In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. Add the carrots, celery and herbs; cook for 2 minutes while stirring to blend flavors. Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. Stir in chopped apples cranberries and parsley. Drizzle the stock, wine and melted butter over stuffing mixture; toss well. Allow stuffing to cool completely before stuffing turkey. Spoon loosely into turkey cavities to fill.

 

Mise en Place: Everything in place. All pre-measured, rinsed, dried and chopped. Pork sausage, yellow onion, carrot, celery, fresh sage, rosemary, thyme and parsley, 1 Golden Delicious apple and 1 Granny Smith apple, dried cranberries, Golden Tangerine Turkey Giblet Stock, Chardonnay and butter (not yet melted). Our bread cubes are nearby on a baking sheet.5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-4

Bread cubes all ready to be toasted.5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-5

Toasted bread cubes all golden brown and ready for stuffing!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-6

In a large skillet, cook the sausage and onions over medium-high heat, stirring and breaking up the lumps until evenly browned. As you can see, I have just added the ground pork sausage to our heated large skillet. There is no need to add cooking oil as the pork sausage will render just enough fat for our recipe. Here, I am using one of my favorite kitchen tools, an angled wooden spatula that is beveled, which helps break up the ground meat. I like to do this before adding the onions so the meat and onions brown evenly in some of the already rendered fat.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-8

Next, I am adding our chopped yellow onions to the ground pork sausage which is just starting to brown.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-9

Next, I am about to stir in the chopped yellow onions. It is important to keep stirring as the ground pork browns and the onions become soft and translucent for even and thorough cooking.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-10

Add the carrots, celery and herbs; cook for 2 minutes while stirring to blend flavors. Now that our ground pork sausage has browned, and the onions are soft and translucent, it is time to add the grated carrots.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-11

Immediately following the addition of the carrots, I am adding the chopped celery.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-12

Everything is coming along as I stir the carrots and celery into the ground pork sausage and onions.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-14

As you can see, the ground pork sausage is completely browned and the vegetables are cooked just right. You definitely do not want to overcook the vegetables. Here, I am adding fresh sage leaves that I have run my knife through.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-15

Here, I am adding fresh rosemary leaves that I have rough chopped.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-16

Next in, fresh thyme leaves which have been pulled from the sprigs. You don’t need to chop these tiny leaves as they are already the perfect size for our stuffing recipe.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-17

Now, give the pork sausage mixture a good stir to evenly incorporate the herbs into the meat and vegetables.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-18

As you can see here, our pork sausage, vegetables and herb mixture is evenly combined. We are now ready for the next phase!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-19

Now, we are ready to chop our apples so that they are fresh when we add them to our stuffing recipe. We like to use 1 Golden Delicious apple and 1 Granny Smith apple. This way, we get the best of both worlds…a tender apple and a more tart, firm apple in our stuffing. Done. Chopped.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-20

Pour sausage mixture over bread in bowl. As you can see, our gluten free toasted bread cubes or croutons are already in a large stainless steel bowl…just waiting for the addition of the pork sausage mixture.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-22

Here, I am stirring in the pork sausage mixture until it is evenly combined with our gluten free toasted bread cubes or croutons.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-23

Stir in chopped apples cranberries and parsley. Here, I am adding the chopped apples.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-24

Next in, the dried cranberries. Is it just me, don’t they look like gorgeous ruby-red jewels? Turkey stuffing is just not its best without the addition of dried cranberries!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-25

Here, I am adding plenty of minced fresh parsley for an incomparable fresh taste!

unnamed

Now it is time to stir in the chopped apples, dried cranberries and minced fresh parsley until evenly combined.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-26

Stir…

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-27

And, stir…until well combined. I like to use my large slotted spoon for this task. It makes it so much easier!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-30

Drizzle the stock, wine and melted butter over stuffing mixture; toss well to coat. As you can see, I am drizzling our Golden Tangerine Turkey Giblet Stock over our stuffing mixture. The stuffing is looking gorgeous!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-32

And, now…for the buttah! Yes, this is what makes all of the flavors come through for our Five-Star Sausage Apple and Cranberry Stuffing…using plenty of real butter. YUM!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-33

Now, give this glorious stuffing mixture a good stir and toss to evenly combine and coat the ingredients with the stock, wine and butter. Go ahead, take a chef’s bite and taste the food you are preparing. I am telling you…this stuffing is spectacular and fit for kings!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-34

Gorgeous. Just beautiful. Look at all that flavah!

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-35

For baking outside of the bird, generously butter your casserole dish. It should look just like this.

5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-36

To bake stuffing separately outside the bird, bake in a generously buttered casserole dish in a preheated 350ºF oven for 30 to 40 minutes, covered. Here, we have added a portion of the stuffing to the buttered casserole dish and the remaining stuffing will be baked inside our roasting turkey. Remove the casserole from the oven and remove the lid. Drizzle desired amount of butter over the top. (Two tablespoons will do.) Return to oven and bake an additional 10 to 15 minutes for a crisp, golden brown top.
We strongly believe in cooking a portion of our stuffing inside the bird for unparalleled flavor and texture. Just be sure that your fresh turkey is at room temperature, as well as your stuffing, before stuffing the cavity of the bird. If cooking stuffing inside the bird, after roasting, be sure that the temperature of the cooked stuffing reaches at least 165ºF by using an instant read thermometer.
5-Star-Sausage-Apple-Cranberry-Stuffing-1
Simply stunning! After the bird has roasted and rested just a bit, we remove the very moist stuffing baked in the cavity and then mix it into the batch that we baked in a covered casserole. Here you can see the finished product, our Five-Star Apple Sausage and Cranberry Stuffing in all her glory! Pat yourself on the back for a cheffy job well done. Now, go carve that turkey and enjoy your holiday feast!