Turkey time means turkey deals. Perhaps. If you’re in the market for a big helping of disappointment. I’m not going to say that all frozen turkeys are bad but the ones that they are “giving away” or are .49 cents a pound probably are not great.You’ve seen the signs. Spend $10 and the turkey is free. Great if the budget is tight but this is one area that you really get what you pay for. This turkey could in fact be from last year! Just sitting in a freezer for 12 months going through daily defrost cycles and refreezing – 365 times since its last appearance.Think of the turkey as a big orange. The little cells of juice in an orange are just like the tiny capsules of fat in a turkey. Once frozen. Ruined forever.
“Self basting” turkeys are injected with sodium solutions in an attempt to compensate for juices lost in cooking. Not my idea of wholesome holiday cooking but it is a tool some old birds need. The real trick here is to baste with fat. If you baste with the pan juice, you will essentially rinse the fat from the meat. Just what you do not want to do. The best technique is to brush with melted butter and even take it to another level by flavoring the butter with lots of fresh herbs. The pan juices will benefit and you can separate the fat from the juice as the turkey rests for an hour prior to carving.
A fresh capon is the height of poultry. This gender neutral bird develops naturally into lusciously fatty flightless fowl. If you have the availability of fresh capons, I could not recommend them more
If you are really freaking a bit about your kitchen chores forthcoming and have a question, please email at Foodiedaddy@gmail.com. I’ll walk you through it.
Cheers!
FRESH AND EASY CRANBERRY SAUCE
So fast. So easy. And so perfect for everyone at the table. Diabetics included!
Take one bag of whole fresh cranberries and one large can of frozen White Grape juice. Combine in a saucepan and simmer with a cover for 20 minutes. Remove cover and reduce liquid by half. Done! Refrigerate. Relax. It’s a holiday.
The Secret of the "5" Spice
If we skip to the end, we see that there is no secret at all. It's a matter of differences. Take a look at the ingredients of pumpkin spice versus chinese 5 spice.
Pumpkin Spice:
cinnamon, cloves, ginger, nutmeg, allspice
Chinese Five Spice:
cinnamon, clove, ginger, fennel, anise
If you disregard the common ingredients and focus on the differences, we'll notice that the 5 spice is a bit bolder and aromatic with the fennel and anise components. The secret is in the use. Let's substitute our familiar pumpkin spice with Chinese 5 spice in some recipes. We're shooting for fast and easy here.
5 SPICE PUMPKIN BISQUE
6 oz Pumpkin Puree
8 oz Water or Stock
2 oz Heavy Cream
2t. Chinese Five Spice
Salt and Pepper to taste
In a heavy pot, combine all ingredients and bring to a simmer. Adjust seasoning. Yield - 2 -8oz servings. Take it up a notch or two by adding crab meat or grilled shrimp! Garnish with a drizzle and drops of heavy cream.
5 SPICE PUMPKIN PIE
4 oz Pumpkin Puree
8 oz Heavy Cream - whipped
1T. Sugar
1 box Jello Pudding Mix, Vanilla
2t. Chinese Five Spice
1 pinch of salt
1 Ready Made Pie Shell
Combine and mix all ingredients in a bowl until well incorporated. Fill pie shell and refrigerate. Top with whipped cream before service!
Now THAT is fast.
See a cost breakdown of these recipes.
Enjoy your holiday!
