Holiday dinner, turkey and all, made easy

Special holiday fare

By Bonner Joy

I learned long ago from my friend and chef Augie Mrozowski — now retired from a very successful restaurant career at Cafe L’Europe on St. Armands Circle and Augie’s Front Burner in downtown Springfield, Illinois — how to cook a turkey like the pros — moist, tender, delicious and easy.

We cook the bird breast down at 400 Fahrenheit and only turn it over at the end for about 10 minutes to brown the top. (No stuffing.) Before the turkey goes in, the pan is lined with discards — potato and carrot peels, onion skins and celery tops and ends — and the bird is dusted liberally (inside and out) with salt and both white and fresh-ground black pepper. The turkey juice simmers with the veggies, which later is strained and poured off for a delicious gravy.

But don’t overcook the bird. Use a meat thermometer if you must, check it often and you’ll enjoy some very moist, delicious turkey. A big 25-pound turkey should only have to cook about two and a half hours.

Granny’s Turkey Dressing

And Granny’s Turkey Dressing can really make the meal special. This “stuffing” recipe originated with my stepfather’s mother. I have to wonder why we don’t have it more than once a year — it’s soooo simple.

Here’s how I do it. In a disposable, foil roaster pan, mix two bags of seasoned, cubed stuffing mix with one bag of crunchy corn bread stuffing mix. You can use dried bread, but you’ll need to compensate with added poultry herb mix. Stir in one large chopped onion and a large head of celery chopped. (Do not saute the onions.) Brown 1 pound each hamburger and breakfast sausage and mix into the roasting pan. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning (premixed spice) salt and white pepper. While you’re doing all this, you should have been boiling the turkey giblets. Pour the giblet au jus plus some au jus from the turkey or store-bought turkey stock over the dressing to moisten — not too wet, just to thicken and moisten the breading. Add some of the giblets, finely chopped. (And be sure to save some giblets for your gravy.)

This dressing can go in the oven when the turkey comes out, as it only takes a short time to cook — mostly to brown the top. I usually brown it, stir it and brown again a few times. And since the turkey is out and being carved, quickly de-bone and chop up the crispy wing meat and browned skin and stir it into the dressing while it’s cooking in the oven.

Smooth gravy every time

Next step, the turkey should be cooling before you slice, so you can put the big roasting pan on the stove top at medium heat, add a cup of broth or water or two and stir, stir, stir. Remove the vegetable scraps that cooked with the turkey and you’ve got a rich au jus to make gravy. To finish — no lumps, guaranteed — mix three to four tablespoons of soft butter (not melted) with the same amount of flour. Mix until smooth and spoon into the simmering au jus. Stir until thickened (add more flour-butter mix — it’s called roux) as needed.

Florida cranberry relish

The cranberry relish is my recipe. It’s all done in the blender or food processor. (Friends know I do things the easy way whenever possible.) Dump in one large bag of cranberries, add sections from one peeled Florida orange, a quart of fresh strawberries (if frozen, be sure to get the whole ones with no added sugar or water). Then chop, chop, chop coarse. Pour in about 10 packets of sweetener — your choice — to taste. Of course, you can use sugar, but I never do.

Another thing I never do is measure. Blend, chop, whir it all up and then mix in chunky chopped pecans and crispy, tiny bits of chopped celery. Finish with some orange zest. More strawberries? More better.
My son Damon loved this recipe so much that he adapted it his restaurant and shared it readily.

It makes a lot of relish but it freezes well and you can use it up at Christmas or with a yummy pork roast. (And if you’re invited out to dinner, offer to bring the cranberry relish.)

For holiday dessert tips with Drambuie, Kahlua and bourbon, go to “turkey recipes” at islander.org.

More tips, dessert

Our family dinner focuses on the favorites now after years of too much food. We limit the menu to turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy and asparagus and rolls, but who needs more?

Well, you need desserts, of course.

I used to experiment with old, familiar dessert recipes with Augie’s wife, the baker in the family, adding liqueurs to pies and cakes. You can create a delicious chocolate pecan pie — just add chunks to the mix, which then melt and settle deliciously to the bottom when it’s baked. Or add chocolate liqueur or bourbon — or both — to a regular pecan pie recipe for a warm, yummy result. Kahlua works well in pumpkin or banana bread as a substitute for corn syrup. My family always liked to nibble on those breads before dinner.

I gave up cooking pumpkin pie when I discovered the desserts at Harry’s Continental Kitchens deli, where you can buy the whole pumpkin pie or a slice to go. Harry’s secret ingredient is Drambuie. (Sorry, Harry, but even with the ingredients, no one can make it like you do.) And if you like your pie the old-fashioned way, try mixing some fun (liqueurs) into the whipped topping — made from scratch, of course.

I even have a few tips for whipping cream. Buy heavy cream or whipping cream. Chill the bowl and utensils, and whip the cream before adding vanilla bean or extract and powdered sugar to taste as you whip — blender or old-style mixer.

I hope your holiday is a wonderful one.

My holiday will be early this year — done and done before you read this. And it’s going to be turkey sandwiches this year. More lean than past years.

What more could a person wish for?

I wish you a great holiday with family and friends, and, please, visit the beach while the bird is cooking.

And, remember not to overcook your bird.