Dayrecipe Food Community

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325°F. Cut corn bread into 3/4-inch cubes. Place corn bread cubes on baking sheet and toast until dry but not hard, about 15 minutes. Cool. Transfer to large bowl.

Butter 8×8x2-inch baking dish. Cook bacon in heavy large skillet over medium-high heat until crisp, about 6 minutes. Using tongs, transfer bacon to paper towels; reserve 1/4 cup bacon drippings in skillet. Cool bacon and crumble.

Add butter to bacon drippings in skillet and melt over medium-high heat. Add onions, celery and shallots; sauté just until pale golden brown, about 10 minutes. Stir in sage and thyme. Add to corn bread cubes in bowl. Mix in pecans and crumbled bacon. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Stir 1 1/2 cups chicken broth into stuffing. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix in eggs. Reserve 9 cups stuffing for turkey. Moisten remaining stuffing with remaining 1/2 cup chicken broth. Transfer to prepared dish. Bake stuffing in covered dish alongside turkey for 1 hour. Uncover stuffing and bake until top begins to crisp, about 5 minutes longer.

DIRECTIONS

For turkey:
Combine 4 quarts water and 1 cup coarse salt in very large bowl. Let stand until salt dissolves, whisking occasionally, about 10 minutes. Place turkey in salted water, turning to coat. Let turkey stand at room temperature 2 hours, turning occasionally. Rinse turkey and pat dry with paper towels. Place turkey on rack set in large roasting pan. Tuck wings under turkey body.

Position oven rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 325°F. Whisk butter, orange juice, lemon juice, thyme, orange peel, lemon peel, 3/4 teaspoon salt and pepper in medium bowl until well blended. Rub 1/4 cup thyme butter inside turkey. Spoon stuffing loosely into main cavity and neck cavity. Generously rub remaining thyme butter over turkey. Tie legs together loosely to hold shape of turkey.

Roast turkey until golden, basting occasionally with pan drippings, about 2 hours. Cover entire turkey loosely with heavy-duty foil and roast until meat thermometer inserted into innermost part of thigh registers 180°F or until juices run clear when thickest part of thigh is pierced with skewer, basting occasionally with pan juices, about 11/2 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter. Tent turkey with foil and let stand while preparing gravy.

For gravy:
Strain pan juices from roasting pan into large glass measuring cup. Spoon fat off top of pan juices. Pour juices and Giblet Broth into heavy medium saucepan. Boil broth mixture until reduced to 3 cups, about 10 minutes.

Melt butter in heavy large saucepan over medium heat. Add flour; cook until golden brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Whisk in reduced broth mixture. Simmer until gravy thickens, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add reserved chopped neck meat and giblets, eggs and brandy; simmer 5 minutes longer. Transfer to bowl. Serve gravy with turkey.

For Giblet Broth:
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add neck and giblets; sauté until brown, about 10 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer neck and giblets to plate. Add carrots, onion and celery to pot. Sauté until vegetables brown, about 10 minutes. Add water, wine, neck and giblets to vegetables; bring to boil.

Add all remaining ingredients to pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; partially cover and simmer until giblets are very tender, about 11/2 hours. Using slotted spoon, transfer neck and giblets to plate. Cool. Carefully remove all meat from turkey neck. Chop neck meat and giblets; reserve for gravy. Strain broth into bowl, pressing on solids. (Broth and giblets can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately and chill.) Makes about 3 1/2 cups.

DIRECTIONS

Stir vinegar and salt in medium bowl until salt dissolves. Mix in green onions, shallots, garlic and black pepper. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. Season to taste with additional salt, if desired. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover and refrigerate.) Stir parsley into vinegar mixture.

Line platter with crushed ice. Arrange oysters atop ice. Spoon 1 teaspoon vinegar mixture over each oyster. Transfer remaining vinegar mixture to small bowl. Serve oysters with lemon wedges and remaining vinegar mixture.

DIRECTIONS

For crust:
Blend flour and salt in processor. Add shortening and butter and cut in using several on/off turns. Add cheese and cut in until shortening and butter resemble small peas. With machine running, gradually blend in enough water until soft moist clumps form. Gather dough into ball; flatten into disk. Wrap in plastic and chill at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

For fruit:
Mix apples, raisins, brown sugar, 1/3 cup sugar, flour, lemon juice and spices in large bowl. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400°F. Remove dough from refrigerator and let stand 15 minutes. Spoon fruit and any accumulated juices into 13×9-inch oval baking dish. Dot fruit with 3 tablespoons butter.

Roll out dough on floured surface to oval about 1/2 inch larger than baking dish. Fold in 1/2 inch of edge to form double-thick border; crimp. Cut out 1-inch-wide hole from center of crust. Using tart pan bottom as aid, lift dough and place atop fruit. Tuck in dough around edges.

Bake pie 15 minutes. Brush crust with egg glaze. Top with 2 teaspoons sugar. Reduce oven temperature to 375°F. Bake pastry until golden, about 35 minutes. Cool on rack 15 minutes. Serve warm.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut two 3/4-inch-thick slices from center of each acorn squash for a total of 8 slices (reserve ends of squash for another use). Scoop out seeds and fibers from center slices and discard. Arrange squash rings in single layer in 15×10x2-inch baking dish.

Melt butter in heavy medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; sauté until tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to large bowl; cool. Mix in sausage, breadcrumbs, broth, pepper and salt. Mound sausage mixture in center of squash rings, using about 1/3 cup for each. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover and refrigerate.)

Brush sausage and squash with half of molasses. Bake 15 minutes. Brush with remaining molasses and bake until squash are tender and sausage is cooked through, about 25 minutes.