Thanksgiving Countdown: Talkin’ Turkey and Compound Butter

I hear it every year:

“How do you keep your turkey so juicy?”

For a long time I used to explain my cooking process until eyes glazed over and the smile-and-nod reflexes would kick in.  So, now my response is, “I don’t cook the **** out of it.”

An overcooked turkey is a dry turkey–if you put it in a bag, or roast it upside down, or dance voodoo chants while it’s in the oven–it won’t matter if that turkey is in the oven for hours upon hours.  One of the best ways to guarantee a moister turkey is roasting with a high heat method and keeping that bird in the oven just long enough to get the thigh temperature to 161 °.  Sure, there’s always brining, and I have no beef with that process; in fact, I will brine turkeys when I’m smoking one.  However, I think there’s a few drawbacks to brining turkey, and I prefer doing a more traditional roast.  So, these are my tips on doing a traditionally roasted turkey that doesn’t turn to sawdust:

• Buy a digital meat thermometer, preferably one that has a long ovenproof probe that you can keep in the bird while it’s in the oven.  Stick that probe deep in the thigh, as that’s where you’re going to test for readiness.
• High Heat Roasting:  heat that oven at 500° (yes, really) and once you put your bird in the oven, close the door and set the timer for 30 minutes.  At 30 minutes, turn the heat down to 400, and don’t be tempted to open the oven door.  Keep it closed unless you’re seeing the breast getting too dark–go ahead and cover the breast with foil if that’s happening.
• Pull the bird from the oven when the thigh reaches 161°.  Poultry is cooked at 165°; when you pull the bird out a few degrees early, the carryover cooking that happens while the turkey rests will bring it up to temperature.
• Let it rest!  Loosely cover the bird with foil so it has a chance to finish cooking.  Give at least 20 minutes to smaller birds (under 13 pounds), 30 minutes to the bigger ones.  This gives the turkey a chance to finish cooking and for the juices in the meat to redistribute.  Cutting it straight out of the oven releases too many juices and will dry out the meat.
• Don’t stuff it!  Put a few things in it for seasoning such as half an onion, a few sprigs of herbs, a quarter of a lemon.  But, a stuffed turkey means you have to make sure that stuffing also reaches 165°, and that can add more cooking time (which is exactly what we’re trying to avoid).
• I put butter under the skin of the breast; it’s a great way to add a little extra fat and flavor to the breast.  Using a compound butter–butter blended with seasonings and herbs–is easy and can be done well ahead of time.

Compound butter is one of those nifty little condiments you can make and use to add tons of flavor with little effort.  The big granddaddy of compound butters is Maître d’Hôtel butter; a little fresh herbs, some lemon, and a bit of salt and pepper make a butter worth serving on hot steaks in fancy joints.  I’ve seen all kinds of compound butters popping up all over the place–from the basic lemon-herb to port-dried-cherry-bacon to chipotle-garlic.  Let me show you how easy it is to make, and I’ll let you and your imagination go from there.  Ready?

To start, have two sticks (1/2 cup) of butter, softened.  Add your ingredients into a bowl:

With this batch, I’ve focused on the flavors I prefer with turkey–parsley, sage, thyme, marjoram, and savory.  As a general ratio, expect to put about 1/4 cup of herbs to 1 stick of butter.  Also in the bowl is the zest and juice of one lemon.  I gave all of this a good beating using the paddle attachment in the KitchenAid mixer.

Plop all of that right in the middle of some parchment or waxed paper:

Fold the paper over and using your hands, push the butter into a log shape:

Roll the log in some plastic wrap and twist the ends to shape and press the butter into a firm cylinder:

Refrigerate or freeze butter (this can be frozen for up to several months, so make extra and save for another dish in the future) and slice as needed:

See those little slices?  They’re perfect for sliding right under the skin of the breast, where they’ll melt and season the meat as it roasts.   Wasn’t that easy?

Are you ready for Thanksgiving?  How do you like to cook your turkey?

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When Perseverance Pays Off: Spoon Cookies

I remember tearing out this recipe from the December 2005 Gourmet, because I liked the idea of these–browned butter shortbread?  What’s not to love about that?  I never got around to making them because Kiddo was still a babe in arms and our house was being renovated–there was no way I could get my holiday baking jones on that year.  It was put off until the next year, when I was back working and had an excuse to make a platter of cookies to bring into the office. 

I wish the original blurb written by Celia Barbour that came with the recipe (my torn page is long gone) was on the Epicurious website, because I recall her feelings about these cookies–how frustrating it would be to make these deceptively simple cookies, but how wonderful these cookies were, especially after they sat for a few days.    I’m not going to lie:  the dough comes together in a cinch, but it’s the shaping of the cookies that will cause you mutter under your breath the entire time.  You’ll be tempted to add some cream or an egg to the dough, to force it to hold together, but the texture that makes these cookies so entirely scrumptious will be compromised.  The dough is rather sandy, and it takes a bit of time and letting it soften a bit in the warmth of your hand while pressing it into the spoon.  It’s a time consuming process, that’s for sure.

Not only that–GET THIS:  you have to wait after baking and assembling them, if you want the best cookie experience.  Go ahead, eat a few the day they’re baked, but put the rest into an air-tight container and let them sit for at least 3 days.  Don’t even peek.  Then, have one, and see the difference–it’s rich and melty and nutty, and then it’s like childbirth, where you kind of forget about all that hard labor because what you’ve created is rather miraculous and doing it all over again doesn’t sound that bad.

And that’s why, since 2006, I’ve made these cookies every year.  But never more than a double batch–I’m not that crazy. 

Spoon Cookies

Gourmet  | December 2005  ◊  Adapted from Celia Barbour

2 sticks (1 cup) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

3/4 cup sugar

2 teaspoons vanilla

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt, slightly rounded

1/3 cup fruit preserves (your choice)

Special equipment: a deep-bowled teaspoon (not a measuring spoon)

Make dough:
Fill kitchen sink with about 2 inches of cold water. Melt butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until butter turns golden with a nutlike fragrance and flecks on bottom of pan turn a rich caramel brown, 10 to 12 minutes. (Butter will initially foam, then dissipate. A thicker foam will appear and cover the surface just before butter begins to brown; stir more frequently toward end of cooking.) Place pan in sink to stop cooking, then cool, stirring frequently, until butter starts to look opaque, about 4 minutes. Remove pan from sink and stir in sugar and vanilla.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, and salt in a small bowl and stir into butter mixture until a dough forms. Shape into a ball, wrap with plastic wrap, and let stand at cool room temperature 1 to 2 hours (to allow flavors to develop).

Form and bake cookies:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 325°F.

Press a piece of dough into bowl of teaspoon, flattening top, then slide out and place, flat side down, on an ungreased baking sheet. (Dough will feel crumbly, but will become cohesive when pressed.) Continue forming cookies and arranging on sheet. Bake cookies until just pale golden, 8 to 15 minutes. Cool cookies on sheet on a rack 5 minutes, then transfer cookies to rack and cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Assemble cookies:
While cookies cool, heat preserves in a small saucepan over low heat until just runny, then pour through a sieve into a small bowl, pressing hard on solids, and cool completely.

Spread the flat side of a cookie with a thin layer of preserves. Sandwich with flat side of another cookie. Continue with remaining cookies and preserves, then let stand until set, about 45 minutes. Transfer cookies to an airtight container and wait 2 days before eating.

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