It's best to use a
small-medium turkey (I like 15 pounds). One turkey fits in my very large canning
pot, but you can also use any other large receptacle such as a large
heavy-duty plastic resealable bag or a large baking bag (that you, of course,
won't use again). If you have an especially large group, you might consider
cooking two small turkeys rather than one large one. Perhaps brine one of them,
but not the other.
You have to keep
the turkey chilled throughout the brining period. Here in Colorado, it's usually
cold enough to keep the brining turkey on the back porch but in warmer climates
you'll need room in your refrigerator. I like to keep the turkey in the brine
for at least 24 hours or at least overnight.
You may not believe this, but for 35 years I've
always cooked a moist and beautifully browned turkey. I think the reason is that
I use an old, dome lidded, enamel-covered steel roasting pan. My parents scoured
garage sales and auctions to find one for each of their children so we
would be "properly" equipped to roast a turkey. I wouldn't part with that
roasting pan for anything.
After the big holiday meal, we eat leftover turkey
for a couple of days. Then, I remove the meat from the bones and freeze it. I
use the bones to make a delicious turkey broth that I freeze in two-cup
containers.
Stuffing
I know it's a matter of personal taste, but after much experimentation I find
that I prefer a stuffing more like bread pudding than the dry, crusty variety.
To achieve this more moist stuffing I first dry the bread cubes by leaving them
out overnight or bake n a low-temp oven until dry. Drying the bread allows it to
soak up more of the flavorful liquid. I bake the stuffing (I guess it's
technically dressing because I don't stuff the turkey) in a 13 x 9-inch
casserole with enough liquid to totally immerse the bread cubes. I use
eggs and milk in the mixture so the bread puffs up a bit and browns nice
and crusty on top, yet underneath it's very soft.
Pie
Pumpkin pie is a necessity at holiday time.
You'll find a really great pie crust in all of my books published after 2004. It
rolls out like a dream and doesn't fall apart. I know you'll love it.
The basic recipes for turkey, stuffing, and pie can be found in my latest cookbook,
Cooking Free
(Avery, 2005). If you need quick help, you can download my e-booklets right away
for $6.95 at my web site. There are three: 1) Gluten-Free Baking; 2 ) Dairy-Free
Cooking, and 3) Egg-Free Baking.
Gluten-Free Magazines as Christmas Gifts
If you don't already subscribe to a gluten-free
magazine, you should. They keep you up-to-date on the latest in gluten-free
diets, but they're also fun and make great gifts.
Two magazines that you'll find in health food
stores are Gluten-Free Living (www.glutenfreeliving.com) and Living Without (www.livingwithout.com)
Scott-Free is available in paper or online at
www.celiac.com. GlutenFreeda is a lovely, full-color on-line magazine at
www.glutenfreeda.com. Look for my
article on the role of beans in the gluten-free diet in the November issue.
Dining Out Gets Easier
Check out the new "Let's Eat
Out" book from
Allergy Passport at (www.glutenfreepassport.com)
It is a book that review
different types of American
and ethnic cuisines with
helpful translations of key
menu phrases. There also
little "mini-guides" for
each cuisine to carry with
you while traveling to help
you avoid the top ten food
allergens.
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