Thanksgiving dinner help (Canada Oct 9th)

[erinyyc]

My husband and I have no family in town this year, but I would still like to do a turkey dinner with all the fixings. I was thinking of a stuffed turkey breast but cannot find a recipe anywhere! My hubby likes ham, but I am not a fan. Can anyone help? Also, does anyone have a good basic pumpkin pie recipe? All the ones I have found are so drastically different. Pastry crust or crumb crust? Eggs or no eggs? Canned pumpkin recipes only please. This is my 1st thanksgiving dinner I've cooked alone and don't want anything to tough. Thanks for any replys!!P.S. Any side dishes would also be greatly appreciated. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[MrsReber]

Erin, sounds like fun. I always want to cook Thanksgiving dinner, but we couldn't fit everyone in our house! Well, oddly enough, I find that when I buy canned pumpkin, I usually use the recipe on the label. I have never had a problem. I just use the fat free condensed milk instead of regular to cut back. I just made a pumpkin pie last weekend, as a matter of fact. I used a pastry crust, but I really prefer a graham cracker one. Sorry, I can't help with the stuffed turkey breast.

[MaryGrace]

I use premade graham cracker crusts - they have a good rich flavor and less fat than a flour crust. The Libby's recipe on the Libby's pumpkin can is good. (Also I use Fanny Farmer Cookbook sometimes, just for a change) Use fat-free evaporated milk. The pies will keep well so you can do it 1-2, even 3 days in advance. Just be sure to line the crust with raw egg white - put an egg white in the crust and swirl it around gently to ccover all areas, then bake 5 min at 400 - 450. This sort of seals the crust.

[venus]

I've made a roasted turkey breast several times but I've never heard of a stuffed one. I think your best bet would be to rub the turkey with some sort of spices and roast it as you would any poultry and cook the stuffing on the side. You can still make gravy with the turkey drippings and the stuffing should still be good. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[sneezles]

Have used both the Libby recipe and the Fanny Farmer and I think both are great. I really cheat if I'm doing the whole dinner and use the Pillsbury ready to use pie crusts in the refrigerator section. I ahve also stuffed a turkey breast with the same dressing I use in a whole turkey but bake it in a La Cloche baker that I bought at Williams Sonoma about ten years ago. This year I want to try one of the rutabega recipes form CL on-line.

[erinyyc]

To venus, thanks for the reply. I once, a long time ago, saw on the cover of a magazine a stuffed turkey breast. It was butterflyed (spelling?), stuffed with spinach, ricotta cheese, pine nuts and herbs. It was then folded back over and tied firmly. I was thinking I could stuff it with bread or wild rice stuffing instead and make extra stuffing in a casserole dish. If I don't receive any tips I will just do as you suggest. Any help with how long to cook it un-stuffed? Bone in & boneless? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gifP.S. The spinach stuffed turkey was boneless.

[mightyh]

Here's a recipe for stuffed turkey breast, though it's not the one you were looking for. Maybe you can improvise from here?

STUFFED TURKEY ALLA LOMBARDA
Recipe Courtesy of Mario Batali
1/2 boneless breast of turkey
4 tablespoons butter plus 2 tablespoons
2 ounces prosciutto
1 cup roasted chestnut pieces
4 ounces turkey giblets, chopped into 1/4-inch dice
1 medium Spanish onion, chopped
1/2 pound luganega sausage, cooked half in oven and thinly sliced
1/2 cup grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 eggs
1/4 pound ham, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary leaves
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage leaves
1 cup white wine
1 cup chicken stock
2 tablespoons flour

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Butterfly open turkey breast to 1/2-inch consistent thickness, skin on (or have your butcher do this for you). In a 10-inch to 12-inch saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat until foam subsides. Add prosciutto, chestnuts, turkey giblets and onion and cook until onion is golden brown, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool. Add cool luganega sausage, grated cheese and eggs and mix well.

Stuff turkey by laying mixture all over flesh and then roll up like a jelly roll. Stuff ham under skin and tie entire roast several times with butcher twine. Place roasting pan just large enough to hold it and rub with sage and rosemary. Pour stock and wine into pan and place in oven. Roast 50 to 70 minutes, or until internal temperature is 165 degrees F. Remove from oven and remove turkey to carving board and allow to rest 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, degrease liquid in pan, preferably with a degreasing cup with a spout starting at the base. Place liquid in a small pan and bring to boil. Knead remaining 2 tablespoons butter with 2 tablespoons flour to form paste and whisk it in, bit by bit, until slightly thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Carve turkey into 3/4-inch slices and serve with sauce and perhaps some sauteed apples.

Yield: 4 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cooking Time: 1 hours 10 minutes

[Gail]

Although I don't have a "stuffed" turkey breast recipe per se, I, like "Aphrodite" see no reason why you can't roast your turkey breast and cook the your favorite stuffing separately, basting occasionally the turkey breast's juices.

Here's a recipe I had occasion to make several years back when my kid came up sick on Thanksgiving, and we were forced to do some last-minute improvosations. Just about any stuffing would work with it:

ROAST TURKEY BREAST WITH SAGE AND THYME

1 3 pound turkey breast half with skin and bones
1 large onion, quartered
1 large carrot, quartered
20 fresh sage leaves or 1 teaspoon dried
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Salt
Freshly gound pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine
3/4 cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon potato starch or cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage or 1 teaspoon dried
1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Place turkey breast in roasting pan along with onion and carrot. SLip about 10 fresh sage leaves (not dried sage) under turkey skin. Rub turkey with oil. Sprinkle with thyme and dried sage, if using. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Place remaining sage leaves in pan under turkey.

Roast turkey at 400 degrees 15 minutes. Baste with pan juices. Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees and roast turkey, basting every 20 minutes, about 1 1/3 hours or until meat thermometer or instant-read thermometer inserted in thick part of meat, not touching bone, registers 170 degrees. (Gail note: I found 170 a bit much. I'd try around 160 or 165.)

Remove turkey to board, leaving vegetables in pan. Cover turkey. Skim fat from pan juices. Add wine and bring to simmer, scraping browned juices into wine. Pour liquid with vegetables into saucepan. Add broth and simmer 2 or 3 minutes. Strain into bowl and return to saucepan. Bring to simmer. Stir potato starch mixture and whisk into simmering broth. SImmer 1 to 2 minutes until thickened. Stir in chopped sage and parsley. Add juices from turkey board. Adjust seasonings to taste. Cut turkey into thin slices serve with sauce. Makes 4 servings.

(From: L.A. Times)
--

I've also got a Moroccan-style roast turkey breast with cumin and peppers and an accompanying aromatic rice stuffing with pistachios, almonds and raisins, if you feel exotic...

Last Thanksgiving, I made this side dish and although I'd probably slightly undercut the number of mushrooms next time, it was still very good.

BROCCOLI WITH WILD MUSHROOMS

8 to 10 servings

2/3 ounce dried porcini mushrooms
1 cup hot water
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, thinly sliced
2/3 cup chopped shallots
2 1/2 pounds broccoli, cut into florets

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

Place porcini in medium bowl. Pour 1 cup hot water over. Cover; let stand until softened, about 30 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer porcini to work surface. Chop porcini. Pour soaking liquid through strainer lined with wet paper towel and set over small bowl; reserve liquid.

Heat oil in heavy large skilliet over medium-high heat. Add shiitake mushrooms; sauté until tnder and beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Add shallots; sauté 2 minutes. Add porcini. Pour in reserved cooking liquid. Boil until almost all liquid evaporates, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to bowl.

Cook broccoli in pot of boiling salted water until just ender, about 2 minutes. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water; cool. Drain. (Mushrooms and broccoli can be made 1 day ahead. Cover separately; chill.)

Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and broccoli; sauté until heated through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

(From: Bon Appétit)

Afraid I'm no help on the pie-- I'm a sweet potato pie enthusiast. The pie recipe on the Libby's can is a good basic and easy recipe, although I personally add a bit more spice than recommended. Most people, I think, tend to go with a basic pastry crust. (Just for the record though, the best sweet potato pie I know of-- Womack's if there are any Tahoe people out there-- uses a graham cracker crust and it works great!)

Good luck on your meal!

[Kristilyn1]

Last November CL did a fabulous thanksgiving meal-- I loved it.

It had--let's see-- a really good sage and sausage (very light on the sausage) stuffing, roasted mashed potatos with leeks, a rutabaga--turnip au gratin casserole "thing" and some rolls and a couple of other dishes that I did not do. Can anyone help me out with the actual names fo the recipes--they really were good and a couple of the recipes were make ahead......

Kristi

[Teresa]

I have made the pie recipe from the ED Smith canned Pure Pumpkin and it is excellent. You can make two pies with the big can and freeze one of them.

[laden]

The CL 5-star cookbook has a recipe called Curried Turkey Ballottine (pg 118). It's a turkey breast, flattened, rolled and filled with raisins, apricots, onion, bell peppers, couscous, celery and spices.

Looks very good. I've never made it and would be interested in hearing from someone who has.

[venus]

I was thinking bone-in turkey breast. I'm sure if you did a butterflied turkey breast that was rolled and stuffed it would work out great! I'm not sure how you would roast it--I imagine you could do Mrs. Reber's recipe with any kind of stuffing.

I roast turkey breasts according to the directions in "The Joy of Cooking." It's fairly simple, something like 425 for 15 minutes and then 375 for an hour or so, until the juices run through when you slices down to the bone in the thickest part. I basically do it the same as a 3 pound chicken. Thyme is soooo good with turkey. I like to stud the turkey with slivers of garlic. Then I melt butter with a touch of fresh ground pepper and fresh thyme (about a tablespoon or so, depending on the size) and use that to baste the turkey.

I buy these whenever I see them at the store (every few months). The boy and I eat turkey sandwiches for days and it is delicious!

[Stacey Strawn]

Let me get dessert.....

Pumpkin-Maple Pie

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: 1999 ISSUE: November PAGE: 113

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
Crust:
1 cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup chilled butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
3-1/2 tablespoons ice water
Cooking spray
Filling:
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 large eggs
1 cup evaporated fat-free milk
1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin

INSTRUCTIONS:
We've made our pumpkin pie even richer by adding maple syrup.

1. To prepare crust, lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup;
level with a knife. Combine the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt
in a bowl; cut in butter with a pastry blender or 2 knives until
mixture resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle surface with ice water, 1
tablespoon at a time; toss with a fork until moist and crumbly (do
not form a ball).

2. Press mixture gently into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic
wrap; cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll dough, still covered,
to a 12-inch circle. Freeze 10 minutes or until plastic wrap can be
easily removed.

3. Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate
coated with cooking spray. Remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold
edges under; flute.

4. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

5. To prepare filling, beat 1/2 cup sugar and next 5 ingredients (1/2
cup sugar through eggs) at medium speed of a mixer until
well-blended. Add milk and pumpkin; beat well. Pour into prepared
crust. Bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes. Reduce oven temperature to
350 degrees (do not remove pie from oven); bake an additional 50
minutes or until set. Cool on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings (serving
size: 1 wedge).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 267 (25% from fat); FAT 7.5g (sat 4.1g, mono 2.2g, poly
0.5g); PROTEIN 6.3g; CARB 44.5g; FIBER 2.6g; CHOL 72mg; IRON 2mg;
SODIUM 152mg; CALC 129mg

Recipe Copyright © Cooking Light Magazine

Pumpkin-Praline Pie

SOURCE: Cooking Light YEAR: 1995 ISSUE: Nov/Dec PAGE: 144

INGREDIENTS FOR 8 SERVINGS:
1 cup all-purpose flour, divided
3-1/2 tablespoons ice water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons vegetable shortening
Vegetable cooking spray
1-3/4 cups unsweetened canned pumpkin
1 cup 2% low-fat milk
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons maple syrup
2 tablespoons bourbon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
2 egg whites, lightly beaten
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1-1/2 teaspoons dark corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

INSTRUCTIONS:
The somewhat long ingredient list contains spices that are in most
cooks' pantries. Because this pie is so festive, why not double the
recipe and make two -- one to give as a holiday gift.

Combine 1/4 cup flour and ice water, stirring with a wire whisk until
well-blended; set aside. Combine remaining 3/4 cup flour, sugar, and
1/4 teaspoon salt in a bowl; cut in shortening with a pastry blender
or 2 knives until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add ice water
mixture; mix with a fork until dry ingredients are moistened. Gently
press mixture into a 4-inch circle on heavy-duty plastic wrap, and
cover with additional plastic wrap. Roll the dough, still covered,
into an 11-inch circle, and chill for 10 minutes or until the plastic
wrap can be easily removed.

Remove 1 sheet of plastic wrap; fit dough into a 9-inch pie plate
coated with cooking spray, and remove top sheet of plastic wrap. Fold
edges under, and flute; ***** bottom and sides of dough with a fork.
Bake at 400 degrees for 15 minutes; let cool on a wire rack.

Combine pumpkin and the next 13 ingredients (pumpkin through egg) in
a bowl, and stir well with a wire whisk. Pour into prepared crust;
bake at 400 degrees for 40 minutes.

Combine the pecans, 1/4 cup brown sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, and stir well. Sprinkle pecan mixture over pie, and bake an additional 15 minutes or until filling is set (shield the edges of piecrust with aluminum foil, if necessary). Let cool completely on a wire rack. Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 wedge).

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION:
CALORIES 292 (28% from fat); PROTEIN 5.4g; FAT 9g (sat 2.1g, mono 3.7g, poly 2.6g); CARB 46.3g; FIBER 3.1g; CHOL 30mg; IRON 2.4mg;
SODIUM 270mg; CALC 89mg

[Beth]

If you have access to The Way to Cook by Julia Child, she has detailed instructions (including boning the turkey breast through carving and serving) for boned stuffed and roasted turkey breast (pp172-3). She has several stuffing variations, but you could improvise, just try to get the quantity and consistency similar.

If you like cranberry sauce and can get fresh cranberries, make your own sauce. It is so much better than canned, if you like flavor, that is.