It's been many years since I last cooked a turkey. I bought my fresh 15 lb. turkey and when I looked for the gizzards, they were MIA....I only found the neck; could they have forgotten to include them. My first of several calls went to my friend Cindy. She told me they were located at the other end.... after performing exploratory anoscopy, I found the gizzards.
I cooked the turkey face down as suggested by my other friend Sandi. Her son always cooked his turkey that way so all the fat would settle in the breast therefore making it juicy. I decided to do it that way after stuffing a mixture of butter and fresh herbs into the skin. After 2 hours and more consultations with Sandi, we both decided to flip the turkey (not an easy task). To make the long story short, the turkey turned out good but not great. I think this turkey was in great shape; not enough fat! Oh well.....
I had mashed potatoes cooked with butter, whipping cream and some feta cheese. I also made a wild rice stuffing with mushrooms, onions and sausage which I cooked separately. For vegetables, I made a maple-ginger-roasted mixed vegetables with pecans. This dish was very colorful and I must say it tasted as good as it looked.
For dessert, I had ordered a bread pudding from L'Amande Bakery with salted caramel sauce. I sprinkled a bit of sugar and put it under the broiler and when I checked on it, the pudding was literally on fire! It was now bread pudding flambe. Luckily, only a small portion was burnt and I mean black as coal. I didn't want to waste it so I had part of the burnt portion. I drizzled some salted caramel sauce; o.k. it was more than a drizzle... I figured I deserved more sauce.....took a bite and you won't believe what transpired. The crunchy burnt top which was a bit bitter was incredibly delicious with the salted caramel sauce. Gary, my brother had 2 servings and he claimed that he normally does not like bread pudding. The picture I took of the bread pudding was before it went to hell.
I had forgotten how much work is involved in preparing a turkey but I must say it was worth it. Everyone seemed to have a good time.
Next year is another story.
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