T-Day minus one

2011 Thanksgiving Dinner Preparations, the day before

[photos and updates to follow]

Thanksgiving meals always make me laugh, just a little.  I am not uncommon in my experience of the disproportionate ratio of preparation effort to actual dining time.  So much goes into planning, plotting the menu, changing up the recipes, trying new techniques, omitting what hadn't worked in prior attempts.  Then, there is the setting of the table, the centerpiece, the cleaning and clearing and having the house so that stacks on the counters, every nook and crevice don't drive me crazy from distraction.  Messy house is a messy mind?  Well, I'm ill-kept much of the time then, but at least at the holidays, that little extra effort to have the house in order lets the focus be entirely on the people within it!

My To Do list on the write-on wipe-off board has been getting items ticked off as the day has progressed.  The new wardrobe in the living room was assembled by JJ this morning, and the piles of coats by the front door now have a tidy home.  The Dining Room no longer looks like I've hired an organizational consultant who has used the room as a staging area for the rest of the house.  There are a few items here and there that, by morning, will find a place to be.  Once those shelves are installed over my desk, an entire corner of stacks of things will finally be put away.  I've made an art project on the girls table, where everyone coming tomorrow will trace their hand to make a turkey for the girls to colour while the rest of us eat.  Later, I'll cut out construction paper to make turkeys, and do another to make a banner to hang from the shelf/mantel in the living room.  I have begun the preparations for dinner too, brined the turkey, made the glaze and the cranberry marmalade chutney.  I;ve roasted the pumpkin and the butternut squash and am getting ready to make the butternut squash/apple soup for tomorrow night.
Here are a few of the recipes used today.  

Cranberry Marmelade Chutney

ingredients
1-1/2 cups orange marmalade
2/3 cup orange juice
1 cinnamon stick, broken in half
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1 12 oz bag of cranberries
preparation
Combine first four ingredients in medium saucepan.  Stir over medium-high heat until mixture comes to boil.  Continue to simmer until slightly reduced and starting to thicken.  Mix in cranberries; return to boil.  Reduce heat to medium; simmer until berries burst and sauce thickens slightly, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes.  Transfer sauce to medium bowl and cool completely.  Season with pepper. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Cover and chill).

Apple Cider Sage Glaze
four cups spiced cider
2 sprigs fresh sage, broken to release oils)
2 tsp cloves
1 stick unsalted butter
put cider into saucepan, and add a spice ball with the sage and cloves.  Bring to boil and reduce to one cup. Whisk in butter and cool completely.

Turkey
ingredients
Brine
2 quarts (8 cups) apple cider, divided
1 cup kosher salt
1/4 cup whole allspice
8 bay leaves
4 quarts cold water
1 20-pound turkey (neck and gizzard reserved)
Sage Broth
4 cups home-made chicken broth (or low sodium if purchased)
1/2 onion, quartered
1 celery stalk, cut into 4 pieces
8 fresh sage leaves
Glaze
2 cups apple cider
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
8 cups Apple, Sausage Cornbread Dressing with Fresh Sage
Gravy
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons fresh sage leaves
1/4 cup Calvados (couldn't afford - so using Bourbon)
1/4 cup whipping cream
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Roasting herbs
3 apples, cored
2 onions, julienned
6 celery stalks, chopped in 2-3 in segments
1 lb carrots, washed not peeled, cleaned on ends
Larding:
2 lbs bacon

preparation
For brine:
Simmer 1 quart apple cider, salt, allspice, and bay leaves in 20-quart pot 5 minutes, stirring often. Cool completely. Add remaining 3 quarts cider and 4 quarts water. Place turkey in brine. Cover and refrigerate overnight, rotating every few hours.
Drain turkey and rinse. Arrange on several layers of paper towels in roasting pan. Refrigerate uncovered, and set out to start roasting 2 hours before.
For broth:
Simmer all ingredients in large saucepan 30 minutes. Strain sage broth into bowl.  Bring to boil, and reduce to 2 cups.
For glaze:
Boil cider in saucepan until reduced to 1/4 cup, about 15 minutes. Whisk in butter. Cool completely.
Set rack at lowest position in oven; preheat to 350°F. Remove paper towels from roasting pan. Pat main and neck cavities of turkey dry.  Loosely fill with Roasting herbs, and set remainder about pan.  Place turkey in pan, tuck wings under, and tie legs together loosely.  Weave bacon into basket weave and cover turkey.
Roast turkey 1 hour. Remove bacon, and cover wing tips with foil.  Reduce temperature to 325°F.  Brush  with some of glaze. Baste every 30 min.  Roast until beginning to brown, about 1 hour. Cover with foil. Roast until thermometer inserted into thickest part of thigh registers 175°F, brushing with glaze every 30 minutes and adding up to 1 cup water to pan if drippings begin to burn, about 3 hours longer. Transfer turkey to platter; tent with foil. Let stand 30 minutes.
For gravy:
Remove celery and discard, remove remaining roasting herbs, and set aside.  Pour pan juices into large measuring cup. (For those concerned about fat, this is when you spoon off fat.)  Reserve 3 tablespoons fat and degreased juices. Combine flour, sage leaves, and reserved 3 tablespoons fat in roasting pan; stir over medium heat 1 minute. Whisk in broth from roasting pan and reserved pan juices. Add 1 cup spiced apple cider and 1/4 cup bourbon and boil until gravy thickens slightly, whisking often, about 4 minutes. Add some of the reserved roasting herbs and use submersion mixer to puree into the gravy.  Add heavy cream, return to boil, season with salt and pepper. Strain into sauceboat. Serve turkey with gravy.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup
ingredients
Soup
1/4 cup ( 1/2 stick) butter
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 large garlic cloves, chopped
3 cups home-made chicken broth (or purchased low-salt chicken broth)
4 cups 1-inch pieces peeled roasted butternut squash (about 1 1/2 pounds)
2 cups 1-in pieces peeled uncooked apple
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh thyme
1 1/4 teaspoons minced fresh sage
1/4 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons sugar
Croutons
2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
24 1/4-inch-thick baguette bread slices
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
1 teaspoon minced fresh thyme
1 teaspoon minced fresh sage
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preparation
For soup:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all apples and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.  Add butternut squash.  Puree with submersion mixer until blended.  OR  Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
For croutons:
Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, then thyme and sage over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.
[more soon!]