happy turkey day

Last minute recipe to cook a fully-grown turkey will take a while.

To roast, count 20 mns per lb plus 20 mns at 200ºC (reduce to 180ºC for fan ovens). Prepare the beast with salt, pepper, butter and tarragon. Baste well during cooking.

Meanwhile, slice closed cup mushrooms, heat a little butter in a pan, add mushrooms, bit of garlic, parsley. Grab the bottle of Armagnac, pour a healthy shot in a metal ladle and hide the bottle (if Contender443 happens to walk in, I can pretend it's that yukky brandy we keep in the cupboard).

Heat the booze over one of the small gas rings. When it's hot (you see it swirl in the ladle), tilt the ladle to set it on fire then pour into the mushrooms. Whoosh!Effect guaranteed  

When the flames subside, add crème fraîche to the pan and a good dollop of mustard. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Serve with turkey and steamed green beans.

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Tomorrow: turkey blanquette with mustard white sauce.

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Originally posted by Black no sugar

I concur Isa.  And they let them out in public as well.... good god !!!!

Hey, soak the turkey overnight in cherryade.  Works wonders

Hey American dude have a great day.

It's a white sauce (roux blanc) that you make with the cooking liquid from the turkey and veg, season it and add a big dollop of mustard.

Turkey blanquette (normally, you'd use veal but I'm not fond of it)

Dice turkey breast, place in saucepan and cover with water. Bring to the boil and skim off the froth every now and then. When there's no froth coming up, take the meat out of the water and keep warm (about 80ºC in the oven - not more, cos the meat would go all dry and yuk - cover with foil too).

Keep the water where the meat has cooked and bring it to a simmer. Add small onions, little mushrooms, baby carrots, peas or mangetout if you like. Some recipes are very prescriptive, but use what you like and that's fine. Add a bay leaf, parsely, thyme, salt and pepper and leave the veg to cook.

Once they're cooked, add them to the dish where the meat is and keep the cooking liquid.

Make a mustard white sauce (melted butter, add flour, cook flour for a bit then add liquid until the sauce is like batter, mustard, salt pepper and grated nutmeg).

Mix meat and veg in the sauce and serve with white boiled rice.

Sounds more complicated than it is. And it's nice.