Here's my submission. Ask JF how good it is.

**********************

Bourbon Cranberry Sauce

1 pound fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar [I prefer 1.5]
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 cup bourbon

Mix cranberries, sugar and cinnamon in bowl. Transfer to 9x13 baking dish. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.
Stir, bake another 30 minutes. Remove from oven, transfer to bowl and stir in bourbon immediately. Refrigerate.

Can't claim this recipe as my own....came fro Martha Stewart. Did it last year and it was the best Turkey we have ever had.

Eileen
********************************************

Brined and Roasted Turkey
Serves 10 to 12
2 gallons cold water
2 cups bourbon
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons coarse salt
1 cup sugar
1 twelve- to fifteen-pound turkey, giblets removed and rinsed
1 tablespoon freshly ground white pepper
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Cornbread, Apple, and Sausage Stuffing (recipe below)
4 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or low-sodium canned
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley stems (about 1 bunch)
Chris’s Thanksgiving Gravy, for serving (recipe below), optional
1. In a pot large enough to accommodate the turkey, combine 2 gallons water, the bourbon, 2 cups salt, and the sugar. Stir to dissolve salt and sugar. Add turkey, and refrigerate for 18 to 36 hours.
2. Remove turkey from the brine, and dry well with paper towels. Let stand, covered, at room temperature for 1 to 2 hours.
3. Preheat the oven to 325°. In a small bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons salt and the white and black pepper. Rub the inside and outside of the turkey with the salt-and-pepper mixture. Fill the large cavity and neck cavity with as much stuffing as they hold comfortably. Do not pack tightly, or the stuffing will not cook through. (If all the stuffing does not fit, simply transfer the extra to a buttered baking dish, and bake covered, for 30 minutes and uncovered for 15 minutes more in a 375° oven.) Tie the legs together loosely with kitchen twine. Fold the neck flap under, and secure with toothpicks. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a roasting rack in a heavy metal roasting pan. Fold the wing tips under the turkey.
4. Soak a clean kitchen towel in the chicken stock. Lift the towel out of the stock, and squeeze it slightly, leaving it very damp. Spread it evenly over the turkey. Place the turkey in the oven so breast is facing the front of the oven. Roast for 3 hours, basting every 30 minutes.
5. Carefully remove the towel. Turn roasting pan so the breast is facing the back of the oven. Baste turkey with pan juices. The skin gets fragile as it browns, so baste carefully. Add onions, carrots, celery, and parsley stems to the roasting pan around the turkey. Roast 1 hour more, basting after 30 minutes.
6. Insert an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of the thigh. Do not poke into a bone. The temperature should reach 165° and the turkey should be golden brown. The breast does not need to be checked for temperature. If the legs are not fully cooked, baste the turkey, return to the oven, and cook for 15 to 20 minutes.
7. When fully cooked, remove the turkey from the oven, and let it rest, covered, for at least 20 minutes. Transfer to a carving board. Make the gravy, and serve with turkey.
Cornbread, Apple, and Sausage Stuffing
Makes enough stuffing for a 12- to 15-pound turkey
Cornbread (recipe below), cut into 1-inch cubes
1 pound sweet Italian sausage
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter
4 medium red onions, finely chopped
8 celery stalks, finely chopped
4 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup dried cranberries
1 1/2 cups half-and-half
1/2 cup chopped fresh sage
1. Preheat the oven to 300°. Place cornbread cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake until dry, about 20 minutes; set aside.
2. In a large sauté pan over medium heat, cook sausage until it’s no longer pink. Transfer to a small bowl; set aside.
3. Melt butter in the same sauté pan. Add onion and celery, and cook over medium heat until translucent, 10 to 15 minutes. Add apples and cranberries, stir to combine, and cook 5 minutes. Add half-and-half, and cook, stirring for 3 minutes. Add sage, and remove from heat. Transfer to a large bowl. Add cornbread and sausage; stir to combine. Let cool completely before stuffing the turkey, or store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Cornbread
Makes one 8-inch pan
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, for baking pan
1 1/2 cups coarse yellow cornmeal
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon coarse salt
1 1/4 cup milk
1 tablespoon molasses
1 large egg
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. Butter an 8-by-8-inch baking pan. In a medium bowl, sift together cornmeal, flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
2. In a small bowl, combine milk, molasses, and egg. Add to the dry ingredients, and mix well. Pour batter into prepared baking pan, and bake until golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer to a cooling rack. When cool, gently run a knife around pan; unmold.
Chris’s Thanksgiving Gravy
Serves 10 to 12
5 cups Homemade Chicken Stock, or low-sodium canned
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
1. When turkey is fully cooked and has been removed from the roasting pan, place the pan over medium heat. Add chicken stock. Bring liquid to a boil, scraping the crisp bits from the bottom and sides with a wooden spoon. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring, for 10 minutes. Strain through a fine sieve into a glass measuring cup. Let stand until fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes, then skim it off and reserve. Transfer defatted stock mixture to a medium saucepan and bring to a simmer.
2. In a second saucepan over medium heat, add melted butter and enough reserved fat to make 1/3 cup. Add flour, and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove half of this mixture from the saucepan, and set aside. Whisk in the simmering stock mixture. If a thicker gravy is desired, add more of the reserved flour mixture, a little bit at a time, until thickened. Continue to cook over low heat for 10 minutes, stirring constantly. Season with salt and pepper.

What the heck is white pepper?

Isn't that salt?

Whatever you do, don't use it like regular pepper. It is HOT. A little goes a long way.

Jodi

Martha Stewart also has a great turkey recipe (really, just directions for how to roast a turkey) using a full bottle of white wine, chicken stock, a ton of butter, and cheesecloth.

It is absolutely fantastic. Besides, when you're done with the cheesecloth (that's been laid over the turkey during roasting) you have your own personal little Shroud of Turin. Just in time for the Christmas holidays!

Cindy's cranberry is THE BEST! And it is a great excuse to buy a bottle of Jack Daniels.

jf

oh, shoot, well, my recipe is for cranberry sauce, too, but it is my own invention, and it doesn't have white sugar in it.

select several varieties of apples and pears, one of each kind. wash and core and slice up.

put apples, pears, a bag or two of fresh cranberries, and a half cup or so of raisins in a big pot.

cover the ingredients with apple cider with a splash of orange juice and turn on the heat.

add several slices of orange, with the peel left on.

add to your preference:
whole cinnamon sticks
whole cloves
ground ginger
ground nutmeg
whole cardamom pods

allow the mixture to come to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer slowly for a few hours, until all the apples, pears, and cranberries are quasi-dissolved and the raisins are well plumped. add more liquid if needed until the mixture is well jelled.

feel free to add or omit ingredients and change proportions as suits your fancy.

if the mixture is not sweet enough, add a little maple syrup and simmer some more.

ok, here's another pique invention: mashed potatoes and yams.

scrub well and rinse:

red new potatoes
white potatoes
blue potatoes
yukon gold potatoes
garnet yams
orange yams

cube them all (i leave on the skins) and dump in a big pot, add water to cover.

boil on the stove until potatoes are soft enough to stick a fork in.

drain off the water. mash with a masher. add olive oil or butter, fresh ground black pepper, garlic salt and/or sea salt, fresh chopped dill weed, liquid aminos (a soy sauce substitute), and several large spoonfuls of plain yogurt. whip up to mix all ingredients well.

This one is to die for and goes very well with Cindy's Bourbon berries:

Orange Praline Yams

Two 2-lb 8-oz cans of yams, or 4 lbs. cooked, peeled fresh
2/3 cup orange juice
1 tablespoon grated orange rind
5 tablespoons BRANDY or RUM (be generous)
2 teaspoons salt
freshly ground pepper to taste
1 teaspoon ground ginger
4 tablespoons butter, melted
1/3 cup light or golden brown sugar, packed
3 egg yolks

Beat yams until smooth. Add rest of ingredients and beat till smooth. Place in greased casserole and smooth top.

Praline topping:

2/3 cup light or golden brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Mix and spread evenly over top of casserole. Bake 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes till golden brown and bubbly.

Notes: Use a 12" shallow quiche dish. The night before make sweet potato part. Recipe may be doubled or tripled, but do not make in a deeper dish or the ratio between potatoes and topping will be off.

Another 5-star recipe:

Balsamic Roasted Onions

4 lbs. medium-size red onions
1/4 cup olive oil
6 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons sugar
6 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

Position 1 rack in center and 1 rack in bottom third of oven; preheat to 500 degrees.

Line 2 large baking sheets with foil.

Cut onions through root end into 3/4-inch-thich wedges.

Place in medium bowl; toss with oil.

Arrange onions, cut side down, on baking sheets.

Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Roast until onions are brown and tender, rotating pans in oven and turning onions once, about 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, melt butter in heavy small saucepan over medium-high heat.

Add sugar and stir until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat.

Add vinegar.

Return to heat.

Simmer until mixture thickens slightly, about 2 minutes.

(Onions and balsamic glaze can be made 1 day ahead. Cool. Cover separately and chill. Rewarm onions in 375 degree oven about 15 minutes. Stir glaze over low heat to rewarm.)

Arrange onions on platter.

quote:

Originally posted by OperaTenor:
What the heck is white pepper?

Isn't that salt?

depends.. it can be a different green variety of peppercorns or immature black peppercorns..

quote:

Originally posted by apple:
[QUOTE]Originally posted by OperaTenor:
What the heck is white pepper?

Isn't that salt?

most commonly the inside of the peppercorn

Did you know.. that Sam's/Costco offers a big jar of mixed peppercorns. i crush them with a mortar and pestle.. kind of fun to do for the kiddies.

QUOTE]

ok, i guess kk and i will have to start the healthy version of this thread. why is there sugar in everything?

There was a good segment on NPR yesterday, with turkey roasting tips. Here's the ones I remember:

Start with oven at a higher temperature, like 450, and then lower it after an hour.

Soak the turkey in brine the night before. The woman who was giving the advice gives advice to restaurants ... she said that you can put a full cup of salt in the water. (Same as Martha Stewart.)

The turkey will actually INCREASE in temperature by about 10 degrees after you take it out of the oven, because the meat thermometer is measuring the temperature on the inside, and the outside is hotter, and the heat is still radiating inwards. So take it out a bit before you hit the target temperature on the meat thermometer. She suggested 10 degrees before you hit the target temperature.

She pointed out the optimal temperature for dark meat is a lot higher than the optimal temperature for white meat. So rotate the turkey in the oven so that the legs are closer to the walls, which radiate heat, so the legs absorb more heat. Every so often, turn the turkey so the opposite leg gets closer to the wall.

She said that the FDA insists that meat be cooked to 180 degrees ... but she thinks that's too high for breast meat. She takes it out of the oven when the breast is at around 160 ... and it rises 10 degrees from there outside of the oven.

I have to find the full segment on NPR's website.

I'm going to try a few of these.

I was heartened to see that many contained alcohol. I find that "cooking" with spirits helps make the day simply fly by!