Posted on: Wednesday, November 19, 2008
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FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Simplify feast with early preparations
By
Advertiser Columnist
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WRITE WANDA
E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com Snail mail: Wanda Adams, Food Editor, The Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802; or fax 525-8055
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Sometimes I think that, for a food editor, there are two seasons: The holidays — from Halloween to the lunar new year — and all the rest of the year. And once you've been at it as long as I have (my first grandchild was born last month, if that gives you a clue), you begin to think about retirement very seriously at this time of year because you just don't have another goblin cake-turkey roasting chart-cranberry sauce-Christmas cookie-Hanukkah tradition-gau-and-dried-fruit story left in you.
But it Must Be Done. So the following is your annual turkey day countdown, but first, a bit of advice. Consider simplifying this year: Buy prepared mashed potatoes, vegetables and such and then doctor them. Buy pies and top them with a blend of real whipped cream, softened cream cheese, a little sugar and vanilla. Pare down the number of dishes.
Go to www.Butterball.com and use their handy Plan Perfect Portions tool to calculate turkey size, then do your shopping this weekend!
Allow three days for defrosting in the refrigerator. The only safe way to hurry the process is to immerse the wrapped turkey in lukewarm water and change the water every time it gets cold. If you're brining the bird, you need two additional days: one for immersing it in an icy salt solution in a large, sturdy cooler and one for air-drying it, unwrapped, in the refrigerator.
Prep through Tuesday: Clear out the fridge. Wash salad greens, roll in paper towels, place in plastic bags. Make cranberry sauce. Clean house. Assemble table linens and dishes. Place Post-It notes on serving dishes identifying which dishes will go in which bowls and platters. Make stock for gravy (use chicken). Assemble pie filling if you're baking fruit pies from scratch. Prepare bread for stuffing.
Wednesday: Chop stuffing ingredients. Make candied yams or other sweet potato dish, if it can hold in refrigerator. Call anyone who is contributing a dish to plan oven use, etc. Bake pies or prepare other desserts. Figure turkey roasting time based on weight; about 15-20 minutes per pound at 325 degrees. But do use an instant-read thermometer and roast to 165 degrees when the needle is thrust deep into the thigh; don't forget to allow a half-hour for resting and carving. Jot down a schedule of tasks for Thursday.
Thanksgiving Day: Roast turkey. Peel potatoes and hold in cold water until it's time to make mashed potatoes. Bring anything refrigerated to room temperature. Assemble stuffing. Prepare side dishes that can hold. Prepare mashed potatoes when turkey is in its last 15-20 minutes of roasting; keep warm in slow cooker or in a ceramic bowl, covered with foil and a towel and set in a pot of steaming hot water. Prepare vegetables and gravy at the last minute (roasted vegetables may be prepared in advance, then reheated while turkey is resting and being carved).
Throughout: Breathe frequently. Get help. Sit down between tasks.
Give thanks.
Send recipes and queries to Wanda A. Adams, Food Editor, Honolulu Advertiser, P.O. Box 3110, Honolulu, HI 96802. Fax: 525-8055. E-mail: wadams@honoluluadvertiser.com.
For more information about our 150th anniversary cookbook, call 535-8189 (message phone; your call will be returned). You can order the cookbook online.
