This is a slightly tweaked version of David Rosengarten’s version of Morton Thompson’s 1950-ish Uber-Turkey recipe. I’ve made it (once) and I’ve never had better turkey. The dressing is weird though: far fruitier than I like, but the flavor it infuses into the bird is indescribably good.
It takes all day to make (including the preperation and the constant basting), has a billion ingredients and will dirty every bowl you own. It’s worth the work.
THOMPSON’S TURKEY : Rosengarden’s varient-Tweaked by Fenris
18 to 22 pound turkey, giblets and fat removed and reserved, rinsed and patted dry
Oil to taste
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the gravy:
Giblets (neck, liver and heart)
4 cups water
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste
For the dressing:
Bowl No. 1:
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 orange, peeled and diced
20-ounce can crushed pineapple (I thought this was too much…maybe 2/3ds of the can. Drain it well in any case)
Grated rind of 1/2 lemon
10-ounce can water chestnuts, drained
3 tablespoons chopped preserved ginger (ditto this: it adds too much sweetness. Maybe 1 tablespoon of preserved ginger and 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger)
Bowl No. 2:
2 teaspoons Colman’s dry mustard (DON’T SUBSITUTE!)
2 teaspoons caraway seed
1 tablespoon celery seed
2 teaspoons poppy seed
2 1/2 tablespoons minced fresh oregano leaves
1 large bay leaf, crushed
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 teaspoon mace
1/4 cup minced parsley
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 cloves, minus the heads, well chopped
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
5 large onions, medium chopped
6 celery stalks, medium chopped
1 tablespoon minced fresh marjoram leaves
2 tablespoons each minced fresh thyme and sage leaves
1 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon salt
Bowl No. 3:
1 1/2 pounds fresh bread crumbs
3/4 pound ground veal (hamburger can be substituted: I did)
1/4 pound ground fresh pork
1/4 pound butter
For the paste:
12 egg yolks
2 tablespoons of Colman’s mustard
6 cloves garlic, minced
6 tablespoons onion juice (put two chopped onions in a food processor and frappe it: squeeze the onion pulp through a fine sieve to get the juice. This will be hell on your eyes)
1 tablespoon coarse Kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon Cayenne, or to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup sifted all-purpose flour, or enough to make a paste
3 cups cider
4 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 cup water
Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. or as high as it will go – for at least 1 hour.
Chop the reserved turkey fat finely. In a small saucepan set over moderate heat combine the reserved fat with 1/2 cup of the water, bring to a boil and simmer until all the water has evaporated and only clear fat and small pieces of solid remain. Reserve fat for stuffing.
Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Rub the skin all over with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
Make the gravy: In a saucepan set over moderate heat combine ingredients for the gravy, bring to a boil and simmer while preparing the dressing.
Make the dressing: prepare and combine ingredients in bowl no. 1; prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 2; and
prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 3. In a large bowl combine ingredients from all three bowls. Mix it well. Using your hands knead the stuffing until it resembles bread dough (maybe 10 minutes). Once it gains a doughy consistancy, “fluff” it with your fingers. If your arms don’t hurt after doing this step, you’re doing something wrong.
Loosely stuff the turkey. Stuff the neck cavity and sew closed the openings. Tie legs together.
Make the paste: combine all ingredients for paste in a bowl, adding enough flour to form a thick paste.
Arrange turkey breast side down on a rack wrapped in foil sitting in a shallow roasting pan. Brush foil with oil.
Put the turkey in the oven and roast it for 15 minutes, or until browned. Turn it breast side up and roast for 15 minutes more. With a pastry or paint brush coat the turkey completely with the paste – in every nook and cranny.
Be really careful about covering everything with oil. Even one tiny missed spot means losing Turkey skin.
Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
To simmering gravy add cider, vinegar and water. Remove from heat but keep warm on top of stove. (This is your basting liquid.) Roast the bird, basting it frequently, every 15-20 minutes, alternating between the juice at the bottom of the pan and the gravy on the stove. Don’t skip the basting! Set your timer! About halfway through the cooking, the crust will begin to carbonize and turn black. Don’t worry: just keep basting. Baste for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until an instant meat thermometer reads 180 to 185 in the thigh; 170 in the breast and 160 in the stuffing.
Let rest 15 to 20 minutes, before peeling away crust.
Meanwhile, pour the liquid at the bottom of the baking pan into a pot, simmer 10-20 minutes until thickened. It’ll probably need a bit of pepper and salt. Adding red wine or brandy won’t hurt the gravy either!
For best results with the stuffing, dig it out of the turkey, spread it in a baking dish and put in the oven until crusty on top.
Like I said: this is a hell of a lot of work, but the taste and the presentation of the perfect mahogony skin (under the crust) make it worth the effort.
Fenris
