Turkey is the main event, bookended by refreshing watermelon to start and raspberries to finish, with sourdough stuffings and a potato pie in between.
The secret to a juicy, tender turkey is to keep it moist during cooking and to brown it for appearance at the end. Big turkeys are frightening beasts to manoeuvre in and out of the oven. I recommend a smaller bird with lots of accompanying dishes. This menu will serve 8-10. I’ve given a vegetarian option – a creamy potato pie – which can be the star of its own show, especially when served with asparagus and a good salad. To start, nothing much is needed, but a slice or two of luscious watermelon or rock melon, a curl of prosciutto or pancetta and a crumble of feta looks festive, and will keep everyone out of the kitchen! Have a great Christmas.
Roast Turkey with Cherry Gingerbread Stuffing
Serves 8
- size 3 (3-4kg) turkey, fresh or frozen
- flaky sea salt
- 2 tbsp butter, softened
- 400ml unsalted chicken stock, plus extra if needed
- for trussing, a long needle and strong cotton, and string
Gravy
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
- 4 tbsp standard flour
- 600ml unsalted chicken stock
- salt
Order your turkey in advance. If it is frozen, calculate plenty of time for thawing (about 60 hours, refrigerated). Put it in a deep dish or container, cover with plastic wrap and put it in the bottom of the fridge to ensure any juices are contained and do not drip onto other foodstuffs. If the turkey comes in a plastic bag with an absorbency pad, leave it in the bag, but put it in a container in case there are holes in the bag.
Make the stuffings (see next page) and cool (these can be made 2-3 days ahead).
Ensure the oven rack is at the right height to fit the turkey. Preheat oven to 170°C.
Remove the giblets and turkey neck from the turkey. Wash it under running water, inside and out, dislodging any bloody bits from the cavity. Shake out as much moisture as possible. Wipe dry with paper towels. Season both cavities lightly with salt. Stuff the turkey and stitch cavities with a needle and cotton to contain the stuffing. Loop string around the parson’s nose and tie the drumsticks together. Next, take the string around the sides of the turkey, tucking in the wings, cross over the pieces of string, and bring the ends to meet at the cavity again, and tie in a tight bow.
Place the turkey in a large roasting tin and smear with softened butter. Season with flaky sea salt. Pour around the stock and add the turkey neck. Cover the turkey with baking paper, then tightly cover with tin foil, sealing the foil around the edge of the roasting tin. Alternatively, cover with a tight-fitting lid.
Cook for 2 hours. Remove from the oven, carefully lift off the foil and baking paper and baste turkey. Increase oven temperature to 180°C. Return turkey to the oven and cook for about 45 minutes more, until browned, basting every 15 minutes. You may need to cover the tops of the thighs with small pieces of foil to prevent them drying out. To check if the turkey is cooked, pierce the thickest, meatiest parts of the thigh with a long skewer, and into the middle of the cavity. The juices must run clear. Check the juices between the breast meat and the leg; they must also run clear.
Once the turkey is cooked, dish onto a heated plate and keep in a warming drawer for 30 minutes, or keep it covered (from flies) while you organise accompanying dishes. To serve, I find it easiest to remove the drumsticks and thighs, then the wings, then the breasts, and then to slice them all on a board.
Gravy
Pour the juices into a fat-separating jug if you have one, or into a metal jug and set the jug in a bowl of ice; you will then be able to scoop off the fat. Make de-fatted stock up to 600ml with extra chicken stock.
Add the oil to the roasting tin with the onion and cook gently for 12-15 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is tender and lightly golden. Turn off the heat and sprinkle in the flour; it will look dry and lumpy. Add about one cup of stock and mix it in, using a slotted spatula. Stir until smooth, squashing the lumps, and add the rest of the stock. Season with salt. Put the pan back over a medium heat and stir until it thickens. Cook for 3-4 minutes, stirring. Taste and adjust seasoning. If the turkey is not ready to be carved, transfer the gravy to a small saucepan, cover with a lid and reheat when ready.
Tips
- To kill all bacteria, it is recommended that a turkey be cooked to reach an internal temperature of 74°C before it is taken out of the oven. The temperature of the turkey will then rise to around 82°C as it stands before carving. In most instances, this produces an overcooked turkey. Some chefs prefer to remove the turkey from the oven when the temperature reaches 65°C letting it come to 74°C as it rests. It is certainly more likely to be juicier this way. If in doubt, remember that the breast meat cooks more quickly than the darker thigh meat.
- Overcooked turkey breast meat is like sawdust. If the breast meat is cooked but the dark meat is not yet ready, remove the breasts from the bird while they are still moist, cover the rest of the turkey with baking paper and tin foil and return it to the oven for a further 15 minutes, or until the thighs are sufficiently cooked. Carve and serve the breast meat. Serve the rest of the turkey meat once it is cooked.
Stuffings
Both these stuffings are made with artisan sourdough bread. There’s no substitute. They are not claggy, they’re not solid, nor do they hold together like meat stuffings. They are something else: crumbly, loose, sweet, sharp, savoury, soft-textured in parts with crunchy bits … in short, the most deliciously scrumptious, non-meat stuffings I have ever made. Gingerbread loaf in a stuffing? Insanely good.
Cherry Gingerbread Stuffing
This makes enough stuffing to fill the breast cavity of a small size 3-4 turkey, plus extra to oven-bake. It is sensationally delicious, and I recommend making double.
- ½ cup dried cherries (or cranberries)
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 75g butter
- 2 small egg yolks
- 3 cups sourdough breadcrumbs
- 1 tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp dried tarragon
- finely grated zest 1 lime
- 6 makrut lime leaves, finely chopped (remove spines from leaves)
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- 1 tbsp sherry vinegar (or a good red wine vinegar)
- 1 cup cubed gingerbread loaf (if not available, increase crumbs to 4 cups)
Soak cherries in hot water for 30 minutes. Strain, reserving liquid.
Put onion and butter in a small saucepan, cover with a lid and cook gently for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Cool.
Transfer onion to a large bowl, scraping in all the buttery juices. Mix in egg yolks. Add crumbs, salt, pepper, tarragon, lime zest, lime leaves, ground ginger, cherries and vinegar. Mix together, adding half a cup of the cherry soaking liquid. Add gingerbread, mixing carefully, until just combined. Stuff large turkey cavity.
Bake any leftover stuffing in a shallow oven dish for about 25 minutes, (there’s no need to butter the dish), at 190°C.
Walnut & Cranberry Stuffing
This is also delicious. Use it to stuff the shallow neck cavity of a small turkey. Bake the remainder in a shallow dish.
- 1 cup craisins (dried cranberries)
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 50g butter
- 1 small egg yolk
- 1½ cups sourdough breadcrumbs
- ¼ tsp salt
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 cup roughly chopped fresh walnuts
- 1 tsp fresh thyme
Soak craisins in hot water for 30 minutes. Drain, reserving the soaking liquid.
Put onion and butter in a small saucepan, cover with a lid and cook gently for about 10 minutes, or until soft. Cool.
Transfer onion to a large bowl, scraping in all the buttery juices. Mix in the egg yolk. Add the crumbs, salt, pepper, walnuts, thyme and about a quarter of a cup of the reserved liquid, or enough to make a soft and moist stuffing. Stuff the neck cavity of turkey.
Bake any leftover stuffing in a shallow oven dish for about 25 minutes, (there’s no need to butter the dish), at 190°C.
Rustic Potato Pie
Serves 10 or more
This rich and filling pie is just the ticket for a vegetarian main course. Serve it with asparagus, and the tumble of pumpkin, peppers and corn, and turkey stuffing/s. A green salad with a tangy dressing – use sherry vinegar if you have it – makes a great accompaniment.
Pastry
- 575g high-grade flour
- few pinches salt
- 300g butter, at room temperature cut into cubes
- 150ml cold water
Potato filling
- 1kg medium-sized, waxy salad potatoes (be warned, starchy potatoes will turn to a soft fluff)
- salt
- 2 tbsp chopped shallot
- 1 tbsp chopped chervil or tarragon, or ½ tsp dried tarragon
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 2 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
- freshly grated nutmeg to taste
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 egg yolk, beaten lightly with a pinch of salt
- 250ml cream
Sift the flour and salt onto a clean dry surface. Make a large hollow in the centre, building the flour around the side into a wall. Put the butter in the hollow along with the water, then mix the butter and water with the fingertips. This is really messy, and you need to sort of squelch it together, gradually working in the flour. The liquid is eventually absorbed and a dough forms. Knead thoroughly, but lightly, discarding any dry flakes. Form into a ball, wrap and chill for 40 minutes; do not let the dough become hard, otherwise it will be difficult to roll out. (If you inadvertently forget the dough and it hardens, leave it to soften at room temperature before rolling it.)
Divide the dough in two. Roll one piece about 27cm in diameter. Slide it onto a baking tray lined with baking paper. Cover with waxed paper or plastic wrap. Roll out the other piece of pastry about 29cm in diameter for the top of the pie. Put it on top of the other piece of pastry and chill until firm.
Peel the potatoes and slice very thinly. Transfer to a bowl and mix through 1¾ teaspoons of salt using a large spoon (don’t use your hands because the salt will stick to them). Leave for 15 minutes, then pour off water. Mix in the shallot, chosen herb, parsley, garlic, nutmeg and black pepper to taste.
Pile the potatoes in a mound on top of the smaller round of pastry, keeping them in from the edge. Brush the edge of the dough with beaten egg yolk. Put the second round of dough on top and press the edges together until they stick; trim off any uneven pieces of pastry (use for pastry leaves). Curl the sealed edges of pastry into the pie, so they are enclosed in the roll (the pie must be very well sealed). Use the back edge of the blade of a thin-bladed knife to mark the edge of the pastry into a scallop pattern.
Make a small steam hole in the centre of the pastry, just big enough to fit the spout of a small funnel. Lightly score the surface of the pastry with the tip of a sharp knife. Roll scraps of pastry and cut into pastry leaves. Position them around the steam hole, sticking them on with beaten egg yolk. Mix a few drops of water into the egg yolk and brush over the pie.
Bake in an oven preheated to 200°C (regular) for 1¼ hours, lowering the heat to 170°C once the pastry is nicely browned. Remove the pie from the oven, insert a funnel in the steam hole and pour in the cream a few tablespoons at a time; it will take several minutes for the cream to be absorbed (it needs ALL the cream; the pie will be dry without it). Leave the pie to cool. Serve at room temperature.
Tips
- The pie takes a bit of work, but you can get ahead by preparing the pastry up to a day ahead, rolling it, wrapping it tightly and chilling until required.
- If you have to bake the pie the day ahead, cool, wrap and refrigerate. Warm it briefly in a moderate oven before serving.
Tumble of Roasted Pumpkin, Sweet Corn & Chargrilled Peppers
Serves 8
If fresh corn is available, by all means use it. Slice the kernels off the cooked and cooled cobs and add to salad.
- 4 yellow capsicum
- 1.6 kg pumpkin
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- flaky sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp thyme
- 300g frozen corn kernels (or fresh sweet corn if available)
- finely grated zest 1 lemon
- ¼ tsp ground cumin
- ¼ tsp smoked paprika
- juice of 1 lemon
- 1 cup small basil leaves, optional
- 2-3 handfuls trimmed rocket leaves
Chargrill the peppers in the flames of a gas element or over a barbecue grill, turning with tongs. When completely blackened, transfer to a plate, cover with paper towels and leave until cool. Slip off blackened skin (easily done using paper towels). Cut the peppers in half and remove cores and seeds, conserving any juices. Cut into fat strips.
Preheat oven to 200°C. Cut pumpkin into large cubes, removing seeds and peel, then chop into smallish cubes. Spread pumpkin in a large, shallow roasting tin lined with baking paper. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and sprinkle with thyme. Lift the edges of the paper to rotate the pumpkin and coat it with oil and seasoning. Roast for about 30 minutes, or until tender and lightly coloured. Cool.
If using frozen corn, put the kernels in a sieve and rinse off ice crystals under running hot water. Cook for 3-5 minutes in a saucepan of gently boiling, salted water, or until tender. Drain, refresh with cold water, shake off excess water and dry off on paper towels.
When the pumpkin is cool, transfer it to a large bowl and season with salt. Add corn and peppers, also sprinkling them with salt, and add lemon zest, cumin, paprika and black pepper to taste. Toss gently, adding any reserved pepper juices. Squeeze over juice of the lemon.
Just before serving, scatter with basil, is using, and toss the salad together. Add the rocket, toss lightly, then serve immediately.
Tips
- Chargrill and slice the peppers 2-3 days ahead, conserving juices.
- Roast pumpkin a day ahead.
- Keep peppers and pumpkin refrigerated.
- Alternatively, make the entire salad 1-2 days ahead, (refrigerate), adding basil and rocket before serving.
Raspberry & Limoncello Torte
Serves 8-12
Here’s a Christmas Day winner that should be made in advance. Transfer torte to the fridge to soften before you sit down for your main course.
- 300g (2 cups) raspberries
- icing sugar
- 300g lady finger biscuits (also known as boudoir biscuits or sponge fingers)
- 250ml limoncello liqueur (you may need a little more)
- 4 medium (size 6) free-range egg yolks, at room temperature
- 100g caster sugar
- 300ml cream
- 150g mascarpone
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract
- ½ cup toasted, skinned hazelnuts, chopped
- 50g dark chocolate with at least 60% cocoa solids, coarsely grated
Mix half the raspberries with one tablespoon of icing sugar. Macerate for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Line a deep cake tin (23cm round x 4cm deep) with plastic food wrap.
Cut two-thirds of the lady fingers in half to form short pieces. Pour liqueur into a shallow dish. Roll a few pieces at a time in liqueur, shake off excess liqueur and transfer to a plate.
When you have a dozen or so pieces, start to line the side of the tin with the biscuits, with the rounded end facing down, sugared side facing out. Continue until the side of the tin is fully lined with biscuits.
Line the base with liqueur-dunked biscuits, placing them sugar side down. Plug any gaps with small pieces of liqueur-dunked biscuit. Reserve any liqueur and biscuits.
In a bowl, whisk together egg yolks and caster sugar with an electric beater until pale and very thick (about 7 minutes).
Mix a few tablespoons of cream into the mascarpone to loosen it. Whip the rest of the cream until it is holding shape and forms soft peaks when you lift up the beater. Fold cream and mascarpone into egg yolks and sugar, adding vanilla extract, hazelnuts, chocolate and sweetened raspberries. Spoon mixture into tin. Freeze for several hours.
Once the dessert is set, cover the top with more liqueur-dunked biscuits. Cover and return to the freezer. Before serving, transfer to the fridge for 2-3 hours to soften.
To serve, invert the cake onto a large serving plate, remove tin and plastic wrap. Put a mound of raspberries in the centre of the cake and dust them with icing sugar.
Tip
- It is certainly easier to whisk the egg yolks and sugar with an electric beater, but failing that, a hand beater and elbow grease will get you there eventually.
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