ROAST TURKEY WITH CORNBREAD STUFFING
Eleanor Sewall, Little Rock, Arkansas
How to make the Cornbread
2 Cups cornmeal 2 eggs
1 tsp. salt 1/4 Cup melted fat
1 tsp. soda buttermilk
Heat 8 inch pan smoking hot with 2 Tablespoons fat in 450 oven. Mix
ingredients adding enough buttermilk to make a batter just thin enough
to pour - 1 to 2 Cups. Pour batter in pan and bake at 450 about 30
minutes.
Can use the same ingredients except buttermilk and soda. Instead of
buttermilk, use milk and 4 teaspoons of baking powder in place of the
soda.
Dressing
1 Pan of cornbread (8 Cups) 10 slices of white bread (4 Cups)
2 Cups finely chopped celery 1 stick oleo
1 Cup finely chopped onion 3 beaten eggs
1 tsp salt 2-3 Cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp pepper 1/2 tsp sage
Toast white bread until dry. Break up corn bread and toasted white
bread into pieces no bigger than your thumb. Melt oleo in a frying pan
and SLOWLY fry the celery and onions until the onions are a pale, straw
color. Beat eggs with a fork and mix into the broken bread along with
salt, pepper, and sage. Combine with celery and onion and moisten all
with just enough chicken broth to hold the dressing together.
Stuff turkey VERY LOOSELY as dressing will swell during roasting. Bake
left over dressing in uncovered pan or casserole at 375 for 45 minutes
after adding enough additional chicken broth to make "soupy" (thick
soup).
Roasting the Bird
Thawing Directions
Purchased Approximate Thawing Time
Weight In Refrigerator In Cold Water
8 to 12 lbs 1 1/2-2 days 4-6 hours
12 to 16 lbs 2-3 days 6-9 hours
16 to 20 lbs 3-4 days 9-11 hours
20 to 24 lbs 3-4 days 11-12 hours
Always thaw in unopened bag on tray in refrigerator or in cool water,
changing water often.
If a shiny aluminum covered roaster is used, it may be necessary to
increase cooking time up to 1 hour. Remove cover for the last 1/2 hour
if further browning is desired.
Baste often (approximately every 30 minutes) with chicken broth and
drippings. In open pan roasting, cover with cheesecloth soaked in
chicken broth or aluminum foil "tent" if the turkey is browning too
rapidly.
Tests for Doneness
1. Thigh temperature should be 180 to 185 F. For further testing,
remove thermometer from thigh and place in center of stuffing.
Temperature should be 160 to 165 F.
2. Protecting fingers with paper or cloth, press thigh and drumstick.
The meat should feel soft.
3. When thigh skin is pricked, juices should no longer be pink.
After turkey is removed from oven, let stand 20-30 minutes for easier
carving.
Giblets
The gizzard, heart, liver and neck should be cooked promptly after being
cleaned and washed. They must be cooked tender before they are added to
gravy. Use giblet broth as liquid in gravy.
Cover gizzard, heart, and neck with water. Season with 1 teaspoon salt,
3 peppercorns, 3 whole cloves, a small bayleaf, and a little chopped
onion, celery, and carrot. Simmer 1 1/2 hours or more until gizzard is
fork tender. Add liver 10 to 20 minutes (depending on size) before
giblets are done. Refrigerate unless used immediately.
Allow about 1/4 cup of gravy for each serving. Pour drippings into a
bowl leaving the solid brown particles in the roasting pan. Scrape out
solid brown particles into a large skillet or simply loosen if gravy is
to be made in the roasting pan.
Skim all fat from drippings. Measure the amount of fat needed for gravy
and mix with solid particles. Set fat over low surface heat. Blend in
flour and cook until bubbly, stirring constantly. Add liquid which is
cool or lukewarm (not hot) all at once. Cook over medium heat, stirring
constantly until uniformly thickened and bubbly. Lower heat and simmer
gently about 5 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
