Chef Chat: Turkey Talk

Certified Executive Chef
Palmetto Marketing LLC
Metairie, La.

I look for a fresh (never frozen), 15-18 lb turkey because I find that size the most flavorful. The day before serving, I wash it thoroughly and place it in a large plastic ice chest. I make a simple brine solution of 1 cup kosher salt per each gallon of cold water, making enough to just cover the turkey. Next, I top with crushed ice and let the turkey soak for 8-10 hours, checking on a regular basis to keep the turkey and brine mixture well iced. This method will make the juiciest turkey you’ve ever eaten. Before roasting, rinse and dry the turkey and rub it with oil. Season inside and out with your favorite seasoning and stuff cut-up fresh garlic under the skin. Cut up four oranges and two limes and stuff the turkey cavity with them. Bake in a preheated 350ËšF oven until done. Remove; let rest for at least 15-20 minutes, slice and enjoy!

Denis Dronne
Executive Chef
Joyce Foods
Winston-Salem, N.C.

This thanksgiving I’ll serve our free-range American Bronze turkey. Our turkey is considered a heritage breed, and is recognized by the American Livestock Breed Conservancy (ALBC). It was first developed in Rhode Island in the 1830s by crossing Narragansett turkeys with wild turkeys. This is the closest you will find to the bird of our forefathers. As with many chefs, I prefer the birds we serve be raised without any chemicals or drugs and under humane conditions on small family farms promoting sustainable agriculture. These turkeys have superior culinary characteristics. I favor native ingredients — wild rice and cranberry stuffing, corn spoon bread, sweet potatoes — to go along with the turkey. Since I moved to the south, I have a lot more fun frying my turkey outside on Thanksgiving Day.

Fred Fatino
Recipe Research and Development
The Creative Chef
Belton, Mo.

One of my favorite turkey creations is to present it like a Beef Wellington. I first bone the turkey, “book” open the breast, and fill it with a forcemeat or other stuffing and herbed spinach. I then wrap the whole bird en croûte — in pastry crust — and bake until done. It makes for a dramatic service.

Wendy E. Baskerville
Research Chef
Center Plate Development LLC
Toronto, Ontario, Canada

We’ve already had Thanksgiving up here in the frozen North. I am a low-carb dieter, so this year the chef got her own way! I didn’t use bread in the stuffing at all; just lots of slow-cooked onion, garlic, home-smoked bacon and a variety of mushrooms. I also added some diced zucchini with a handful of chopped fresh herbs. Then deglaze the roasting pan with a really good red wine and added a handful of crumbled pork rinds. The resulting sauce was met with much skepticism when I first served it, but there was barely a spoonful left at the end of dinner. Of course the reduced heavy cream and drippings gravy may have played a part, too.