I love brined turkey-that is the only way to go. But boy do they look werid when they come out!

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There is no pleasure in having nothing to do: the fun is having lots to do and not doing it.

Alton is alot of fun and very informative and a little !!!

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Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

Funky Bird (AKA Southwestern Turkey Breast)
by Emeril Lagasse 2001

Brine:
1 cup fresh lemon juice
3/4 c orange juice
1 c kosher salt
1 c packed light brown sugar
1 c chopped yellow onions
2 oranges, halved
2 jalepenos, minced (with the seeds)(this recipe is NOT spicy in spite of this!!!)
1/4 c chopped fresh cilantro
2 TBSP chopped garlic (considerably less than he normally uses!! hehehe)
1 TBSP chili powder
1 TBSP ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano, preferably Mexican (yes, there is a noticable difference in taste--believe it or not)

1 (6 1/2 lb) whole turkey breast (I used a whole turkey might have diluted the strength a little??)
1 TBSP vegetable Oil
1TBSP Essence, recipe follows
Poblano Chocolate Mole, recipe follows--I did not make thi.

IN a large non reactive container, combine all the brine ingredients (lemon juice - oregano) with 1 gallon water and stir to dissolve the sugar and salt. Put the turkey in a large colander and rinse under cold, running water, then add turkey to the brine. Cover and refrigerate, turning occasionally, for at least 12 hours and up to 24 hours.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

Remove the rutkey from the bringe and put it breast side up in a large, heavy roasting pan and pat dry with paper towels. Rub turkey with vegetable oil and sprinkle both sides with Essence. Roast until deep golden brown and an instant read thermometer inserted in the thickest part of the thigh reads 165 degrees F (about 1 hr and 45 minutes--could be a good bit longer for WHOLE turkey). Transfer to platter and let stand for 15 minutes before carving.

Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning):
2 TBSP salt
2 TBSP garlic powder
1 TBSP black pepper
1 TBSP onion powder
1 TBSP cayenne pepper
1 TBSP dried leaf oregano
1 TBSP dried thyme

Combine all ingredients thoroughly and store in an airtight jar or container.

Yield : about 2/3 cup

Poblano Chocolate Mole:
1lb poblano chiles
1 lg yellow onion, peeled and halved (root end left on)
1 TBSP vegetable oil
1/2 c shelled pistachio nuts
1/2 c pumpkin seeds
1/2 c pine nuts
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 c chicken stock or canned low sodium chicken broth
1/2 c coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
2 oz semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/2 c heavy cream

To roast the peppers, place them directly on the burners of a gas stove over medium heat and turn frequently with tongs until all sides are charred black (7-10 minutes). Alternatively, the peppers can be roasted under a broiler. Transfer the peppers to a paper bag, close and let cool for about 15 minutes. Peel the peppers, remove the seeds and stems and coarsely chop the flesh.

Roast the onion halves over medium heat (using same procedure as for the peppers) until the cut surfaces are lightly charred and the onion is slightly softened (about 10 minutes). Remove from heat and cool. Remove and discard the root ends and coarsely chop the onions.

Heat the vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the pistachios, pumpkin seeds and the pine nuts and cook, stirring occasionally until the nuts are browned. Add the peppers, onion, chili powder, garlic, cumin, coriander, salt, and pepper and stir 1 minute. Add the chicken stock and cilantro and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer 45 minutes. Add the chocolate and stir til melted. Add the cream, stir well, and simmer an additional 15 minutes. Puree with an immersion blender. Serve over the slice turkey.

Yield: 6-8 servings
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook TimeL 2 hrs and 30 minutes

I bought all the ingredients then did not make this that year. Maybe I will try it this year--sounds good!!

Enjoy!! Bonnie

Episodes #: EM1E30

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My Site
http://www.freewebs.com/froglver/

Here is another of Emeril's brine recipes that I'm planning on making Monday night.

Beer-Brined Chicken with Giblet Gravy:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_19410,00.html

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Terry

May the force be with you

I can't get juniper berries! Is there somethingI could substitute?

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

Thanks Terry...I will have to go to Little Rock to try to hunt some down....trust me, they wouldn't even have a clue here!

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

I also meant to ask you Terry, have you watched the battle of the Chefs on the food channel? I love it!!!

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

But I understand if you make gravy from brined turkey juices it will be too salty. Anyone ever do this?

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I've never made gravy from Alton Brown's brined turkey, but the gravy from Wolfgang Puck's didn't seem too salty to me, in fact, I'm thinking about adding a bit more salt to it this year to counteract some of the sweetness. It definitely is a sweet gravy (not surprising as there is 24 ounces each of honey and maple syrup in the brine), but I liked it.

The gravy from Emeril's beer brined chicken was very salty, though I didn't strain it as he recommended. I just pureed everything. Next time I will strain it, maybe that will reduce some of the saltiness.

The aromas when cooking this dish were incredible. It's almost worth making it just for the smells, both when melting the butter with the essence and while baking the chicken. And the chicken tasted great!

Vanessa, the juniper berries would probably make only a subtle difference, it's probably worth trying even if you can't get them.

I'm doing Wolfgang Puck's turkey again for Thanksgiving and Alton's for Christmas, only I'm going to try for even more flavor by doubling his brine and eliminating the gallon of water. I tried that last year, but the turkey had already been injected with brine, so it didn't really absorb a lot of the flavor.

Next year I want to try either Emeril's or the bourbon brined turkey from marthastewart.com for one of the holidays (giving Alton a break) and I also want to do the Funky Turkey, but not for a holiday.

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Terry

May the force be with you

I only saw her show one time, but I still use her gravy recipe with cognac from that show. I just tried my bookmark for it, but the recipe is expired. Luckily, I still have a copy I printed out. It's getting pretty faded though. I think this goes with this topic, as I only use this with a turkey dinner. This is the gravy I make when doing Alton Brown's brined turkey.

Homemade Gravy from the Barefoot Comtessa

1/4 lb. (1 stick) unsalted butter
1 1/2 c. chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
1/4 c. flour
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
Defatted turkey drippings plus chicken stock to make 2 cups--heated
1 tbsp. cognac or brandy
1 tbsp. white wine, optional
1 tbsp. heavy cream, optional

In a large (10 to 12 -inch) saute pan, cook the butter and onions over medium-low heat for 12 to 15 minutes until the onions are lightly browned. Don't rush this step; it makes all the difference when the onions are well cooked.

Sprinkle the flour into the pan, whisk in, then add the salt and pepper. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Add the hot chicken stock mixture and Cognac, and cook uncovered for 4 to 5 minutes until thickened. Add the wine and cream if desired. Season to taste and serve.

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Terry

May the force be with you

Terry...there will definitely be a big difference if you use anchos, but it would be worth trying. I would think three anchos would be about a pound if fresh? maybe 4, but it would be hard to say how big those were before drying.

I started my Thanksgiving cooking today (Tuesday). My turkey stock for the gravy is done, and I also made the brine for soaking the turkey. I think I'll put the turkey in the brine around 10:30 tomorrow morning. That should give it about 24 hours before it needs to go in the oven.

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Terry

May the force be with you

How did your Turkey's turn out??????
Inquiring minds would like to know!!!!!!!!!

* * * *
Weezie

Don't forget to be kind to strangers. For some who have
done this have entertained angels without realizing it.
- Bible - Hebrews 13:2





http://photobucket.com/albums/y250/weezie13/

WooHoo! I just finished putting up my turkey stock in the freezer. I just covered all the bones and pieces of skin with water and brought to a boil, then simmered for 3 hours. I got 9 1/2 cups of broth. I already had 10 cups of broth in the freezer from the turkey I made back in January, so I have more than enough for AB's brined turkey for Christmas. (it takes 1 gallon of broth).

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Terry

May the force be with you

Oh...ad Obywan...I was gonna tell you what I did to the gravy this year. I put the turkey liver & neck meat in the food processor with a little stock and pureed it...added it to the stock for the gravy and it was RICH!!! I will be doing that agin for sure! Added a little boiled egg as a garnish...I guess that is what it is for..my grandmother always did it so...

Everybody went on & on about the gravy...they probably would have died if I would have told them how I did it!!!!

~V~

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

Christina...I use to always add the giblets to my dressing...but just tried them in the gravy this year playing around...OMG...I loved it! And that is exactly why I puree them as well...the kids would bark if they could "see" them in there... . I LOVE it when I get to tell them they REALLY like stuff they think they don't!!!
Darin use to swear he didn't like deer meat....until he found out that all those "roasts" he had been sucking down were DEER roasts! It is so hard to get some people to try stuff they have in their heads they don't like...that is why I like to use the sneak attact!!!

~V~

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

We had an organic turkey this year...the health food store where my nephew does his shopping orders them ...and he had forgotten to put his name on the list, but when he went in they just happened to have one extra.....he snatched it right up!!!

~V~

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Happiness, like a dessert so sweet.
May life give you more than you can ever eat...
*** ***

Hold on! That's not like Ludivisk, is it?

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A bird in the hand......can sometimes be a mess.