Thanksgiving in New Orleans

#9935514

I am having Thanksgiving cooking withdrawal.  Luckily I am not going to be hosting the event this year although in truth, I really love doing it.  But everyone needs a break and this year we will enjoy Beth's mother's New Orleans style Thanksgiving.  The plans are made, the tickets are bought, the bed and breakfast booked, and the turkey left behind.  We are looking forward to the fun with the Bettencourts. (Ann is a great cook!) Her onion pie....lovely.

I am reading Ruth Reichl's My Kitchen Year with the recipes and story telling that saved her sanity after having Gourmet magazine go under leaving her high and dry after twenty years of being its editor. The story of this misadventure was nicely woven into the recipes that she made and served her loved ones and friends all of whom helped her through the ordeal.  Ruth is a talented writer and three of her books helped me through some of the long Paris nights when I was making that trip every other month for several years.  Truthfully those three books of hers are my favorite, but this one is also compelling to me. Read: Tender to the Bone; Comfort me with Apples; and Garlic and Sapphires...forget her novel Delicious.

In My Kitchen Year Ruth gives her best tried and true turkey recipe after testing hundreds of turkey recipes for Gourmet.  All you need is a super clean oven (or new ones like mine), a turkey, a rack and pan, a cup of water, and Bob's your uncle.

Preheat your extremely clean oven to 450 degrees.(Unless you are inviting the firefighters for the meal.) Rinse and dry a 16 pound turkey. and bring it to room temperature.
Put the turkey on a rack in a roasting pan and pour 1 cup of water in the bottom of the roasting pan.
Put the bird in the oven and forget it for an hour.  After an hour make sure the cup of water is still in the bottom of the pan, if it isn't add another cup. Rotate the pan in the oven for even cooking Cook for another hour or until the temperature  inside the bird is 170 degrees.  Take it out and let it rest and there you have it.  She says nothing about seasoning the bird, so I would do it the way I always season turkey.  It's just an idea, but after the fancy step work we usually go through, this might give a break to a tired cook. Let me know how this works for you.

I found this picture on The English Kitchen site and thought of my old friend, Ruth Smith, who never had idle hands.  She crochets several place mats and items shown below for me. I try to keep at least one example of her fine work out on display some place in my house. I like changing them every once in a while and smile when I remember our good times and trips which she took with Andy and me. RIP