COOKING FOR GEEZERS
Don’t Trust Anyone Under 55
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=0j3KSMcMAXc
Art Work by Emily Ryan emryan28@yahoo.com
Apple Pie
To make a truly great apple pie, you need a tender, flaky crust and a mix of sweet and tart apples that hold their shape when baked. This is the only apple pie recipe you will ever need.
Makes 8 servings- Prep Time, 50 minutes- Bake time 1 Hour
Crust Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup (2 sticks), plus 2 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into small cubes
6 to 8 tablespoons ice water
Milk for brushing over crust
Filling Ingredients:
3 large firm-tart apples, such as Granny Smith, Northern Spy, Rome, or Idared, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
3 large firm-sweet apples, such as Golden Delicious, Pink Lady, Jazz, or Honeycrisp, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2 inch thick wedges
3 tablespoons of granulated sugar
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
Make the crust: In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, and salt. Sprinkle the butter into the bowl and work it into flt the flour mixture using your fingers. Stop when the mixture looks like cornmeal studded with small chunks of butter. Sprinkle 6 tablespoons of ice water on top and stir with a folk until the dough begins to come together. If needed, add another tablespoon or two of water.
Pour the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead three times. Gather into a ball, then divide into two pieces, on slightly larger than the other, and press them into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, prepare the filling: In a large bowl, toss the apples with the sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch, and spice.
Preheat oven to 425 degrees F and set and turning it often to keep it from sticking to the counter a rack to the lowest position. Unwrap the bigger disk of dough and lay it on a slightly floured surface. Working from the center, roll the dough out to a 13 inch circle, lifting and turning it often to keep it from sticking to the counter. Transfer it to a 9 inch pie plate and press into the sides, draping and excess over the edge. Fill the crust with the apple mixture, making the pile a bit higher in the center. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill while you roll out the top crust.
Unrwrap the smaller disk of dough and roll it out to a 10 inch circle as above. Lay it over the apple filling and use a sharp knife to make two 3 inch slashes in the top crust. Fold the bottom crust up over the top and crimp to seal.
Pinch the crust between your thumb and forefinger at regular intervals to crimp. Brush the crust all ove with milk.
put the pie on a baking sheet and bake on the lowest for 10 minutes. Reduce the heat 350 degrees and bake intil juices are bubbling and the crust is golden brown, 40 to 50 minutes.
Cool on a rack for at least 45 minutes before serving.
Buying A Turkey
BUYING A TURKEY FOR THANKSGIVING© Christopher TestaniIf you’ve been tapped for turkey duty this year, the chatter in your brain might start to sound something like this: Fresh, frozen, or fancy heritage bird? How big should I go? And when should I buy this thing?
Stop the madness and the Googling. We’re here to help you through the biggest food purchase for the biggest food holiday of the year (no pressure, though).It’s that time. Farmers’ markets and butcher shops are taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys and you’ll see fresh turkeys at the supermarketIt’s that time. Farmers’ markets and butcher shops are taking orders for Thanksgiving turkeys and you’ll see fresh turkeys at the supermarket.
Fresh or frozen
There is no difference in quality between a fresh and frozen turkey. The difference is in the way the birds leave the processing plant, according to the National Turkey Federation.
Frozen turkeys are flash-frozen right after packaging to 0 degrees (or colder). More perishable fresh turkeys are “deep-chilled”—but never below 26 degrees.
The “fresh” label can by law only be used on a turkey that’s never dipped below that 26-degree threshold. In other words, previously frozen birds can’t be thawed and sold as fresh.
Super Birds From the Supermarket
A lot of supermarket birds come with a “self-basting” or “basted” label. This means they’ve been injected with a solution of broth, stock or water, melted butter, spices, and other flavorings like wine, juice or maple syrup. The label will list the ingredients and the amount of added solution, which the USDA says can be no more than 3 percent of the total weight of the turkey.
“Some think it adds to the flavor,” said Dr. Jesse Grimes, a professor and extension turkey specialist at North Carolina State University’s Department of Poultry Science.
It’s also a moisture factor: it boosts the “succulence” of the meat and results in a darker, crispier bird because the solution is directed right under the skin, the Turkey Federation says.
Birds labeled “kosher” have been slaughtered and processed under rabbinical supervision—and they come pre-brined, which lessens the chance of a dried-out bird.
USDA certified organic turkeys were raised on organic, pesticide-free feed, with access to the outdoors (though how much time they spend outside isn’t clearly defined).
“Free range” means the birds were “allowed access to the outside,” but that’s as far as the USDA defines it, so again, there’s no telling how much time the turkeys actually got to spend out there.
“Natural,” according to the USDA, just means turkeys were minimally processed with no artificial ingredients or colors added. It’s basically a meaningless term.
One more thing Grimes points out that applies to all turkeys: It’s illegal to give them hormones. If you’re concerned about antibiotics, keep an eye out for “antibiotic-free” or “raised without antibiotics” on the label. Down on the farm
If you buy your turkey at the farmers’ market or directly from a farmer, there’s a good chance it’s a pastured or heritage bird—or both. It also was probably raised according to organic principles, though it may not have the USDA organic seal.
A heritage turkey signifies specific breeds of turkey dating back generations—the heirloom tomatoes of the turkey world, if you will, said Epicurious’ Mindy Fox.
A pastured, or pasture-raised, turkey was raised primarily outside on open pasture. (Still, there’s no legal definition for “pastured,” which differs from “free range.”)
So pastured birds and heritage birds aren’t one and same, but they’re similar in some ways. Both heritage and pastured turkeys tend to be slower growing, smaller, older, and leaner that conventional birds, Grimes said.
Heritage turkeys have larger legs and thighs and smaller breasts than commercial birds, and richer, gamier-tasting meat, Fox said.
Some say pastured birds are more flavorful, too. “Flavor can come from what the birds are eating,” Grimes said.
With either type of leaner bird, Mindy suggests adjusting your cooking approach. Amp up the fat around the breast meat to retain moisture, for example, by slathering softened butter under the skin or placing a layer of bacon strips over the breasts (this technique is called barding) before roasting. You could also pull the bird from the oven at 160°F—before it hits the USDA-recommended 165°F—and tent the turkey with foil, which will allow for carry-over cooking without drying it out. Or, she said, consider braising instead of roasting.
That pop-up thingamajig
Some commercial turkeys come with a built-in pop-up timer, a spring-like little contraption made of food-grade metal or wax that pops up—or is supposed to—when the temperature of the meat reaches the target 165°F.
“Once in a while, those pop-up timers can get stuck,” Grimes said.
His advice, as well as that of the USDA, the National Turkey Federation, the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line folks, this very website, and pretty much everyone else? Don’t rely on the pop-up timer. Use a meat thermometer to double-check. How big should you go?
Small turkeys weigh less than 12 pounds. Large ones are in the 15 to 20 pound range, and can go even bigger.
Figure one (uncooked) pound of turkey per person—11/2 pounds for generous leftovers, said Nicole Johnson, co-director of the Butterball Turkey Talk-Line.
Also, consider whether your oven and your roasting pan can fit a bigger bird, which is trickier to handle and takes longer to cook than a smaller bird. When to buy
If you’re buying from a farmer, order it now. These turkeys often come frozen but also are delivered fresh, with pickup very close to Thanksgiving Day. Specialty butcher shops typically take orders for fresh turkeys, with a similar pickup window.
If you’re buying fresh from the supermarket, check with your store about its supply. Ideally, you’ll want to buy it as close to Thanksgiving as possible. If you buy earlier than that and you’re not certain your fridge is cold enough (time for a thermometer check—it should be no warmer than 40 degrees in there), store the turkey in the freezer.
And if you’re buying frozen, buy it now or soon. Just give yourself enough time for thawing—24 hours for every four pounds of meat, Johnson said—and for stressing, er, planning the rest of Thanksgiving dinner. Classic Oven Roasted Turkey with Herbs
By Erin Sellin, Dinners, Dishes & Desserts
Culinary Setting
HOME
Meal Type
MAIN COURSE, ENTRÉE
Difficulty
MEDIUM
Time
8 HR
About this Dish
” Get the perfect oven roasted turkey for your holiday table with this simple and delicious recipe. The meat stays juicy and tender every time! ” – Erin Sellin, Dinners, Dishes & Desserts
Servings
12
Cuisine
AMERICAN
Cooking Style
BAKE
Product
WHOLE
Dish Type
WHOLE BIRD
Ingredients
1 (12 to 14 lb) Whole turkey fresh or frozen, thawed
1 Large onion, quartered
1 lemon quartered
3 Whole bay leaves
2 tsp salt
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 sprigs rosemary
2 sprigs sage
2 sprigs thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed HERB BUTTER RUB
8 Tbsp butter, room temperature
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbsp fresh sage, minced
2 Tbsp fresh thyme, minced
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, minced
Salt and Pepper
Directions
Remove turkey from the fridge and let stand at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before baking.
Remove the neck and giblets from the turkey
Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
In a small bowl mix together salt, black pepper and garlic powder. Sprinkle on the inside cavity of the turkey to season.
Place the quartered onion, lemon, bay leaves, sage, rosemary, thyme and garlic into the turkey.
Bring the legs together and tie together with string.
Tuck the tips of the wings under the turkey.
In a small food processor mix together butter, garlic, sage, thyme and rosemary until well blended.
Generously season the outside of the entire turkey with salt and pepper.
Use your fingers rub the butter mixture evenly over the turkey until it is well coated.
Place the turkey in a roasting pan with about 1 cup of water in the bottom.
Bake for 30 minutes until the skin is golden, then reduce the temperature to 350 and cook for an additional 2 1/2 hours. Total cooking time will vary based on the size of your turkey, but count on about 15 minutes per pound.
Remove turkey from the oven and tent with foil for 20 minutes before slicing to serve.
NUTRITION FACTS
Serving Size about 8 Ounces
Total Calories 530
Total Fat 26 g
Cholesterol 212 g
Sodium 557 mg
Total Carbohydrates 1 g
Protein 73 ghttps://youtu.be/-nJLpx0Qx1o