Wednesday, November 10

Thanksgiving Doctor troubleshoots common problems

Chuck Martin

The Cincinnati Enquirer

For many cooks and hosts, Thanksgiving is the most important and often most stressful meal of the year. It can be even more stressful if a new or traditional dish doesn't turn out right.

So whom do you call when your Thanksgiving meal is ailing? The Thanksgiving Doctor, of course.

We enlisted chef Maggie Green as our Thanksgiving Doctor and asked readers to tell us about their chronic holiday food afflictions. We chose three cases and then followed Green as she made house calls to heal her patients' Thanksgiving meals.

Maggie Green studied nutrition at the University of Kentucky and earned a culinary degree from Sullivan College in Louisville, Ky. In 1995, she started Green Apron - a company that prepares home meals for clients with special nutrition needs.

How do you unmold a gelatin salad?

Problem: Salads often fall apart when being transferred from mold to serving dish.

Treatment: The Thanksgiving Doctor recommends a multistep approach to unmold gelatin salads easily and beautifully:

• Spray inside of mold lightly with vegetable oil spray before adding gelatin.

• Allow gelatin to chill and thicken slightly before folding in other ingredients.

• Chill gelatin salad thoroughly (24 hours) before attempting to unmold.

• Before unmolding, run tip of butter knife around edges of mold. Then dip bottom of mold briefly (about 30 seconds) in very warm water.

• Finally, place plate or platter on top of mold and invert on counter. If necessary, gently pull one side of mold out slightly with your finger to allow air in, which should help loosen and dislodge gelatin.

Result: It required two dips in warm water, but Green successfully unmolded the gelatin salad without any tears or collapsed edges.

How do you keep cooked-ahead turkey moist?

Problem: Many cooks now cook their turkeys well ahead of serving time and then reheat to avoid last-minute hassles. But how do you prevent the meat from becoming dry?

Treatment: The Thanksgiving Doctor admits she had never heard of wrapping roasted turkey in lettuce. Green consulted chef Paul Sturkey, who has a lettuce-wrap method of keep the moistness in.

Green demonstrates this curious method.

• It's best to roast turkey two days before serving. Allow the bird to cool thoroughly (up to two hours) at room temperature. Reserve drippings and refrigerate. Seal roasted turkey with foil or plastic and refrigerate overnight.

• The next day (one day before serving), cut breast off bone into two pieces. Cut off wings, thighs and legs. Slice breast against grain into serving-size pieces, but don't cut meat all the way through.

• Wash and dry large romaine lettuce leaves (you'll need about two large heads of lettuce for a 12- to 14-pound turkey). Cut tough stems or ribs from lettuce leaves. Place lettuce lengthwise, slightly overlapping, flat on counter or cutting board. Roll lettuce around turkey breast. Wrap each portion tightly in aluminum foil. Repeat process with thighs, wings and drumsticks.

• Place foil-wrapped turkey in large roasting pan (you may need more than one), seam-side down. Pour in enough drippings and/or broth until about one-third of pan is full. Cover pan with more foil and refrigerate until an hour before serving.

• To serve: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat turkey in pans until warm, about 35 minutes.

Result: The turkey was moist and delicious.

Tips from the doctor:

• If using a frozen turkey, make sure you allow enough time for it to thaw properly, about one day in the refrigerator for every four pounds of turkey.

• Use a meat thermometer to make sure you don't undercook or overcook the turkey. When done, the thermometer should register 170 degrees in the breast and 180 degrees in the thigh.

• To keep turkey as moist as possible, it's important to chill the turkey thoroughly before cutting.

For vegetarians, what are alternatives to Tofurky?

Problem: A vegetarian eats Thanksgiving dinner with other vegetarians. This year, she'd like to make a new main dish (but not tofurky). She is looking for something she can assemble quickly or cook ahead.

Treatment: Mushroom Loaf (Serve with a cranberry sauce).

Result: The mushroom loaf is easy to make. The loaf can be assembled ahead and cooked in the oven before dinner.

MUSHROOM LOAF

1 cup dried lentils

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

3/4 pound crimini mushrooms

1/4 cup shallots, chopped

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3/4 cup walnuts, roasted and roughly chopped

1/2 cup basil, chopped

salt and freshly milled black pepper to taste

1/2 red bell pepper, julienned (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Bring 2 cups water to boil in medium sauce pan. When boiling, stir in lentils. Reduce heat and simmer until lentils are soft, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from heat. Drain, if necessary, and set aside to cool.

Mix half the vinegar with mushrooms, shallots and garlic. Toss gently to mix. Spread in a shallow baking pan, and bake for 15 minutes in preheated 350-degree oven. Remove from oven and let cool.

Combine lentils, mushroom mixture, remaining vinegar, salt and pepper to taste in food processor. Process at medium speed until smooth. Check for seasoning. Add walnuts and basil. Pulse to combine, but not puree.

Mound lentils on a serving platter. Shape lentils into a loaf and place in center of lettuce. Decorate with pinwheel of julienned red pepper strips.

Serves six.

Source: www.inmamaskitchen.com