Time To TALK TURKEY..................

Yes, you likely noticed how quiet I've been since Thanksgiving.  It's because we were just having too much fun!  Lori and Pam arrived early afternoon on Thanksgiving day and we've been partying every minute until they left for home this morning.

The turkey was a great success and I want to share my technique.  This all started with me having too much time to watch TV the week before Thanksgiving so I turned on the food channel and watched dozens of ideas on how to roast the perfect turkey.  I finally settled on a combination of some of the ideas

First I made a bed of onion, lemon, celery and carrots for the turkey to rest on - the purpose being to flavor the gravy.  Then after washing and drying the bird, I finely chopped fresh rosemary and thyme and finely grated the zest of two oranges.  I mixed all together with 1/3 cup of seasalt and added enough good olive oil to make a paste - then rubbed it all over the outside of the bird and inside the cavity  

The final touch was to cut a piece of cheesecloth, large enough to cover the entire turkey.  I dipped it in water, rung it out and dipped in a cube of melted butter and placed it on the turkey.  The left over melted butter was used up when I basted the turkey.

As soon as the breasts reached 165 degrees, we removed the turkey from the oven and placed it on a cutting board.  Lori brought her sharp chef's knives so she cut off both legs and thighs and we returned them to the oven for another 15 minutes while the remainder of the turkey rested.  This way all the parts were perfectly cooked and tender and moist.  We have never - ever - enjoyed a turkey as much as this year. I'm going to start roasting my chicken the same way......................