Morton Thompson Turkey Recipes

MORTON THOMPSON TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500°F.
• Chop fine the reserved turkey fat.
• In a small saucepan set over moderate heat, combine the reserved fat with 1/2 cup of the water; bring to a boil and simmer until all the water has evaporated and only clear fat and small pieces of solid remain.
• Reserve fat for stuffing.
• Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper.
• Rub the skin all over with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Prepare the giblets for the basting liquid. Bring to a boil and simmer the entire time you for basting. Add more water as needed.
• Meat Mixture: melt butter & brown veal, pork; cool and add to bread crumbs, combine > (bowl #3).
• Make the DRESSING:.
• Prep Bowl of Fruits : Combine all ingredients noted above for dressing.
• Prep Bowl of Seasonings : Combine all ingredients noted above.
• Prep Bowl of Breadcrumbs and COOKED meat mixture.
• In a VERY large bowl combine ingredients from all three bowls listed above.
• Mix it well. (As Morten said, "Mix it with your hands. Mix it until your forearms and wrists ache. Then mix it some more. Now toss it enough so that it isn't any longer a doughy mass.").
• Loosely stuff the turkey.
• Stuff the neck cavity and sew closed the openings.
• Tie legs together.
• In a separate bowl: Make the PASTE with ingredients listed above. Combine all ingredients for paste in a bowl, adding enough flour to form a thick paste.
• In a large open roasting pan with a rack: Arrange turkey breast side down on a rack sitting in a shallow roasting pan.
• NOTE: Continually add water to the bottom of roasting pan so drips do not smoke and set off your smoke alarm! I don't think Morton had to worry about that, but we sure have have to!
• Preheat oven to 500°.
• Put the turkey in the oven and roast it for 15 minutes, or until browned.
• Turn it breast side up and roast for and additional 15 minutes. Remove from oven.
• Now that it's nice and brown, using a pastry or paint brush coat the turkey completely with the paste -- in every nook and cranny.
• Reduce oven temperature to 325°F.
• To the simmering basting liquid, continue to add cider and water and reduce until all cider has been added. Remove from heat but keep warm on top of stove. *This is your basting liquid.
• Roast the bird, basting it frequently, (the original recipe says every 15 minutes) for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until an instant meat thermometer reads 180 to 185 in the thigh; 170 in the breast and 160 in the stuffing.
• Let rest at least 15 to 20 minutes, before peeling away crust/skin.
• Make gravy as usual.
• Remove the dressing.
• Carve as usual & enjoy!

THOMPSON'S TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees F. or as high as it will go -- for at least 1 hour.
• Chop fine the reserved turkey fat. In a small saucepan set over moderate heat combine the reserved fat with 1/2 cup of the water, bring to a boil and simmer until all the water has evaporated and only clear fat and small pieces of solid remain. Reserve fat for stuffing.
• Season the inside of the turkey with salt and pepper. Rub the skin all over with the oil and season with salt and pepper.
• Make the gravy: In a saucepan set over moderate heat combine ingredients for the gravy, bring to a boil and simmer while preparing the dressing.
• Make the dressing: prepare and combine ingredients in bowl no. 1; prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 2; and prepare and combine ingredients from bowl no. 3. In a large bowl combine ingredients from all three bowls. Mix it well. "Mix it with your hands. Mix it
• until your forearms and wrists ache. Then mix it some more. Now toss it enough so that it isn't any longer a doughy mass."
• Loosely stuff the turkey. Stuff the neck cavity and sew closed the openings. Tie legs together.
• Make the paste: combine all ingredients for paste in a bowl, adding enough flour to form a thick paste.
• Arrange turkey breast side down on a rack wrapped in foil sitting in a shallow roasting pan. Brush foil with oil.
• Put the turkey in the oven and roast it for 15 minutes, or until browned. Turn it breast side up and roast for 15 minutes more. With a pastry or paint brush coat the turkey completely with the paste -- in every nook and cranny. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees F.
• To simmering gravy add cider and water. Remove from heat but keep warm on top of stove. (This is your basting liquid.) Roast the bird, basting it frequently, (the original recipe says every 15 minutes) for 4 1/2 to 5 hours, or until an instant meat thermometer reads 180 to 185 in the thigh; 170 in the breast and 160 in the stuffing.
• Let rest 15 to 20 minutes, before peeling away crust.
• Suggested drink: Meridian Merlot 1994.
• For the paste: 12 egg yolks 2 tablespoons of Colman's mustard 6 cloves garlic, minced 6 tablespoons onion juice 1 tablespoon salt 3/4 teaspoon Cayenne, or to taste 2 tablespoons lemon juice 1 cup sifted all-purpose flour, or enough to make a paste 3 cups cider 1 cup water;

BLACK LACQUERED TURKEY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Place a 15 x 10 1/4-inch roasting rack in a heavy 16 x 13-inch roasting pan; alternatively, use two large disposable aluminum roasting pans set one inside the other for added strength.
• Stuff the turkey with the stuffing. Using a trussing needle and butcher's string, sew the sides of the body cavity together, stitching from side to side, to enclose the stuffing. To truss the turkey, tuck wings under body. Tuck neck flap under body to secure; then center a 3-foot length of butcher's string over the neck flap. Bring the ends of the string under wings, over drumsticks, wrap each end around a drumstick, pull drumsticks together, and then tie ends of the string into a bow. (The bow makes it easier to remove the trussing string after roasting.)
• Brush the turkey breast with melted butter. Place the turkey breast side down on the rack and brush with remaining melted butter. Place breast side down in the oven and roast until brown all over, about 30 minutes. Remove the turkey from the oven and reduce temperature to 325 degrees. While the oven cools, brush the hot turkey with the paste and allow it to set until dry, 5 to 7 minutes; turn it over on the rack and brush the breast side with paste. Place the coated turkey in the oven. Using a turkey baster, baste with basting liquid.
• Continue basting the turkey every 15 minutes with basting liquid throughout the roasting process, about 7 hours (allowing about 20 minutes per pound). Results yield a turkey with a dark, black coating over the skin that can be removed with tweezers before serving to reveal succulent, moist skin and meat.