Turducken in January

Long story, but we were gifted an already deboned turkey, duck and chicken recently. With that most tedious of tasks completed. of course we HAD to make a Turducken - our first ever.

First, we brined the birds for about 6 hours - a step that is critical for moist fowl.

I then started by making a cornbread dressing - this one using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free Cornbread mix and goat milk to accommodate a friend's food allergies. I added a basic mirepoix and some of the amazing chorizo verde sausage from Sheridan Fruit Co.

We layered the chicken inside the duck inside the turkey, with seasoning, stuffing and bacon in between each layer and trussed it up. Now, we didn't really follow the directions that are so helpfully posted all over the interwebs, but instead just jumped in and did it. Result was a fairly good lookin' roast, albeit with a few obvious mistakes we decided could be hidden with - what else - bacon. 

The trussed Turducken - note the clever "bacon bandaiI slathered it with butter (of course) and put it in the oven at 500 degrees for about 15 minutes.Then, I turned the oven down to 250 and let 'er roast. This baking scheme was suggested by Paula Deen, who I assumed would know a thing or two about Turduckens.

Well, it was a mistake. Three hours later, guests are all at the kitchen island and we're not even close to being done. Cranked up the oven to 300 and about an hour later, enough of it was done to jump in.

It wasn't the prettiest Turducken ever, but it was very moist and tasty - particularly the stuffing.

Lessons for next time:

1. Skip the bacon and use pancetta or proscuitto instead. (Basically, I was being cheap by doing this.) The bacon didn't really cook, didn't add any flavor or juiciness, and was just kinda gross.
2. Wrap the birds up as instructed, don't just wing it. (Ha! I made a fowl joke!)
3. Use a little less stock in the stuffing - I used a bit more to keep things moist, but it didn't hold up in the roast.
4. Don't trust Paula Deen.

Brandied Cherries

The pitted cherries - pretty!It's cherry season here in Oregon and last weekend were in the very heart of it - Mosier! With such a bounty around us and a very short picking season, it's the perfect opportunity to do a little canning. Now, I happen to like (actually love) Manhattans.

I was in a local watering hole a few months ago chatting up the bartender and we were lamenting the fact that while Maraschinos were just plain nasty, there were very few substitutions and nothing local we were aware of. Bing! Time to make our own.

So, I picked a few more cherries from my friend's backyard tree, and with a recipe shared by friends in Seattle and a little online research canned them up! I also started some bitters, which will be done in a couple of weeks. Will share that recipe when I know it's a good one!

1. Pit 5 lbs. of cherries. (I actually did some pitted and some without because frankly I'm kinda lazy efficient that way.) Save any too-soft fruit to use in the syrup.

2. Mix 2 cups water and 2 1/2 cups sugar in a large pan and add the too-soft fruit, juice of 1/2 lemon, a bit of vanilla and a cinnamon stick. Stir on medium heat until boiling, just until syrup starts to thicken.

3. Strain the syrup, then add 1/2 syrup back in pan with 1/2 of the cherries and heat for 1-2 minutes. Ready for Cocktails!Distribute the cherries to 1/2 your jars. Repeat with remaining syrup/cherries for the rest of your jars. I ended up with 11 1-pint jars.

4. Distribute remaining syrup evenly through all jars, leaving about an inch. Top off with brandy, leaving about 1/2 inch head space. (About 2 shots brandy in each jar.)

5. Wipe tops of jars carefully to ensure a good seal, put on sterilized lids & rings. Process for 10 minutes to seal, leave to cool.

The Cookbook Project

Follow along as I work through the 176 cookbooks in my collection. I'll review them and share my thoughts, results and recipes with you!

Canning Basics October 23

If you've ever wondered how to can and preserve foods, here's a great workshop for you. I happen to have a TON of apples right now, so we'll process them into things like applesauce, apple butter and chutneys - whatever you'd like. These are super easy to do, so great for canning first-timers. And, it's always more fun with friends!

I'll provide all the equipment, ingredients, recipes and lids. If you have any pint or smaller-size jars that you'd like to use, please bring them.

Sunday, Oct. 23 from 3 to 6 p.m., 2812 NE 8th Ave.

Cost will be $10 per person, and will include some snacks, and taking home several jars of goodies (depending on how much we do)!

Email me to reserve your spot - class size will be limited!

Homemade Bacon and Worchestershire - Jan. 17

Well, since it's the new year I thought I'd ruin all your resolutions about eating less pork fat and stuff by hosting another homemade bacon workshop on January 17 from 3 to 6 p.m. We're also gonna make Worchestershire sauce, which I've wanted to do for a while now. The contribution for this workshop will be $30 and will include about 3.5 pounds of bacon (delivered about one week later after aging/smoking) and/or pancetta and a bottle of Worchestershire, plus a lifetime of memories! Email me if you'd like to be one of the 10 lucky ones to participate in the first of the 2010 pantries!

Update on Monday, January 11, 2010 at 10:52AM by Tanya's Pantry

Sorry, folks. I've fractued my shoulder so it seems that workshops are on hold for quite some time. Indeed cooking at all will be out for at least 4 to 6 weeks.That's going to be the hardest part of all! If I'm able at some point to use both hands for typing, I may be bringing more. Until then I am being taken care of by my husband and many friends...