I have always been interested in how some people celebrate Christmas and Thanksgiving with a turkey. We never have that tradition in my family, and besides, turkeys are expensive during the festive season, so my parents never really let us have a chance of tasting that. The only times I actually ate turkey was when I attended Christmas parties at my friends' or relatives' places.
Since there is never a tradition of Thanksgiving here, the only times turkey will be sold wholesale is during Christmas. The turkeys that are being sold have already been pre-stuffed and pre-processed and mass produced, so the taste may not be that appealing to some.
Which is why when I came across the Special Christmas Turkey workshop, I grabbed the chance to sign up for it, as I have always wanted to know how to stuff a turkey. Besides, the recipe can be used on a chicken too, although lesser since the chicken is a smaller bird.
Apparently, in order to have a real juicy turkey, the turkey has to be bought six days in advance. It has to be thawed in the fridge for three days, before marinating. Once the turkey has been marinated, keep it in the fridge to thaw for another three more days. Only when the turkey is ready to be roasted / baked, then the stuffing will be prepared. The turkey will then be stuffed until it is full.
Pre-roasted Marinated Stuffed Turkey
Once the turkey has been stuffed, cover it with aluminium foil and put it in the oven to bake / roast for about three hours. Once the turkey has been roasted for an hour, take it out and glace it with butter before putting it back into the oven.
Fifteen minutes later, take it out again and glace it with honey before putting it back. After which, every fifteen minutes, repeat the process, alternating the butter and honey until the turkey has been roasted for three hours. Cover it back with aluminium foil each time to prevent burning.
Three hours later, take it out and glace it a final time, then put carrots all over as decorations. This time, remove the aluminium foil from the body of the turkey, leaving only the wings and thighs covered, then put it back into the oven to roast / bake for another forty-five minutes before removing it. Garnish the completed turkey with English parsley and cherry tomatoes.
The completed turkey with all garnishings
Since there was only one turkey, we had to carve it up and share it amongst everyone. So I only managed to get one part. I ate it there and then and I must say, it tasted really good! Exactly like black pepper honey chicken, considering those were some of the ingredients used. I cannot wait to try it out myself, except my house does not have an oven so I must figure out how to make it using the microwave.
As a bonus, we got to make desserts too - the Chocolate Truffle with Brandy and Cinnamon Roll. The chocolate truffle was made using dark chocolate and almond bits, sprinkled with cocoa powder and crushed nuts. The final product turns out looking like Ferrero Rochor, but of course the latter is still much better tasting!
Chocolate Truffle with Brandy
The Cinnamon Roll was the last to be made. We used bread flour, with bread optimizer, so the dough could be rolled and kneaded into a round shape, which would rise on its own after about ten minutes or so. Just imagine a small kneaded dough could rise to about twice its size!
The kneaded dough (before rising)
The size of the dough after rising
Once the dough has risen, we had to punch it using our knuckles to flatten it and even out the air inside. Then roll it with a rolling pin, flattening the dough at all sides. Cut butter into small pieces and place it onto the flattened dough. Then sprinkle cinnamon powder on top. Roll up the dough and cut it into small round pieces. Place it into the oven and bake it.
The completed Cinnamon Roll
Each of us took back three pieces (rolls) each. I have eaten one and it tastes good, with a buttery strong cinnamon taste. This should be easier to make since I have a bread maker at home, so maybe I can start on that soon!
