tim

Hi, Hi, My local farmer has a bourbon red turkey wandering around his farm and will go on a corn diet in advance of a visit some Amish friends on November 21, just in time for my Thanksgiving dinner. This bird will definitely have more developed muscles and less fat than my usual turkey. I am looking for recommendation for brining, cooking temperatures, finished temperature and other techniques. I will definately brine (wet or dry), place a mix of butter poached herbs, lemon peel and garlic mixed with seasonings and butter under the skin and begin roasting the bird breast down. Are there any recommendations on wet brining or on dry brining an heritage turkey? The dry brine would be the mix described above placed 2 days in advance. I suspect the added moisture of wet brining would be preferred. I will roast upside down with caul fat to self baste the bird before finishing breast up. I would also appreciate ideas on oven temperatures. I usually roast a turkey at 400-425 degrees on convection, but do not know if a lower temp is beneficial with a heritage turkey. I suspect that the lower fat level may dictate a lower roasting temp without using convection. Finally, I would like recommendations for the final internal temperature for a heritage turkey. I usually shoot for 165 in the breast and 175 in the thigh. Would a higher temp yield a more tender turkey? I understand that great gravy can make a dry turkey palatable and there will be plenty. Thanks for your thoughts. Tim

Steve, I finally had the opportunity (thick Prime porterhouse) to try the Ducasse method. I was visiting my son and had to use a tri-ply skillet. It was wonderful, totally decadent and almost better than..., well almost if your really hungry. The stainless kept the butter pretty clean allowing for a luscious pan sauce. It's even better than that reverse sear. Now, can we use this method for a standing rib? Thank you. Tim

Hi, I was criticized for admitting that I recycled used chicken bones for chicken stock. The pathogen police were offended that some family member had actually chewed on those bones. I answered their justifiable concern by taking the time to sanitize the bones in fresh water carefully heated to the boiling point and held at that temperature for a number of hours before use. The P.P. still don't want to eat at my house. Tim

Darienne, Yes, it is fine for salad dressing with nuanced sesame flavor. It is also fine for sauteing or roasting. Tim

Hi, The recipe is not really important. Pressure cooker stock would be made using normal ingredients or recipe with one exception. Since you will minimize evaporation, you are probably best off using the minimum amount of water. Techniques would also be the same, including any roasting or browning steps. It is very important to utilize a slow cool down. If you quickly depressurize the pot, the very hot stock (well above the boiling point) will immediately boil furiously incorporating all of the fats and impurities. This results in a cloudy, muddy stock. Tim

John, Your results are not surprising. I live about 25 miles from the Pumpkin Capital of the US and they grow many varieties of pumpkins. The Libby's pumpkin (it's tan in color) has an amazing volume of pulp for the pumpkin size and almost no seeds. I participated in a tasting a few years ago and that Libby's pumpkin is almost flavorless compared to the heirloom varieties. Your pie quality will take an extra large step up when you switch to the better varieties. The best is the Fairytale which is large with big lobes and highly uneven color ranging from gray/green to almost orange. This makes a wonderful pie. Another flavor boosting idea comes when you run a really fresh pumpkin through a juicer. Taste the juice and the pulp; surprisingly the pulp has almost no flavor and the juice will be sweet. Reduce the juice by less than half and you have a wonderful creme brulee/creme caramel flavor base. You can also use this to jack the flavor of your pie. You may also reduce it to make syrup; the temp should get to 120 degrees. Come out to central Illinois for great pumpkins. Tim

Hi, Better than a real butcher would be a 1950's meat market. We used to go into the sawdust floored wooden cooler room with a few carcasses hanging from the ceiling and watch the butcher break out a primal and divide it to suit our needs. Recently I was permitted into a very cold and extremely clean locker to show the butcher exactly where he could find those spider steaks. That was a rare treat and there were no inspectors around. The steaks were wonderful. Tim

Hi, It's not on the menu but, midwestern Popeye's are now offering a side of crawfish etouffee. Tim

Hi, We have come a long way. I remember 25 years ago their was a brand new restaurant in the Miami airport that was dramatically better than any other; it was named McDonalds. That was really pathetic but true. Tim

Hi, Fresh bones yield white stock with fresher, lighter flavor that you properly describe as chickeny. Much of this flavor is from the meat. Uncooked bones also provide less color to the stock with less gelatin. This is an excellent soup base. You may use these same bones to make a second run of stock. The second run will have more color, more gelatin and less chicken flavor. It will have more mouthfeel and umami. Cooked or browned bones are used to make a brown stock. These have a richer flavor with less chicken flavor. Tim Tim

Hi, I have always had problems with wild rice being tough and chewy. Friends who bring me rice from Canada have recently suggested that I soak the rice for 12 hours in cold water, before rinsing and cooking. It is worth a try. Tim

Hi, A brewers jet bottle washer does and excellent job on a clogged chinois. I ALWAYS top my stock pot with a round cooling/steaming rack before pouring stock. I also use a coarse strainer on top of the chinois to catch sediment. Tim

Chad, Do you have any thoughts on Warthogs V-Sharp system? Tim

Hi, You might want to add Picollo Sogno to your restaurant list. Tim

Hi, If you overcook ricotta gnocchi they can get dry and unappetizing. They can also come apart in a rolling boil; they are usually simmered until they float. I suspect they might not hold up in a deep fryer. After they are simmered, I sometimes saute them in butter just to add some color and to dry the surface. This adds to the outer texture without drying the interior. Tim

Hi, I will add to the consensus that a stockpot with a disc bottom is better than a fully clad stockpot. I do think you should look for a stockpot with an extra thick disk Sitram Profiserie Stock Pot with 8mm disc bottom These are available in a range of sizes. tim

Project, I would not cook the scallops over 130 degrees. This only takes a few minutes.

Hi, I usually whisk the egg yolks and sugar only about a minute to pale yellow. They do not become foamy. The milk is heated separately. You then temper the eggs by adding a small portion of the hot milk to the eggs; this will normally knock down any foam in the eggs. The eggs are then returned to the milk and cooked to 175 degrees. The foam disappears as the mix becomes fully cooked. I hope this helps. Tim

Project, The recipe tells you to heat the scallops to 160 degrees. The scallops are heated to an internal temp of 160 in poaching water. That means water north of 185 degrees. The phrases, "reduce the strained poaching liquid", "the roux is bubbling and the poaching liquid simmering", "add the simmering milk" all mean that the temperature of the liquid is somewhere between 185 degrees and 210 degrees. Yes, all that flour will allow you to fully heat and cook those eggs. Follow the recipe and you will be fine. Tim

Hi, Paul is correct in that custard sauces with flour may be boiled without overcooking. The number of eggs and other ingredients are not relevant until the eggs are properly cooked and this requires 180 degrees no matter the mix or amount. My point is that almost all custard or sabayon sauce separation is caused by undercooking the eggs. Undercooked custards separate quickly when put on hot food. They also separate slowly when allowed to cool. In both cases the emulsion breaks into a pooling of butter and a separate pool of liquid from the eggs. Actually, it is clear that the term overcooking is being misconstrued. Overcooking a sabayon (almost 80% water) requires a temp way in excess of 180 degrees. Cook to over 190 and the eggs immediately harden with the butter immediately separated. The overcooking causes immediate and rapid separation and I mean within a few seconds. You can rescue an overcooked/scrambled custard and remake it by straining the mix and beginning again with fresh eggs and use the same butter. If the eggs do not stand in the strainer, in fact they have not been cooked and have separated due to a break in the emulsion, not do to being overcooked.. This is being clearly described by Project - undercooking. When I cook a sabayon, I take the temp to 180 degrees and the eggs appear to be scrambled; they come together smoothly when whisked off the heat. Eggs cooked in that fashion easily form an emulsion that does not separate when cooled or when placed on hot food. Any custard that is only "cooked" to 160 degrees does not properly cook the eggs and will slowly separate as it cools or quickly separate on hot food. Tim

Hi, I normally cook a sabayon to 180 degrees on high heat with rapid stirring before removing from the heat. Creme anglaise is normally cooked to 175 to 180 degrees. I'm not sure that egg yolks are fully cooked at 160 degrees. imho, sabayon based sauces normally begin to break because of undercooking. The break occurs when the sauce sits. This also fits the description of the separation in the first sauce. Overcooking breaks the sauce in a different way with the eggs turning hard and the fats and liquids rapidly separating. Tim

Congratulations, That is truly unusual and probably unwelcome. Tell us about the unusual flavor...or not! Those other ideas are obvious, this is genius, demented genius. Tim

My Mom, Cooked really good food, but was not accomplished at most things. Then the unexpected. The standing rib roast (from the cold wooden meat locker downtown with the whole rib section dry aged for three weeks) sat in the cold oven for an hour when Mom realized that the oven no longer worked. She called the neighbor and... Cooked the whole 5 ribs on broil and it was wonderful. She served it with canned mushrooms in the gravy; it was 1953. Tim

Hi, At this price, the chicken should rotate. They might even come up with a different name for the rotating chicken holder. Tim

Hi, I also like to adjust the flavor profile just before service. This can be done with great vinegar, cognac, vincotto, an herb stir, fat, or a separate reduction. It's basic sweet, sour, salt, bitter and umami balance. Twenty years ago I read a suggestion from Madeleine Kamman about tasting your sauce and the wine to be served. This will give you guidance on adjusting your flavor balance to achieve harmony in your dish. Seemed pretty reasonable and it works. Tim