Nog

      Alright kiddos, lots going on.  First I want to apologize for not having many posts lately, I've been busy with a promotion!!! Got a real life Chef position, no longer just a humble cook- the difference being all about responsibility and goodness knows, there is plenty to do! None the less, tt's Christmas time and everyone is crazy busy:  decorating, shopping, chauffeuring kids to and from the many holiday concerts/parties/parades, going to see Santa at the mall, picking up family from the airport.  It's a busy time of year, so my suggestion, take some time and indulge yourself.  IT'S WORTH IT! 
      I have actually spent most of my life disliking Egg Nog.  I've always been willing to drink it, but never really enjoyed it, because honestly I had never had the home made stuff.  It is way better than anything you will get from the store.  I'm not going to lie to you and pretend it's super easy to make.  It is very similar to making ice cream base, and in fact, if I find I've made too much and just can't drink it all (this has never happened) I will just throw it into my ice cream machine and voila, egg nog ice cream! So prepare yourself for a bit of a workout (or choose to use an electric hand mixer) and let's get started. 
      This recipe will make about 6 quarts of nog, give or take.  First you will need to separate eggs. You must do this carefully, because later you will want to be able to whip the whites to fold into the mixture.  When I am separating eggs for something like this I have 2 bowls and a mug.  I separate the whites into the mug one at a time then put the yolk in one bowl and after checking that there are no little stray bits of yolk in the mug that goes into the bowl too.  This makes it so you don't contaminate all the whites with one broken yolk.  Separate a total of
8 eggs (yolks separate from whites)
go ahead and leave the whites out, they separate easier cold, and whip up better at room temperature.  Once you have all the eggs separated get a large pot on the stove on high.  In a dry pan lightly toast
2 Green Cardamon Pods (not a necessary flavor, but man it is good in there)
2 cloves
3 allspice seeds and
a cinnamon stick toss them around in your hot pan for 30 seconds or so, just until they become lovely and fragrant. Then add
1 quart Cream  don't cheat and try to substitute milk or half and half here, suck it up and use the cream, otherwise you won't get the texture you want (i.e. rich and awesome) and
1/2 vanilla bean scraped (or use 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Now turn the heat down to medium and bring it up just to a simmer.  While you are waiting for this to happen you are going to whisk the egg yolks with
1 cup sugar
      When you are working with yolks and sugar there are a couple of things to keep in mind.  Don't ever put the sugar into the yolks and just leave them, immediately mix them, otherwise you will get lumpy bits that just won't come out.  So get a large pot of water simmering to put the bowl over to begin cooking the eggs.  When you are whisking the two together you are trying to pump air into the mixture, so as you mix them it will lighten up and then it will thicken up, this is exactly what you want to happen.  It doesn't need to whip to peaks like you will do with whites, but it will be creamy and thick enough so that if you drizzle some over the top of it with your whisk it will take 4-5 seconds to dissapate back into the mixture.  And remember while you are doing this to keep an eye on the cream mixture, don't want it to boil over!
      Once you have your five second ribbon (that's the fancy term for what I just described) and your cream is nice and hot slowly whisk the hot cream into the egg mixture, using a ladle and going a little at a time so you don't cook the egg by adding the hot liquid to fast.  We call this tempering the egg mixture.  Once all the liquid is in put the bowl back over your hot water bath and keep mixing, being sure to scrape the sides on a regular basis, you are still in danger of scrambling those eggs.  While you are letting the egg cook set yourself up an ice bath.  I like using two large bowls so that there is a good bit of surface area touching the ice so it cools faster.  So ice in the bigger bottom bowl with a little bit of water and salt and then another bowl on top.  Keep stirring your egg mixture until it thickens up, It will be pretty frothy on top so be sure you are judging it from the liquid underneath.  Should be thick enough to lightly coat the back of a spoon.  When it is ready take it off the heat and pour through a strainer into your prepared ice bath. It's a lot easier to strain while hot!
      For those of you more experienced with this kind of thing you might not want to use the second hot water bath, I don't.  I just put in on the stove directly in a pan on medium heat, and cook it while whisking CONSTANTLY until it comes about to a boil.  This is dangerous because it is much more likely to curdle and break, and you really don't want to risk all of your hard work.  My advise, unless you are really comfortable with it, use the hot water bath.  So much safer!
      Once this has cooled down it is time to whip your whites.  You don't need all of them (maybe save the rest for a healthy egg while omelet, you'll probably need it after the nog) use
4 whites, about 1/2 cup
 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
I use a stand mixer for this part, because my arm is usually pretty sore by this point.  Mix the eggs until they have stiff but not dry peaks.   Fold this into your cooled egg and cream mixture.   It will be thick and sinfully smooth.  Don't worry too much if you feel like it's too thick, it thins out when you add the booze. 
     If you are having a party go ahead and mix the alcohol right in, or keep it separate and mix as you go if it's a treat just for you.  I've seen people use all kinds of different things for this, most common I think is brandy (I made pear brandy just for this purpose), but I have seen people use 151, whiskey and bourbon.  It really all depends on your taste. 
      So this is my little holiday treat, I hope I didn't scare you off, because it is so worth taking the time to make it for yourself.  Enjoy and HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

Almond Joy No Bake Cookies

      This week has been a bit hectic, some big changes at work and a big order for desserts.  I've been baking all morning, and getting pound cakes in at night-- three of them so far.  One of the little treats I've done for this project are some coconut almond no bake cookies. 
      This recipe was adapted from the chocolate oatmeal cookies we've been making around the house for as long as I can remember.  Part of what made those cookies were so addictive was that they are quick and easy to make and we almost always had the ingredients around.  I've been playing around with substituting coconut for the oatmeal and finally decided that to be safe (because I have been having trouble finding gluten free quick oats) that I wanted to pull the oatmeal completely out of the recipe.  So this is what I ended up with. 
      Start by laying out some parchment paper, to drop the cookies on when they are finished.  Then melt
1 cup butter mix in
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup milk
3 TBS coco powder
Bring this to a boil and set your timer for 3 minutes.  Turn it down to medium high and let it continue to boil.  While all of this is going on measure out
2 1/2 Cups Coconut
1 Cup sliced almonds
and put aside.  When your 3 minutes is up remove from the heat and stir in
1 Tsp Vanilla and the coconut and almonds.  Quickly scoop it out into individual cookies onto your parchment paper.  You can use two spoons, that's what we always did as kids, or you can use a small ice cream disher.  Move quickly, they cool and firm up farily quickly.  Once they are dropped allow them to cool for at least a half an hour, or you could just eat them all hot and gooey, and try not to burn your fingers. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate, well any Hot Chocolate for that matter . . .

      How many times have you had a bad day and just wanted a cup of hot chocolate when you came home only to be disappointed by those little powder packets, even the ones with the marshmallows?  Even worse, get home and realize that you don't even have your hot chocolate packets.  Now if you do any baking on a regular basis, you should have everything you need for some delicious home made hot chocolate.  This post though isn't just about home made hot chocolate, this is about my specialty Mexican Hot Chocolate.  Mexican Hot Chocolate is special because it has chili powder in it.  The spice adds a very lovely richness and depth to the chocolate that I find quite addictive. 
      This recipe is just for one cup.  Start in a pan by heating
1/4 cup milk.  When it gets that little film on top, but hasn't quite come to a boil whisk in
1/4 cup semi sweet chocolate chips (if you use dark add just a bit more sugar in the next step)
1 tsp sugar
1/4 tsp vanilla
pinch salt. The next three ingredients are what make it "Mexican" if you leave them out you will have a traditional hot chocolate
add a dash each of- cayenne, chili powder, cinnamon. 
Basically at this point you've made chocolate ganache, but you want to do this step first to make sure it is smoothly mixed.  You will need to add more milk to thin it out so add
1/2 cup milk to the chocolate mixture and bring it back to a simmer, mixing everything so it doesn't burn on the bottom.  Top with whipped cream or marshmallows and enjoy!   Promise, one of the best hot chocolates you will ever have, it's rich, flavorful and best of all can be made from things you already have in your pantry.  Enjoy!

Pear Brandy

      Today, on Black Friday, as many of you were up early waiting in line for the best sales of the season, I was curled up warm in my bed thinking about my plans for Christmas.  I was thinking about oysters and collards, roast beef, a very interesting version of gratin potatoes, about snacks and candies and what I'm going to put into those treat boxes I make every year.  Then this morning, as I sat and ate some leftover turkey and stuffing for breakfast a decision was made:  Today I am getting pear brandy started. 
      I've been thinking about pear brandy for a couple weeks now, actually.  Back in Oregon they had this lovely local brandy that we would use for our egg nog (the nog is special too, but will have to come in a later post, as I want my brandy for it).  I've been doing some research and I certainty don't want to make brandy.  I'm not entirely certain it's legal, and I just don't have the time or patience for it, so next best thing, we'll infuse it.  This is a two step process, but is pretty simple.  For the first step you will need 2 things
12 oz Brandy, I found a white brandy distilled from grapes, it will be prettier in the end than a brown brandy.  The white will develop a bit of a tawny color as the pear steeps that will look very nice as you bottle it. 
1 Pear, peeled, cut in halves and cored
Pour the Brandy over the pear and put into a sealed container.  Put it on the shelf for at least week or two and let that flavor infuse.  The next step will sweeten it to make it more like a liquor.  You are going to add pear simple syrup to the mix
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Water
another Pear, peeled, cored and sliced
1 vanilla bean ( or cinnamon stick, maybe some ginger)

      Heat these together, stirring until the sugar dissolves.  Bring the pot to a boil then remove from the heat.  Let the mixture cool at room temperature.  Add the cooled mixture to the brandy and let it steep for another 3-4 days.  Strain through a coffee filter to get all the little particles of pear out.  Store up to two months.  Here is a great website if you are looking for ways to bottle some for gifts.  Use it in Nog, mix it with champagne, or cider, use it to enhance wine and add some sliced fruit for a sangria.  remember to save the pears you strain out of the brandy, they will make a great addition to a dessert, or to add to that sangria!
      Hope you enjoy this little treat as much as I do, and I'll post more pictures as my process gets further along.  Enjoy, and have a safe and merry holiday season!


UPDATE 12/16/12
Just wanted you all to know that I lied, I thought (after making some apple cider vodka) that the pear would turn the brandy brown, but failed to remember that the vodka had a cinnamon stick which made the whole concoction brown.  But have no fear, after finishing it tonight, even though it isn't that beautiful tawny color I was talking about, it is still delicious and amazing in my egg nog.  Also, just to warn you, it is very dangerous because it is wonderfully smooth and it doesn't really taste like booze.  MMMMM, so good!

Tasty, Tasty Thanksgiving Beverages

      I know I said I was done posting for Thanksgiving, but I think this one last post before the big day will make for a fun holiday.  We've got the Turkey and all the trimmings, but what we are missing is that last little flair: cocktails for our Thanksgiving party.
      I am pretty strict about keeping my holiday's separate.  I don't like celebrating Christmas until it is actually that time of year.  To be truthful I'm a true believer that Christmas doesn't start until Christmas day, but that is a bit beside the point.  There are things that I like saving for Christmas.  Egg nog is always foremost in my mind for Christmas cocktails, hot buttered rum and of course Wassail  (I mean there's a song for that one).  So I've spend the week thinking about Thanksgiving cocktails.
      The first is a play on that sandwich that you make, you know the one with the stuffing, turkey and cranberry sauce . . .  a Sage Pomegranate Martini.  Sage is the foremost herb in my stuffing and while I could have gone with cranberry here, I thought that the pomegranate would be a nice change, plus I always remember thanksgiving at my uncle's farm getting the pomegranates straight off the tree (or ground) and sharing it with my family.
      There are a few basic tools one needs to make this cocktail: a shaker- any kind will work, and a muddler- basically a small baseball bat.  Start by making your rim garnish-
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp pomegranate juice
Just mix them together.  It should be fairly dry, and slightly pink.  If you have a glass rimmer put your sugar in it and press to the rim of your martini glass.  Now in your shaker muddle (smash up with the mini bat)
2 sage leaves
1 TBS sugar then add
2 oz vodka
2 oz pomegranate juice
3 cubes ice
shake and strain into the glass. Garnish with a sage leaf and if you have them a few pomegranate seeds. If it's too much vodka for you I actually will sometimes water it down, I find when I do that you can get more of the sage, because it's not being overpowered by the vodka and pomegranate. 
      The next drink is a punch.  You can make a pitcher of it to share, or you can make it to the glass, either way you are left with a beautiful spicy fall beverage.  It's a simple drink, just 3 ingredients, and some apple for garnish if you like, but quality ingredients always make it better.  This time of year you can always find fresh squeezed apple cider, you are not so much looking for the spiced stuff, although if it's what you have it won't mess up the drink, what you want is the stuff that still a bit cloudy, you know like the kind you find at a farmer's market.  As ginger-ale goes getting a micro-brewed ginger-ale will often get you something that has a little more spicy kick to it.  Down here in South Carolina we get Blenheims Ginger-ale which comes in a mild or a spicy.  The spicy is actually a little too much for me, but if you like that kick, go for it.  Of course you have to remember that the cinnamon whiskey kicks it up a notch as well. 
Spicy Apple Punch

For a Pitcher:	For a Glass:
1 quart Apple Cider	½ cup Apple Cider
1 quart Ginger Ale	½ cup Ginger Ale
8 oz Fireball	1 oz Fireball

       So that's about it, share your little fall treats and well . . . drink responsibly.  Yea I know, I feel like I had to say it.   

Planning for the big day

      If you've never planned a big meal sometimes things can become a bit overwhelming when it comes down to getting the food on the table.   Without planning things are forgotten, you begin to stress out and are worrying too much about getting the food to the table to enjoy your celebration.  I've been working on this Thanksgiving menu now for two weeks.  With just seven days left till the big day, it's time to get started with planning and making sure everything is perfect for your celebration.  So first things first, a reminder of the menu. 

Roasted Half Turkey 

 Orange Cranberry Sauce

Turkey Gravy

Rustic Sausage Stuffing

 Bacon Braised Brussel Sprouts

White Cheddar and Herb Grits

Maple Bacon Roasted Butternut Squash

 Apple Fennel Salad with Spiced candied Pecans

Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake

Pear Ginger Tart

 

      Since most turkeys these days come frozen you will want to be sure you are buying 4-5 days in advance, so that they will have ample time to thaw.  When you are buying turkey you can go ahead and purchase any items that will survive hanging out for a few days (Don't forget to clean out the fridge so you have space for everything!).  The less time you ahve to spend shopping the day before the big event the better! So here is your list:

Turkey	Turkey Necks
Bacon	Sausage
Onion	Carrots
Celery	Fennel
Butternut	leek
Brussel Sprouts	Shallot
tarragon	Pears
Pink Lady Apples	Fresh Ginger
Cranberries	Tangerines
Cinnamon Sticks	Star Anise
Herb De Provence	Grits
Check flour and sugar	Chinese 5 Spice
Maple Syrup	Champagne Vinegar
Pumpkin Puree	Chicken Broth
Honey	Dijon
Pecans	Cheddar
Cream Cheese	Goat Cheese
Butter	Bread
Ginger Snaps

 

 

      Once you have this first round of shopping done you can start preparing individual items;  Get your turkey thawing, candy pecans, Dice and Toast bread, clean brussles.  All of these things can be done several days before hand.  Take your time, do one or two things a day, so that come Tuesday you have these little things out of the way.  Also take some time to plan what dishes you will be serving each dish in, make sure you have enough of everything and that they are the right size and will hold what you need.  If it comes down to it on Thursday there's no place to go to get more. 

      On Tuesday start your next phase of prep.  Dice vegetables for stuffing, sprouts, grits, squash and to roast with the turkey and shave the fennel for your salad.  Save all the bits and scraps (peelings are even ok, just wash your veggies before you start cutting them) for your stock- don't worry about butternut or brussle sprout scraps, they won't make it more tasty.Go ahead and make your salad dressing today too, just be sure you make enough because once you make it you'll be eating it till the big day!

      Wednesday you'll have to go back to the store for those last few things. 

Salad Greens

Fresh Thyme

Fresh Sage

Bay Leaves

Cream

Some flowers (or those pretty branches, something . . . ) for the table

Wine/Beer/Cider

In and out! This might be a good job to send the hubby and the kids to get them out from underfoot for a bit.  

      Make your Cheesecake and your Tart.  While that is baking get your grits started in the crock pot and get water going for your butternut to blanch, just blanch it today, no need for the rest unless you really want to. Clean your turkey, brine it and make stock.  Don't forget to throw in those extra turkey necks you got and all those lovely vegetable scraps. If you want once the stock is ready to go feel free to make your stuffing or leave it for the next day, you are actually getting close to being done!

      Thanksgiving day-  take the morning make your table pretty.  Make sure the boys have their beer chilling (maybe some for you too) and wines are stored at their appropriate temperatures.  4 hours before dinner get the turkey ready to go, and make sure you have calculated your time correctly and know when it is going in the oven.  Get your stuffing mixed and finish up the squash.  Set those aside they will go in the oven about 40 minutes before time to eat.  On the stove top you will be working on sprouts, grits, and cranberry sauce.  These can all be started about an hour before time to eat and will mostly cook themselves, you just got to keep those grits from burning.  

      As things start going in the oven at the end (one of the reasons I like doing a split turkey is that it is short and you can still use both of your shelves) make sure the table is set, and you have places for all the people as well as food.  Pull the Turkey 10 minutes before time to eat and make gravy while someone is making sure everything gets into the proper dish.  At the last moment put together the salad so that the dressing doesn't make it all wilty, it should be the second to last thing on the table since the Turkey always comes at the end.  As the last of the dinner items come out of the oven turn it off and slide your tart back in so it's ready for dessert. 

      I hope that each and every one of you gets to enjoy a beautiful holiday full of family, friends, good food, and love because we all have so much to be thankful for.

Pear Ginger Tart

      When I wrote this on the menu I was excited about a pear ginger tart.   It sounded so delicious, but it wasn't something I had made before, and I didn't really have a recipe or a plan for it.  It's kind of why I saved it for last.  I originally wanted to do something with crystallized ginger, but I couldn't figure out how to do it and still make it look nice.  After some thought I decided on a rustic tart with Anjou pears, fresh ginger, cardamom and brandy. 
      I made the dough by hand, it lends to that more rustic look- Mix
1 1/2 cup pastry flour (an ap flour that has a low gluten content like lilly white works well too- or mix 3/4 cup ap and 3/4 cup cake flour)
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
then cut in with a pastry cutter or two knives
1 stick butter, cold and thinly sliced 
 once it is mostly broken apart go ahead and get your hands dirty and press the butter through the flour with your fingers.  It will begin to look like coarse corn meal.  Then slowly drizzle in
1/4 to 1/2 cup ice water  while gently tossing the dough so that it begins to stick onto itself.  You will have enough water when the dough is mostly brought together with a few pieces of flour detached.  Press the dough together into a disk and wrap in plastic wrap.  Chill for at least an hour.  While this is chilling prepare your pears
3 large anjou (or other firm fleshed) pears- peeled, quartered, cored and each piece cut into 4 long wedges toss them in
2 TBS brandy  In a separate bowl mix
1 cup sugar
1 TBS corn starch
1 tsp fresh ginger, microplaned
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp fresh nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
add to the pear mixture and toss until everything is coated.  Then let stand for 30 minutes, while your dough is finishing chilling.  Once the dough is ready roll it out, trying to keep it as much of a circle as possible.  Make it about 15 inches round. 
      Move the tart onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Take a plate or a pot lid, anything round that you can use to measure out the size you want the tart to be and press it into the bottom so you can see where to line up your pears.
 If you want to be lazy just dump the pears and liquid into the middle and spread out to the marked edges, or you can take the time to arrange them and lay them out around the edges based on the guide.  Next gently go around a fold the edges over the top of the pears. 

       Brush the crust with some egg wash (a beaten egg mixed with 1 TBS water) and then sprinkle with some sugar (if you have sugar in the raw use it, it will make for a very pretty crust).  Bake at 375 for 35-40 minutes until the pears are bubbly and the crust is a beautiful golden brown.  Let it cool completely so that the sauce can set, then reheat for service. 

Orange Cranberry Sauce

      A short post to be sure, but cranberry sauce is quick and easy.  I personally can't put oranges in my sauce, but I know most people love it, so here goes.  In a medium sauce pan combine
1 bag (12 oz) fresh cranberries
1 cup orange juice
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tangerine - I like them because they have a thinner peel, cut it in half and thinly slice it with the peel on.  
2 star anise
1 cinnamon tick
4 pieces crystallized ginger
stir everything together and cook on medium low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, until it reduces enough to have a sauce like consistency.  Serve Warm.  

White Cheddar Herb Grits

      Grits aren't something you normally think of as food for Thanksgiving, but being a southern girl I can't help but having them as part of the menu.  There are lots of different kind of grits out there.  You can find quick grits, which personally I feel like don't have much texture, then there are all different kinds of stone ground grits.  You can get yellow or white varieties.  There are fine ground and coarse ground, each cook a bit differently and have a different texture.
      When I was living in Oregon the hotel that I worked at had some grits that, ironically, they ordered from a company in South Carolina: Anson Mills  These are grits milled from heirloom corn on a stone mill.  This company does a wonderful job of having a very high quality product where you can really taste the difference.  I used their Antebellum coarse white grits, but this recipe will work with any stone ground (not instant) grits.
      You are going to cook this in two phases, first the actual grits, then you will season and enrich it with your dairy product.  In a crock pot add
4 cups stock
1 cup grits
let this cook, stirring occasionally for about 2 hours.  You can do this the day of if you'd like, or you can make it a couple days in advance and refrigerate it.  Either way when you are almost ready to serve get a pan warming and melt
1/4 cup butter, add
1/2 onion, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBS herb de provence, and sautee until the onion in transluscent and the herbs are fragrant.  deglaze the pan with
1/4 cup white wine, then add
1 cup cream and your cooked grits- if you have cooled them down they will probably need a bit more liquid, add some water about 1/4 cup at a time until they have loosened up but are not watery.  Then whisk in
1/2 cup shredded aged white cheddar
4 oz cream cheese
1 TBS salt
1 tsp fresh ground black pepper
I promise these grits will be a delicious and welcome addition to your Thanksgiving table. 

Roasted Half Chicken and Gravy

      I understand that this post is supposed to be about cooking half of a turkey, but let's face it, buying a turkey is expensive and this close to the holiday I don't need to be eating it from now till turkey day.  So instead I took apart a chicken as a way to demonstrate.
      First using a sturdy knife cut down breast side of the chicken breaking through the breast bone, and wish bone.  Next we separate the backbone from the chicken.  The easiest way to go about this is with a pair of kitchen sheers. A good set of sheers comes apart so that the two blades are easily cleaned.  Cut down either side of the back bone through the ribs- this will be about half way down.  At this point get the knife back out and slide the knife underneath the flat bone attached to the thigh bone. 
Pull the thigh away from the bone and pop the thigh bone out of the socket.  Once you've done this the knife should slip easily through the joint and you will have two separate chicken halves.   
      For really easy carving once the bird is cooked also take out the ribs from the inside of the breast.  They should come out fairly easily by just sliding the knife down underneath them, when you get to the wing you will find some resistance.  You will have to find the joint there and take push through the cartilage (or you can simply take off the whole wing, but it really looks nicer if they stay attached, and some of us like the wing meat. 
      Now be sure you save all of the little pieces of bone and anything they give you in the cavity of the bird.  All of this needs to go into stock.  I usually make a lot of stock since I use it in everything.  This time of year you can buy turkey necks from the butcher to add to your stock. Roast off the bones at around 375 to get a stock with a deeper color and richer flavor.  Any vegetable scraps you have hanging around from the weeks cooking will do.  Herbs, bay leaves, garlic, peppercorns, a clove or two and roughly two gallons of water.  Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer and let it simmer away for about 2 to 3 hours.  Strain it and use the stock, which should be about 6 quarts, which will hopefully be enough for all of your other projects. 
      Once your bird is split (or you can do it before you split it whole, but it takes up less space this way) you will need to brine it for  a few hours to overnight.  Brining leaves you with a juicier, more flavorful bird.   I'm going to give you two amounts for brine recipes, one for a small batch and one for a large. Boil together:
2 cups water                                        1 quart water
1/2 cup salt                                          1 cup salt
1/4 cup brown sugar                        1/2 cup brown sugar
5 sprigs thyme                                     10 sprigs thyme
5 sage leaves                                         10 sage leaves
3 crushed garlic cloves                   6 crushed garlic cloves
2 bay leaves                                           3 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns                      20 black peppercorns
pinch red pepper flakes                  1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
once the salt and sugar dissolve remove from the heat and let steep for 10 minutes or so.  add
1 quart ice                                            2 quarts ice
put your bird in a bowl or pan and cover with the brine.  Refrigerate (sometimes with a turkey I just keep it in a cooler with a lot of icy brine overnight) until you are ready to cook it.  If you are going to go for the longer overnight brine, add more liquid so that it doesn't get too salty. 
      One thing that I really like about cooking a bird like this is that you can cook it more evenly more quickly, which means there is less chance of overcooking and drying out the fowl. It might not be your normal tall turkey centerpiece for your table, but when you cook it just right it's got a melt in your mouth texture.  Lay your bird out on a pan with a rack that has been sprayed. This is another point where you have options.  With a turkey I really like putting vegetables underneath, but on top of the rack.  Large diced onion, celery, carrot and a few sprigs of fresh herbs, thyme, rosemary, sage . . . parsley.  Basically the juices from the bird will drip down through the vegetables to flavor the drippings and the liquid in the vegetables will further serve to help keep them moist. 
      Put the bird half on top, season with salt and black pepper top with a sprig of thyme and a couple cubes of butter.  Instead of basting you are going to put a few cubes of butter every 30 minutes or so.  For the chicken you'll want to roast it at 325 for about 45 min to an hour.  For the turkey calculate about 12 minutes per pound, a little less than what most people use, but that's because we split the bird, also for the last half an hour you are going to turn the oven up to 375 to finish browning the turkey and to cook your two casseroles.  For a 20 lb turkey (that you've cut in half) it will need to cook for roughly two hours.  Check it about a half an hour before it should be done and at the same time put in the dressing and the butternut.  At this point you should be keeping a close eye on the temperature of the turkey, pull it from the oven when it registers at 160 in the thickest part of the thigh.  The USDA recommends cooking it to 165- when you pull the turkey a little early it will continue to cook for a few minutes as it rests to get to that 165 degrees you need. 
      While the bird is resting and the other things in the oven are finishing getting toasty and wonderful it is time to make gravy.  Move the bird, vegetables and rack onto another pan.  You will be left with a pan of glorious drippings.  Scrape what you can from the pan into a sauce pan.  There will be some lovely fond (french word that means roughly, awesome flavorful stuff stuck to the bottom of the plan) take a bit of white wine, 1/2 cup and spread over the bottom of the pan and put back in the oven for a few min to lift that flavorful deliciousness off the bottom of the pan.  While that is loosening up make a roux with the drippings.  There should be plenty of fat (remember you were melting butter over the top of the Turkey for a while)  I'm not going to give you exact amounts, because you will have different amounts of fat off of different birds.  So sprinkle flour into the pan a little bit at a time  and whisk in it in.  When you have enough flour in pan to absorb all of the fat (if you have to put more than 1/4 cup of flour in the pan you are probably going to make way too much gravy, pull some of the roux off so you don't have to waste all of your stock making too much) in the pan continue to heat on medium to lightly toast the flour so that the gravy doesn't taste like paste.  While toasting pull the pan with the remainder of the drippings and wine that you have loosening from oven.  Scrape the remaining liquid into the roux, whisk it in and then slowly add stock until it is the right thickness.  Now for my secret ingredient.  A lot of people put browning sauce to add a little color.  Most of these sauces also contain MSG, which while it makes it taste good, is kind of cheating.  I like to add a splash of soy sauce. Season, as always with salt and pepper and chop a few fresh herbs into it if you like. Some people like a creamy gravy, and if that is your wish splash in some milk or cream, otherwise just as it is should be wonderful.  Make so ure you have enough gravy for everything, remember people won't just be putting it on the bird. 
      This should only take a few minutes, at which point you bird will be rested.  Move it to whatever you are going to serve on and take it out to the table! 
      I believe I've just got 3 more recipes to share, and hopefully I'll have time to post at least one if not two of them tomorrow.  It's been a crazy week for me, and trying to cram all of this in has been a bit of a struggle.  Hope I have time for it all!