Holiday highlights

Well, after two brief weeks of holiday fervor, jetting from California to Vancouver and back, I at last have a small window of time to reflect back on the smorgasbord we indulged in. There was a lot of eating this holiday season, for which I know we will be paying for in the weeks to come. Given the wealth of food, I thought I'd note some of the stand-out recipes we tried out, which include the "perfect" roast turkey, mushroom-walnut stuffing and a tasty mushroom-apple juice side dish."Perfect" Roast Turkey (adapted from Martha Stewart)RecipeServes 121-1/2 cups salt2-1/2 cups sugar2 medium onions, coarsely chopped2 celery stalks, coarsely chopped2 carrots, peeled and coarsely chopped2 dried bay leaves3 sprigs fresh thyme3 sprigs parsley2 tsp whole black peppercorns1 fresh whole turkey (10-12 lbs), rinsed and patted dry, giblets and neck reserved1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted, plus 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened1/2 cup dry white winePut salt, sugar, onions, carrots, bay leaves, thyme, parsley and peppercorns and water in a large stockpot. Bring to a boil, stirring until sugar and salt have dissolved. Remove from heat; let brine cool completely. Add turkey, breast first, to the brine. Cover; refrigerate for 24 hours. Remove from brine, and pat dry with paper towels. Let stand at room temperature for 2 hours.Preheat oven to 350 F. Stir together melted butter and wine in a medium bowl. Fold a very large piece of cheese cloth into quarters so that it is large enough to cover breast and halfway down the sides of the turkey. Immerse cloth in butter mixture; let soak. Place turkey, on its side, in the roasting pan. Sprinkle salt and pepper inside the turkey. Loosely fill the neck and body cavities with stuffing. Tie legs together with kitchen twine. Rub turkey all over with softened butter; season with salt and pepper. Remove cheesecloth from butter mixture and lay over turkey. Reserve remaining butter mixture for brushing. Place turkey in oven. Roast for 30 minutes. Turn turkey to its other side, and brush cheesecloth and exposed turkey with butter mixture. Roast another 30 minutes. Place turkey breast side up and roast, brushing every 30 minutes, for another 2 hours, covering with foil if it browns too quickly. Discard cheesecloth and baste turkey with juices. Roast, rotating pan, until skin is golden brown and a thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the thigh reads 160 F. Transfer to a platter. Set pan with drippings aside for gravy. Let turkey stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.MusingsThe brining did an excellent job at flavouring up the turkey and keeping it moist. The cheesecloth was also a valuable tool in facilitating the turkey's even browning, as it turned out a lovely golden brown by the end of it. David noted that he was expecting the turkey to be slightly darker, which may be a product of our doubling up/layering the cheesecloth too thickly. It was everything a turkey should be--strong, but not overpowering, with a nice texture (crucially, not dry). A Merry Christmas it was.Mushroom-walnut stuffingServes 82 yellow onions, diced3 celery stalks, diced10 oz button mushrooms, diced2 tbsp fresh sage leaves, finely chopped1/2 cup dry white wine,1 cup toasted walnuts, roughly chopped1 loaf crusty white bread, cut into 3/4" pieces (8 cups) left uncovered overnight or toasted1 to 1-1/2 cups chicken broth2 large eggs, lightly beatenIn a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and celery; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft; transfer to a large bowl. Add bit of oil, mushrooms, and sage to skillet; season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring often, until mushrooms are browned. Add wine and cook, stirring and scraping any browned bits, untile wine has almost evaporated. Transfer to bowl with vegetables; add walnuts, bread and enough broth to moisten. Season with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Add eggs to bread mixture and toss well to combine. Reserve 4 cups stuffing for turkey. Spoon remaining into a lightly oiled baking dish. Preheat oven to 400 F. Bake, uncovered, until golden brown on top, 30 minutes.MusingsThe stuffing seemed to go over well, as David's mother declared it to be her favourite dish of the evening. It was earthy and flavourful; although, as stuffing, we felt it was not as texturally coherent, as compared to other stuffing I'm used to (such as my mother's). This may be because I'm more familiar with stuffing that includes rice, which seems to help everything bind together. So perhaps next time we could try adding a bit of rice. Otherwise, a solid stuffing choice!Mushroom and walnuts in apple juice reduction Serves 5 1 lb small brown mushrooms, quartered1/4 cup butter1/3 cup walnuts1/2 cup apple juiceIn a skillet, sauté mushrooms in butter over medium-high heat until they start to brown. Stir in walnuts, and continue to sauté until mushrooms are browned. Add apple juice to the pan and reduce until a few tablespoons remain.MusingsLast but not least, this dish was something David whipped up at the last minute while in Vancouver to go with our second Christmas dinner. It was a huge hit with everyone, who indulged in multiple helpings over the course of the meal. It was a nice blend of earthiness and nuttiness, with a sweet smoothness from the apple juice. David noted that next time he would try toasting the walnuts first, perhaps mixing them with a bit of chili pepper and a tiny bit of honey.