Chances are that you have been enjoying all sort of festive treats for the last month. But what about the main event that is the Christmas turkey? Are you wringing your hands, thinking about what to do with it to make it special this year? Then worry not, because help is at hand. Read on for some tremendous turkey ideas that can elevate your Christmas lunch from a meal to a feast.
Cook, it upside down
One of the worst things that can happen when you are cooking the turkey for Christmas dinner is that it ends up dry. Why is this? Well, it can be because it has been cooked for too long. As a Turkey is such a large bird, it can be a difficult balance in getting the breast and the legs cooked through at the same time. Fear of undercooking causes people to leave it in for longer and so lead to a drying out of the meat.
A great solution to this is to cook your turkey on a trivet, upside down. “Why upside down?” I hear you say! Well, it is because all the juices run down during the cooking process. So instead of running into the tray they self-baste the breast, which is the part that you want to be most succulent.
Infuse some flavour
Another great tip to add a bit of pizazz to your festive turkey this Christmas it to infuse some flavour before you pop it in the oven. Just take a sharp paring knife and make some small holes through the skin and flesh.
Then you can insert all type of flavouring into the spaces like whole cloves of garlic, piece of lemon, or even rosemary. The flavour then permeates the bird while cooking, giving the turkey a delicious taste.
Glaze that bad boy
A Martha Stewart favourite come Christmas to glaze the turkey while it is cooking. You can pretty much make a glaze out of anything that is sweet and sticky, so things like maple syrup or brown sugar work well. Add a little interest with some heat from spices or mustard too. Check out her post on turkey for some more inspiration.
Spatchcocking
Spatchcocking your turkey is a novel way of cooking it at Christmas. Instead of keeping it whole you split the bird with kitchen shears. If you don't have kitchen sheers, take a peek at sites like Cut It Fine for some recommendations before the big day comes. You'll be glad you did as they make spatchcoking os much easier.
Spatchcocking works really well because it ensures as even cook throughout the bird. It's also way quicker to get the whole board cooked because it's not as thick. Check out the recommended timings here.
Don't forget the stuffing
Lastly, it wouldn't be Christmas without some delicious stuffing to compliment the turkey now, would it? Only stay clear of the at dry old sage and onion stuff. Instead, why not make you own sausage meat stuffing that will keep you bird deliciously moist. Then add cranberry, orange and nuts for a really festive taste.
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