“To Truss an Unstuffed Turkey Have ready one 4-foot length of kitchen twine. Place the turkey, breast side up, on a work surface with the legs facing you. Arrange the flap of neck skin so it covers the neck cavity. Center the twine across the back (on the work surface) under the shoulders of the… Read More

Roasting a turkey breast is a practical solution for a small Thanksgiving gathering. It’s quick, makes a lovely presentation, and there will be a manageable amount of leftovers. If the die-hard, dark-meat lovers grumble, just offer them an extra piece of pie. This turkey breast will be moist, beautifully browned, and brightly flavored with lemon… Read More

When I wrote my first Thanksgiving book, The Thanksgiving Table (Chronicle Books, 2001), brining a turkey was still a novel method for most home cooks. As I traveled the country teaching Thanksgiving cooking classes, I always demonstrated how to brine a turkey and gave the students an opportunity to taste how moist and flavorful a… Read More

This is the simplest way I know to make a rich turkey stock, utilizing the turkey neck, tail, gizzard, and heart found inside of the neck cavity of the turkey. (I never use the liver, also found in the packet of giblets, for making stock, because it gives the stock a bitter flavor. Sometimes, I… Read More

This grill recipe uses a technique called “indirect cooking” or “indirect grilling.” This simply means that the food is not set directly over the coals or burners as it cooks in a covered grill. Essentially, this is grill roasting-heat rises and reflects off the lid and sides of the grill, circulating the heat. Indirect grilling… Read More

Some are just “ho-hum, nothing-special” stuffings, but not this one. The sausage is key here. Where I live, several local butcher shops make their own savory and richly flavored link sausages and those are what I buy. Look in your area for artisan sausage makers. Once the sausages have cooked, I sauté the mushrooms in… Read More