Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 50 minutes
Start to Finish Time: 4 hours 25 minutes
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Elevate Your Holiday Feast: Julia Child’s Stuffed Turkey
In the world of culinary icons, Julia Child stands out as a true legend, especially when it comes to mastering the art of cooking turkey. In her 1989 cookbook, The Way to Cook, Julia introduces a game-changing method for preparing turkey that ensures both the white and dark meat are roasted to perfection. If you’re ready to invest a little extra time and effort, this recipe will elevate your holiday turkey to a whole new level—one that will leave your family and friends envious and delighted.
The Art of Perfectly Roasted Turkey
What makes Julia’s approach so unique? Instead of cooking the turkey whole, she separates the legs and breast, allowing each part to achieve its ideal doneness. The result? Juicy, flavorful thighs that are perfectly spiced, alongside breast meat that remains exquisitely moist and tender. This method not only enhances the presentation but also ensures that every bite is a celebration of flavor and texture.
A Note on Preparation
Before diving into the cooking process, it’s essential to prepare your turkey with care. Julia’s recipe calls for using a natural, unenhanced turkey, which means brining the turkey breast in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours before cooking. I highly recommend trying an orange brine for a refreshing twist that adds a zesty brightness to the meat. This extra step not only enhances flavor but also locks in moisture, resulting in a succulent bird that will have everyone coming back for seconds.
Key Tips for Success
- Trim the Fat: One of Julia’s key insights is to remove any large pockets of fat from the neck cavity. This small yet impactful step prevents your stuffing from becoming greasy, allowing the true flavors of the dish to shine through.
- Oven Positioning: For optimal roasting, position your roasting pan so that the bottom is 7 to 8 inches from the top of the oven. This ensures that your turkey roasts evenly, with a beautifully golden skin that will have your guests salivating.
- Managing the Stuffing: In Julia’s method, the stuffing is kept warm in the oven while the turkey rests, allowing it to absorb all those delicious juices. If you need your oven for other dishes during this time, simply leave the stirred stuffing in an uncovered roasting pan at room temperature. Just remember to reheat it in a 400-degree oven for about 10 minutes before reassembling your turkey for serving.
A Showstopper for Any Holiday Table
When you serve Julia Child’s Stuffed Turkey, you’re not just presenting a meal; you’re offering an unforgettable experience. The thighs emerge from the oven with a tantalizing spice blend that awakens the palate, while the breast meat, legs, and thighs are all perfectly cooked, creating a harmonious medley of flavors. It’s a dish that transforms a traditional holiday turkey into a stunning centerpiece worthy of any festive gathering.
Conclusion
This holiday season, channel your inner Julia Child and impress your guests with a turkey that’s as beautiful as it is delicious. With a little patience and these expert tips, you’ll create a centerpiece that’s sure to be the talk of the table, sparking joy and warmth as you gather with loved ones. Happy cooking, and here’s to a memorable feast filled with laughter, love, and unforgettable flavors!
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Ingredients:
TURKEY (prepare Day 1)
1 each turkey (12 to 15 lbs) (see NOTES before trimming and brining) neck and giblets removed and reserved for gravy
1 teaspoon fresh sage, minced
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
4 each skewers, wooden
BREAD CUBES (prepare Day 1)
1 1/2 pounds white sandwich bread, hearty, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
STUFFING & TURKEY COOKING PREP
2 teaspoons vegetable oil (for turkey breast)
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 medium onions, chopped fine
6 ribs celery, minced
2 tablespoons fresh sage, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 cup dried cranberries
4 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vegetable oil (for turkey legs)
salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
CUT AND PREPARE RAW TURKEY (Day 1, 30 minutes + overnight for brining)
With turkey breast side up, using boning or paring knife, cut through skin around leg quarter where it attaches to breast. Bend leg back to pop leg bone out of socket. Cut through joint to separate leg quarter. Repeat to remove second leg quarter.
Working with 1 leg quarter at a time and with skin side down, use tip of knife to cut along sides of thighbone to expose bone, then slide knife under bone to free meat. Without severing skin, cut joint between thigh and leg and remove thighbone. Reserve thigh bones for gravy.
Rub interior of each thigh with ½ teaspoon sage, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Truss each thigh closed using wooden skewers and kitchen twine. Place leg quarters on large plate, cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours.
Using kitchen shears, cut through ribs following vertical line of fat where breast meets back, from tapered end of breast to wing joint. Using your hands, bend back away from breast to pop shoulder joint out of socket. Cut through joint between bones to separate back from breast. Reserve back for gravy. Trim excess fat from breast. Dissolve ¾ cup salt in 6 quarts cold water in large container. Submerge breast in brine (see NOTES for brine recipe), cover, and refrigerate for 6 to 12 hours. DO NOT BRINE IF TURKEY IS SELF-BASTING or PRE-BRINED.
MAKE BREAD CRUMBS (Day 1 or Day 2, 15 minutes prep + 30 minutes)
Adjust oven racks to upper-middle and lower-middle positions and heat oven to 300 degrees. Spread bread cubes in even layer on 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until mostly dry and very lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally during baking.
Transfer dried bread to large bowl.
COOK STUFFING INGREDIENTS & TURKEY BREAST IN SKILLET (Day 2, 1 hour), see TIPS
Adjust oven rack so that the bottom of the roasting pan (make sure that you use a heavy-bottom roasting pan) is 7″-8″ from the top of the oven. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
Remove breast from brine and pat dry with paper towels (leave leg quarters in refrigerator). Tuck wings behind back. Brush surface with 2 teaspoons oil.
Melt butter in large non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 10 to 12 minutes.
Add celery, remaining 2 tablespoons sage, and 1½ teaspoons pepper; continue to cook until celery is slightly softened, 3 to 5 minutes longer.
Transfer vegetables to bowl with bread and wipe out skillet with paper towels.
Place turkey breast skin side down in skillet and roast in oven for 30 minutes.
While breast roasts, add cranberries and eggs to bread mixture and toss to combine (mixture will be dry). Transfer stuffing to 16 by 13-inch roasting pan and, using rubber spatula, pat stuffing into level 12 by 10-inch rectangle.
ROAST TURKEY & STUFFING (Day 2, 1 hour, 35 minutes + 30 minutes to rest)
Remove breast from oven and, using 2 wads of paper towels, flip breast and place over two-thirds of stuffing. Arrange leg quarters over remaining stuffing and brush with remaining 1 teaspoon oil. Lightly season breast and leg quarters with salt. Tuck any large sections of exposed stuffing under bird so most of stuffing is covered by turkey. Transfer pan to oven and cook for 30 minutes.
Reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees. Continue to roast until thickest part of breast registers 160 to 165 degrees and thickest part of thigh registers 175 to 180 degrees, 40 minutes to 1 hour
20 minutes longer.
Transfer breast and leg quarters to cutting board and let rest for 30 minutes.
While turkey rests, using metal spatula, stir stuffing well, scraping up any browned bits. Redistribute stuffing over bottom of roasting pan, return to oven, and turn off oven.
Before serving, season stuffing with salt and pepper to taste. Mound stuffing in center of platter. Place breast on top of stuffing with point of breast resting on highest part of mound. Remove skewers and twine from leg quarters and place on each side of breast. Carve and serve.
The thighs come out delicious and well-spiced. The breast meat, legs, thighs are perfectly cooked.
NOTE: This recipe calls for a natural, unenhanced turkey and requires brining the turkey breast in the refrigerator for 6 to 12 hours before cooking. If using a self-basting turkey (such as a frozen Butterball) or a kosher turkey, do not brine in step 3 and omit the salt in step 2.
NOTE: I used ORANGE BRINE for CHICKEN & TURKEY (see recipes)
NOTE: Remove any large pockets of fat from the neck cavity of the bird to ensure that the stuffing doesn’t become greasy.
NOTE: The bottom of your roasting pan should be 7 to 8 inches from the top of the oven.
TIP: In this recipe, we leave the stuffing in a warm oven while the turkey rests. If you need your oven during this time, you may opt to leave the stirred stuffing in the uncovered roasting pan at room temperature while the turkey rests and then reheat it in a 400-degree oven for 10 minutes before reassembling your turkey.