Julia Child's Roast Turkey
Dec. 22 -- After 40 years in the kitchen, Julia Child has earned her celebrity chef’ s apron many times over. And when it comes to holiday favorites, the French-trained kitchen wonder has some simmering suggestions.
She cooked up some of her specialties on Good Morning America. She also has some holiday specialties, including a roast turkey recipe. And be sure to try her Zucchini au gratin, her Mixed Salad Greens, or her Shrimp in Lemon and Garlic, all from her new book, Julia’ s Kitchen Wisdom. But first, the holiday bird.
Roast Turkey
Ingredients:Turkey, Vegetable Oil, Salt and Pepper,Celery,Onions,Lemon (to season turkey cavity, if desired), Butter, Port or madeira.
Defrosting Frozen Turkey:
Keep the turkey in its original wrapper. A 20-pound bird takes 3 to 4 days to defrost in the refrigerator, about 12 hours in a sinkful of water. Warning: Do not stuff your turkey in advance, since the stuffing could start to sour and spoil inside the bird — goodbye, happy holidays.
Servings: Count on 1/2 pound of turkey per serving, or 1 pound per person, with leftovers. Roast at 325 F (or see below for high- temperature roasting).
Cooking time: For unstuffed birds: 12 to 14 pounds, about 4 hours; 16 to 20 pounds, about 5 hours; 20 to 26 pounds, about 6 hours. Add 20 to 30 minutes in all for stuffed birds.
Internal temperatures: 175 F at the thickest portion of the leg; 165 F in the breast; 160 F in the center of the stuffing. Stuffing amounts are 1/2 to 3/4 cup per pound of turkey, making roughly 2 to 2 1/2 quarts of stuffing for a 14 to 16 pound bird.
Child says that she prefers a flavoring in the cavity (salt and paper, and a thinly sliced lemon, a small onion and a handful of celery leaves), rather than a stuffing and she cooks the stuffing separately. Make turkey stock with the neck and scraps (see Turkey Stock recipe below). Save the liver, heart, and gizzard for giblet gravy (See Giblet Gravy recipe below).
Popular Reads
ABC News Live