How to cook a turkey

[Nick Armstrong]

pig out on the accoutrements

God yes. I've had a couple of catered Xmas meals consisting of numerous pigs-in-blankets with all the trimmings!

All that stuff on the William Tell thread prompted me to have a look at the menu in Rules....

Yes so did I ! I've plied it in situ on 3 or 4 occasions. I recommend the Braised Pig’s Cheeks & Black Pudding with lentils & roast apple

However I regret to see that the Jugged Hare appears to be orrffff...

[ardcarp]

Is capomising illegal in France? A friend of ours always comes back from French hols with what he callas a capon and does a v.g. coque--au-vin with it. If it is legal in France and not in the UK....so much for EC regs.

[french frank]

If it is legal in France and not in the UK....so much for EC regs.

Has it anything at all to do with the EC/EU regs? According to DEFRA the relevant law is:

"Castrating cockerels to raise capons is not permitted in the UK under the current legislation Mutilations (Permitted Procedures) (England) Regulations 2007. This states that castration may not be carried out on farmed birds."

[Padraig]

I've never recognised the criticisms about 'dry turkey' or 'tasteless turkey' - my dad was in charge at home and (I think inspired by Clement Freud in the 60s - the phrase "a quick burst followed by a thoughtful sojourn" is at the back of my mind) used to prepare 'the bird' on the 24th during the evening, put it in the oven about 11pm for 20 minutes on a relatively high heat, then cover it tightly, reduce the heat to Mark 1 or something like that and let it slow-cook for 14 hours or so till taking it out to rest about 30 minutes before lunch. It was always tender, juicy, flavourful ...

...plus, on waking and getting up on Christmas morning, the house was already fragrant with the aroma

Mind you, as my grandmother used to comment, "the cat's been going mad all night"

That's a Dickens of a Christmas story, Sir.

[Nick Armstrong]

That's a Dickens of a Christmas story, Sir.

And a true one, Sir!

[teamsaint]

And a true one, Sir!

Such stuffing as dreams are made on.

[umslopogaas]

in my (extensive) readings of Sigmund Freud, dreams usually involve a lot of stuffing ... but that's only because I cant get my hands on the lady in my waking life.

[Nick Armstrong]

Such stuffing as dreams are made on.

The aforesaid grandmother did in fact one year cause Xmas lunch almost to fall apart by sticking a red face through the serving hatch and asking in all innocence:

"Who wants stuffing?"

[umslopogaas]

The English language is a minefield, isnt it, even for those of us who think we know it? I mean, I usually decline stuffing because I think I perform better when I'm a bit hungry for some turkey. Breast is good, but thighs are better if they are on offer ...

[Despina dello Stagno]

A friend of mine just produced this from somewhere. It seems a good idea to me.

HOW TO COOK A TURKEY

I should think that this derives from the household book of Mrs William Spooner.

I have a true anecdote about a recipe with similar origins.
Before we married, the signor (well, helpmeet) promised, as part of the dowry, the recipe for marmalade which the mother of Alice Liddell (she of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson fame) had given to Frank Cooper, an Oxford victualler, to make up for her. He had appropriated the recipe for his own use, but it was still being passed down, handwritten, through the generations. Imagine my chagrin to discover that it included nothing other than oranges, water and sugar in the standard proportions, subjected to no peculiar techniques.

[Despina dello Stagno]

Caponsing is illegal now, but it probably wasn't when you were young.

However, with these instructions you can caponise your own.

Excellent, jean ; I've downloaded that and put it behind my ear for later. With a little adaptation, the wished for grandsons will provide me with a full-blooded countertenor choir.

[Don Petter]

I have a true anecdote about a recipe with similar origins.
Before we married, the signor (well, helpmeet) promised, as part of the dowry, the recipe for marmalade which the mother of Alice Liddell (she of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson fame) had given to Frank Cooper, an Oxford victualler, to make up for her. He had appropriated the recipe for his own use, but it was still being passed down, handwritten, through the generations. Imagine my chagrin to discover that it included nothing other than oranges, water and sugar in the standard proportions, subjected to no peculiar techniques.

"And ever, as the story drained
The wells of fancy dry ..."

[All in the Golden Afternoon by Lewis Carroll]

[umslopogaas]

Well, yes, but the thing about marmalade, Frank Cooper's or any one else's, is the oranges. They must be MARMALADE oranges, not the sweet eating kind.

I dont know that quote from Lewis Carroll, but I'd like to hear more ...

[Don Petter]

I don't know that quote from Lewis Carroll, but I'd like to hear more ...

All in the Golden Afternoon was the preface to 'Alice':

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_in_...lden_afternoon...

[umslopogaas]

Thanks Don, I should have recognised it, I just looked it up in my grandfather's copy, which I had long thought to be a first edition, but alas it isnt, or it would be worth around a hundred thousand quid, apparently.