Feast for 12 to 14

Sunset, Nov, 2003 by Charity Ferreira

For a big family dinner, share the cooking. The hosts can roast the turkey and make their favorite gravy; others bring the rest of this highly portable meal. Add mashed potatoes to our lineup, and serve a Gewurztraminer and a Zinfandel.

Oven-roasted whole turkey

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

See recipe for roast turkey (at right) for directions on preparing the bird; follow this chart for oven temperatures and cooking times to produce a turkey with moist breast meat. After removing the turkey legs, if you find that the meat around the thigh joints is still too pink, cut the drumsticks from the thighs and put thighs in a shallow pan in a 450[degrees] oven. Bake until no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes. Or put on a microwave-safe plate and cook in a microwave oven at full power (100%) for 1 to 3 minutes.

Turkey wt.    Oven          Inner        Cooking time**
with giblets  temp.         temp.*

10-13 lb.     350[degrees]  160[degrees]  1 1/2-2 1/4 hr.
14-23 lb.     325[degrees]  160[degrees]  2-3 hr.
24-27 lb.     325[degrees]  160[degrees]  3-3 3/4 hr.
28-30 lb.     325[degrees]  160[degrees]  3 1/2-4 1/2 hr.


* To measure the internal temperature of the turkey, insert a
thermometer through the thickest part of the breast to the bone.

** Times are for unstuffed birds. A stuffed bird may cook at the same
rate as an unstuffed one; however, be prepared to allow 30 to 50 minutes
more. While turkeys take about the same time to roast in regular
and convection heat, a convection oven does a better job
of browning the bird all over.

Spinach and Persimmon Salad

PREP TIME: About 25 minutes

NOTES: The dressing and persimmons for this salad can be prepared up to 4 hours ahead; wrap fruit airtight and chill. Assemble the salad shortly before serving. You'll find glazed pecans in the nut section of your supermarket.

MAKES: 12 to 14 servings

1/4 cup rice vinegar

  2 tablespoons orange
    marmalade

  1 teaspoon Asian
    sesame oil

    Salt and pepper

  5 quarts baby spinach
    leaves (1 1/4 lb.),
    rinsed and crisped

  3 firm Fuyu persimmons
    (5 oz. each), peeled and
    sliced into thin wedges

3/4 cup glazed pecans

In a large bowl, mix vinegar, marmalade, and sesame oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach, persimmons, and pecans. Mix gently to coat with dressing.

Per serving: 85 cal., 33% (28 cal.) from fat; 1.3 g protein; 3.1 g fat (0.3 g sat.); 15 g carbo (3.5 g fiber); 107 mg sodium; 0 mg chol.

Roast Turkey, Plain or Spiced

PREP AND COOK TIME: 2 1/4 to 3 1/4 hours, plus 30 minutes to rest

NOTES: You can roast the turkey with just a sheen of oil, or you can add spices for bolder flavor. We've adapted the seasoning rub that Gayle Pirie and John Clark, chefowners of Foreign Cinema in San Francisco, use on chicken. You can prepare the turkey through step 1 up to 1 day ahead; cover and chill.

MAKES: 12 to 14 servings, with leftovers (allow at least 3/4 pound uncooked turkey per person; roast a larger bird for generous leftovers)

  1 turkey (14 to 18 lb.)
    Spice rub (optional;
    recipe follows)

1/3 to 1/2 cup vegetable oil

1. Remove and discard leg truss from turkey. Pull off and discard any lumps of fat. Remove giblets and neck; save for gravy if desired. Rinse turkey inside and out; pat dry. If using spice rub, rub it generously over skin and inside both neck and body cavities. Brush bird with enough oil to coat.

2. Place turkey, breast up, on a V-shaped rack in a 12- by 17-inch roasting pan (pan should be large enough that turkey fits inside).

3. Roast in a 325[degrees] regular or convection oven, basting occasionally with oil, or pan drippings if using spice rub, until a thermometer inserted through thickest part of breast to the bone registers 160[degrees], 2 to 3 hours. (See chart at left for different-size birds.)

4. Transfer turkey to a platter. Let rest in a warm place at least 30 minutes, then carve. When you remove the legs, if meat around thigh joints is still too pink, cut drumsticks from thighs and put thighs in a shallow pan in a 450[degrees] oven until no longer pink, 10 to 15 minutes.

Per 1/4 pound boned cooked turkey with skin, based on percentages of white and dark meat in an average bird: 229 cal., 39% (90 cal.) from fat; 32 g protein; 10 g fat (3 g sat.); 0 g carbo (0 g fiber); 82 mg sodium; 93 mg chol.

Spice rub. In a 6- to 8-inch frying pan over medium heat, stir 1 tablespoon fennel seeds until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Pour into a blender and whirl until finely ground. Add 3/4 teaspoon hot chili flakes and whirl until coarsely ground. Pour into a small bowl and mix with 3 tablespoons Madras or regular curry powder, 1 1/2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon paprika, and 1 tablespoon salt. Makes about 1/2 cup.

Triple Mushroom Dressing

PREP AND COOK TIME: About 2 1/4 hours

NOTES: Three kinds of mushrooms make this bread dressing a perennial family favorite of Denise Marshall, owner of the Last Bite, a cooking school in Eagle Point, Oregon. If dried porcini mushrooms are difficult to find, omit them and use more chicken broth in step 5. You can prepare through step 4 up to 1 day ahead: cover and chill.