All things new

My family did something new for new year's eve this year. In the past, we either went out for dinner together or attended someone else's new year party. This year (or last year I should say), for the first time, we were home. We invited a few of our family friends and cooked our own feast :)

And what a feast! The centerpiece of the dinner were the roast turkeys. One of my dad's friends volunteered to cook them and they were delicious! I received the opportunity to see and assist the cooking process. I've always wanted to learn how holiday roast turkeys are made, but never had a chance because no one I know does it. Turkey isn't a common ingredient in Asian cultures. Excited, I saved whatever information and images I could of the cooking from start to finish. Sadly, I had my hands too full that I couldn't capture them with a camera. But, here's a brief summary of what happened.

Roasting the Turkeys 

Step 1: Wash the inside, neck cavity and the whole of the turkey. Drain excess water.

Step 2: Use the neck and gizzards to make turkey stock. They come in handy for the stuffing and gravy.

Step 3: Flavour the turkey. Turkeys on their own are bland so it's important that they're seasoned well. We used lemon juice, parsley, celery (leaves and bulbs) and onions to stuff the inside and the neck. After that the turkeys were rubbed with olive oil, salt and seasoned salt. The neck cavity and insides were then sewed so that the flavour stays inside.

Step 4: Bake the turkey. We calculated the baking time by converting the kilos into pounds and assigning 15 minutes per pound. Timing is crucial because an extra 15 minutes can easily overcook the turkeys.

Preparing the Sides 

Step 5: While the turkey is cooking, prepare the stuffing. My dad's friend recommended a recipe from here.He likes using French bread for the stuffing because the crust adds extra texture and prevents them from being too soggy. That's the last thing that you want.

Step 6: Use the rest of the turkey stock to make the gravy.

Step 7: Make your desired side dish. My dad's friend wanted to test an idea he had and that was to make a potato casserole. I had to prepare the appetisers so I didn't get to see how he made it, but here's how it looked like.

One good thing about hosting your own dinner party is that you get to choose the menu. Seizing this chance, I asked my parents whether I could prepare the appetizers and one of the desserts.

Here are snapshots of what I made. Recipes to come soon :)

So meanwhile, hope you all are enjoying the holiday, having a good time with your loved ones, but also savouring plenty of good food! Happy 2010 everyone :)