Sunday, December 28, 2003

Kat shares:

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Recipe Summary
Yield: Yield: 10 to 12 servings
1 (14-16 pound) frozen young turkey
For the brine:
1 cup kosher salt
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1 gallon vegetable stock
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
1/2 tablespoon allspice berries
1/2 tablespoon candied ginger
1 gallon iced water
For the aromatics:
1 red apple, sliced
1/2 onion, sliced
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
4 sprigs rosemary
6 leaves of sage
Canola oil

Combine all brine ingredients, except ice water, in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Stir to dissolve solids, then remove from heat, cool to room temperature refrigerate until thoroughly chilled. Early on the day of cooking, (or late the night before) combine the brine and ice water in a clean 5 gallon bucket. Place thawed turkey breast side down in brine, cover, and refrigerate or set in cool area (like a basement) for 6 hours. Turn turkey over once, half way through brining. A few minutes before roasting, heat oven to 500 degrees. Combine the apple, onion, cinnamon stick and cup of water in a microwave safe dish and microwave on high for 5 minutes.

Remove bird from brine and rinse inside and out with cold water. Discard brine. Place bird on roasting rack inside wide, low pan and pat dry with paper towels. Add steeped aromatics to cavity along with rosemary and sage. Tuck back wings and coat whole bird liberally with canola (or other neutral) oil. Roast on lowest level of the oven at 500 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and cover breast with double layer of aluminum foil, insert probe thermometer into thickest part of the breast and return to oven, reducing temperature to 350 degrees. Set thermometer alarm (if available) to 161 degrees. A 14 to 16 pound bird should require a total of 2 to 2 1/2 hours of roasting. Let turkey rest, loosely covered for 15 minutes before carving.

(from December 2003 issue of Gourmet magazine)
Makes about 4 dozen

2 cups flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1/2 tsp vanilla
2 Tblsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tblsp finely grated lemon zest

Whisk together flour, baking powder and salt in samll bowl.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes in a standing mixer (preferably fitted with a paddle attachment) or 6 with a handheld. Beat in egg and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, then add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Mix in lemon juice and zest.

From dough into a 12 inch log (2 inches in diameter) on a sheet of plastic wrap and roll up dough in plastic wrap. Chill dough on a baking sheet until firm, at least 4 hours (or freeze up to one month, wrapped in double layer of plastic wrap).

Put oven racks on upper and lower thirds of of oven and preheat to 375.

Cut enough 1/8 - 1/4 inch thick sllices from log with a heavy knife to fill 2 ungreased large baking sheets, arranging slices about 1 inch apart. Return remaining dough to fridge. Bake cookies, switching position of sheets halfway through baking, until edges are golden, 12 to 15 minutes, then transfer with a metal spatula to racks to cool completely.

{via Sherri}

1 cup butter
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and the sugar. Slowly add the flour and salt, mixing well. Roll out dough with a rolling pin until it is 1/4 inch thick. Cut into desired shapes using cookie cutters. Place on cookie sheet and prick with a fork.

Bake for 5 to 8 minutes or until light brown at the edges. (This is what the recipe says, but I had to bake almost 30 minutes to get them to be a bit crispy. 5 - 8 minutes leaves them REALLY doughy and gross.)

{via Sherri}

3/4 pound ground lamb
3/4 pound ground beef or ground veal
1 small yellow skinned onion, minced or grated with hand grater
A handful flat-leaf parsley, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon (1 turn of the pan) extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup dry white wine
1/2 lemon

Preheat a medium skillet over medium high heat. Combine meats, onion, parsley, salt, and pepper. Add butter and oil to pan and begin rolling small, bite-size balls, adding balls to pan as you roll them. Cook balls 10 to 12 minutes, shaking pan occasionally to brown equally on all sides. Deglaze pan with wine and allow wine to reduce by half, 1 or 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat and squeeze the juice of 1/2 lemon over the meatballs.

Serve in a bowl.

[via Malia]

Diabetic cookie recipe
Submitted by: Sherry Lewis - AllRecipes.com
I have spent years looking for good sugar free recipes - this is one of them.
Servings: 24

Ingredients:
1/2 cup shortening
3 tablespoons granulated artificial sweetener
1 egg
2 1/2 cups cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 cup skim milk
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:
1. Cream shortening, add sugar replacement and egg; beat well. In a separate bowl, combine dry ingredients, add the milk, vanilla, and water. Put in flour mixture and stir well.

2. Chill dough 2 to 4 hours.

3. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C).

4. Roll out 1/8 inch thick and cut the cookies. Bake for 8 to 10 mins. Cool. Keep in air tight container.

{via V}

Diabetic cookie recipe
Submitted by: Jenn Hall - All Recipes.com
A delicious holiday cookie that diabetics can enjoy as well.
Servings: 20

Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup granulated artificial sweetener
1/3 cup sour cream
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
2/3 cup ground almonds
1/2 cup raspberry preserves

Directions:
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar substitute with an electric mixer. Gradually add egg and vanilla while mixing. Sift together flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Stir in by hand. Finally, stir in sour cream and ground almonds. Divide dough in half and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).

3. On a well floured surface, roll out each half of the dough to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut out cookies using a 2 inch round cookie cutter. Using a 3/4 inch star or heart shaped cookie cutter, cut the center from half of all the rounds. Place cookies 1 inch apart on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake in preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes. Remove cookies from cookie sheet and cool on a wire rack.

4. To assemble: Stir the spreadable fruit until fruit so it is smooth. Spoon 1/2 teaspoonful of fruit onto each of the cookies without the holes. Set a cookie with a hole on top of the fruit layer. Enjoy!

{via V}