Toward A Tastier Tradition
Americans' changing life styles are pushing our traditional Thanksgiving turkey into bold new realms of streamlined looks and full-seasoned flavors.
 
Recipes by Sandra Rudloff, Text by Patrick Earvolino - Cooking Light, November 1998

Thanksgiving dinner has always been a reflection of the American palate, a unifying menu for a country with a relatively short culinary tradition. As our cuisine continues to redefine itself - fusing regional fare, absorbing foreign influences, and reaping the benefits of new conveniences - it's only fitting that our national dish should change with the times. Let's talk turkey. The moment has come to rethink the role of the bird perched on the pedestal of our greatest gastronomical holiday. If nothing else, fresh thoughts are common sense. The Thanksgiving turkey is ultimately about family gatherings, and according to those who tally up such things, the American family is considerably smaller than it was, say, when Norman Rockwell was painting those scenes of three generations sitting together at a table groaning under the weight of a "Tom Turkey" big enough to topple the White House Christmas tree. And our smaller  families - or '90s-style communities of friends - may be wanting more than the culinary chestnuts, literally and figuratively. In other words, our lives have changed and so have our expectations.

Given that, the question is not whether our traditions should change, but how much fun can we have morphing them. Let's start by dropping some weight - from the turkey. Some may still need the 20-pounder, but most people can streamline down to a more manageable 12-pound bird. That's still plenty to feed a dozen of your closest friends and in-laws, and maybe leave a little for those leftover raids, but not so much that you'll be dining on turkey for the next month.

And what about everything else on the table? We'd like to suggest an array to truly make your day: Two-Cheese Scalloped Potatoes, Lemon-Dill Carrots, and Black Bottom Banana-Cream Pie.

But back to the bird. Even with a more practical poundage, you still may feel the urge to stuff. Get over it. For a start, the U.S. Department of Agriculture recommends against stuffing during cooking for safety reasons. Consider this advice as opportunity. Stuffing just means more time and effort anyway - as well as extra fat and calories in the dressing. Instead, just bake our flavorful Sourdough-Sausage Stuffing on the side, and season the bird from within by filling the body cavity with spices, herbs, or fruit. Or try seasoning from the outside in: With a smaller bird and a 2-gallon zip-top plastic bag, for instance, marinating becomes an option. Then there's flavoring the turkey by coating it with a pungent spice rub, or even stuffing a mixture of fresh sage, chives, thyme, and parsley under the skin. You can put together a whole new game plan.

Want to fine-tune even more? Three words: whole turkey breasts. Now widely available in supermarkets, these unconventional, appendageless servings are a fantastic alternative for smaller, more intimate Thanksgiving gatherings. A 5-pound breast will feed up to six people with ample leftovers, and at an hour-and-a-half cooking time, it practically turns roast turkey into fast food. A whole breast costs more per pound, but it's quite economical. With a breast, you're losing only the turkey's legs and wings - in an age when many people opt for white meat only.

"Whoa, wait a minute," the skeptics cry. "Thanksgiving without drumsticks? Now you've gone too far!" But consider how often those drumsticks get passed over. And don't forget that the Thanksgiving milieu is always evolving. At their first feast, the Pilgrims served eel along with wild turkey. Sure, a few of the settlers were upset when seafood was dropped from the lineup, but in the long run, the decision proved incredibly popular.

HOW TO DEFROST A FROZEN TURKEY

You can defrost a turkey safely a number of ways. Best is to set the bird in a shallow pan on the refrigerator for 24 hours per 5 pounds of turkey. This process will take several days, so plan accordingly; make room in the fridge by tossing old leftovers and ancient items you'll never use again. If you lack sufficient refrigerator space, submerge the unwrapped turkey in a sink filled with cold water for about an hour per pound, changing the water every 30 minutes. In an emergency, you can thaw the bird in the microwave, but you'll have to refer to your manufacturer's user guide for the appropriate instructions. In any case, the turkey is fully thawed when a meat thermometer inserted into a thick part of the meat registers 40°F. Store thawed turkey in refrigerator until ready to cook.

COOKING A WHOLE TURKEY BREAST

For smaller Thanksgiving parties or white-meat-only crowds, a whole turkey breast is a smart alternative to an entire bird. A 5-pound breast can be substituted for the 12-pound bird called for in our recipes with a few minor adjustments.

• Insert a meat thermometer into the meaty part of the turkey breast, making sure it doesn't touch the breastbone.
• Bake the breast at 350°F for 1 hour and 45 minutes or until the thermometer registers 170°F. Cover the breast loosely with aluminum foil if it gets too brown.
• To carve, slice the breast directly off the bone. Discard skin.
• See specific recipes for any additional changes.

HOW TO CARVE A TURKEY

Carving the turkey at the table seems picturesque, but it often leads to stained tablecloths and broken crystal. Carve the bird in the kitchen, where you can take time to separate the meat into dark and white portions and arrange it attractively on a warm platter.

	1. Carve one side of the turkey at a time. After cutting and discarding the cord used to tie the legs, gab the end of one of the drumsticks, and pull it away from the body. To free the leg (drumstick plus thigh), follow the knife along the contour of the body, cutting underneath the dark thigh meat.
	2. Separate the drumstick and thigh by severing the leg joint. Remove the skin from the thigh, and discard. Cut the thigh meat off the bone, and slice it into pieces. Repeat for the drumstick, or leave the drumstick whole.
	3. Remove half of the breast by cutting into the center of the breast meat and slicing downward along the breastbone and rib cage. Remove the skin from the breast half, and discard.
	4. Place the breast half on the cutting surface. Holding it steady with the carving fork, slice it evenly against the grain of the meat into serving-size pieces. Repeat process for the other side of the turkey.

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