Creole Cakes with Sweet &Spicy Remoulade: A luscious leftover turkey recipe!

A rare holiday snow
followed
monsoon-like rain!

When my children were younger, we enjoyed roast pterodactyl for our holiday meals.  It wasn't a real pterodactyl; it was a 25-pound turkey that filled up my oven.  It was during that time I discovered the joys of a programmable oven.  I would prepare my turkey, stuffing each cavity with fresh parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme, then plugging the cavity with a sweet onion before roasting in the oven overnight.  The programmable function allowed me to put it in the oven, set the oven to start a few hours later, and wake to a lovely turkey.  We had lots of turkey leftovers, too, so a great leftover turkey recipe was relished.  Here's our favorite, adapted from Cooking Light (actually, I took all of the light out of it!).

Creole Cakes with a Sweet and Spicy Remoulade

Remoulade:

1/3 cup sour cream
2 T. minced green onions (my grandmother called them scallions)
2 T. mayonnaise
1 T. Zatarain's Creole mustard (or Grey Poupon Dijon mustard)
1 T. sweet pickle relish (sometimes I substituted dill)
Dash of garlic powder
Dash of ground cayenne
Tiny sprinkle of gumbo file (very optional, file is an acquired taste)


Combine the sauce ingredients into a small covered bowl and chill until ready for use.

Cakes:

The Resident Dragon says
smoked turkey would be
delicious in this recipe, too!

2 slices bread
3 cups chopped turkey (white or dark, or both)
1/3 c. minced green onions
1/4 c. mayonnaise
1 T. Lea & Perrins Worcestershire Sauce
1 t. cajun seasoning
1 large egg
1 t. Watkins grapeseed oil

Place bread in food processor and pulse into small crumbs; measure out 1.25 cups.  Combine the turkey, scallions, mayonnaise, Worcestershire sauce, cajun seasoning, and egg.  Stir in the breadcrumbs.  Form 8 patties (1/2 inch thick).  Heat oil in a non-stick or seasoned cast iron skillet and fry patties 5 minutes on each side (10 minutes total).  Each serving is 2 patties plus 2 tablespoons of sauce.  C'est bon!

From our kitchen to yours,

Happy New Year!

Savory Scarborough Turkey

One of the biggest stresses of the holiday season is wondering if the turkey will turn out perfectly.  Many fuss and stress and inject and fry and do all sorts of unnecessary things.  Roasting a turkey is practically the easiest thing on earth.  Here's my "secret" recipe!

1 turkey, 15-18 pounds, thawed, drained, cavities emptied
2 large sweet onions, peeled and halved
1 bunch of fresh parsley, halved
1 bunch of fresh sage, halved
1 bunch of fresh rosemary, halved
1 bunch of fresh thyme, halved
1 t. Salt, kosher
1/4 t. Black pepper, freshly cracked
1/4 t. rubbed sage
1/2 t. dried thyme
1/2 t. dried rosemary
4 T. olive oil, plain (not extra-virgin)
4 T. unsalted butter, melted.

Equipment:  Roasting pan with rack, aluminum foil, meat thermometer (absolutely essential)

Place wire rack in roasting pan and tuck the wings under the bird (as best as possible).  Fill the neck cavity with half of the fresh herbs, and using one half of an onion like the "stopper."  Tuck the skin under the bird.  Fill the large cavity with the remaining fresh herbs and use the remaining onions to seal the cavity.  If the legs are not wired together, tie them together with butcher's twine. 

Dry the skin with a paper towel, then slather with the olive oil, making sure all the skin is covered.  Rub the dried herbs into the skin.  Tent aluminum foil over the entire bird (you will probably need two lengths) to prevent burning the skin.  Pour water into the roasting pan so that it covers the bottom but does not touch the bird.  If you can refill through the cooking process, do so.

If you have a programmable oven, set it to cook at 325 degrees for 20-25 minutes per pound.  I set mine before I go to bed and let the bird cook while I sleep.  At the end of the 20 minutes per pound time period (5 hours for a 15-pound bird), check the internal temperature with a meat thermometer.  I like 175-180 degrees deep in the thickest part of the breast and near the thigh.

Once your bird is nearing done, about 170-175 degrees, remove tent and drizzle butter over the skin.  Continue cooking until correct internal temperature is attained and the skin is crispy and golden brown.  Let set for 5-10 minutes before carving.  Your bird should be juicy and tender.

Serve on a bed of herbed wild rice.  For larger birds, you will need to increase the herbs.

Count your blessings during this holiday season!