Big Sur Bakery Cookbook - Michelle Wojtowicz [68]
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 cups white button mushrooms, sliced
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
6 tablespoons dry white wine
3 cups shiitake mushrooms, sliced
3 cups cremini mushrooms, sliced
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
10 fresh sage leaves, julienned
2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
6 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley
5 to 6 cups turkey stock or chicken stock
Serves 10
The night before Thanksgiving, cut the crust off the loaves of bread and cut them into large cubes; you should end up with about 16 cups cubed bread. Spread the cubes out on a long, deep sheet pan, or two smaller ones, and leave it out, uncovered, for the bread to dry overnight.
The next day, adjust the oven rack to the middle position and preheat the oven to 350ºF.
Heat a large sauté pan over high heat, and add 2 tablespoons of the oil and 1 tablespoon of the butter. Add the white button mushrooms, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until they’re soft and slightly brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Deglaze the pan with 2 tablespoons of the white wine, scraping any brown bits from the bottom with a wooden spoon. Set the mushrooms aside. Repeat the process with the shiitake and cremini mushrooms, using 2 tablespoons oil and 1 tablespoon butter for each batch, and deglazing the pan each time.
Once all the mushrooms are sautéed, wipe the sauté pan clean with paper towels, put it back on the stove, and drizzle the remaining 3 tablespoons oil into it. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and sweat over medium-low heat until they’re soft, about 7 minutes. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a large bowl. Add the mushrooms and the cubed bread, and toss.
Sprinkle the sage, thyme, and parsley over the stuffing. Add just enough stock to moisten the bread—you don’t want it to be soggy. Season the mixture with 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper. Press the stuffing into a baking pan. Dot it with the remaining 2 tablespoons butter, and cover the pan with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes. Then uncover the pan and bake until the stuffing is crusty on top, about 20 minutes.
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Garlic Gravy
We think gravy is the most important part of any Thanksgiving celebration. Thickened with puréed vegetables and garlic rather than flour, this gravy adds incredible flavor to the turkey. We blanch the garlic three times to remove its pungency and tenderize it. The strong base adds great depth of flavor and color. This gravy can be made a day in advance, which not only will lighten your load on Thanksgiving day but will actually improve its flavor.
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INGREDIENTS
25 garlic cloves
3 tablespoons rice bran oil or canola oil
2 medium yellow onions, roughly chopped
3 carrots, roughly chopped
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
6 cups turkey stock (recipe follows) or chicken stock
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Makes about 2 quarts
To triple-blanch the garlic, place the cloves in a saucepan and add enough water to cover. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, and then strain the garlic. Put the garlic cloves back in the saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil again, and strain. Repeat the process one more time. Reserve the blanched garlic.
Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, and drizzle the oil into it. Add the onions and brown them lightly, 7 minutes. Add the carrots and celery and cook until they have softened, about 7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 7 more minutes. Add the stock, 1 tablespoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper. Simmer for 30 to 35 minutes.
Purée the gravy in a blender or food processor, and strain it through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl. Check the seasoning, and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Turkey Stock
INGREDIENTS
2 turkey thighs on the bone
2 turkey wings
1 yellow onion, halved
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 bay leaf
1 flat-leaf parsley stem
1 thyme sprig
1 garlic clove
5 black peppercorns
Makes 6 quarts
Put all the ingredients in a large