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Several sprigs thyme

1 cup water

1 turkey, 12–14 pounds, giblets and neck removed (can be used to make turkey stock for gravy)

Olive oil or melted butter or margarine

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 400°F. Scatter the onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and thyme in the bottom of a large roasting pan. Pour in the water. If you have a roasting rack, grease it and place it in the roasting pan.

Rinse the turkey and pat it dry with paper towels. Place it on top of the vegetables in the roasting pan breast-side down, or on the rack, if using. Brush the back with the olive oil or melted butter and sprinkle it with the salt and pepper.

Roast the turkey for 45 minutes. Using oven mitts or towels, flip the turkey breast-side up. Pat the breast dry; then brush more oil or butter over the breast and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast for another 1 to 1½ hours, until the thickest part of the thigh registers 170°F on a meat thermometer. Transfer the turkey to a carving board and let it rest 20 to 30 minutes before carving.

Serves 10–12

To make turkey stock for gravy, place the turkey giblets and neck in a small saucepan along with 1 carrot, 1 celery, ½ onion cut into chunks, 1 peeled garlic clove, and a few sprigs of dill. Cover with water and bring to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour. Strain the stock through a sieve and use a fat separator to remove the fat.

Homemade Marshmallows

Harry and Ron toasted marshmallows, but they didn't make them. However, don't put it past the kitchen house-elves, who are excellent cooks, to make batches of this spongy confection in the Hogwarts kitchens and send them up to be available as snacks (see Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, Chapter 12).

Marshmallows used to be made from the marsh mallow plant. The roots have an extract that's mucilaginous, a word that sounds like what it means. Today we use gelatin (or commercially, gum arabic), but the name has stuck. Over 4,000 years ago the Egyptians also developed a treat made from the mallow plant, which grew in the marshes of Egypt.

½ cup confectioners' sugar, divided, plus more as needed

1 cup water, divided

3 tablespoons (3 envelopes) unflavored gelatin

2 cups granulated sugar

1¼ cups light corn syrup

¼ teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Spray a 9″ × 13″ pan with cooking spray and line with parchment paper to come up the two narrow ends for easy removal. Thickly coat the parchment paper with ¼ cup of the confectioners' sugar, using a sieve to dust the sugar over the paper.

Place ½ cup of the water and the gelatin in a large mixing bowl to soften. Combine the sugar, corn syrup, salt, and the remaining ½ cup water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan, wash down the sides with a pastry brush dipped in hot water. Clip a candy thermometer to the saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, to 238°F.

With the mixer on low speed, slowly pour half the sugar syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase the speed to medium and slowly pour in the rest of the syrup. Increase the speed to high and beat 10 to 15 minutes until thick and creamy. Beat in the vanilla.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and spread it to the edges. Smooth the top with a rubber spatula. The mixture will be sticky and hard to spread, but do the best you can. Thickly coat the top with the remaining ¼ cup confectioners' sugar, using a sieve to dust the sugar over the top. Leave the pan to set and dry out, uncovered, overnight.

To cut the marshmallows, pull out the marsh-mallow sheet by the overhanging parchment and place it on a cutting board. Using a chef 's knife or a large, non-serrated knife, press down with one motion to make a single cut through the center. It's going to be sticky. Make 8 even cuts along the length and then along the width to form rectangles. Dip the cut sides into the confectioners' sugar to prevent sticking.

Makes 64 pieces

To store the marshmallows, lay them in a single layer in