Dear Mississauga,
This post is my Thanksgiving gift to each and everyone of you.
Love,
Anne
Last year my father (known for his AMAZING Rum Cake) and his very close friend Lucy came into town for Thanksgiving. Lucy and I cooked dinner together. We decided to make a recipe she had found but never tried. The recipe was from a famous TV show chef, Ina Garten, and involved truffle butter. Do you know what truffle butter is? I didn’t. We contemplated leaving it out… but then I got on the internet. If you are reading this you are obviously familiar with the internet as well!
I googled around and found out that I could get truffle butter at the Cheese Boutique in Etobicoke. So Dad, Lucy, and I piled in the car and off we went to this fancy cheese place. Well… we got in the door and just about thought we’d all died and gone to gourmand heaven! If you have never been there I suggest you cancel all you activities for tomorrow afternoon and GO! (You may need more time if you don’t live in the GTA.) Leave me a comment below once you’ve gone. I can not wait to read about your experience there!
Anyway… here’s the recipe. Do something special this year, splurge on some truffle butter. You won’t regret it!
Photo reprinted from the book Barefoot Contessa: How Easy is That? By Ina Garten, © 2010 by Ina Garten
Ingredients
1 (12 to 14 lbs) fresh kosher turkey, giblets removed
3 oz white truffle butter, room temperature*
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 large yellow onion, unpeeled and cut into 8 wedges
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
1 bunch thyme
Extra virgin olive oil
Directions
1. Heat oven to 325 degrees F. Drain any juices from the turkey cavity and place on a rack in a large roasting pan, breast side up. Pat dry with paper towels. Working from the large cavity end, gently run your fingers between the skin and the meat to loosen the skin, taking care not to tear it. (Don’t do this with rings on your fingers!) Place the softened truffle butter under the skin and gently spread the butter evenly over the whole breast. (Be generous with the butter!)
2. Sprinkle the cavity generously with salt and pepper. Place the onion, garlic, and half of the thyme in the cavity. Tie legs together with kitchen string and tie one length of string around the bird and the wings to keep wings close to the body. Brush the turkey all over with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Remove 1 tbsp of leaves from remaining thyme, chop them, and sprinkle on turkey.
3. Roast the turkey until a meat thermometer placed in the center of the breast registers 160 degrees F, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Don’t baste the turkey. About halfway through, when the breast is golden brown, cover the breast loosely with foil to prevent the skin from burning. Remove the turkey from the oven, cover tightly with foil, and allow to rest in the pan for 15 to 20 minutes. Garnish with thyme sprigs and serve with the pan juices. Serves 8.
By the way… The Cheese Boutique is on facebook and you can fine them as @Cheese_Boutique on twitter!
