Turkey

I was on turkey duty this year. A job that I enjoy but that carries a fair amount of pressure. After several years of mostly savory recipes, I thought I'd add a little sweetness to this year's bird.

First things first. I ordered a 16lb fresh Wild Acres turkey through the Birchwood Cafe, which meant that I only had to walk one block to pick up the turkey. Keeping it local.

Okay, back to adding sweet to a typically savory dish. A decided to make an apricot-glazed turkey (see recipe on Epicurious). An interesting element of this recipe is that the gravy includes no flour--just blended onions and leaks for thickening.

While carving the turkey, I took a bite and it tasted delicious. Unfortunately it was the only bite I was going to have all evening. It was a rather large piece, and being distracted with slicing, I didn't it chew it enough before swallowing. A moment later, I realized that it got stuck in my esophagus. I won't add any more details, but I spent the next three hours in the ER and went to bed without supper.

All reports have indicated that my first impression was accurate--the turkey was delicious. I definitely recommend the recipe. So tonight, I look forward to eating the leftovers I wasn't able to enjoy yesterday.

However, my project for the afternoon is making turkey stock (ingredients: turkey carcass, onion, carrot, celery, garlic, bay leaf, white wine, parsley, thyme and of course water).