By Chris Rotolo
Nearly a full calendar year ago, a passing of the torch – or wishbone – unfolded when, for the first time, my wife and I welcomed family and friends into our humble Port Monmouth abode to celebrate the Thanksgiving holiday.
A crackling fireplace heated the heart of our home, just as the company warmed our own. Together we noshed on pre-feast charcuterie, while our fathers hollered at the poor play of a quarterback who was deaf to their critiques slung from a recliner couch 1,500 miles away.
In the dining room we crooned along with the pops and snaps of an Arlo Guthrie record on the turntable; the same copy of “Alice’s Restaurant” my mother’s mother used to spin before their holiday dinners.
When the food finally emerged from the kitchen we were surrounded by delicate clouds of mashed potatoes, a sweet and savory glazed ham, a mound of seafood scampi pulled fresh from our coastal waters and, of course, the centerpiece, a golden-brown bird roasted to perfection.
But as quickly as our Rockwellian meal began it was almost immediately derailed by coughing fits from all corners of the table, as we attempted to choke down dry slices of turkey breast. Even the gravy was no match for this foul-flavored fowl.
To avoid disaster a second time, I reached out to one of the area’s renowned chefs for pointers. David Burke, who owns and operates 18 restaurants across New York, New Jersey, North Carolina and Saudi Arabia, including Dixie Lee Bakery in Keansburg, The Goat in Union Beach, Red Horse in Rumson, and Drifthouse Bar and Grille in Sea Bright, discussed some tricks of the trade to make your Thanksgiving feast truly remarkable.
Taking Turkey
to the Next Level
To serve a bird your guests will flock to this holiday season, Burke recommends a technique used in his restaurants.
“The advertisers did a really nice job over the years of marketing that picture-perfect bird in the middle of your table every Thanksgiving, and it’s what everybody wants,” Burke said. “But I don’t cook Thanksgiving dinner at home. I’m focused on preparing it for restaurants. And there’s only one way I know to do it to ensure no one is coughing up a dry turkey at the table.” He said in his restaurants, they never roast a turkey whole. “We remove the breast from the bone and separate the legs. That is the only way you can ensure a moist turkey,” he explained.
According to Burke, it’s the difference in necessary temperature that does in a turkey breast, as legs will cook all the way through at approximately 165 degrees, while the former only needs to be brought to 145 degrees.
“If you’re cooking a whole bird, to ensure the legs cook through, you end up having to cook the breast longer than it needs, and it’s game over after that,” he said.
TIP: Whether you plan to roast your turkey or drop it into a fryer, remove the breast and legs from the carcass and cook them separately. But be sure not to overcook: The separated pieces will cook through at about half the time of a whole bird.
Treat Your Stuffing
Like a Pudding
Many people fill the turkey with stuffing, but if you’re working without a carcass, Burke suggests elevating the stuffing as a standalone dish.
“Stuffing has to be looked at like a bread pudding, and not dry bread that you’re moistening with eggs,” Burke said.
He said he and his staff try to produce something similar to a custard, with a base of half and half or milk. The chef will then boil that base with his vegetable mix of onion, celery and garlic, in addition to parmesan cheese to taste, dried cranberry, and sausage that was browned ahead of time.
“The key to this is that for every quart of cream (or milk), you add seven eggs to the mixture. This will give you your moistening agent. For an additional burst of flavor, you can add in some of the sausage fat from when you browned that up. Then you pour all of that over your dried bread,” Burke said.
After combining the custard with dried bread, season the mixture to taste, and bake it in a dish or individual muffin tins.
“Everybody loves bread pudding. This doesn’t have to be as custardy as your normal bread pudding, but if you meet it halfway, you’ll have a stuffing that will remain moist even when you reheat it the next day,” Burke added.
All Aboard
the Gravy Train
How to avoid a bland turkey gravy? Burke has a novel and very local approach, considering the Two River area’s location.
“We started doing something in our restaurants a couple of years ago that people seem to really enjoy, and it’s when we prepare a lobster-infused turkey gravy,” he said.
Since many of his restaurants already offer a seafood bisque, for the Thanksgiving holiday Burke said his team was inspired to replace the turkey giblets at the base of their gravy with lobster. The process of creating a stock and combining it with drippings from the roasted turkey remains the same, but instead of working minced giblets into the mix, fresh chopped lobster is added to supply seafood notes. In addition to lobster, shrimp, crabmeat, scallops or any combination will also suffice.
Relishing the
Cranberry
Burke grew up in Hazlet and has a particular Thanksgiving side that takes him back to his childhood.
“I love cranberry relish,” he said. “As a kid, it was this jelly that came out of a can, and it kept the shape of the can, including the indentation of the ridges on the side of the can. I never knew what it was actually made of, and it melted on the plate as the night went on. Back then, it was ‘no thank you.’ ”
Today, Burke enjoys making his own cranberry relish by bringing freshly squeezed orange juice, water and sugar to a boil, before adding cranberries, orange zest and salt. Allowing the mixture to gently boil for about 10 minutes causes the cranberries to burst open and naturally thicken the relish. After removing the mixture from the heat, you can leave it as is or continue to mash the relish to a consistency of your liking. Finish it off by setting your relish in the fridge to cool.
“There’s something about turning that sour berry into something sweet and delicious that I just love,” Burke said. “I also like to make things that will last for a while so you can use them over time. I’ll make a bunch of relish during Thanksgiving and keep it throughout the year for sandwiches and as a garnish.”
Don’t Let Extra Pie
Go to Waste
By the time you get to dessert Thanksgiving Day, sometimes there is no more room in the stomach for all the delicious pies and other sweets. Burke suggests repurposing some of these sweets – just as you would the turkey leftovers – for an elevated post-turkey day dessert.
“Have you ever had a pumpkin pie milkshake?” he asked.
Burke said pie fillings – especially pumpkin and pecan – make for a superb ice cream shake base.
“If you have some extra pie that’s a day or two old, and you’re getting burnt out eating it as is, I’ll put it in the blender, crust and all, with some ice cream, a little milk, and maybe a shot of rum, if you’re into that. It comes together really nicely as a shake, or even as coffee if you want to make a frappé.
The article originally appeared in the November 17 – 23, 2022 print edition of The Two River Times.
