It's almost time for that big holiday feast – and whether you're cooking your first turkey or trying to spice up an old favourite, CTV Consumer Reporter Chris Olsen has some Christmas Eve tips for preparing the perfect meal.
Chef Mike Steele is an instructor at Vancouver Community College's culinary arts department. While his students worked away, he took time to give CTV a few lessons on the perfect turkey dinner.
For a traditional bird, he loosely packs a bit of lemon, cut up onions, garlic and a few herbs (thyme, sage) inside the cavity. "We get some great flavour from that," Steele said.
He doesn't recommend a lot of extras for the outside – a bit of oil, salt and pepper.
To be safe, Steele says you can make your stuffing on the stove top using fresh ingredients.
Combine turkey stock with butter, onions, diced celery, chopped garlic, raisins or sultanas and bacon for flavour. After about 15 or 20 minutes, it's added to the bread in a controlled way.
"We'll just be putting the garnish and the stock in, enough of it so that we get that beautiful garnish in the stuffing as well as the moisture," Steele said.
The turkey's done when the internal temperature reaches 180 degrees Fahrenheit.
Steele says it's a mistake to carve right after taking the turkey out of the oven – letting it sit for 20 minutes or so will make for a better, moister bird.
While waiting, make the gravy. Steele says the secret to great gravy is to use the drippings. "That's what we consider kitchen gold," Steele said. "It is the flavour and the ultimate in colour as well."
For carving, Chef Steele demonstrated two methods.
If you are carving at the table, remove a drumstrick so you can get the proper angle. Start at the far end and change the angle of the knife as you encounter bone. A sharp knife is key.
The alternative is to remove the entire breast, carve individuals pieces and bring finished platters to the dinner table.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's Chris Olsen
