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Turkey With Apricot-Chestnut Stuffing - Truffles - Wine Choice

TURKEY WITH APRICOT-CHESTNUT STUFFING

15-16 lb. turkey

16 oz. sourdough bread, cut into 1/2" cubes

1/3 cup butter                          3/4 cup slivered almonds

1 1/2 cups chopped onions       1 1/4 cups chopped celery

4 tsp. poultry seasoning             1 tsp. salt

2 1/2 cups chopped chestnuts   1 1/2 cups chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup raisins                           2 cups chicken broth

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread bread cubes on bottom of a shallow baking pan. Bake 15 min., stirring once. Set aside.

Melt butter in a large pan over medium heat. Add almonds, stir and cook 3 min. Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion and celery to the pan and cook until vegetables are slightly tender. Stir in poultry seasoning and salt.

Place bread cubes, vegetables, chestnuts, apricots, raisins and almonds in a large bowl; mix lightly. Add broth and mix well.

Reduce oven to 325 degrees. Remove neck and giblets from body and neck cavities of turkey. These can be refrigerated for other use or discarded. Drain juices from turkey; pat dry with paper towels. Fill neck and body cavity with the stuffing. Place turkey, breast up, on a flat roasting rack in a roasting pan. Brush turkey with melted butter. Cover lightly with aluminum foil to prevent over-browning.

Roast turkey 4 1/2 hours or until meat thermometer reaches 165 degrees when inserted into center of stuffing and 180 degrees when inserted deep into the thigh. Let stand 15 min. before removing stuffing and carving.

Truffles

1 12 oz. pkg semi-sweet chocolate chips

3/4 cup sweet condensed milk

1 tsp. vanilla               1/8 tsp. salt

1/2 cup cocoa

In a double boiler, over low heat, melt chocolate. Stir in condensed milk, vanilla & salt. Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or until it's easy to shape. With oiled or buttered hands, shape into 1 inch balls; roll in cocoa.

Makes: Approx. 36 truffles

WINE CHOICE

Thanksgiving wine choices can be easy -- and treacherous.

The good news is that the range of wines people enjoy with the traditional feast is broad.  The difficulty only comes about when we forget the star of the feast is the riotous collection of tastes the day will bring and select a wine that is lost among them.

Light sparkling wines are considered ideal by some.  Others find white wines like Pinot Grigio, Gewurtztraminer, Reisling and Sauvignon Blanc suit them best.  Still more prefer reds such as Syrah, Zinfandel, and Pinot Noir. 

What all these choices have in common is that they are generally light and fruity with some acidity to help cleanse the palate.  No one wine is going to meld perfectly with all the flavors, aromas and weight of the foods at a typical Thanksgiving, so I often feel it best to have more than one, allowing guests to choose at the table or serving  a sweeter wine with the dessert.

This year, I plan to serve Silverado Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Napa Valley as my white wine.  For the red, I was tempted to go with a Spanish Rioja (a Crianza, not a Reserva) because one of the guests enjoyed that in the past, but decided to stay in California.  I ended up with Bonny Doon Vineyards Cardinal Zinfandel California because ... well, because I liked the label and Bonny Doon's slightly wacky sense of humor in addition to their wines.  (Note: Bonny Doon has gone completely to screwcap closures on their wine.  If you would prefer a traditional cork, try Beaulieu Vineyard Zinfandel Napa Valley.)

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Turkey With Apricot-Chestnut Stuffing - Truffles - Wine Choice

 Last modified: August 07, 2007